On March 8, eight students in grades six through 12 competed on campus in Ravenscroft’s annual Concerto/Sonata/Aria Competition. Participants prepare and perform one movement from an advanced concerto, sonata or opera. Students compete in two divisions: Division I, made up of students in ninth through 12 grades, and Division II, for students in eighth grade or below.

Congratulations to Division I winner Taylor Fagan ’22, who performed “Alleluja” from “Exultate, Jubilate, K. 165” by W. A. Mozart, and Division II winner Sam Caplan ’26, cello, who performed “Concertino in C Major, Op. 7, Movement I (Allegro)” by Julius Klenge.

Notably, both performers won their respective divisions in the 2020 competition as well. 

Both said their participation in the competition reflects their passion for the arts and a desire to use competition to improve technique and performance.

“The Concerto Competition has always given me an opportunity to push myself to improve as a musician, and I have always loved preparing for it and competing,” Taylor said. “I chose Mozart’s ‘Alleluia’ from ‘Exultate, Jubilate’ because it was a piece that I thought would really push me to the next level of musicianship. It feels really good to have my hard work pay off, because I have [invested] countless hours practicing and preparing for my final year of competing at Ravenscroft. I believe that preparing for this competition has allowed me to develop a new practice method that will help me as I continue to study music in college!”

Sam said, “I wanted to participate in the competition for more experience in the competitive music field. The concerto competition serves as great practice for future events. I chose ‘Allegro from Concertino in C major’ by Julius Klengel due to its variety of both technical and lyrical passages. The piece flows well and requires collaboration between the cello and piano parts, improving my skill in playing with others.” 

The Fine Arts Department hosts the event each year for elite student musicians who take private lessons on campus or who are enrolled in one of the department’s ensembles. Participants perform one movement from an advanced concerto, sonata or opera, or a work of the same length and level of difficulty. 

The competition includes students taking strings, voice, piano, marimba, brass and woodwind. Performances are judged by accomplished musicians and adjudicators in the area.

These outstanding fine arts students participated in the competition:

Division I (Grades Nine-12)

• Sunishka Deshpande ’22, voice

• Taylor Fagan ’22, voice

• Michael Rutigliano ’22, tenor saxophone

• Kylie Scott ’24, violin

Division II (Grades Eight and below)

• Sam Caplan ’26, cello

• Karolyna Huntanar ’27, violin

• Izzy Sotomayor ’27, violin

• Eve Munford ’28, violin