This past weekend from 1/30-1/31, the Blount-Slawson competition was held at Huntingdon College in Montgomery, AL. My son participated for the first time. This was a really tough competition. Knowing that, he just wanted to try.
We drove there leaving the snow storm behind. It was raining the whole time and continued on the next day.
Friday, all participants had a chance to rehearse with their assigned pianists or their own pianists. You get one forty-minute session with them. Because of limited room availability, you have to practice at a hotel room for the rest of the evening unless you are a pianist.
The next morning is the preliminary audition. It starts as early as 8:00am, I heard. My son's audition time was a little past 10:00am. He got to warm up with the pianist again for another forty minutes before his actual audition.
They divide the participants into three groups. One all pianists and remaining two groups for other instrumentalists and the top three from each group advance to the finals.
Three groups audition in the separate halls. I'm not quite sure, but I think each participant is assigned to a particular room according to their instrument for the judges are staying in one room the whole time. So most likely the judges who are specialized in string instruments would judge string players. This is my own speculation, though.
Anyway, the level of the participants were very high. Many traveled from far. Some drove from Chicago, some flew in and many from local areas.
The results were written on the black board in the hospitality room around 5:00pm. This year there were four pianists chosen as finalists instead of three. It must have been very tight competition.
We didn't stay for the finals due to other commitment awaiting us next week, but you can read the article to find out who won the competition this year.
It was intimidating at first for we've never entered competition this big, but the people who volunteered there were all nice and friendly. They even had complimentary lunch for all of us at the preliminary round. We really enjoyed the experience there. If anyone is considering for the next year, don't be scared!:) Have fun!!!
Monday, February 1, 2010
Blount-Slawson Competition 2010
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4 comments:
Hey! My daughter also participated. Did your son audition for Tanglewood, by any chance? Perhaps they can meet each other there. My daughter auditioned last year via the Blount-S. competition and went and had a good, confidence-building time.
One of my daughter's judges was Tom Vignieri from FROM THE TOP. I don't know if he's a string player. Another was Andre Gaskins, who used to teach cello at Columbus State University in Georgia, and who knows my daughter and her teachers. He's a very good cellist and conductor. We couldn't tell who the other judge was. Last year my daughter had a singer who was on the Tanglewood committee judging her, as well as Michael Heald, a British violin prof at UGA.
Hi, Weirsdo!
What a small world! It was fun, wasn't it? My son didn't audition for Tanglewood this year. I am still looking into some summer camp. Something that is not too long since he'll have to go by himself (he's 13). This will be his first time going away from home by himself.
I have no idea who were the judges for my son's group. May be they were the same people your daughter auditioned for. Which hall did your daughter played in?
She thinks the violinists all had the same judges. Florida State University has a good orchestra program for just two weeks, but the food is really terrible.
We decided to send our son to Bowdoin this year, only the first session though. His teacher saw some of the faculty names and recommended, but I guess I have to go with him. The administrator there said it would be better if one of the guardians was with him because of his age. I know my son is disappointed a little that he can't get away from me:)
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