The Rome Symphony Orchestra has announced the winners of its third annual concerto competition, which took place in Brookes Chapel on the campus of Shorter University on Sunday, February 17.

Grace McMullen from Berry College won the collegiate instrumental division for her performance of the allegro movement of Shostakovich’s “Piano Concerto No. 2”. McMullen, a music major and a sophomore at Berry, is from Waxhaw, NC. Her piano instructor is Kris Carlisle, associate professor of music at Berry College.

Caleb Cole, a student at Pepperell High School, won the high-school instrumental division. He performed the first movement of Mozart’s “Concerto for Horn, No. 3, in E-flat major, K. 447”. Cole is a junior and plans to major in music.

He studies French horn with Ellie Jenkins, assistant professor at Dalton State College and adjunct professor of horn at Berry College.

This year’s competition included an Aria division for the first time. Michael Loredo, a senior at Shorter University won in the collegiate division. Loredo, a tenor, performed Handel’s “Comfort Ye, My People” and “ Ev’ry Valley Shall be Exalted” from “Messiah”. Loredo is majoring in Church Music at Shorter. His voice instructor is Rianne Chandler, adjunct instructor of music-voice at Shorter. Kayla Holcomb, a senior at Gordan Central High School in Calhoun, won for her performance of “O mio babbino caro” from the opera “Gianni Schicchi” by Puccini. Ms. Holcomb is the daughter of Kim Holcomb and LaDonna Holcomb and plans to major in music. Her instructor is also Chandler.

All four winners will perform their winning concerto/aria pieces at the Rome Symphony Orchestra’s spring concert at the City Auditorium on April 27.

“These 4 talented young people prove that Northwest Georgia has no deficit of serious talent, and we hope many people will turn out for our spring concert to hear the quality of their performances,” said Barbara Beninato, president of the RSO.

A total of eight entrants competed in the RSO’s concerto competition. The competitors were judged by two judges, including the RSO’s music director and conductor, Richard Prior, who also serves as the conductor of the Emory

University Orchestra and the Emory University Youth Orchestra. Jessica Wu, a member of the Vega Quartet at Emory University also served as a judge.

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