Westerville Central High School senior Bree Phillips, who is a member of the Brio Piano Quartet at the Chamber Music Connection, has advanced to the semi-finals of the 2018 Coltman National Chamber Music Competition, held at the Butler School of Music in Austin on Saturday, March 24.
Only a few select chamber ensembles from around the country are invited nationally to compete in the Coltman Competition after an initial round of audition recordings were submitted and evaluated by top musicians and artists in the field of music. Internationally acclaimed musicians and educators from the University of Texas, Austin, and Texas State University will judge the performances of the elite junior ensembles in the semifinal and finals to determine the prizewinners, each will receive a cash prize and a scholarship to the ACMC 2018 Summer Workshop. The finals will be aired on Austin Public Radio KMFA 89.5 later this spring.
“It is not an overstatement to compare Bree’s participation in this national venue with that of athletes in a national event or even in that of the Olympics,” said Deborah Price, Artistic Director for the Chamber Music Connection. “This is a competition at the highest levels of musical achievement featuring ensembles from all over the country. That the Brio Piano Quartet was chosen reflects extraordinarily not only on Bree and the other members of her quartet for their disciplined preparation and determination, but also on the support of the family, friends, and teachers around the ensemble. We are pleased by their success and congratulate them in receiving the invitation to participate this year.”