OSU music success from OKC to Carnegie Hall

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Two current Oklahoma State University undergraduates and two pre-college students who are working with the university’s instructors are winning competitions and going places.

“I couldn’t be prouder of the recent successes that OSU music students have achieved in regional and national competitions,” interim head for the department of music George Speed said. “It also speaks to the strength of our faculty that they have been successful in mentoring their pre-college students to similar heights. 

Amelia Rosenberger, a junior from Aledo, Texas, majoring in music performance at OSU, took first place in the solo competition for tenor trombone at the American Trombone Workshop, held at Brucker Hall, the U.S. Army Band’s home on Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in Arlington, Virginia. Rosenberger is a student of Dr. Paul Compton, associate professor of trombone and assistant director of jazz studies at OSU. 

Bree Ahern, a junior from Stillwater majoring in music performance at OSU, took first place at the Ad Astra String Competition, sponsored by the Oklahoma City Ladies Music Club in Oklahoma City. Ahern is a student of Dr. Meredith Blecha-Wells, assistant professor of cello at OSU. 

Ben Lanners, a concurrently enrolled high school student studying under Blecha-Wells, was selected to participate in the National Youth Orchestra, which accepts only 12 cellists from across the United States. The orchestra will perform in Carnegie Hall and will tour China.  He also won the Oklahoma Music Teacher’s National Association competition and was named runner-up in the association’s south central regional competition.

Another of Blecha-Wells’ pre-college students, Sophie Deng, was selected as a winner in the American Protégé Competition and will perform as a soloist in Carnegie Hall in May. Earlier this year, she won the Keith Cello Competition in Oklahoma City.