By Mary-Justine Lanyon
…with the sound of music on Jan. 28 as the three Rim-area Rotary Clubs presented their annual music competition at Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church.
Two students participated in the piano category, three in other instrumental and seven in vocal.
Junior Aleric Herzog played Alexander Scriabin’s “Etude in C sharp minor, Op. 2 No. 1.” His performance earned him first place in the piano category. The audience was impressed with the dynamics he used throughout the piece and its lovely ending.
Bo and Aleric Herzog with Richard Savich, Jeri-Lynn Miller, Paul Fournier and Michelle French.
His sister, freshman Bo Herzog, played Stephen Flaherty’s “Once Upon a December,” which earned her second place. Both siblings had memorized their music, which allowed them to perform with great emotion.
Senior Brenden Watson, playing the saxophone, performed Siebert’s “The Rest is Memory,” garnering him first place. Toward the end of the piece Brenden executed a magnificent run, showcasing his incredible breath control.
Second place went to sophomore Colin M. Hobson who played “Honor and Arms” by George Frideric Handel on his trumpet. One audience member called his performance “memorable,” pointing to his dynamics and the runs he performed flawlessly.
Third place went to senior Jaden Martinez who performed “Aria for Saxophone and Piano” on his alto sax. He also exhibited good dynamics.
All three instrumentalists played to backing tracks.
The selections sung by the vocalists were drawn primarily from Broadway shows. The three students who placed first, second and third had all memorized their songs.
Junior Orya Cohen sang two pieces: “A New Life” from Jekyll & Hyde, music by Frank Wildhorn; and “Never Enough” from The Greatest Showman, music by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. Her performance earned her first place in the competition. Both songs were well suited to her voice. One audience member commented that “she truly looked like she was enjoying herself.”
Second place went to junior Levi D. Lamperts, who sang “The Impossible Dream” from Man of La Mancha, music by Mitch Leigh and Joe Darian. Like Orya, Levi showed great stage presence. His performance brought one audience member to tears as he enjoyed it so much.
Sophomore Maya Anossov earned third place with her performance of “Once Upon a December” from Anastasia, music by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens. Her soft lovely voice did justice to the song; she was encouraged to compete again next year.
Senior Vala-Valis Miller sang two songs: “The Challenge” from Epic: The Ithaca Saga, music by Jorge Rivera-Herrans; and “Isn’t It a Trial? From Alice by Heart, music by Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater.
The vocalist winners – Maya Anossov, Levi Lamperts and Orya Cohen – with Richard Savich, Jeri-Lynn Miller, Paul Fournier and Michelle French.
Emcee and music competition coordinator Paul Fournier had announced that the order of performance was determined by the students’ year in school.
Junior Lexi Lynott sang “The Winner Takes It All,” music by ABBA. She was followed by sophomore Cadence O’Brien, who performed “The Wizard and I” from Wicked, music by Stephen Schwartz.
The final performer was freshman Sienna Lopour who sang two songs: “Home” and “Dead Mom,” both from Beetlejuice, music by Eddie Perfect.
Fournier commended all the students for their courage in standing before an audience and performing. He noted that he was amazed by the range of talent among the Rim students.
After awarding certificates and checks ($100 for first place, $75 for second and $50 for third) to the students, Fournier said that not only would the first-place winners – Aleric, Brenden and Orya – be advancing to Rotary District 5330’s music competition but that the judges were also sending Levi to that competition.
The judges were Marla Marganian, Lori Butler and T.J. Roger, who had been a participant in the competition when he was a Rim student.
The District competitions will be held in the Frederick Loewe Performance Hall at the University of Redlands. The vocal competition will take place on Saturday, March 7; the instrumental competition on Saturday, March 21; and the piano competition on Saturday, March 28, all from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Fournier encouraged all who are able to attend these competitions, saying they are incredibly competitive as the level of talent is so high.
During an intermission while the judges conferred, Michelle French, the district’s assistant governor for this area, talked to the audience about Rotary and its purpose. She then introduced the presidents of the three Rim-area clubs – Jeri Simpson, the Rotary Club of Lake Arrowhead; Richard Savich, the Rotary Club of the Mountain Sunrise; and Jeri-Lynn Miller, the Rotary Club of Crestline-Lake Gregory – who outlined their clubs’ service projects.
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