By Marilyn Stanhope

The Naples Music Club’s annual community event took place this year on Saturday, April 28, at the First United Methodist Church of Naples. It was the club’s Scholarship Winners’ Recital, chaired by Jan Grundeman, at which 18 students and 2 ensembles performed before a large, appreciative audience. The results of the club’s annual scholarship competition, completed two weeks earlier, determined the 41 winners who were awarded $28,700. Students, all of whom must be in middle school or high school, use their winnings for college, summer music camps, study with private teachers, or for instruments.

This Naples Music Club’s Scholarship Program has flourished since 1970, with $478,700 dollars awarded to 724 students during the past 42 years of the program’s existence.

Capturing the Club’s most coveted award, the Turiel Award, was Nathaniel Cornell, an honor student at Barron Collier High School. This award is given annually to a high school senior who best meets a number of criteria (including grades and an essay – click to read Nathaniel’s). For Saturday’s recital, Nathaniel played the 1st movement of the Tchaikovsky’s beloved Violin Concerto in D Major, for which he received a standing ovation.

From the early age of 3, when Nathaniel first heard the violin played by youngsters at a Magic Carpet Concert at the Naples Philharmonic, he was smitten with the sound of the violin and the enthusiasm of the young players. He started studying with Lisa Zeller at age 4, and since age 11 he has been studying with the Philharmonic’s Gregg Anderson. It may seem natural that Nathaniel should have taken to music since both of his parents have performed with the Naples Philharmonic. His mother currently is Assistant Principal Flute, and his father has played the trombone.

Nathaniel’s honors and achievements are many besides competing exceptionally well each year in the Naples Music Club’s competition. They include Concertmaster of the Florida All-State Orchestra, co-concertmaster of the Philharmonic Youth Orchestra from 2008-2012, concerto competition winner of the Naples Philharmonic Youth Orchestra in 2011, and Fine Arts Award in Violin at Interlochen Arts Camp in 2012, to name a few. Other distinctions include English Student of the Year in 2009, American History Student of the Year in 2011, and Barron Collier National Honor Society membership for the past 2 years. Nathaniel even finds time to perform on the violin at the Naples Community Hospital as part of their Arts in Healing Program, sharing his skills and love of music.

Nathaniel’s ambitions are lofty but levelheaded. “I know the path will not be easy, but I’d like to be concertmaster of a symphony orchestra.” He has been accepted into the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio, where he’ll major in violin performance and study with the renowned violin teacher Marilyn McDonald. “I am looking forward to a broad college education to further my musical knowledge and appreciation on an even deeper level.”

2012 Recital Program

2012 Photo Gallery
With special thanks to Dr. Ivan Seligman, photographer

NDN article listing winners

NDN Feature on Nathaniel Cornell

 

THE WINNERS OF THE NAPLES MUSIC CLUB’S
2012 SCHOLARSHIP COMPETITION

2012 Turiel Winner $3000
Nathaniel Cornell, violin

SENIOR DIVISION WINNERS

SENIOR STRINGS
1st Place $1200
Classic Chamber Concerts
Bert G. Phillips Award
Jared Blajian, cello
12th grade, Student of Si-Cheng Liu

2nd Place $950
Nathaniel Cornell, violin
12th grade, Student of Gregg Anderson

3rd Place $750
McClaran Hayes, violin
11th grade, Student of Anton Sikuta

4th Place $550
Misty Drake, violin
10th grade, Student of Joan Stewart

5th Place $350
Hao-ting Kimberly Wu, violin
12th grade, Student of Ming Gao

Honorable Mention $200
Joseph Peliska, classical guitar
11th grade, Student of Rafael Padron

Honorable Mention $200
Laura Mattson, violin
9th grade, Student of Patrick Neal

SENIOR PIANO

2nd Place $950
Julian Gonzalez
12th grade, Student of Joanne Smith

3rd Place $750
Joseph F. Lang, Jr.
12th grade, Student of Lan Lam

Honorable Mention $200
Bennett Lanni
9th grade, Student of Elena Hall

Honorable Mention $200
Andre-Lorenz T. Chu
10th grade, Student of Elena Hall

SENIOR REEDS

1st Place $1200
Clifford L. Saby Award
Gabriel Wallace, alto saxophone
12th grade, Student of Dennis Hill

