Concerto winners to perform

After hours of rehearsal to prepare for selected pieces, not to mention years of experience dating back to the age of four or five, 22 talented and self-disciplined musicians gathered in Richardson Auditorium on Feb. 6 to audition for this year's Princeton University Concerto Competition.

Sean-Avram Carpenter '03, a violinist, Lisa Jager '03, a clarinetist and Felice Kuan '04, a pianist, were the winners of this year's competition and will perform with the Princeton University Orchestra this Saturday at Richardson Auditorium at 8 p.m.

An opportunity to perform with the Princeton University Orchestra — a highly competitive music organization demanding of its members — was a rewarding motivation for the concerto winners.

"The orchestra is filled with talented musicians and it will be an honor to perform with them again," Jager said, having been a part of the orchestra during her freshman year. In a concerto, a composition usually in symphonic form with three movements, one instrument stands out in bold relief against the orchestra or accompaniment to display the performer's musical skill and to create a harmonious musical dialogue.

The competition was organized by the Music Department to encourage student musicians to try out for a chance to perform with the orchestra at the upcoming concert in the spring, but only students lucky enough to be selected by the orchestra committee were invited.

Many of the participants have played in recitals in the past, but an audition involves performing before a panel of judges instead of an audience of welcoming family and friends.

Each competitor had only eight to nine minutes to impress judges Richard Shirk, faculty member at the Mannes School of Music, Elizabeth Kader-abek, a member of the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia and Wendy Heller, an Assistant Professor of Music at Princeton.

Because concertos are typically long movements requiring finesse, precision and warming-up to gradually move into the music, shortening a piece to eight minutes can be a major challenge for soloists.

But Felice Kuan '04, one of the three winners of the competition this year, saw this as a rare opportunity to select and play the strongest parts of the music without having the risk of fumbling over a difficult section within the concerto.

All competitors were also required to have an accompanist.

Kuan did not have to worry about finding dependable help. Her mother, her piano and singing coach since she was five, took up the task of playing the Grieg Concerto in A minor.

But when asked about how important accompanists were in the audition process, Kuan said, "There's a misconception about accompanists: they're not really important," she explained.

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"Not to degrade the support of my mother, rather I mean, in a competition like this, accompanists are not to dominate the auditioner's performance," she said.

"One should feel comfortable with the accompanist, no doubt. The judges want to know you can play with an orchestra, but the accompanist should not lead."

Playing Piano Concerto #5 by Beethoven, more famously known as the Emperor Concerto, which has even inspired multiple paintings, Gabrielle Smolov '06 was also one of this year's participants. Having practiced the piano since she was five years old, Smolov said she felt well prepared to audition despite the normal experience of anticipation before an important event.

"Any contest causes anxiety, especially waiting before performance time," she said. "I usually get nervous before big events but unwind while playing. It's the irony of competing."

The competitive spirit associated with contests seems to be cutthroat as with many sport activities. Despite competing against players of different instruments — violins, pianos, baritones, clarinets and flutes — one may not be as quick to judge music auditions in the same light, especially because of the elegance and composure of the performer.

Alexis Kende '05, who has been playing the violin since the age of five, won last year's competition and complimented the encouragement he received from his peers.

"I was very honored to be named a concerto competition winner last year," he said. "It was an amazing experience to be a soloist. Fellow competitors were very supportive, which helped me to keep my energy focused on simply playing music."

The main enjoyment of the competition was simply having the chance to perform. The musicianship at this year's auditions proved that an attitude of confidence is necessary to win any event but not at the expense of a positive atmosphere.

The concerto competition allowed its soloists to experience performing at a higher level and to compete for a chance to play with the orchestra. For a musician, and many other non-athletes and athletes in training, this contest was ultimately a test of movement, endurance and skill.