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Three music students from Utah State University, Orem High School and the American Preparatory Academy are the top-prize winners in the first-ever statewide Student Concerto Competition sponsored by the Utah Wind Symphony and Legacy Music Alliance (the latter led by businessman Gaylen Rust and Dr. Craig Jessop, above, dean of the Caine College of the Arts at USU and former director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir).
Emerging as best of class in competitive auditions at the collegiate, high school and junior high school levels were Whitney Mensink, flute, Utah State University; Brittney Theurer, saxophone, Orem High School, and Max Robert Dobson, euphonium, American Preparatory Academy.As winners in the collegiate and high school categories, Mensink and Theurer will receive a $1,500 scholarship.
As a winner in the junior high school category, Dobson will be awarded a $1,000 scholarship.
Mensink, Theurer and Dobson will also perform in concert with the Utah Wind Symphony March 29 at the Rose Wagner Center for the Performing Arts.Other winners in the competition who will receive a $1,500 scholarship include Cynthia Chen, flute, University of Utah; and Adam Snider, tuba, University of Utah, at the collegiate level; and Nathan Affleck, trombone, Brighton High School; and Tracy Furr, marimba, Mountain View High School, at the high school level.
Ashley Fleming, flute, Bennion Junior High, won at the junior high school level and was as given a $1,000 scholarship.
A total of $11,000 was awarded.Competition participants were required to submit a DVD recording video from a list of musical works. Finalists were then selected for a live audition held in late January and from that group, scholarship winners were chosen by a panel of judges.