Ninth Annual Esther Weil Student Music Competition Set for May 1

OCNJ Daily

2018 voice winners (top row from left and their schools): Zachary Taglioli, Hammonton, Grace Mozitis, Mainland Regional, Alan Rendzak, Middle Township, and Hannah Rose Zoltowski, Middle Township. 2018 instrumental winners (bottom row from left and their schools): Aiden Seals, saxophone, Mainland Regional, Dennis Xu, piano, Mainland Regional, Hans Derek Yu, piano, Egg Harbor Township, and Quine Mei, piano, Egg Harbor Township.

The Friends of the Ocean City Pops will sponsor its ninth annual Esther Weil Music Competition for local high school students at 4 p.m. Wednesday, May 1 at the Ocean City Music Pier, on the Boardwalk at Moorlyn Terrace. The event is free and open to the public. The contest will feature three categories this year: vocal, instrumental and piano. Cash prizes will be given to the top three winners in each category of $1,000, $500 and $250. Judges for the competition will be Bill Scheible, conductor emeritus, Angel Garland, retired choral director, and Greg DiBona, graduate of the Manhattan School of Music with a degree in piano performance. Students must be living in or attending high school in Cape May County or Atlantic County to enter the competition. Local retired school superintendent Stephen Gring will be master of ceremony for this event. Accompanying the musicians on piano will be Scott Breiner.