Shaye Phillips, Features Editor–
A string of melodies echoed through Burke Recital Hall as nine musically gifted students competed for a chance to win the Denison Symphony Orchestra’s 2024 Concerto-Aria Competition on Nov. 13.
The Concerto-Aria Competition has been held annually since being founded in 2018, providing an opportunity for students in the Music Department to showcase their abilities.
“Both singers and instrumentalists are eligible to compete after being nominated by a faculty member,” said Dr. Philip Rudd, the Director of Orchestra and associate professor at Denison.
The prize for the winners is the chance to perform as featured soloists with the Denison Symphony Orchestra during the spring concert. During the competition, each student performs one song, and the performances are judged by someone outside of Denison.
This year, the Music Department welcomed Dr. Antoine T. Clark, an orchestra conductor, clarinetist, and educator based in Columbus.
“I’m going to hear some wonderful talent tonight. This school has a rich education for many students with a musical background,” Clark said, shortly before the competition began.
The first contender was Maisey Frederick ‘25, who sang Giacomo Meyerbeer’s “Adieux mon doux Rivage” from the opera “L’Africaine.” The song was also sung in French.
“Fortunately, this was a piece I’d learned in the spring last year, so I still knew it fairly well coming into this semester,” said Frederick. “In terms of practicing, I focused mainly on fine-tuning my technique and working on how I wanted to express the piece to the audience.”
According to Frederick, it was crucial that she rested her voice in the days leading up to the competition, but she still had to maintain practicing the piece as well. “It was an interesting needle to thread,” Frederick said.
For some of the competitors, performing onstage in front of the judge was difficult yet exhilarating. Frederick expressed her gratitude for the support she received from her fellow competitors.
“I love how supportive we all are of each other; we’re always cheering each other on. There’s a certain energy you feel when you know you’ve performed well, and I really felt it afterwards,” Frederick said.
Erica Elefson ‘26 also described her experience as scary, but she felt confident due to her many rehearsals and the help of her accompanist, Professor Hana Chu.
“I was nervous because I was performing a solo, and there were stakes as this was a competition,” Elefson said. “Luckily, my accompanist and I rehearsed together enough that I felt confident we could make it through the piece together.”
Elefson performed the song “Concerto for Vibraphone and Orchestra” by Ney Rousaro on the vibraphone, a percussion instrument with metal bars that, when struck, give off a soft tune. It bears resemblance to a xylophone.
Cello player Jackson Holland ‘27 started preparing for the competition last May. He performed “Haydn C Major Cello Concerto No. 1.”
“It was really exhilarating to perform on stage. I think my performance went well, and my teacher said it was the best I ever played,” said Holland.
The winners were not announced until the next day. The four students recognized for outstanding performances were Takuto Kometsu, violin; Erica Elefson, vibraphone; Maisey Frederick, soprano voice; and Gabe Donnelly, bass voice, were chosen as the top four performers.
“When I got the news that I was one of the winners, I was on cloud nine. I stood in my bedroom in shock for a good handful of minutes, re-reading the email over and over again to make sure I wasn’t dreaming,” said Frederick.
Elefson is also overjoyed with her victory. “I am truly honored and thrilled to be a winner of the concerto competition. This Denison tradition has been something I’ve looked forward to competing for since I was a first-year, and I’m quite proud to represent the Music Department in this fashion,” Elefson said.
Rudd also wanted to acknowledge the teachers of the winning students. Dr. Hanna Hurwitz, violin; Dr. Alexandros Fragiskatos, percussion; and Professors Emily Noel and Kevin Wines, voice.
“The four [winning] pieces will work wonderfully together, and the orchestra concert, which will be in Sharon Martin Hall on March 13, 2015, will be spectacular,” said Rudd.
All professors who helped out with the competition gave their congratulations to the students. Rudd was particularly proud of all of the participants.
“The level of performance in this competition continues to rise year after year, and each performer should be extremely proud—every entry was excellent, musically profound, well-prepared, and exciting for the audience to experience,” Rudd said.
Clockwise from top left: Concerto-Aria winners Erica Elefson ‘26 (vibraphone), Gabe Donnelly ‘25 (bass voice), Takuto Kametsu ‘25 (violin), and Maisey Frederick ‘25 (soprano voice) on stage during their performances. The Concerto-Aria Competition has been held annually since 2018. This year it occurred on Nov. 13 in Burke Recital Hall.