One of Blair’s most celebrated annual traditions, the Concerto Competition gives the school’s standout musicians and vocalists the opportunity to compete to be featured soloists in a spring large ensemble concert.
We congratulate the four winners of this year’s competition:
- Bassist Luke Faessler, percussionist Jordan Katz, and soprano Diana Nalyvaiko will be featured in an upcoming Vanderbilt University Orchestra performance.
- Percussionist Hannah Lam will perform as a soloist in a joint Orchestra / Wind Symphony event.
This 2024 program was noteworthy for both the number of competitors and the quality of the performances. “74 students competed in this year’s competitions, the most ever,” said faculty sponsor Felix Wang. “It is a remarkable number, a third of our entire enrollment. The judges were extremely impressed at the level of artistry and were effusive in their praise. It was also the largest audience for the finals we have ever had, a wonderful showcase for the school.”
Luke Faessler
A senior from Loveland, Ohio, Luke Faessler is a bass performance major and performed “Concerto no. 2 for Bass and Orchestra” by Giovanni Bottessini, accompanied by Rebecca Luppe.
“I’ve loved every bit of my time at Vandy. Being surrounded by so many highly motivated people is inspiring. It amazes me how lucky I am to have met so many ambitious and talented people who are also incredibly genuine and fun to be around. I’m reminded every day how fortunate I am to collaborate with such hardworking and dedicated professors, students and friends, so I am thrilled to put that same hard work and dedication on display for this sensational community.”
Jordan Katz
Second-year music performance major Jordan Katz is from Duluth, Georgia. His marimba performance of Japanese composer Keiko Abe’s “Prism Rhapsody” was accompanied by Barbara Noyes, piano.
“I just felt so glad to be able to share the final product of months of hard work with my peers. Opportunities like that are rare, especially for percussion, so to be able to show everyone what my instrument is capable of, and to be so well received, was really amazing. The piece I played uses a lot of different techniques, styles and tonalities, all of which are characteristic of the Japanese style of marimba composition. The section I love most is the final stretch, where a non-stop flurry of blisteringly fast notes leads to a massive climax.”
Hannah Lam
Hannah Lam, a sophomore from Chicago, Illinois, is a percussion performance and economics major, minoring in business.
“Thank you to Professor Ji Hye Jung and Lee Vinson for supporting me and all of my endeavors at Vanderbilt. I’m so excited to collaborate with Dr. Verrier and perform this concerto with the Vanderbilt Wind Symphony!”
Diana Nalyvaiko
A senior vocal performance major from Chemihiv, Ukraine, soprano Diana Nalyvaiko performed “Knoxville: Summer of 1915” by Samuel Barber, accompanied by pianist Jennifer McGuire.
“Performing this work was a truly rewarding moment for me as a musician and a person. The text is so brilliantly set to the music telling a compelling story and reminding us how precious the moments around our loved ones are. I hope that everyone who got to listen to the piece last night called their parents and said how much they love them.”