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Violist Wendy Richman Wins Milwaukee Scholarship Competition
Story and photo by Michael Chipman
Violist Wendy Richman, a sophomore from Milwaukee,
Wisconsin, recently won third prize in the Milwaukee Civic
Music Association's Harold Levin Scholarship Competition,
held March 20 in Milwaukee The competition for all
instruments, was open to any Milwaukee-area high school
graduate who is now studying music at a college or graduate
level.
Richman studies viola with Jeffrey Irvine, professor of viola and director of the strings division. She also studies secondary voice with Marlene Ralis-Rosen, associate professor of singing.
"The competition was set up in recital form," says Richman. "Each performer had ten minutes to play and chose to play either a ten-minute excerpt or a complete piece of about ten minutes. There were no specific repertoire requirements. I played the first movement of the Bloch 1919 Suite for viola and piano. It's difficult to have a time limit like that because you want to show variety in your playing. Fortunately, the Bloch has a slower section and an allegro, and I think it turned out to be a good piece for me to play."
Richman says the competition was a reunion of sorts. "I knew several of the other finalists from school, orchestras and competitions in Milwaukee," she says, "so we were backstage in the green room catching up and getting reacquainted before and during the concert. I think we've all overcome our high school competitiveness, and it was really nice to see them again."
Three judges adjudicated the competition: a violinist and conductor in the Milwaukee area, a voice teacher at UW Milwaukee, and a cellist from Milwaukee. The other finalists included three singers, a violinist, a cellist and another violist. First place went to the violinist; second to a mezzo-soprano. Richman placed third and received a $1000 cash award and the chance to perform in a recital with the first and second place winners.
"The most rewarding part of this competition," says Richman, "was that I was able to play again for my family and other people who knew my playing before I came to Oberlin. I am also excited to collaborate with the other winners (instead of competing against them) in the final concert. And, of course, the scholarship is nice."
Irvine says of Richman, "Wendy is a very talented and accomplished violist who has a gorgeous sound and a very communicative style of playing. It is always nice when a student's accomplishments are recognized by an award such as this."
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