On Tuesday, March 11, nine MPSOM students performed in the annual Women’s Advisory Board Scholarship Competition (WABSC). This year’s event marks the first time that two students have been named winners. Reese McCracken, a saxophonist from the studio of Dr. Keith Young won the first prize ($10,000 scholarship), and Nicholas Todorov, a tubist from the studio of Dr. James Gourlay won the second prize ($5,000 scholarship). In addition, all other contestants received $100 participation awards.
McCracken is a junior music education major and is a member of the Duquesne University Wind Symphony and Saxophone Ensemble, the latter of which recently performed at the U.S. Navy Band International Saxophone Symposium in Fairfax, VA. He is also an executive board member of the Duquesne’s National Band Association Chapter and a founding member of the Duquesne Orff Ensemble.
Todorov is a junior music performance major who has performed with several ensembles in the northeastern United States including the Boston University Tanglewood Institute Young Artists Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Symphony Youth Orchestra, and the “Five Feet Wide” Tuba Trio. He has given three solo recitals, performing standard repertoire for the tuba; additionally performing three world premieres of chamber music for tuba and euphonium and one Pennsylvania premier for unaccompanied tuba solo. He was a winner in the 2022 Pittsburgh Concert Society Young Artist Competition.
Thank you to our judging panel—Sari Gruber (international opera star), Anne Martindale Williams (Principal Cello, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra), and Maria Sensi Sellner (Conductor, Artistic and General Director, Resonance Works. Following the performance, the judges offered feedback to all performers.
In order to compete in the WABSC, students must be juniors (qualified by completed credit hours) and maintain a GPA of 3.5 or higher. Our music faculty then choose the most outstanding representatives in their area from this list of qualified students, and these individuals are then invited to participate in the competition. McCracken and Todorov competed against seven other MPSOM musicians including:
- Kaytoya Ichoku, horn (studio of Mark Houghton)
- Caitlin Kaminski, bassoon (studio of James Rodgers)
- Hannah Oldham, voice (studio of Dr. Meghan DeWald Althouse)
- Sam Panizales, piano (studio of Dr. Kevin Lee Sun)
- Logan Raymond, voice (studio of Kelley Krepin DeFade)
- Brian Salipante, jazz guitar (studio of Alex Price)
- Benjamin Shaible, classical guitar (studio of Thomas Kikta)
“Every year, I have the pleasure of witnessing our immensely talented students perform in various concerts and recitals,” said David Allen Wehr, Dean of the Mary Pappert School of Music. “The Women’s Advisory Board event is an outstanding example of this, as it showcases some of the best musicians we have at our school. It’s also a very special event because it highlights the incredible amount of work that the Women’s Advisory Board does on behalf of our students. On top of it all, each one of the competing students gets individualized feedback from three highly respected musicians. There is so much opportunity for collaboration and learning in this one event!”
Since 1980, the Women's Advisory Board has worked very hard to raise funds for scholarships to support students of the MPSOM, and we are incredibly thankful for their efforts over the years. Their efforts have benefited many students over the last four decades by offsetting the costs associated with the second-to-none education they receive from our immensely talented faculty.
Congratulations, Reese and Nicholas!
*photos courtesy of Colton Marley
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