Kevin Eisensmith, reporter
The ITG Youth Solo Competition: Senior Division was held on Wednesday afternoon, June 7, in the Band Rehearsal Room in Wilson Hall. There were twelve finalists, age 14 to 18, representing ten states in the United States, and New South Wales, Australia. Each competitor performed one of the required pieces - which included: Broughton Oliver's Birthday, Clarke Southern Cross, Peeters Sonata, Mvt. I., Turrin Caprice, or Neruda Concerto in E-flat, Mvt. I. Contestants could then select one other work of their choice. Students were given a ten-minute time limit. John Irish, Competition Coordinator, introduced each student.
Michael Calderone (Collingswood, NJ) performed the Peeters Sonata, Mvt. I and portions of the Arutunian Concerto. These works were well suited to his playing. Calderone had a nice sound and a bold, confident approach, both of which were performed on B-flat trumpet. Christopher Hoefs (Meredith, NH) also chose the Peeters, along with the Neruda Concerto in E-flat, Mvt. I., as his selections. Hoefs overcame some initial nervousness to present a fine performance, including a “brisk” rendition of the Neruda. Annie Lemieux (Greenbelt, MD) began her portion of the competition with the Neruda, played on the E-flat trumpet. Her performance was very musical, with a compact, unforced sound. For her second work she chose the Ewazen Sonata, Mvt. III. Played on the B-flat trumpet, Lemieux negotiated the angular lines most effectively.
The next performer, Sarah Carter (Arlington, TX), performed the first movement of the Hummel Concerto in E-flat and the Turrin Caprice. Perhaps because of nerves, both works seemed fast to me. As a result, Carter had some difficulty, especially with the Caprice. Adam Stark (Jacksonville, FL) played the Clarke Southern Cross, followed by Rustiques by Bozza. Stark performed with nuance and control. His was a very expressive performance. Yuriy Kravets (Ridley Park, PA) was the first performer of the competition to play from memory. He chose the Broughton Oliver's Birthday and Concert Piece by Goedicke. Kravets' strong technique was particularly evident in the Goedicke.
Also playing from memory, Daniel Kirk (Valdosta, GA), selected the Davies Sonata for D trumpet, followed by the Neruda, played on the E-flat trumpet. The Davies is a most demanding work, and Kirk handled it quite well. Matt Gasiorowski (Manahawkin, NJ) played the works by Arutunian and Neruda. A few small inconsistencies in his playing did not mar an otherwise solid performance. Alexander Ross (Young NSW, Australia) played the Neruda, followed by the Concerto, Mvt. I. by Lovelock. His performance was quite musical, and his approach to the music and the trumpet was unforced.
Elizabeth McLain (Covington, VA) performed the Turrin Caprice and the Kennan Sonata, Mvt. I. Fluctuations of tempo disturbed the flow of the music at times, and there were small technical inconsistencies in an otherwise pleasant performance. Simon Bosch (Loveland, CO) performed Broughton's Oliver's Birthday followed by Albinoni's Concerto in C, Mvt. I. Bosch performed the Albinoni on the piccolo trumpet in B-flat, and had a beautiful sound on both this and the B-flat trumpet. His ornamentation for the Albinoni was most effective and interesting, and was written by Bosch himself! The final performer of the competition, Christopher Albrecht (Bowling Green, OH), played the Arutunian and the Turrin Caprice. Both works were performed well; the Caprice in particular was very smooth and flowed nicely.
In the five years that this Competition has been featured at ITG conferences, this group of finalists is among the largest. All twelve students performed very well and should be proud of their accomplishments. Results of this competition will be announced at the banquet on Saturday evening.
