Rising chamber music stars from the MSU College of Music will compete for recognition and prizes through the first annual Wagner Chamber Music Showcase, Jan. 29–30 as part of the MSU Federal Credit Union Showcase Series. Rescheduled from April 2020 due to the pandemic, the two-day competition finals will be broadcast online on the College's Livestream channel. Both nights are free and open to the public.
The seven groups competing in the event are among the very best chamber musicians in voice, strings, winds, percussion and piano at the College of Music. Each evening of music will feature the finalists as selected by a panel of first-round judges. Finalists will compete for first, second and third place cash awards, performance opportunities, specially commissioned works and marketing and promotional support. Distinguished final round judges include Monica Ellis of Imani Winds, University of Cincinnati Piano Chair Michael Chertock, and Nick Photinos of Eighth Blackbird.
Viewers are encouraged to participate in selecting the People’s Choice Award. Voting online will take place immediately after the final performance on the second night.
“We are all so proud of our seven finalists who are poised for the next step in their careers. They have persevered over the past year to reach this point, and all are wonderful, young musicians,” said Yvonne Lam, assistant professor of violin and viola and coordinator of chamber music at MSU. “We are particularly grateful to Barbara Wagner whose donation and foresight made this competition possible, and also to our distinguished panel of external jurors who represent the chamber music community so well.”
The finalists whose performances are featured in the showcase include saxophone quartets Group 2, Clap 7 and Sycamore Quartet, strings and piano groups Erie Quintet and Lumi Trio, vocal ensemble Ex Nihilo, and percussion quartet Five and Dime. These finalists were chosen by a distinguished panel of first-round judges that included Jacqueline Choi of Euclid String Quartet, Scott Thornburg of Spectrum Brass and Western Michigan University, and Jason Treuting of So Percussion.
The chamber music competition program and concert is generously sponsored by Barbara E. Wagner. The 2020–2021 Showcase Series is sponsored by the MSU Federal Credit Union.
For more information, visit the Wagner Chamber Music Competition event page.