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Forget Dubya: Midland is the Place Where Conservatory Students Win Awards
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Chase Wins 1999
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Midland, Texas, has more to claim in the fame department than its distinction as President George W. Bush's hometown.
Every year, Midland hosts the National Young Artist Competition, [NYAC] sponsored by the Midland-Odessa Symphony and Chorale. And in January of this year, two Conservatory students were honored with NYAC awards.
Violinist Minghuan Xu, who will receive her artist diploma from Oberlin this May, won the competition's grand prize as well as the string division's top prize. Flutist Claire Chase, who will soon receive a bachelor of music degree in flute performance, won in the winds and percussion division.
Xu and Chase were among seven finalists, winnowed from a field of 80 musicians who competed at the event, which was held at the Allison Fine Arts Center at Midland College.
Xu, 24, is from Beijing, China. She studied at Oberlin with Professor of Violin Almita Vamos after receiving her bachelor of music degree from the Curtis Institute of Music, where she studied with Victor Danchenko. She will pursue a master's degree at Northwestern University. She performed Sibelius's Concerto in D minor, Op. 47 for the competition (playing different movements for the preliminary rounds) and the entire concerto for the final. As part of her grand prize, she will reprise the piece in concert with the Midland Odessa Symphony on November 17, her birthday.
"I am naturally more expressive musically," says Xu. "That's my character. As much as I restrain myself from being too musical in competitions, in the finals of the Midland competition, my feelings took over."
Xu acknowledges that competitions generally place more emphasis upon "technically clean playing" rather than musicality. It was a delicious moment of irony for her when the judges told her that she won because of her musicality. "I really appreciated that! I was happy to hear that."
Concert violinist Miles Hoffman, who is a guest commentator on National Public Radio's "Performance Today," judged the string division.
 Claire Chase |
Chase is from Leucadia, California. She studied at Oberlin with Professor of Flute Michel Debost. For the competition in Midland, she played Paul Schoenfield's Klezmer Rondos for Flute and Orchestra. Piano performance major William McDaniel accompanied her. Gail Williams, professor of music at Northernwestern University and former principal horn of the Chicago Symphony, judged the winds and percussion division.
Other judges for the competition were Leonard Hokanson, professor of piano at Indiana University School of Music, and Miyoko Lotto, associate professor of piano at New York University.
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