Students win in the Grand Junction Symphony’s Young Artist Competition
student, in the Grand Junction Symphony’s Young Artist Competition last weekend.
Emilee Bradley, a sophomore in piano performance, took home the grand prize of $1,500 and the opportunity to play her piece, “Saint-Saens Concerto No. 5,” next spring with the Grand Junction Symphony.
“It’s a really fun piece and I love to play it,” Bradley said.
Bradley, who has played the piano for 15 years, has used the piece in other competitions in the past.
She has received $500 now and the rest will be given to her next spring.
Five students from around the five-state region competed in the competition, which is held every other year.
Two of the performers, USU’s Luke Hancock and Sharon Wu of Littleton High School, tied for runner up, and each received $500.
This was the third year Hancock performed in the competition and the second time he received a runner-up award.
He performed “Rachmaninoff Concerto No. 1.”
“It’s a great concerto with a beautiful lyrical section,” he said. “Audiences love it just because it is so singable.”
He worked on his piece off and on through the summer and the fall, and then sent in a recording in December, as did the other contestants.
The top five were chosen to compete in this year’s competition.
“It’s a good experience to go there,” Hancock said.
The other performers, Jessica Roderer, USU, and Trevor Hale, University of Colorado at Boulder, had the chance to perform their pieces for an audience.
Roderer said her piece, Prokofiev’s third concerto, is very popular and fun to play.
“I love to perform with my career as much as possible,” Roderer said. “It’s easier to perform the more you perform.”
She has performed in many state and national competitions over the years.
“The more competitions you play in, the better chance you have of playing with a professional performance group,” Roderer said.
Each of the USU performers, along with competing, accompany for others and teach private lessons.
Hancock not only teaches privately, but he teaches two courses in the music department: aural skills and keyboard harmony. Hancock is graduating this spring but plans on continuing his education through the graduate program that is being set up.
“I like working with the little kids, teaching them to play the piano. It’s really rewarding,” Bradley said.
-ranaebang@cc.usu.edu