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Bethany Moss, Alice Chang and LeeAnn Szeto win Concerto Competition
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Grand Forks. In an unusual decision, judges in the Greater Grand Forks Symphony’s Young Artist Competition awarded the same top prize to two musicians at the Symphony’s annual concerto competition on Saturday afternoon at Hughes Fine Arts Center at UND. Bethany Moss and Alice Chang, both of Moorhead, Minnesota, were declared winners of the Barnum Award.
Thirteen year-old violinist Bethany Moss is a student of Benjamin Sung in Fargo.
Bethany is home-schooled and has studied violin for nine years. She played the first movement of the Khachaturian Violin Concerto for her audition.
Alice Chang is a freshman at Concordia College where she studies with Jay Hershberger. Her audition piece was Franz Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in A major.
The Barnum Award is named in honor of Elton Lee Barnum, a former Greater Grand Forks Symphony musician. The award is made possible through an annual gift by Barnum’s wife Lee. However, an additional gift from an anonymous donor who attended the competition made it possible to award two prizes rather than split the award. The judges were unable to decide between the two top contestants. The award was presented by former Symphony conductor Timm Rolek, who was in town to guest conduct the Symphony’s January 30th concert.
LeeAnn Szeto, a junior at Lincoln High School in Thief River Falls and a member of her high school Orchestra, was the winner of the Page Towne Award. LeeAnn has studied piano for twelve years. For her audition, she played Saint-Saen’s Concerto in G minor.
The prize was presented to LeeAnn by Gary Towne, Professor of Music at the University of North Dakota. The award is named for Dr. Towne’s late wife, Page, a former Symphony Executive Director who championed youth music education. Judges for this year’s competition were Elizabeth Chaussé, Co-Principal Flute for the GGFSO, Ligia Feo, Symphony violist and youth ensemble director, Thief River Falls piano teacher Amanda Rodahl, and Symphony guest conductor Timm Rolek.
The Young Artist Concerto Competition is sponsored by Bremer Bank, and administered by Michelle Lucia Ingle.
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