Cumberland Valley School of Music plans to hold its annual Recognition Concert on Sunday, April 29 to feature the student recipients of the Merit Awards Scholarships and graduating seniors who plan to major or minor in a performance art (music, theatre and/or dance).
Free and open to the public, the concert will take place at the Ragged Edge Inn, 1090 Ragged Edge Road, Chambersburg. Each student will perform during the 3 p.m. concert.
According to Paula Hepfer, CVSM executive director, the Merit Awards Scholarship process was formed during the earliest years of the 28-year-old school’s existence. She recently commented about the merit audition process.
“All participating students benefit from the merit audition process, not only those named in the top spots. Performing before a panel of judges serves as a powerful motivator to prepare diligently. The audition itself requires courage and develops poise under pressure, and the judges’ feedback provides direction to future studies,” Hepfer said.
The Merit Scholarship Audition Recital was held on Thursday, April 5. Students in instrumental, piano and voice categories presented pieces they prepared before three judges and an audience.
Once the judging sheets were tallied, students placed as follows:
Instrumental
1st – Grace Hong, violin, student of Deb Stotelmyer. Grace is a 9th grade student at Global Vision Christian School and is the daughter of Seung Yeon Hong and Jung Soo-Jung.
2nd – Hannah Bauler, cello, student of Danielle Karppala. Hannah is an 11th grade home-school student and is the daugher of Michael and Amanda Bauler.
3rd – Jordan Noll, flute, student of Amanda Bietsch. Jordan is an 11th grade home-school student affiliated with Greencastle-Antrim High School and is the daughter of Jeffrey and Carla Noll.
Piano
1st – Zakary Reynolds, student of M. Susan Matson. Zakary is a 9th grade student at Greencastle-Antrim High School and is the son of William and Jamie Reynolds.
2nd – Rebekah Duvall, student of Julia Emig. Rebekah is a 10th grade student at Greencastle-Antrim High School and is the daughter of Paul and Anne Duvall.
3rd – Tucker Eiker, student of Jaranell Fritts. Tucker is a 10th grade student at Chambersburg Area Senior High School and is the son of Eric and Linda Eiker.
Voice
1st – Elizabeth Hill, student of Paula Hepfer. Elizabeth is a 10th grade student at Chambersburg Area Senior High School and is the daughter of Charles and Anne Hill.
2nd – Annabelle Garman, student of Autumn Turner. Annabelle is a 9th grade student at Chambersburg Area Senior High School and the daughter of Allison Bender and Troy Garman.
3rd – Careth Noll, student of Elisabeth Turchi. Careth is a 9th grade home-school student and the daughter of Jeffrey and Carla Noll.
The 1st Place Voice Award is the Margaret Weeks Vocal Award. The late Margaret (Peggy) Weeks taught voice for many years at CVSM. Hepfer remembers working with Weeks.
“Peggy was a wonderful instructor to many accomplished musicians and a substantial number of professional singers including Elisabeth Turchi, Carla Jablonski and Corey Evan Rotz. Her students raised money to create the Margaret Weeks Vocal Award fund to continue her legacy of excellence,” Hepfer recalls.
Also as a result of the auditions, the Benjamin A. Rhine Award was presented to Jack Wood, a 9th grade student at CASHS. Jack is a trumpet student of Gloria McCauley and a violin student of Deb Stotelmyer. He is the son of Jacqueline Fignar, D.O. and Thomas Wood, Jr. The Benjamin A. Rhine Memorial Scholarship was established in 1996 to honor the memory of Ben Rhine, who studied multiple instruments at CVSM. The award is given annually to a CVSM student who is studying and displaying aptitude in more than one instrument concurrently.
The Henry and Janet Guarriello Scholarship will be presented during the concert to high school students who have a minimum of four years of lesson experience at CVSM and who are planning to continue their music or theater education. The Guarriellos fund this annual scholarship through the Franklin County Foundation, a regional organization representing The Foundation for Enhancing Communities.
Also performing at the concert are graduating seniors who plan to major or minor in a performance art.
For additional information about the Recognition Concert or music lessons, camps and workshops, please call 717-261-1220. Visit us online at www.cvsmusic.org. Keep up with all the latest happenings by following CVSM on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@cvsmusic).
