Saturday, June 2 - 8:00 a.m.

The 2007 Youth Competition’s senior division (age 14-18) took place in the Reading Room at UMass Amherst. Competition Chair John Irish welcomed the participants, audience, and judges, going on to explain that although prizes are awarded, the most valuable thing that the students take home is really the judges’ written comments. He went on to introduce and thank those judges, Eric Baker from the Midland-Odessa Symphony & Chorale, Joseph Bowman from Mahidol University, and Joshua Whitehouse from Arizona State University; and the two official accompanists Rebecca Wilt and Elvia Puccinelli.

Contestants were required to prepare one piece from a set list and another of their own choice. The list was: E. Bozza, Rustiques; H. L. Clarke, Bride of the Waves; J. N. Hummel, Concerto, 1st movement; K. Kennan, Sonata, 2nd movement; and J. Toulon (arr. Vernier) Histrion. Four contestants chose the Kennan, three each the Hummel and Clarke, and two the Bozza. The Toulon piece was not chosen, and the Clarke put in an extra appearance as a student’s own choice piece. All the contestants were from the USA; there was no preliminary round, so we were hearing all the applicants in this morning’s competition.

The first contestant was Nathaniel Meyer, from Belmont, Massachusetts. His own choice piece was the Boehme Concerto, 1st movement, which featured a confident start, nice tone, and some well-organized, sure-footed passage work. His set piece was the Hummel, a pleasant performance on the E-flat trumpet.

Next came Hannah Newman from Eagan, Minnesota. In her Kennan there was some nice muted work, her tone really shining through when a little higher and louder. She also played the first movement of the Arutunian Concerto where the quiet part in the fast section showed some nice control.

Cory Johnson, from Mustang, Oklahoma played third. In his Kennan a firm approach to the muted work paid dividends, enabling him to keep it all quite quiet but well controlled. For his own choice piece Cory played the Clarke with good style, giving us an enjoyable, spirited performance. He was very accurate on this piece’s many leaps and played a good and very secure cadenza.

The fourth student to play was Mitchell Smith, from Clayton, Indiana. In the Kennan Sonata we heard a very nice quiet ending to the later muted part, and he brought to the Goedicke Concert Etude a nice sense of the rhythmic drive of the piece.

Peter Smith from Melbourne, Florida played next. In Bride of the Waves we heard nice phrasing and some impressive tonguing, before his Hindemith Sonata, which displayed an assertive start with good control of dynamics and a nice sense of style.

Sixth to play was Kyla Moscovich from Tarrytown, New York. Having chosen the second movement of the Kennan as her piece from the list she preceded it with the first movement. This featured an assertive beginning with a focussed, warm sound. Careful thought about phrasing was evident in this confident performance. Similarly her second movement was very precise, with everything carefully placed and phrased with great musicality.

Playing seventh this morning was Rachel Winsberg from Rochester, New York. Rachel played the first movements of the Haydn and Hummel concerti with a pleasant and light approach well suited to the music. I must also mention her splendid low concert F in the Hummel, a great moment.

Christopher Hoefs, from Meredith, New Hampshire, played next. His Goedicke Concert Etude featured a confident beginning with a nice broad sound and the momentum well maintained. In the Clarke he offered a quite assertive approach to the music, with some secure approaches to the leaps, and his phrasing showing a good awareness of the music’s shape.

Ninth to play was Annie Lemieux from Greenbell, Maryland. Her confident, secure approach to Ewazen’s "dramatic soliloquy" Aftershock for unaccompanied trumpet gave us a really measured, thoughtful performance of this difficult and moving work. Her work on the Bozza captured your attention at once, with a declamatory style that fitted well, coupled with a well-controlled approach to the quieter sections. Her spikier, fanfare-like moments were dramatic and impressive.

Next we heard Matthew Bloomfield from Ithaca, New York. Matthew opened with a confident approach to the Bozza, displaying a good dynamic range with a nice sound and good control, and a firm approach to the faster passage-work. His Hummel second movement had a light, almost airy sound and a nice feel for style and phrasing.

The Clarke piece played by Matt Otte from Manchester, New Hampshire had a very confident start and a real cornet-soloist approach, stylish and easy. Matt followed this with the first movement of the Arutunian - a very bold, confident performance played with verve and style, using a bright and very focussed sound.

Twelfth and last to play was Nicole Daskalakis from Brookfield, Connecticut. She started with the Balay Andante et Allegretto with a good warm sound and a nice sense of style, and some precise and lively playing in the Allegretto. Her Hummel had a nice broad approach, not going too fast, which suited the music well.

With the playing part over the jury retired to its deliberations, thanked once again by the Chair, John Irish. Thanks were also very much due to the two official accompanists who played for most of the performances, as well as to the other accompanists who played for some of the students. Your reporter would also like to place on record his unqualified respect for each and every one of the contestants for their willingness to enter for the competition and go through this pretty tough experience at 8.00 on a Saturday morning: it’s easy enough to sit here and write, but standing up and walking out there to play is a different matter, and I take my hat off to all twelve of these excellent and admirable young people.