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Photograph by Micah Hancock[/caption]
By David Seaman
Competition is a loaded word. But for Taylor music students, it promises a chance to do what they love, hone their skills and, just maybe, perform with professionals.
Several Taylor music students, along with high school and collegiate musicians from the surrounding area, will compete during the 24th Annual Marion Philharmonic Concerto/Aria competition.
The competition will take place Nov. 17 in the Butz-Carruth Recital Hall. Winners will be presented in both high school and college divisions and will receive $250, along with a chance to perform with the Philharmonic.
Junior Courtney Jameson, a vocal performance major at Taylor, said singing is what she loves to do.
"I've always loved it, and Taylor gives me the opportunity to expand on that," she said. "I wanted to be a vocal performance major because I loved performing in high school and wanted the opportunity to improve my skills."
Jameson said she will be singing "Va! Laisse couler mes larmes," an aria from the opera "Werther."
An aria is a self-contained vocal piece usually with orchestral accompaniment.
"It's a very dramatic piece depending on who is singing it," she said. She added that she hopes to make it dramatic.
Jameson has been working on the piece since last semester, going over it endlessly in performance classes and rehearsing with her teacher, voice professor Patricia Robertson.
"(Robertson) has been very helpful in helping me get this far. I could not have done it without her," Jameson said.
Jameson is eager to finally perform the aria during the competition.
"(The competition) gives me such a great opportunity to perform at a high level and, here's hoping, with an orchestra in the future," she said. "It is a great possibility, and I want to see if I can do it."
One of the bonuses of winning the competition is that the Philharmonic will perform the entire score of the winning piece in a later concert.
Time slots for the competition are assigned for the performers to compete in front of judges. The times run between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Jameson said she will be performing during the final time slot of the day.
"They're announcing the winners right after," she said, flashing a nervous smile. "So, you know, no pressure or anything."
Instrumentalist competitors will perform a concerto, a piece for solo instrument accompanied by an orchestra, or in this case, a piano.
Along with several pianists, four other Taylor vocalists will perform in the competition.