2nd Place $950
Jeremy Brachle, clarinet
9th grade, Student of Ashley Leigh

3rd Place $750
Naomi Walerys, alto saxophone
9th grade, Student of Daniel Lone

Honorable Mention $200
Massimiliano Ferrari, clarinet
12th grade, Student of Paul Votapek

SENIOR FLUTES

1st Place $1200
Allison Kast
10th grade, Student of Wendy Willis

2nd Place $950
Cydney Brzeski
12th grade, Student of Wendy Willis

3rd Place $750
Jose Cordero
11th grade, Student of Wendy Willis

Honorable Mention $200
Abigail Huelsman
9th grade, Student of Wendy Willis

SENIOR BRASS

1st Place $1200
Valerie Fowski, French horn
9th grade, Student of Stacy Kastner

2nd Place $950
Jonathan Brown, trumpet
11th grade, Student of Benny Bolden

3rd Place $750
Connor Capes, French horn
12th grade, Student of Benny Bolden

SENIOR VOICE

1st Place $1200
The Naples Opera Society Award
Toni-Ann Singh, soprano
10th grade, Rebecca Richardson

2nd Place $950
Daniela Magura, soprano
10th grade, Student of Rebecca Richardson

3rd Place $750
Patrick Moran, baritone
11th grade, student of Dr. Jeanie Darnell

4th Place $550
Marcello Marsalli, tenor
11th grade, Student of Steffanie Pearce

5th Place $350
Nadia Marshall, soprano
12th grade, Student of Stefanie Pearce

JUNIOR DIVISION WINNERS

JUNIOR PIANO
1st Place $750
Christopher Myers
7th grade, Student of Elena Hall

Second Place $550
Colleen Kilpatrick
8th grade, Student of Joanne Smith

Third Place $450
Elizabeth Berg
7th grade, Student of Mingshan Kong

Honorable Mention $100
John Koga
7th grade, Student of Elena Hall

JUNIOR STRINGS

1st Place $750
Noelle Torres, violin
8th grade, Student of Joan Stewart

2nd Place $550
Hsih-Ting (Iris) Wu, violin
8th grade, Student of Ming Gao

3rd Place $450
Lucca Delcompare, violin
8th grade, Student of Anton Sikuta

Honorable Mention $100
Caroline Sikuta, violin
7th grade, Student of Anton Sikuta

JUNIOR WOODWINDS

1st Place $750
Timothy Kane, alto saxophone
8th grade, Student of Daniel Lone

2nd Place $550
Jenna Bainter, flute
8th grade, Student of Wendy Willis

3rd Place $450
Lindsey Haerle, clarinet
8th grade, Student of Ashley Leigh

Honorable Mention $100
Rachel Hujsa, oboe
7th grade, Student of Andrew Snedeker

JUNIOR VOICE

1st Place $750
The Naples Opera Society Award
Luciano Marsalli, Treble
7th grade, Student of Steffanie Pearce

2nd Place $550
Zofia Majewski, soprano
6th grade, Student of Michelle Byrd

 

SMALL ENSEMBLE COMPETITION

SENIOR DIVISION

1st Place
Anderson String Quartet
Misty Drake, violin
Noelle Torres, violin
Cassie Drake, viola
Vincent Marcantonio, cello
Teachers Joan Stewart, Si-Cheng Liu,
Gregg Anderson

2nd Place
Misty Drake, violin
Ana-Emilia Montessi, violin
Natalie Peliska, violin
Noelle Torres, Violin
Teacher Joan Stewart

JUNIOR DIVISION

1st Place
Misty Drake, violin
Gibson, Jade, violin
Cassie Drake, viola
Emery Sereno, Cello
Teacher Gregg Anderson

HAEGG AWARDS

2012 Haegg Continuing Education
Orianna Arellano, violin
Lynette Mojica, viola
Jessica Zhou Seymour, cello
Irma K. Tanelus, violin
Naomi Walerys, alto saxophone

2012 Haegg Encouragement Awards
Anna Marie Marks, viola
Widline Gourdet, cornet
Lillian Weisman, violin