“Could you apply the ‘American Idol’ formula to classical music? It seems you can,” writes Mark Washburn in Sunday’s (3/3) Charlotte Observer (North Carolina). “Classical music station WDAV-FM (89.9) will host the national Young Chamber Musicians Competition Saturday featuring four of the country’s top youth chamber groups. ‘Certainly ‘American Idol’ has some influence,’ says Will Keible, WDAV marketing director…. Judges selected four finalists and the public has been invited to view their performances…. Judges will be looking for … how well the musicians communicate, said Bill Lawing, a Davidson [College] music professor who will officiate with Robert Moody, music director of the Winston-Salem Symphony and violinist Rosemary Furniss of the Royal College of Music. In chamber music, where there is no conductor … nonverbal cues … are key.… About 40 groups from across the country vied in this year’s preliminary competition…. Top finisher in the 19-24 age category will get $1,500 and the second-place winner will collect $1,000. Prizes in the 14-18 age category get $1,250 and $750…. Last year’s competition … played to a full house at Davidson…. ‘If it stays at this level, it’s going to become a major cultural event in our area,’ Lawing says. ‘We’re seeing it in its infancy.’ ”
Posted May 7, 2015
