Young Competitors Astonish the Friends

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YOUNG COMPETITORS
ASTONISH THE FRIENDS;
RAGTIME'S FUTURE
ALIVE AND WELL

(Taken from the May, 2000 Euphony Review.)

The Friends of Scott Joplin presented their second annual youth ragtime piano competition on Saturday, May 20 at Forest Park Community College, and were very pleased with the the music they heard. Seventy-three young people between the ages of 8 and 17, separated into three divisions, performed over the course of the five and one-half hour event, and the performance level was generally high. Selections ranged from simplified lightly-syncopated works for beginners to James P. Johnson's "Carolina Shout." Scott Joplin's music was featured fifty times, with fourteen different renditions of "Maple Leaf Rag," eight of " The Entertainer," and three of "Elite Syncopations."

The winners of Division 1, the 8 to 10 age bracket, were Amelea Kirn, first place, with "Peacherine Rag," Kevin Hsiao, second with " The Strenuous Life," and Ian Fuemmeler, third with "Dill Pickles Rag." Kim's rendition was particularly moving, using a difficult score and accurately reaching some very low bass notes, and giving a soulful interpretation of the bluesy C strain. Hsiao's performance was powerful and articulate, with decent left hand motion. Fuemmeler presented a slow, swinging version of "Dill Pickles," with tremendous accuracy for an 8 year old.

Division 2, ages 11 to 14, brought some of the finest performances of the day, and the top two prizes surprisingly went to eleven year olds. Emily Sprague, who had won the younger division a year ago, showed that she would not take a back seat to the older kids. Her allegretto ma non troppo version of "Magnetic Rag," featuring sixteenth note runs in the left hand and a boogie-woogie touch to the twenty-four bar third strain, dumbfounded the audience. Second place went to Anatoliy Kutznetsov, who gave a very solid, accurate, legato version of "The Entertainer." Third place was won by Christopher Yost, who played Zez Confrey's "Kitten on the Keys" with much tricky anticipatory syncopation in the left hand. The oldest division, ages 15 to 18, was won by Patrick Dell with a splendid, emotional version of "Pineapple Rag," beginning gently but gaining force as he progressed. Second place went to Marit Johnson (last year's winner), who presented a powerful rendition of the technically challenging "Scott Joplin 's New Rag." Linda Ding took third with a beautifully interpreted "Elite Syncopations," played very lightly in the second and third strains. This highly successful event was sponsored by Madinger Wines of Kirkwood. Judging the competition were Jeanne Milder, fonner chair of the Forest Park Community College music department, along with ragtime musicians Jan Douglas and Richard Egan. The number of participants was up from last year's fifty to seventy-three. We hope the contest will continue to grow each year. Consideration is being given to expand the competition to a two day event next year. Thanks to all to helped to make this event a rousing success!

YOUNG COMPETITORS ASTONISH THE FRIENDS; RAGTIME'S FUTURE ALIVE AND WELL

YOUNG COMPETITORS
ASTONISH THE FRIENDS;
RAGTIME'S FUTURE
ALIVE AND WELL