OSU Symphony Orchestra national finalist

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

 

 

OSU Symphony Orchestra finalist for national honor

The Oklahoma State University Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Douglas Droste, was recently announced as a finalist for The American Prize-College/University Orchestras category. The American Prize, founded in 2009 and awarded annually, is a series of new, non-profit, national competitions designed to recognize and reward the very best in the performing arts in the United States—in schools, churches, and at community and professional levels.

“We are extremely proud of the tremendous strides these students have made and the phenomenal work of Doug Droste and the string faculty to make this happen,” said Dr. Brant Adams, head of the OSU Department of Music.

The American Prize is judged solely through submitted recorded performances. The best performance in each category is chosen for artistic quality, based on the full breadth of possible criteria including, the overall effect of the performance, musicality, rhythmic incisiveness, ensemble, tone quality, accuracy, intonation, and knowledge of style.

Maestro David Katz is the chief judge of The American Prize. Professional conductor, award-winning composer, playwright, actor and arts advocate, Katz was the founder and chief judge of the Friedrich Schorr Memorial Performance Prize in Voice international competition for 12 years. Joining Katz is a panel of professional judges representing every region of the country. For more information, go to theamericanprize.org and the americanprize.blogspot.com.

Adams is also announcing that the orchestra has been invited to perform at the 2013 national convention of the Collegiate Orchestra Director's Association in Cleveland, Ohio, next January. It will perform a couple of concerts at high schools en route to the conference, and will have the opportunity to engage in a clinic with members of the famed Cleveland Orchestra.