Recordings due December 7, 2012; Live competition January 6, 2013
Open to music students in Marion, Polk, and Yamhill counties, up to and including high school seniors.
Eligible instruments: Woodwinds, brass, strings, voice, piano, percussion, harp, classical guitar
Finalists and adjudicators at the 7th annual Fritz Competition. First row: Adjudicator Amy Hansen, Sierra Schmeltzer, Catherine Hu, Kaitlyn Clawson, Sarah Kim, Trevor Mink. Second row: Hannah Raschko, Kendra Johnson, Ariana Parks, Travis Scharer, Alex Moxley, Adjudicator Jason Duckles. Third Row: Adjudicators Leander Star and Julia Lee.
Hannah Raschko
Grand Prize – Hannah Raschko
Hannah plays trombone for the wind ensemble, symphony orchestra, jazz band, and marching band at McNary High School. She also participates in ensembles outside of school including Salem Youth Symphony and the brass band at the Kroc Center. She started playing trombone in the 5th grade (and taking lessons since 7th), and has been studying with Matt Polacek for five years. In high school, she has participated in the All-City and All-State Honor Band, the State Solo Contest, and this year she is very excited about her acceptance into the All-Northwest Honor Band.
Sierra Schmeltzer
Sierra Schmeltzer, flute
Sierra Schmeltzer lives in Salem, Oregon with her family. Sierra studies with Sandy Norman. She is a junior at South Salem High where she is an active participant in the music program. She has been playing her flute for six years. She is currently the principal chair in the Salem Youth Symphony and has been accepted and performed in the Salem All City band for the past 6 years. Sierra is a national MTNA junior woodwind finalist and winner of the Salem-Keizer district woodwind solo and ensemble competition from 2010-2012. She was also second in the State Solo and Ensemble in 2011. Sierra has performed in the All State Orchestra in 2011 and 2012, and was first chair in All Northwest Orchestra in 2011. She has won the Concerto Competition for the Salem Youth Symphony, and the Wiscarson Competition. She has a strong passion for music and her career ambition is to major in music in college and play professionally in a large symphony.
Sarah Kim
Third Prize – Soo Yon (Sarah) Kim
Sarah Kim is a junior at Blanchet Catholic School. She has played the violin for 12 years and currently studies with Prof. Dan Rouslin at Willamette University. She has been a member of the Salem Youth Symphony groups for the past 8 years. In addition to her musical activities, she is active in her community by volunteering at Salem Hospital and accompanying the choir at her church.
Ariana Parks
Fourth Prize – Ariana Parks
Born into a very musical family in 1995, Ariana started picking out tunes and intricate harmonies on the piano when she was too small to be on the piano bench. She started taking formal piano lessons when she was five and has never stopped. She is a senior in high school and is currently taking piano and organ from Pamela Miller and loving every minute of it; she also has seven piano students of her own. She has won over one hundred awards and competitions including being selected for the state recital eleven times in the Oregon State Junior Bach festival.
Finalists:
Kaitlyn Clawson
Kaitlyn Clawson, piano (South Salem High School)
Kaitlyn Clawson, a freshman at South Salem High School, has studied piano for seven years with Lora Halferty and Pamela Miller. She consistently receives Superior Ratings in the OMTA festivals for Piano Solo, Concerto, and Theory. Kaitlyn also attended the State Junior Bach and Ensemble Festivals and was awarded honors in the Romantic Festival. She is an excellent student and musician – Kaitlyn received the Iva Turner Scholarship Award for piano and the Richard Blysma Academic Excellence Award in 8th grade. She has participated in All-City as principal flute/piccolo, Western International Band Clinic’s Honor Band, and is excited to go to All-Northwest in February. The many musical ensembles Kaitlyn participates in show her love of music.
Catherine Hu
Catherine Hu, piano (Judson Middle School)
Catherine Hu is a seventh grade student at Judson Middle School in Salem. She started playing the piano at age five, and is now a student of Pamela Miller. In addition to playing the piano, Catherine sings with the Judson Jazz Choir and the Judson Concert Choir. She also studies Shaolin Kempo Karate, and has attained a blue belt. Catherine’s other interests include reading, math, swimming, and watching adventure movies.
Kendra Johnson
Kendra Johnson, flute (McNary High School)
Kendra Johnson is a junior at McNary High School and has played the flute for seven years. She studies with Sandy Duffy Norman and is a member of the Salem Youth Symphony and McNary Wind Ensemble. Kendra has performed with the Salem-Keizer All City Orchestra, WIBC Honor Band and in flute master classes with Dr. Hal Ott and Dr. Sydney Carlson. She was the 2008 winner in the Junior Division MTNA woodwind soloist competition for Oregon and went on to compete in the MTNA Northwest Regional Woodwind soloist competition in 2009.
Trevor Mink
Trevor Mink, baritone (McNary High School)
Trevor is a senior this year at McNary High School where he is heavily involved in the choir program. He is also involved in the theater program. In the fall, he was Seymour in Little Show of Horrors. Aside from being in three choirs during school, Trevor is also a proud member of the Salem Community Chorus, and was the featured soloist for their winter concert tour. During his high school career, he has received vocal training from Brian Swingle and is currently studying with Robb Harrison. Last year, Trevor placed first in the District Solo Competition and also placed in the State Solo Competition. After high school, Trevor plans to attend a four year college majoring in vocal performance/education and once finished, pursue a career in music.
Jeremy Morrison, trumpet (McNary High School) Unavailable to perform in the live round.
Alex Moxley
Alex Moxley, horn (McNary High School)
Alex Moxley has played french horn for eight years and loves it. He is involved in the wind ensemble jazz band, and symphony at his high school. From 2011 to now he has been principal horn of the Salem Youth Symphony. At the state solo and ensemble competition he placed third. Also participating in all-city band 2010 and 2011, he was accepted into the all northwest wind ensemble. He volunteers at the Salem Kroc Center and gives lessons to other french horn players.
Travis Scharer
Travis Scharer, cello (Walker Middle School)
Travis Scharer began playing the piano when he was 6 years old. In the fourth grade Travis started playing the cello under Randy Gregory at Myers Elementary. He began studying with Noah Seitz in 2010. Travis is an 8th grader at Walker Middle School. He played with the All-City Orchestra in 2012 and will be playing again in February 2013. This past summer, Travis was accepted into the Metropolitan Youth Symphony. Travis plans to study music in college and major in Cello Performance. Whether it’s in a symphony, an opera, or teaching privately, he knows that cello is what he wants to do for the rest of his life.
Adjudicators:
Click here for adjudicator biographies
Jason Duckles, cello
Amy Hansen, soprano
Julia Lee, piano
Leander Star, horn
Prizes:
Grand Prize: The opportunity to solo with SCO and a cash prize of $500
Second Place: A cash prize of $250
Third Place: A cash prize of $200
Fourth Place: A cash prize of $150
Prepare for the 2013-2014 Competition
Recordings due December 5, 2013; Live round January 5, 2014
Pieces must be no longer than 15 minutes. Entry fee is $10.
It is strongly encouraged that you approve your repertoire selection with the SCO office (email info@salemchamberorchestra.org or call 503-480-1128). This is really only concerning instrumentation – the work must be appropriate for chamber orchestra (so, probably no Rachmaninoff, Mahler, Tchaikovsky… if the orchestra needs three trombones and a tuba, we probably can’t play it!). The office’s approval of repertoire does NOT imply a recommendation for a successful competition piece, only whether the instrumentation is appropriate for a chamber orchestra.
Click here for a PDF of the full rules of entry.
Enter Online! Click here for a printable PDF entry form.