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Pianist Spencer Myer Wins Grand Prize in Akron-based Competition
Story and photo by Michael Chipman
With a flourish, pianist Spencer Myer finished his junior
year at Oberlin by winning the Grand Prize at the final
round of the Tuesday Musical Club Young Artists Group
Scholarship Competition, held May 16 in Akron, Ohio.
The Tuesday Musical Club sponsors a scholarship competition every year for student singers, pianists and instrumentalists. After winning first place in the piano division during the competition's preliminary round, Myer competed for the Club's Grand Prize -- an award of $2,000 -- with all of the other first and second place winners from each category.
Myer says the final round felt much like a recital. "There were about fourteen finalists for the Grand Prize competition, including a couple trombonists, violinists and other pianists. As in the preliminary round, we each had ten minutes to perform. I played the 'Tarantelle' by Liszt -- the same piece I played in the preliminaries. There was an audience in the hall, so it felt like a group recital."
The Grand Prize winner was announced at a reception held immediately following the performances in the concert hall lobby. Myer says, "I was really happy that I won. The judges gave me some good feedback, and one of them was quite complimentary."
Myer has a disarming modesty about his success, and when asked what inspires him, he credits the master pianists and his colleagues at Oberlin. "A winning performance is a flawless performance. I think it's a special skill to play flawlessly. When I hear the great artists play [on recordings] or when I hear other pianists at Oberlin, who all perform so well, it inspires me to practice more. When a piece is polished and prepared, I can play with confidence."
Myer's teacher, Peter Takács, professor of pianoforte, says he is "very proud of Spencer's performance. As the only representative of Oberlin in this statewide competition, his poise and musical sophistication stood out among students from the Cleveland Institute and Cincinnati Conservatory, many of them in graduate programs. His achievement speaks well for the high level of our undergraduates."
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