Sunday afternoon, March 3, the Recital Hall of USC’s School of Music was filled with the sounds of 17 winners, some performing twice on different instruments, from the Music Clubs Scholarship Fund’s (MCSF) Music Competition, which took place in early February. Five experts in various areas of music judged and selected a total of 23 winners, with MCSF awarding them a grand total of $6,500, of which $600 was donated from Rice Music House. Sponsoring the competition and subsequent winners recital and reception in a combined effort are two local federated music clubs—Columbia Afternoon Music Club and Eau Claire Music Club. Together the clubs raise funds for scholarships.
Pictured (l-r) bottom to top are Caroline Huang, cello ( teacher Dr. Robert Jesselson); Lena Allen-Grunspan, violin (Sarah Land); Soren Allen-Grunspan, cello (Ryan Knott); Lyndsay Cushman, flute (Dr. Emily M. Creedle); Mary Allison Swaim, cello (Dr. Jesselson); Bailey Cannon, piano (Dr. Ann B. Wilson); Max Nie, performed on piano as the Brevard Scholarship Recipient 2023 and on cello (Dr. Jesselson); Wilson Oxner, piano (Dr. Wilson); Ella Bonventre, piano (Dr. Cherisse Miller); Annie Xu, piano (Dr. Myungsook Stoudenmire) and flute (Cynthia Hopkins); Jennifer Liu, piano (Dr. Stoudenmire); Ryan Mao, piano (Phillip Bush); Caleb Taylor, piano (Dr. Wilson); Sarah Fang, piano (Dr. Stoudenmire); Jada Bacote, piano (Dr. Matthew Cataldi); Preston Corley, piano double winner ( Joey Rothfuss); and William Wang, piano (Dr. Stoudenmire). Not pictured: Ella Canney, vocal (Rachel Calloway); Alana Brezenski, vocal (Ms. Calloway); Juliet Swaim, violin (Simon Gollo); and William Cuneo, trumpet (Dr. Noa Miller).
Photo by Jim Covington
Article contributed by Brenda Dean