We are thrilled to announce that three Charlotte Academy of Music students have earned top honors at the Wingate Piano Competition! Hannah Jen was awarded First Place in the High School category. Calvin Chen was awarded Second Place in the High School division, and Elijah Chen earned Second Place in the Middle School division. Hannah, Calvin, and Elijah are all part of our Piano Artistry program at CAM, studying with Connie Beach and Phyllis Teague.
Hannah, a homeschooled ninth grader from Matthews, played Piano Sonata K by W.A. Mozart, Nocturne in E Minor by Frederic Chopin and Dr. Gradus ad Parnassum by Claude Debussy. Calvin, a Carmel Christian School freshman, performed Gigue in D Major by Johann Ludwig Krebs, Sonatina in E flat Major by Jan Ladislav Dussek and Romance without Words by Gabriel Faure.
High school contestants were asked to perform three contrasting pieces selected from the Baroque, Classical, Romantic and Contemporary repertoire. Jen and Chen also earned $21,000 per year music scholarships for use in future piano studies at Wingate University, and Jen received an offer to perform in the 2020 “Decades Recital” at Wingate next spring. Cash prizes ($300 for Jen and $200 for Chen) were also awarded, thanks to Miller Piano Company.
Elijah Chen, a sixth-grader at Carmel Christian, played Sonatina in G Major by Dussek and Debussy’s Arabesque No. 1. Chen is from Matthews. Elijah received a cash prize of $200 sponsored by The Charlotte Area Foundation for Music and Art.
We are grateful for the opportunities Wingate University provides to support area music students. Congratulations Hannah, Calvin, and Elijah. We are incedibly proud of you!