Melissa Lee wins Ouachita’s 2019 Virginia Queen piano competition
May 13, 2019
- Tiffany LeeMelissa Lee, a sophomore music major from Singapore, won first place in Ouachita Baptist
University’s 2019 Virginia Queen Piano Competition on May 3.
“I absolutely did not expect to win anything, but before I went out on stage, I asked
God to help me do my family and friends in Singapore proud since they have invested
so much in my being here,” Lee said. “Winning the competition gave me a strong sense
of validation in believing that the music I create can inspire and bless others.”
Lee received a $500 cash prize for her performance of “To Spring” by Edvard Grieg
and “Concierto de Invierno” by Rafael Bullumba Landestoy. She is a student of Dr.
Mary Chung, assistant professor of music at Ouachita.
Sam Youmans, a sophomore music industry major from Siloam Springs, Ark., earned second
place in the competition and received a $300 cash prize. Youmans performed “Toccata”
by Aram Khachaturian and “Rhapsody in G Minor” by Johannes Brahms. Youmans also is
a student of Dr. Chung.
Felicity Johnson, a sophomore biblical languages major from Little Rock, Ark., earned
third place in the competition and received a $150 cash prize. Johnson performed “Consolation”
by Felix Mendelssohn and “Prelude, Op. 38, No. 2” by Dmitry Kabalevsky. She is a student
of Dr. Lei Cai, Ouachita professor of music.
Anna Weyenberg, a sophomore piano performance and communications & media double major
from McKinney, Texas, received honorable mention and a $50 cash prize. Weyenberg performed
“Sonatine, No. 2, Mouvement de Menuet” by Maurice Ravel and “Scherzo Opus 31, No.
2 in B-Flat Minor” by Frédéric Chopin. She also is a student of Dr. Chung.
This year’s competition was judged by Dr. Kiu Tung Poon, a piano professor from the
Chinese University of Hong Kong, who has appeared as a recitalist and collaborative
pianist in international music festivals and on concert stages around the world. The
Virginia Queen Piano Competition was established more than four decades ago by Virginia
Queen, a former professor of music at Ouachita. Queen created the competition to encourage
piano students to continue to grow in their studies of the instrument.
For more information, contact Dr. Lei Cai at leic@obu.edu or (870) 245-5140.
By Tiffany Lee // Melissa Lee (back row, second from left) was named first place winner
in the recent Virginia Queen Piano Competition at Ouachita. She is pictured here with
contestants (front row, left to right) Felicity Johnson, Anna Weyenberg, Logan Moore
and Josh Conard and (back row) Isabel Dodds, Tyler Sanders and Sam Youmans. Youmans
won second place, Johnson won third and Weyenberg earned honorable mention. Download full size image.
May 13, 2019
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