CALLING YOUNG PERFORMERS WITH A GIFT FOR MUSIC

PictureLast year's winners (Photo by Tab Hauser)
By Cindy Rogers

March 17 is the Deadline for Registering for the 2016 Marguerite Suozzi Young Performers Talent Competition

Calling all young people with a gift for music who live or go to school on Nassau County’s North Shore.  Do you like to sing or play an instrument? 

Would you like to perform before a panel of judges for prize money or for a chance to perform this summer at a special concert in Glen Cove’s Morgan Memorial Park? 

Morgan Park Summer Music Festival is gearing up for the 44th Annual Young Performers Talent Competition.  Auditions, which will be held on Saturday, April 16 from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm, are at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church located at 28 Highland Avenue, Glen Cove.  In order to compete, an application must be received no later than Thursday, March 17.   

This year’s competition is open to talented vocalists or instrumentalists between the ages of 10 and 19.  Three prizes will be awarded:  The Senior Musician Award (Age 15-19), $1,000; The Junior Musician Award (Age 10-14), $500 and The Honorable Mention Award (Age 10-19), $500.   

Winners must be available to perform at Morgan Park Summer Music Festival on Sunday, July 10 at 7:30 pm and will receive their prizes at the conclusion of the concert.  Selected contestants may also be invited to perform at the July 10 concert.  At the April 16 auditions, applicants are asked to perform two pieces in contrasting styles (e.g.:  classical, jazz, pop, etc.) and are expected to bring their own live or recorded accompaniment.  A piano will be available for use by contestants. 

The Young Performers Talent Competition is a wonderful opportunity for young people who are interested in pursuing a career in music to perform before a select jury and/or on stage before a large audience.  Past winners of the competition include actress/singer Nikki Blonsky who starred in “Hairspray” with John Travolta, Locust Valley resident Alexis Kende, who along with her two sisters performed for Pope John Paul II at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, and many others who went on to have distinguished careers as music educators, composers and performers. 

Thursday, March 17 is the deadline for the receipt of applications for this year’s Young Performers Talent Competition. 

To download an application, visit http://www.morganparkmusic.org.

Important dates to remember:
March 17..... Deadline to apply for Young Performers Competition
April 16........Young Performers Competition
July 10......... Young Performers Concert at Morgan Park Summer Music Festival.  Winners must be available to perform.