Ouachita Stories

Ouachita Baptist University’s School of Fine Arts will host the 39th annual Virginia Queen Piano Competition on Saturday, April 30, at 3 p.m. in McBeth Recital Hall in OBU’s Mabee Fine Arts Center. The competition is free and open to the public.

Participants will each perform two pieces in different styles from memory. The competition was established by Virginia Queen, professor emerita of music, who taught piano at Ouachita for more than 40 years.

“The purpose of the competition is to encourage our piano students to practice to perfection and gain some public performance experiences,” explained Dr. Lei Cai, professor of music at Ouachita. “It is always exciting to hear our students playing on stage. They have learned and tried to polish those pieces since the beginning of the semester.”

This year’s judge is Dr. David Northington, professor of piano at University of Tennessee. The first-place winner will receive $500 and have his or her name engraved next to those of the previous winners on a plaque on display in Mabee Fine Arts Center. Second- and third-place awards also will be recognized.

Students participating in this year’s competition include Elizabeth Anderson, a junior choral music education major from Salem, Ark.; Isabel Dodds, a junior piano performance major from Leslie, Ark.; Joanna Horton, a senior music and English double major from Arkadelphia, Ark.; Lauren Johnson, a junior music major from Little Rock, Ark.; Zhanxiu Lu, a sophomore music and studio art double major from Shaoxing, China; and Tyler Sanders, a freshman music major from Arkadelphia, Ark.

For more information, contact Dr. Lei Cai at [email protected] or (870) 245-5140.

 

By Meaghan Pollizi