By Justin Grass/ reporter
Three NE composition contest participants will have original piano pieces performed at a state conference in June.
The students were awarded two second-place finishes and an honorable mention in the Texas Music Teachers Association Original Composition Contest.
NE music professor Hsinyi Wang said the three participants competed in the Post-12 group with college-level students of different ages and experiences.
“At the awards ceremony, they will each have the chance to have their work premiered on stage in its entirety,” she said. “Then they will receive a certificate and a check for whatever they have won.”
Wang said the prize money can range from $100-$200.
Stephan Arce-Penedo placed second in the small ensemble division of the contest with his piano four-hands piece “Carousel.”
He said having his piece performed would be “terrifying,” and he would definitely be nervous but hopes he receives good critiques and constructive criticism of his work.
Angie Ntavyo placed second in the solo division of the contest with her piano composition “Marley’s Lullaby.”
“It was a lot of concentration, a lot of digging deep into what you want the people to hear, what message you want them to get,” she said of the work that went into her submission.
She said she initially wasn’t going to submit her work, but Wang helped her through the process of making her piece as good as possible.
“I can’t describe what it might be like,” she said. “I’m excited. I’ve never got to perform a piano piece in front of people, so it will be a new experience for me.”
Kyoungmin Lee received honorable mention in the solo division of the contest with his piano composition “Memories.”
“I think it’s going to be a great experience,” Lee said.
He said he doesn’t normally write classical music, so performing a classical piece in front of an audience will be different.
The Texas Music Teachers Association Convention will take place at the Hyatt Regency in Dallas June 15-18.
