Annual Kruschke Piano Competition to Feature Talented Chico State Students Vieing for $2000 First Place Prize

Talented pianists from CSU, Chico’s Music Department will compete for the prestigious Earl R. and Marilyn Ann Kruschke Prize at 7:30 p.m. on March 5 in the Rowland-Taylor Recital Hall.
 
The annual piano competition began in 1999 and provides a CSU, Chico music major with a $2000 prize to use toward their educational and professional goals.
 
Marilyn Kruschke will present the first place prize. Dustin Breshears, president of the Butte County Branch of the Music Teachers’ Association of California, will present the $500 second place prize.
 
This year’s competition will feature seven talented young pianists. Performers include: last year’s first place winner, Jamee Haddorff, a Master of Arts candidate from Redding; the second place winner, Gregory Klevins from Paradise; Chelsea Feeney from Modesto; Christine Snyder from Navato; Margaret Tong from Walnut Creek; Ryan Hensley from Dobbins and Angela Felion from Chico.
 
All of the students are studying with Chico State Department of Music professor Robert Bowman, except for Chelsea
Feeney who is studying with Sandy Wright. Many of the students previously studied with John Milbauer, a University of Arizona faculty member, and Robert King of Turlock.
 
Students will play selections written by a range of composers, from
classical to ragtime. These include J.S. Bach, L. van Beethoven, Bela
Bartok, Frédéric Chopin, Paul Hindemith, Scott Joplin, Claude Debussy, Joseph Haydn, W.A. Mozart, Sergei Rachmaninoff and Aram Khachaturian.
 
In addition, Ryan Hensley and Margaret Tong will perform selections from
Debussy's “Petite Suite” for piano duet while the judges deliberate.
 
Judges include Bowman, Wright, Joyce Groshong, and Marc Steiner. The judges will present their final decision at the end of the evening.
 
The late political science professor Earl R. Kruschke and his wife Marilyn set up the Kruschke competition nine years ago to support young piano students attending Chico State. After Earl’s death several years ago, Mrs. Kruschke has continued to be an avid supporter of CSU, Chico’s keyboard program.

Watching the pianists as they perform is free and open to the public. For more information, call the CSU, Chico Music Department at 898-5152.
 
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