Concerto competition gears up for final round

On Saturday, months of preparation will come to fruition as Conservatory seniors compete in the Concerto Contest final round. Each division of the Conservatory has held its own series of auditions to determine who they will send on to the finals, and this Saturday 16 contestants will play for a panel of judges in Finney Chapel to determine who will get the opportunity to perform a concerto with one of OberlinÕs orchestras.

The panel of judges will be made up of one representative of each division of the Conservatory (excluding those who have students performing), conductor Louis Lane, and one outside judge. The judges will rate the contestantsÕ performances on a scale from 1 to 25 with 25 being perfection, and then the ratings will be averaged by Assistant Dean of the Conservatory, John Jacobson who presides over the contest. A maximum of five contestants will be chosen as winners.

ÒNobodyÕs going to play badly,Ó said Lane. ÒThe contestants are only people who are quite well qualified.Ó

While the conservatoryÕs reputation maintains it to be one of the least cut-throat of the major conservatories in the country, contestants in the Concerto Competition give it their all for various reasons. Said first-year violinist Katie Baker, ÒThe point of the whole thing is self-improvement, the chance to realize what you are doing and to push yourself to do better.Ó

Opinions on the benefits and drawbacks of music competitions range widely. Some see the competition as harmful to musiciansÕ attitudes and motivations for playing, while others see the added encouragement of competition as a positive force.

Lane commented on performersÕ relationships to competition and pressure by saying that competitors are Òeither stimulated by the pressures of the situation and play better than usual or get a case of stage fright and play worse than usual.Ó He also gave encouragement to those with stage fright by citing the great pianist Rudolph Serkin as an example of a performer who overcame his fear of performing.

Competitions aside, concert lovers should pay attention.While for its contestants, SaturdayÕs competition will be a climax of preparation and expectations which could potentially boost their professional careers, it will also give spectators a chance to hear the best of the conservatoryÕs seniors and a wide selection from the concerto repertoire without having to sit through sixteen complete concertos.

The auditions will start at 9:45 a.m. and go until 2:45 p.m. with 15 minutes allotted to each competitor to play whatever selections they choose from their pieces.The pressure and intensity of competition is sometimes what reveals great performers and can bring the best prepared musicians to their knees.