Uel Wade Music Scholarship Competition

At this 29th edition of the Uel Wade Music Scholarship Concert, four high school students will each perform solo for up to 15 minutes. After the performances, three judges will retire to make their decisions. During that time, refreshments will be available, provided by the mothers of the contestants.

Uel Wade will then proudly announce the winners.

Due to the generosity of donations from individuals and local businesses (seeded by the Wades), at least $10,000 will be awarded to the winners, to be used to further their musical education

• Ian Gu, age 16, a 10th-grader from Phillips Academy Andover, is a cellist who will play the first movement of Kabalevsky’s Concerto, the third movement of Brahms’ First Sonata, and an arrangement of Fauré’s song “Après un rêve.”
• Cellist Ian Jin, age 16, an 11th-grader in Bethlehem Central High School, will play the first movement of Dvořák’s Concerto, op. 104, and the first movement of Shostakovich’s Sonata, op. 40.
• Madeleine Rocheleau-Holmes, an 18-year-old senior at Monument Mountain High School, is a clarinetist who will play the first two movements of Weber’s Concerto and an etude by Ferling.
• Eujeong Choi, a cellist who has has won second prize three years in a row, is a senior at Niskayuna High School. She will play the Prelude from Bach’s Third Suite and the first movement of Elgar’s Concerto.

“Please come and support these hard-working, serious young musicians” says Uel Wade. “It’s especially important for them to perform before a live audience, since nowadays they audition only with videos that they can create at home. It’s a lot less stressful, since they can do many “takes” before submitting it. But they are missing out on the excitement (and yes, pressure) of making music for active, breathing persons. On a personal note, doing so changed my whole life and career path.”