Winners Announced in Student Music Contest

OCNJ Daily

Pictured are the winners in the vocal, piano and instrumental categories.

Winners of the ninth annual Esther Weil Student Music Competition were announced Friday. Thirty students from 10 Atlantic and Cape May County high schools performed this year. According to a city press release, the winners and their prize money were: · Vocal Awards: · Grace Mozitis, Mainland HS, $1,000 · Alan Rendzak, Middle Twp. HS, $500 · Ted Guzman, Egg Harbor Twp. HS, $500 · Lena Gougherty, Middle Twp. HS, $250 · Instrumental Awards: · Maura Olivero, trumpet, Lower Cape May Regional HS, $1,000 · Cristina Barbella, saxophone, Ocean City HS, $250 · Piano Awards: · Hans-Derek Yu, home-schooled, $1,000 · Dennis Xu, Mainland Regional HS, $500 · Alex DeStefano, Holy Spirit HS, $250 The Scheible Encore Society and the Friends of the Ocean City Pops held the competition Wednesday at the Ocean City Music Pier. The contest is designed to promote high school musicians in their piano, instrumental or vocal training by offering a venue for solo performance and prize money for the top artists. The judges this year were Bill Scheible, retired conductor of the Ocean City Pops, Angel Lofreddo, retired choral director at Mainland High School, and Greg DiBona, recent graduate of the Manhattan School of Music. The master of ceremonies was Stephen Gring, former superintendent of Unionville High School and amateur pianist.