Students vie for concerto spot

By Nicole Arias
Staff Writer

Three Purdue students will compete on Sunday for the opportunity to perform solo with the Purdue Symphony Orchestra. The annual Concerto Competition begins at 1 p.m. Sunday in Room 30 of the Elliott Hall of Music.

"Of all the events we have, you will hear the very finest performances at this competition," said Jay Gephart, the director of the symphony orchestra.

The students performing in the competition are Michael Bottorff, a senior in the School of Liberal Arts; Carlos Kemeny, a freshman in the Schools of Engineering; and Ed Moy, a sophomore in the Schools of Engineering.

Bottorff, a percussionist, will be performing Robert Kurka's "Concerto for Marimba" on the marimba, a seven-foot-long instrument played by hitting the wooden keys with mallets.

"I chose this piece because I wanted one of the hardest things that I could find," Bottorff said. He describes his musical selection as being expressive, exciting and passionate.

The music organizations that Bottorff has been involved with on campus include several Purdue bands and a percussion ensemble group.

In addition, Bottorff has played three or four solos this year at Purdue. "I have as much or more energy as anyone," he said. "This is what I have to offer to the solo spot."

Since fall, Bottorff has practiced four hours each week. During the past few weeks, he has been practicing one to one-and-a-half hours each day.

"If I win, it would be the biggest accomplishment of my life," he said.

The result of this kind of motivation and drive is some "pretty extraordinary music making," said Kathy Matter, the director of public relations for Purdue bands.

Kemeny will be performing the first movement of Eduard Lalo's "Symphonie Espagnole" on the violin. "My inspiration is classical music," he said. "I think of it as close to God because it is so beautiful."

Kemeny is a member of the orchestra and teaches violin to beginning students. "It is a patience-building experience," he said.

Kemeny performed with the South Bend Symphony Orchestra after winning a high school competition. "Nothing beats the feeling of winning," he said.

Moy will be performing the third movement of Edvard Grieg's "Concerto No. 1" on the piano. He is competing for his father who did not see him perform in his last high school concert. "I want him to hear me play," said Moy, who is also the concertmaster for the orchestra.

Moy said that he has competed before and although it is stressful, auditioning for schools was the most difficult because he was playing for his future. "It's a lot of work to learn the notes and technical things and put your emotion in it," Moy said. "It's exhausting."

Moy and Kemeny perform in the symphony orchestra together, but it is not awkward because competing in music is like competing in sports. According to Moy, they mostly compete against themselves.

"You learn from each other," he said.

Kemeny said, "You can't get too competitive; you have to love the music for what it is and love the others who are playing."

The three judges of the competition are experts in music from the surrounding areas who are not associated with Purdue bands. In past years, professional musicians and music educators have judged the competition.

The judges will be looking for a variety of things — the most important being the quality of the performance. They will also look at memory proficiency, technique and interpretation.

The musician who wins will perform his concerto with the Purdue Symphony Orchestra in April. The soloist's concerto will be the feature of the orchestra's last performance of the semester.

The Purdue Symphony Orchestra has more than 90 members who perform two concerts each semester on or near campus and several throughout the region.

Matter said, "This competition is a recognition of talent and it is special because it is the only time of year that an ensemble player can perform as a soloist with the orchestra."

Usually only jazz soloists are featured with the symphony.

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