Music to my ears: Symphonic Students

For the past 10 years, Birmingham-Southern has hosted the Whittington Competition, named for Frances and Dorsey Whittington who led the Birmingham Conservatory of Music (now known as the Music Department here at BSC). Going for gold, many ‘Southern students participated, but this year the top three winners were Wei Dai, Hannah Ellington, and Iris Reddick. Now these students not only have the honor of winning the competition, but they get to perform with the Red Mountain Chamber Orchestra this Sunday, February 28!

The performance will be held in Hill Recital Hall at 3 p.m., and will be free to the public. Students, faculty, and any other interested parties are encouraged to come and listen to some of the best BSC has to offer to your ears. The performers will each get to give a solo, accompanied by the Red Mountain Chamber Orchestra.

Wei Dai, a junior music major here studying abroad from Xiamen, China is planning to perform the first movement of the First Piano Concerto by Ludwig van Beethoven. She’s here studying piano from BSC Prof. of Music and Artist in Residence, Bill DeVan. Hannah Ellington promises to knock socks off with arias by Sergei Rachmaninoff and from Mozart’s “Don Giovanni.” She’s studied vocal performance and is now perfecting her art as a senior under BSC Associate Professor of Music Jacqueline Leary-Warsaw. Iris Reddick completes the act in a Whittington debut as a freshman cellist studying under BSC adjunct faculty member Avi Friedlander. She will perform “Kol Nidrei” by Max Brunch.

Altogether, the talent in the show is tremendous, and it promises to be a lovely afternoon to soothe the ears before another week begins. Come for a time of beauty and melody, and don’t be surprised to see this writer bobbing her head in a corner!