By CLARENCE TANG
Fingers will sparkle and talent shine as eight students from the School of Music — the winners of 1999 School of Music Concerto Competition — perform classical and contemporary concertos tonight at 7:30 p.m. in an “Evening of Concertos” taking place in the de Jong Concert Hall in the Harris Fine Arts Center.
“Every winter semester, (the School of Music) has a competition for its own students,” said Bryce Rytting, conductor of the BYU Symphony. “These students are the best of BYU’s performers.”
A lot of sweat and tears are put into getting to be the best. “These kids have been preparing all their lives to be part of this,” said Paul Pollei, a piano faculty member who has a student performing in the concert.
The students are selected through a two-part process, according to faculty member Jeff Shumway. First, they compete against peers from their respective instrument groups — piano, woodwinds, brass or strings. A panel of adjudicators select the three top performers, who then compete in the finals against winners of the other instrument groups. Of the finalists, eight are then selected by a second committee of adjudicators to perform in the “Evening of Concertos.”
“We are trying to find what represents excellence and each kind of repertory,” said Rytting. The performers are evaluated first on their performance, but for the sake of variety in the evening’s program, other factors are considered as well.
“The quota is the most rigid external consideration. Usually, we’ll have two pianists, two winds, two strings and two brass,” said Rytting.
This year is no exception. The evening features two piano, two woodwind, two string and two brass soloists accompanied by either the BYU Symphony, conducted by Kory Katseanes, or the BYU Philharmonic, conducted by Bryce Rytting.
On piano, Cecilia Hone will perform the third movement of St. Saens’ “Piano Concerto No. 2;” Natalie Dixon will perform the first movement of Mendelssohn’s “Piano Concerto in G minor.”
Cellist Brian Stucki will perform Elgar’s “Fiddle Cello Concert,” and violinist Winona Vogelmann-Fifield will perform Ravel’s “Tzigange.”
Trombonist Ryan Williams will perform Gregson’s “Trombone Concerto,” and trumpeter Rick Winscot will perform Torelli’s “Trumpet Concerto.”
The evening will conclude with bassoonists P.J. Woolston and Michael Dalby performing Wanhal’s “Bassoon Concerto.”
Tickets are available for purchase at the Fine Arts Ticket Office in the main lobby of the HFAC or by calling (801) 378-4322.
