Category: Press releases

2023 Finalists in the Frances Walton Competition Announced Today

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SEATTLE, Washington, April 17, 2023 (9am PST) – The Frances Walton Competition, presented by the Ladies Musical Club of Seattle, announced today its finalist cohort for the 2023 competition.

Applications were open to Classical musicians ages 20-35 from across the United States, who could apply as soloists or in Small Ensembles of two to four musicians. Applications opened on November 1, 2022 and closed on March 1, 2023. This is the second year the Frances Walton Competition has been open to musicians from all U.S. states and territories since its relaunch in the 2021-2022 season.

Finalists compete in Seattle for two Solo Winner and one Small Ensemble Winner titles on Saturday, June 3rd, 2023 from 9am to 5:30pm at University Congregational United Church of Christ (4515 16th Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98105). Winners are announced at a short ceremony at 6:30pm that evening. The winners perform a concert the following day at 2pm, followed by a reception. 

Information about the Competition and the Finals Weekend June 3-4, 2023 is found at LMCSeattle.org/competition. All finals weekend events are FREE and open to the public with no tickets required. For inquiries, please contact awards@lmcseattle.org.

Solo Finalists  
Steven Baloue, Viola Chicago, Illinois
Hannah Chou, Violin Fremont, California
Forrest Howell, Piano Lafayette, Colorado
Zhengyi Huang, Piano Ann Arbor, Michigan
Yvette Kraft, Violin Spokane, Washington
Ho Yin Li, French Horn Boston, Massachusetts
Jonathan Mamora, Piano Rochester, New York
Melissa McCann, Soprano Bismarck, North Dakota
Hunter O’Brien, Flute Houston, Texas
Kara Poling, Oboe New York, New York
Gracie Potter, Trombone Surprise, Arizona
Madeline Ross, Soprano Portland, Oregon
Jose Uzcategui, Marimba Dallas, Texas
Christoph Wagner, Cello Houston, Texas
Calvin Wong, Saxophone Tempe, Arizona

 

Small Ensemble Finalists:  

Aero Quartet (Ann Arbor, MI; Madison, WI; Santa Clarita, CA)

 Salvador Flores, Soprano Saxophone; Walt Puyear, Alto Saxophone; Matthew Koester, Tenor Saxophone; Brian Kachur, Baritone Saxophone

Kodak Quartet (New York, NY) 

 Edgar Donati, Violin; Martin Noh, Violin; Daniel Spink, Viola; Blake Kitayama, Cello
Phoenix Winds (Pullman, WA) Anthony Kandilaroff, Flute; Jake Berreth, Flute; Kevin Melendez, Flute

LMC President Vicki White-Miltun Receives 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award from WMEA

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Vicki White Miltun Portrait
Vicki White-Miltun, LMC’s President and WMEA 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient

SEATTLE, Washington: Vicki White-Miltun, LMC President for the 2021 – 2023 term, received the prestigious 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Washington Music Educators Association (WMEA) over the weekend. She was previously named WMEA Educator of the Year in 2001 and was inducted into the WMEA Hall of Fame in 2002.

In addition to serving as current President of LMC, Vicki’s leadership in the profession includes serving as President of the Washington Music Educators Association (1996-1998), Seattle Alumnae Chapter of Sigma Alpha Iota Music Fraternity (1973-1974), and the WA Unit of the American String Teachers Association (1982-1985). She holds a seat on the WMEA Young Musicians Excelling Board. A Mercer Island Home Town Hero (2002) and last Fall’s Grand Marshall of the Mercer Island High School Homecoming Parade, Vicki will retire from teaching in June and will continue her first term as LMC President from 2021 – 2023.

A lifelong violinist, Vicki started her teaching career at the age of 19 giving violin lessons in a summer program in her native Joplin, MO. Director of Orchestras for the Mercer Island School District for over 40 years, she taught four years in the Seattle Public Schools Elementary Instrumental Program. A sought after conductor and adjudicator for many All City, District, Regional and All State Orchestras, she has been recognized many times for her outstanding teaching. Vicki was named National High School Music Teacher of the Year (2008) by the National Federation of High Schools.

LMC Archives Announces Additions to its Digital Collection

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SEATTLE, Washington – The LMC Archives Program announced this month that it has debuted an expanded Digital Archives Collection, available for free public access at https://lmcseattle.org/history/lmc-digital-archives/. This development is the latest stage in the Ladies Musical Club Historical Archives Preservation and Digitization Project, which started in 2016 and is made possible by ongoing support from 4Culture and private donations.

LMC Archives Trustee Dr. Katie Beisel Hollenbach states: “The digitization of the LMC’s archives makes a significant part of Seattle’s musical history easily accessible to community members, researchers, friends and relatives of LMC members, and anyone else interested in learning more about the LMC’s important role in the development of Seattle’s arts scene. Spanning over 130 years of history, the LMC archives include photographs, concert programs, historical members’ books, press releases, newspaper articles, and many other artifacts that illuminate the LMC’s wide reach as a performing, educational, and community organization. We are excited to make this history available through our digitization project, supported in part by 4Culture.”

The latest grant installment from 4Culture included digitizing historical photographs and concert programs of world-famous artists the LMC presented as well as historical Secretary’s Books. The first 4Culture grant awarded in 2016 helped the LMC digitize its substantial Member’s Book Collection. Both can be found on the LMC’s website, linked above.

Click here for a full list of artists LMC presented for its Artist Concert Series between 1900 and 1995. From 1995 on, the series turned into a longstanding partnership between LMC and UW’s Meany Center for the Performing Arts, bringing Meany’s internationally-renowned performers to Seattle Public School classrooms through the LMC’s Music In Schools (MIS) program.

4Culture logo

Marian Anderson Concert Program 1940 p1
Marian Anderson performed in Seattle on March 11, 1940, and three other times under the auspices of the LMC
Vicente Escudero Portrait
Flamenco dancer Vicente Escudero was presented by LMC in 1932
Nellie Melba Portrait
Famed soprano Nellie Melba signed her portrait to LMC impresario Rose Gottstein for her 1913 LMC Seattle performance
Roland Hayes Portrait
Roland Hayes was the LMC’s most presented artist, performing five times between 1941 and 1947

LMC’s 2021 – 2022 Public Concerts Season Kicks Off October 15th

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SEATTLE, Washington – October 2021 — With a mix of livestream and pre-recorded concerts, LMC’s 2021 – 2022 Public Concerts Series begins Friday, October 15th. 

Regina Thomas, Public Concerts Chair, announced details of this upcoming season in a video posted on LMC’s Facebook on October 5th. She notes that: “We are taking our virtual season to the next level this year…we are adding livestream concerts for the first time to our schedule.” The season kickoff weekend will feature two livestreamed concerts, the first on Friday, October 15th at 7:30pm and the second on Saturday October 16th at 2:00pm. Stream these concerts through LMC’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pg/LMCSeattle/videos/

To watch Thomas’s full announcement, visit https://www.facebook.com/LMCSeattle/videos/168669225439773/ .

For the LMC’s full fall concert schedule, see the LMC’s Concert Calendar here: https://lmcseattle.org/concerts-events/public-concerts/

We look forward to watching with you all!

Statement of Support

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We at the LMC acknowledge the recent and ongoing events in our community. We stand against racism and abuses of power. 

As musicians, we like to make sounds. But as music lovers, we also strive to be equally good listeners. We will continue to listen to conversations in the community and respond to its changing and emergent needs. After all, we believe in music’s ability to bring diverse people together, to build an inclusive community, and to give equitable voice to its makers. We remain committed to our work of offering music and education programs to people of all ages and diverse backgrounds throughout the community.