Music Successes

Community Arts Academy students who take part in private instruction not only work with some of the finest IPFW music professors at the university, but they are encouraged to participate in a wide variety of competitions and adjudicated events. Every year we celebrate more and more award-winning students taught through the IPFW Community Arts Academy.

Piano

Hamilton Tescarollo, Instructor

• Jason Simon, currently a junior at IPFW in the Piano Performance degree, was the winner (1st place) at the 2012 Indiana Music Teachers Association Hoosier Auditions, Collegiate Division (ages 19-22). In this statewide competition, winners of the various district auditions in the state (Jason was the winner of the District H auditions back in March) compete for one overall prize. As winner of this competition, he performed at the Indiana Music Teachers Association state conference at Indiana State University in October.
• Jiwon Park received the first prize among all orchestral instruments and piano, and performed Rachmaninoff’s second concerto, first movement with the Indianapolis Symphony on March 12, 2012. She also received third prize at the New World Youth Orchestra Young Artist Competition among all orchestral instruments and piano and performed Rachmaninoff’s second concerto, first movement in Indianapolis, January 8, 2012. Jiwon also was the winner of the Fort Wayne Youth Symphony Concerto Competition and performed Rachmaninoff’s second concerto, first movement in January 2009, and was the recipient of scholarships from the Rotary Club and SAI (music sorority) to attend the IU-Bloomington Summer Piano Academy (June/July 2011). She most recently played in Carnegie Hall and took second place in the piano division of Cincinnati 2012 Young Artist Concerto Competition. Read more here.

• State-Wide Competitions: 

• Indiana Music Teachers Association Hoosier Auditions, Butler University, Indianapolis. The state level of this competition is its second and final round. Only one prize is awarded for the entire state, although honorable mentions are also possible. The one winner is invited to perform at the IMTA state conference.

• Winner: 2010, junior division – Jiwon Park

• Music Teachers National Association National Performance Competition, state round, Ball State University, Muncie. Only one winner and one alternate are chosen in each category; the state winner advances to the regional round of this national competition

•  Winner: 2009, senior division – Jason Simon

• Alternate: 2009, junior division – Jiwon Park

• Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Competition, Indianapolis. A concerto competition in which all instrumentalists compete together. The first prize winner performs as a soloist with the ISO

• 1^st prize winner, 2011 – Jiwon Park

• New World Youth Orchestra Young Artist Competition, Indianapolis. A concerto competition in which all instrumentalists compete together

•  3^rd prize winner, 2011 (also the only pianist in the state chosen as a finalist) – Jiwon Park

• Honorable Mention, 2009 – Jason Simon

• Regional/Local Competitions

• Indiana Music Teachers Association Hoosier Auditions, district H round. One winner and one alternate are awarded (see also above)

• Winner, 2013, junior – Caleb Stuckey

• Winner: 2010, junior – Jiwon Park

• Fort Wayne Youth Symphony Concerto Competition

• Winner, 2013 – Caleb Stuckey

• Winner, 2011 – Jiwon Park

• Other Student Recognitions

  • News Sentinel Sterling Sentinel Award in Music/Instrumental. Jason Simon was selected for this award in 2010

• Scholarships

  • Student Jiwon Park received scholarships from the Rotary Club and Sigma Alpha Iota (SAI – music sorority) to attend the IU-Bloomington Summer Piano Academy, June/July 2011.

Christine Freeman, Instructor

• Leechen Zhu won at the elementary level in the local Hoosier Auditions. She also received an Honorable Mention at the state competition. 
• Eesha Bemra won first honors with distinction in piano, grade 7, from the Royal Conservatory of Toronto’s certificate in music.

Suzuki Piano

Carol Hahn, Instructor

• William Teng won the NIMTA Pre-Early Elementary Level Piano Competition. This year was the first year for this level. William was six years old when he won this competition.
• Dayvid Myers has been awarded the NGPT Paderewski Gold Medal following this year’s Piano Guild Auditions.
• Brianna Bowman was awarded the Sonatina Medal following Piano Guild Auditions. She also was awarded the Paderewski Gold Medal.

Music Theory

Ken Johnson, Instructor

• Eesha Bemra won first honors with the Royal Conservatory of Toronto’s certificate in music in voice, grade 8 and music theory, grade 3. Eesha is also the middle school winner of the Indiana Music Educator’s composition contest for 2011.
• Mary Hilger, a composition student, recently finished and recorded her Mass for the Catholic Liturgy and will be submitting it to publisher soon.

Theatre Successes

Dramagination, Youth Drama, Theatre Masters

Gloria Minnich, Instructor

• Gloria Minnich attended a "Storytelling in Education" workshop at Drama Resource in London and also studied with the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, participating in the workshop "Active Teaching of Shakespeare" in June 2011.
• Miles Fedders appeared in the reading of "Knitters Row" for Civic's Northeast Indiana Playwright Festival and in "Will Rogers Follies" at Saint Francis.
• Gretta Hambrook was accepted into the exclusive Denver School of the Arts to pursue her love of acting and musical theatre. She will be attending the school in the fall.
• Emma Dunlavy appeared as the "Emerald City Servant" in Leo Elementary School's production of "The Wizard of Oz."
• Abigail Baus appeared as one of the "Silly Girls" in St. Vincen't DePaul School's production of "Beauty and the Beast."
• Raymond Wolf appeared in "Will Rogers Follies" and "To Kill a Mockingbird" at Saint Francis.