Garcia Piano Competition to Feature Top High School Pianists from Mid-Atlantic Region
January 31, 2005
Talented high school pianists from across Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic Region will compete in the second annual Marian Garcia Piano Competition on Saturday, Feb. 12, in Esber Recital Hall, Music Building I, on the Penn State University Park campus. The competition, open to the public, begins at 9:30 a.m., with Senior Division (12th grade) award announcements at 1:45 p.m. and Junior Division (11th grade) award announcements at 6:30 p.m.
State College Area High School junior Julia Pershe will be one of the competitors. She and the other participants will be judged by Penn State piano faculty and Cecilia Dunoyer, a local pianist who performs nationally.
According to Timothy Shafer, professor of music in piano and coordinator of the competition, the repertoire requirements for this competition are more challenging than the requirements for college admission. “This competition will include the most talented high school pianists in the Mid-Atlantic Region. These students have spent no less than six months on their preparation—a lot of work has gone into this.”
The 19 participants, whose works must be memorized, will play a selection of pieces by composers such as J.S. Bach, Beethoven and Mozart, in addition to a substantial work representing the Romantic, Impressionistic or 20th-century time period. The students hail from Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Virginia.
The competition is funded by an endowment created by the late Edith Garcia in honor of her daughter, Dr. Marian Garcia, a State College physician. First place ($750) and second place ($250) prizes will be awarded in each division.
For more information on the competition, contact Timothy Shafer at 863-4413 or tps1@psu.edu.
Contact: Amy Milgrub Marshall, alm157@psu.edu or 814.863.2104