UTC Music Sponsors Piano Competition;
Winners to perform in Recital UTC Cadek Recital Hall

Sunday, June 14, 2009, 3:00 PM
Press Release May 11, 2009

Five middle school students and five high school students won prizes in the UTC music department Thirteenth Annual Piano Arts Competition on Saturday, March 28, 2009. The first-place winners in the middle school and high school category, Ms. Abigail Hinchman and Mr. Chunsoo Park, in addition to receiving monetary prizes, will present a Winners Recital on Sunday, June 14 at 3:00 pm in the Cadek Recital Hall at UTC. This free concert will showcase the two winners as they play their competition pieces and other selections.

Abigail Hinchman
Middle School Division Winner

Chunsoo Park
High School Division Winner

The piano arts competition is an annual contest sponsored by the UTC Music Department to recognize outstanding young pianists and to encourage them to pursue further study. Thirty pianists competed in the middle school or high school level of the competition in which they are required to play two classical pieces of contrasting style from memory before a jury of UTC Music Department faculty members and guest judges. Monetary prizes were awarded to the first, second and third place winners in the high school and middle school categories.

Abigail Hinchman won first prize ($100) in the middle school category, with Tyler Hyers as second prize ($75) and Wesley Carroll as third prize ($50) winner. Abigail Hinchman is a student of Tammy Benson, and lives in Chattanooga. Tyler Hyers is a student of Roland Schneller, and lives in Goodlettsville. Wesley Carroll is a student of Tammy Benson, and lives in Chattanooga. Erica Cyrul (Soddy-Daisy), a student of Andrea Exum, and Jonathan Lau (Chattanooga), a student of Deanne Irvine, received an honorable mention.

In the high school division, Chunsoo Park from Nashville, a student of Roland Schneller, took first prize of $250. Yong Goo Kim (Brentwood), a student of Craig Nies, won second prize of $150 and Jonathan Dennis (Ooltewah), a student of Deanne Irvine, won third prize of $100. Isaac Hinchman (Chattanooga) and Kristen Tcherneshoff (Valley Head, AL) received an honorable mention.

The participating students were from Valley Head and Hartselle, AL, Flintstone and Ringgold GA, and from Brentwood, Chattanooga, Goodlettsville, Hixson, McDonald, Nashville, Ooltewah, Signal Mountain, Soddy-Daisy, and Tellico Plains, TN.

Middle School Division Winners

High School Division Winners

This year’s competition was judged by Ms. Janet Sump, Mrs. Deanne Irvine, Mr. David Walters and guest judge Dr. Joe Chapman. The judges were not allowed to vote on students whom they had taught previously to avoid favoritism. Dr. Sin-Hsing Tsai was the non-voting competition chair.