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24th annual Young Artists' Competition allows musicians to display their talent

While many people will be spending Saturday preparing for Valentine’s Day, music students all over New Mexico will be playing their hearts out in Keller Hall.

Saturday marks the 24th anniversary of the Jackie McGehee Young Artists’ Competition For Piano and Strings.

Every year, students aged 13 to 19 compete with piano or string instruments for a cash prize of $2,000 in each division, with smaller awards for second and third place winners and the chance to perform with the New Mexico Philharmonic.

Jackie McGehee said she founded this competition to give all the young people of New Mexico an opportunity to display their talent and dedication with their instrument and reward them for it. She said she loves seeing how students in the competition go on to advance in the music industry.

“It’s like a mother seeing their kid finally do well and walk across that stage to get a diploma,” McGehee said. “It’s great pride and great joy we have for offering this opportunity to those who work very hard to excel in music.”

McGehee said that, to keep the selection process fair and unbiased, six judges come from out of state to select the winners of each division. This year’s judges include pianists Hyperion Knight and Awadagin Pratt.

There are 15 points on the score sheet the students are judged on. Some of the most important ones, McGehee said, include technique, memorization of the pieces and repertoire.

The chosen winners will collectively receive over $6,500 in prize money this year, she said.

As a special addition this year, following the 24th performance, the Music Guild of New Mexico will also put on an inaugural symposium. It is called “Professional Development of Young Musicians” and is sponsored by Garcia Subaru North, to be held after the competition.

The symposium will consist of panelists Knight, Pratt and Carla Lehmeier-Tatum discussing topics that deal with building a career in music. Topics discussed will include competition preparation, networking in professional organizations, applying to music schools, selecting mentors and teachers, digital networking and more.

“I hope that this opportunity to perform and (learn) will give them confidence, the background they need, answers to questions they have ... and help them get ... someone that will help them with their music career,” McGehee said.

The competition will be held in Keller Hall from 9 a.m. to noon. The winners will be announced at 1 p.m., followed by the symposium in the Fine Arts Center, Room 117, at 2:30 p.m. Admission to both events is free.

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Skylar Griego is a culture reporter at the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @TDLBooks.

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