Annual Music Competitions to be Held

Wake Forest University’s 20th annual Christopher Giles and Lucille S. Harris Competitions in Musical Performance will be held Saturday, Feb. 22, in Brendle Recital Hall.

Beginning at 10 a.m., nine Wake Forest piano students will compete for three cash prizes. First prize is $500; second is $300. An additional prize of $500, the Ward Virts Prize for Pianistic Expressiveness, has been donated in memory of the former competition winner by his parents.

The open competition begins at 2 p.m. Nineteen vocalists and instrumentalists–including guitarists, flutists and others–will compete for a $500 first prize, $300 second prize, and $200 third prize. An additional special prize will be awarded for excellence by a vocalist or instrumentalist other than a pianist.

The 20th Anniversary Competitions in Musical Performance will be dedicated to the memory of Christopher Giles, a retired piano faculty member for whom the competitions were named. Giles, who died Dec. 23, taught piano at Wake Forest for 37 years. The contest honors Giles and another retired music professor, Lucille S. Harris, and was established by Paul and Sara Sinal.

The 20th anniversary will feature a special printed commemorative program containing a history of the competitions. All former winners have been invited to attend and a reception will be held in their honor following the competitions. Admission to the competitions and reception is free and open to the public. For information, call 759-5026.

Categories: Arts & Culture, Events