St. Andrew's Hosts 5th Annual Solo & Ensemble Festival
Posted April 18, 2012
This past weekend St. Andrew's hosted the 5th annual Solo & Ensemble Festival. Event chair Fred Geiersbach was extremely pleased with the showing of the 17 students from our school who participated. The festival has grown considerably since its inception and attracts students from all over the state in grades 6-12. Students have the opportunity to play prepared solos or chamber music literature for professional judges, many of whom are college professors or symphony players in the Mid-Atlantic area. The feedback from the judges is vital not only to the students seeking to improve but also to their private teachers. St. Andrew's was well represented in the Winners' Circle Recital that concluded a morning of judging: Ted Park, trumpet; Brandt Bates, harp; Sangwon Suh, bass baritone; and the piano trio of Aaron Chang, violin, Clara Lee, cello, and Jiani Chen, piano.
"The event has attracted the strongest vocalists in the state as well as many accomplished instrumentalists," says Geiersbach. "We are ideally situated in the state to host this event, and everyone raves about the beauty of the campus and the tremendous arts facility we have here. I feel very fortunate to be able to share our great space and to collaborate with other outstanding music teachers in the state."
"We are tremendously grateful to Fred for not only all the hard work he puts into creating an exemplary music program at St. Andrew's, but also the work he puts into expanding opportunities for young musicians throughout the state," noted Headmaster Tad Roach. "The Festival is Delaware's premier event for showcasing the state's best young musicians and St. Andrew's is proud to serve as host."