Music so precise, they named winners thrice.
That’s the quick rhyme behind last week’s annual Concerto/Aria Competition, which awarded top honors to three student-musicians for the first time in its six-year history. The winners of the competition, Miriam Rhodes, Rafael de Tablan (who also won in 2023), and Naomi Kratzer, have earned one of the most prestigious accolades on campus for musicians: the chance to perform as soloists alongside the EMU Orchestra during its spring Concerto/Aria Orchestra Concert.
| Don’t miss it! What: Concerto/Aria Orchestra Concert Date: Friday, April 25 Time: 7 p.m. Location: Lehman Auditorium Cost: Free (no registration needed) |
Benjamin Bergey, assistant professor of music at EMU and conductor of EMU’s Orchestra, Chamber Singers, and University Choir, credited the historic moment to the strong performances of the seven student-musicians who competed.
“It was a challenge to choose only two winners,” he said. “After extra deliberation, we decided that the orchestra could accommodate three winners this year, but that’s something we don’t intend to do again in the future.”
The three winning musicians took a moment to answer a few questions from EMU News in between practicing for April’s big show.
Miriam Rhodes
Year: Junior
From: Rockingham County, Virginia
Major: Music and peacebuilding; elementary education
Instrument: Violin
Which piece of music did you choose?
I played the first movement of Max Bruch’s “Concerto No. 1 in G Minor.” My violin teacher Maria Lorcas introduced me to the piece near the end of my freshman year at EMU, and I’ve been working on it, on and off, ever since. I’ve spent a lot of time with this piece over the past couple years, analyzing its theory and history, and performing it several times, but I still haven’t gotten tired of it.
What was running through your mind when you found out you had won?
I was surprised that the judges had picked three winners and immediately got excited. A lot of my passion for making music comes from the joy and relationship-building that happens when you collaborate with other musicians, so I’m super excited to perform this piece with the orchestra and bring it to life together.
How will you be preparing for April’s concert?
I’ve always had some performance anxiety. After my last performance, I felt like I had already achieved a personal victory by pushing myself out of my comfort zone and improving my performance mindset—something my teacher, Maria Lorcas, and the music professors at EMU have helped me learn to do. I plan to continue preparing mentally through positive self-talk and visualization.
Rafael de Tablan
Year: Junior
From: The Philippines
Major: Music performance
Instrument: Piano
Which piece of music did you choose?
I played the second movement of Maurice Ravel’s “Piano Concerto in G Major.” I chose this piece because it’s something out of the ordinary. Fast and grand movements are usually selected for competitions, rather than slow ones. But, I chose this slow movement as a sincere dedication to my mom and dad, who nicknamed me “Ravel.”
What was running through your mind when you found out you had won?
I was confident the judges wouldn’t choose a slow piece to win, but boy, was I wrong. When the three winners were announced, I was shocked by the history-making moment. I hugged and congratulated the other two winners. Realizing that my dedicatory piece will be performed with the orchestra, I started welling up with tears thinking about how I could give even more love to my parents.
How will you be preparing for April’s concert?
Definitely practice, practice, practice. I need to polish it even more and review the judges’ feedback. One thing I love to do while practicing is to follow along with someone else’s recording of the same piece. (His piano teacher is Dr. David Berry, director of the music program at EMU)
Naomi Kratzer
Year: Junior
From: Goshen, Indiana
Major: Music performance and history
Instrument: Piano (she also plays viola and sings)
Which piece of music did you choose?
I played the first movement of Edvard Grieg’s “Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 16.” My professor, Dr. David Berry, chose the piece for me, but I’ve loved preparing it over the past seven months. This is the only piano concerto Grieg ever wrote, which makes it even more special to perform. It’s also a piece that plays to my strengths as a pianist, so it’s been fun to hone those skills.
What was running through your mind when you found out you had won?
I was glad they finally came to a decision. The process was the longest in EMU history: one whole hour. It was awesome to win with my friend Miriam and my co-conspirator-in-piano, Rafael.
How will you be preparing for April’s concert?
I’ll keep chipping away at the shakier parts of the movement and make sure I have the entire piece under my fingers, but I also need to start preparing my junior recital repertoire. It’s going to be a full semester, for sure.
Bergey said Rhodes played with “confidence and finesse” in a thrilling performance of Bruch’s violin concerto. “She is our concertmaster in the orchestra, so it will be wonderful to feature her in this concert,” he said.
He described de Tablan as captivating the room with his “exquisitely musical playing” of the slow movement of Ravel’s piano concerto: “This deceptively difficult movement exuded his musicality, and you could hear a pin drop at the end.”
Bergey recognized Kratzer for tackling one of the most iconic concertos of the night. “She expressed such command of the instrument through her technical playing,” he said.
Mezzo-soprano Cassidy Williams received runner-up honors. Other musicians competing at the event were Elie Hoover, Riley Quezada, and Jacob Loya. Lise Keiter and Eric Guinivan served as guest judges for the competition. Harold Bailey and David Berry were piano accompanists.
Watch a video recording of the competition here on the EMU Department of Music Facebook page.
Read coverage of the event in the Daily News-Record here.
For write-ups of previous years’ competitions, click on the links below:
The musicians’ answers have been edited for grammar and conciseness.
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