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Weyenberg wins Ouachita’s Virginia Queen Piano Competition

February 12, 2021 - Lindsey Hyde

Anna Weyenberg, a junior piano and communications & media/multimedia journalism double major from McKinney, Texas, won first place in Ouachita Baptist University’s 2021 Virginia Queen Piano Competition held on Friday, Feb. 5, in Ouachita’s McBeth Recital Hall.

Weyenberg also received a $500 cash prize for her performance of “Ballade No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 23” by Frederic Chopin and “Notturno” by Ottorino Respighi. She is a student of Dr. Mary Chung, associate professor of music at Ouachita.

“I love ‘Notturno’ because it’s so peaceful. The first time I heard it was last fall when I walking across the bridge to the Student Village, and all the leaves were turning colors and it was gently raining. I think that it lends itself well to nature,” Weyenberg said. “I had heard the Chopin piece performed before and loved it but thought it was really intimidating to ever try to play. So, I was happily surprised that Dr. Chung thought I could handle it. I really wanted to bring out the narrative of the piece in my performance, because it takes the audience through so many different emotions.”

Katie Bayer, a sophomore music major from Lonoke, Ark., won second place and a cash prize of $300 for her performance of “Run, Run!” from Scenas Infantis by Octávio Pinto and “Crystal Falls” by Robert Vandall. Sam Youmans, a senior music industry major from Siloam Springs, Ark., won third place and a $200 cash price for his performance of “Clair de Lune (Suite Bergamasque)” by Claude Debussy and Aaron Copland’s “Jazzy” from Three Moods. Bayer and Youmans also are students of Dr. Chung.

Dr. Eun-Hee Park, assistant professor of music and head of the keyboard area at the University of Montevallo, served as the judge for the competition.

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. Mary Chung at [email protected] or (870) 245-5132.

Lead photo: Anna Weyenberg, a junior from McKinney, Texas, received first place in Ouachita’s 2021 Virginia Queen Piano Competition held on Feb. 5 for her performance of “Ballade No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 23” by Frederic Chopin and “Notturno” by Ottorino Respighi. Photo by Hannah Adamson.