Blair Academy student Samuel Nguyen was recently awarded first place in the high school competition of the Tennessee Cello Workshop in Knoxville, Tennessee. The accomplishment is especially notable given that Nguyen, an eighth grader, was eligible for the junior division, but opted to compete in the senior category. He received a $750 cash prize and the one-year loan of a valuable 2019 Eugene Holtier cello. Nguyen has been instructed by Blair’s Kirsten Greer for the past three years.
The annual Tennessee Cello Workshop, hosted at the University of Tennessee Haslam College of Music, brings together more than 170 cellists for three days of master classes, lectures, performances, and competitions.