Kayla Samimi
Copy Editor
A total of 24 students from the Mira Costa Band and Orchestra Department competed in the annual Rotary Solo Competition on Feb. 2 in the auditorium, with a judge selecting first, second and third place winners across four separate divisions.
The four divisions included the 9th/10th grade band division, the 9th/10th grade orchestra division, the 11th/12th grade band division and the 11th/12th grade orchestra division.
“I was really stoked to place because even though I’ve made it to the finals before, this was the first time I got in the top three,” senior and third place winner Ella Pachler said. “I’ve been practicing my piece since last spring and really worked hard to refine it as much as possible and it felt great to have all that hard work pay off. I’m really grateful for being able to play in a competition like this with so many talented musicians, and for getting such helpful and constructive feedback from the adjudicator that I know will aid me in the future.”
Two judges listened to each performer and determined the winners. University of California Los Angeles Orchestra Director Niel Stulberg judged the orchestra students and UCLA Head of Music Education Frank Heuser judged the band students.
All finalists had to participate and qualify in a preliminary round on Jan. 16 in the small theater in order to compete in the final competition. Students performed a variety of pieces and were limited to a performance of five minutes.
“The genius of Mozart was and is such an unparalleled phenomenon that still, nearly 250 years later, his music is yet to be understood entirely,” junior Joseph Olivas said. “The piece that I performed was immensely difficult to prepare, but was also such an incredibly stimulating process that I consider it more like a labor of love.”
The Rotary Club is an organization that works to raise donations and use funds to host community events across the South Bay. The Rotary Club hosts the competition each school year, awarding cash prizes to the student winners. The cash prizes ranged from $50-$250.
All award winners will have the opportunity to attend a congratulatory breakfast on March 27 where they will receive their cash prizes. The Rotary Club board members will host the breakfast and each of the four first-place winners will perform their solos at the event.
“I enjoyed performing in the competition and competing against such great musicians,” junior Sharzad Sadeghi said. “I spent a lot of time preparing for this competition and I am satisfied with the progress I have made as a result of my hard work.”
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