Ballwin Violinist, Quartet Compete Nationally and Win 1st Place

The Camerton String Quartet of the Preparatory Program (PREP) of the Community Music School of Webster University placed first in the string division and first overall in the Open Division at the Midwest Young Artists 5^th Annual Discover National Chamber Music Competition. The competition is sponsored by the Discover Card Financial Network and took place on Sunday, Feb. 19 at Bennett-Gordon Hall on the campus of the Ravinia Festival in Highland Park, IL.  

Members of the quartet include Rebekah Heckler, Godfrey, IL, violin (home school); Julia Son, Ballwin, MO, violin (Marquette High School); Sean Byrne, Chesterfield, MO, viola (Parkway Central High School); and Nomin Zolzaya, St. Louis, MO, cello (home school). The quartet performed the Shostakovich String Quartet No. 10, Op. 118, II. Allegro furioso, and the Brahms String Quartet in A-minor, Op. 51, No. 2, I. Allegro ma non troppo at the competition.  

The annual competition is designed to provide an educational as well as a competitive experience for young chamber ensembles. The competition is open to chamber ensembles in 12th grade and younger and is comprised of two divisions (Open and MYA). The competition is open to all instruments and is divided into the following two categories: strings and piano and all other instruments (brass, percussion, voice, winds). Contestants competed for more than $5,000 in cash prizes and scholarships and the winner of each division will perform in a winners recital on Sunday, March 4 at 3 p.m. at the Chicago Cultural Center in Chicago, IL.  

The Community Music School’s Preparatory Program is for gifted high school music students pursuing a career in music. The program’s excellence has been recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts with three grants, including one for $28,000 for 2011-12. PREP Artistic Director and Founder Vera Parkin was named the St. Louis Symphony Educator of the Year for 2011. 

Founded in 1925, CMS offers outstanding music education and performance opportunities to students of all ages and abilities and serves the entire St. Louis metropolitan region. Classes are available in University City, at Faust Park in West County and at CMS headquarters located on the Webster University campus in Webster Groves. For more information, call 314-968-5939.  

The Community Music School is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music and is a certified member of the National Guild for Community Arts Education. The Community Music School receives assistance from the Arts and Education Council of Greater Saint Louis and support from the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis. Financial assistance for this project has been provided by the National Endowment for the Arts.