The Texas A&M University – Kingsville music department roars with talent when it comes to recognizing the accomplishment of Oscar Lara and Emily Muñoz earning a solo during the Annual Concerto Competition. Each year students are given the opportunity to demonstrate their hard-work and dedication for a chance to earn a special spotlight during a performance.
This year on Jan. 23, students competed in the Recital Hall found in the Music Building. Winners of the Concerto Competition will then be given an opportunity to shine on April 14, during the Chamber Orchestra concert and Choir Concert. The event consisted of several rounds before a winner is finalized.
“The event has a few rounds, that begins on the day of juries, then goes to a final round where select players will play again for a panel of judges and they choose from those in the final round to either play with the orchestra or band depending on how many winners there are. I say that it’s pretty competitive…but maybe it was just because I was nervous. My experience with the event was positive but it definitely was very nerve wracking!” said Jeri Taylor, former winner of the Concert Competition.
Students were given about a year to practice for the audition, and showcase their hard work and preparation.
“When my professor, Dr. Janzen showed me the piece I fell in love with it and had to have it. When school ended in the spring (2018) I bought the piece online and immediately started practicing it. It was a really hard piece for me at the time so what I did was, every single morning I would eat breakfast and would then take my flute out to practice. I would spend about five hours practicing small sections until I eventually memorized them without even trying. Whenever I would get tired I would watch TV but I still had my flute out and when commercials came out I would practice those small sections that I had trouble with. Then, after my ‘break’ I would practice from around 4 p.m. through 11 p.m. I would do this every single day, all day until summer classes started, but by then I had already learned the whole piece and had practically memorized it as well. Even then, I would practice it as much as I could because I loved it and it made me fall in love with playing music again,” said Muñoz, recipient soloist of Concerto Competition.
Muñoz’s dedication paid off when results were posted. She competed against six other flute musicians and was able to gain recognition for her skills. After practicing for long hours her commitment to thrive in the competition was rewarded.
“I couldn’t believe it. To be completely honest, I don’t see myself as a good player and technically that isn’t a way that a performance major should see themselves as. When I won I thought I was dreaming; to this day, I still can’t believe that I won, but I’m really happy and I feel really blessed,” Muñoz said.
Lara was another who couldn’t believe his accomplishment in earning a solo. Lara was the only vocalist amongst the top 10 finalists. Being able to accomplish this goal allowed Lara to reignite his passion for music.
“I have practiced the piece I auditioned with for about a year, it’s still nowhere near perfect since my voice is still changing, though. However, I am honestly very excited to sing with the orchestra, this is what I want to do for the rest of my life so it’s like getting a feel for what’s to come. Accomplishing this goal honestly sort of saved my music career. Lately I’ve been juggling so much at once that I forgot I had a passion for music and putting so much time and effort into the competition reignited my passion,” said Lara, recipient soloist of Concerto Competition.
For many music students, a competition like this requires time management and dedication. Hours were invested into practicing, and the hard-work of Lara and Muñoz will be publicly recognized during their solo performance on April 14 at Jones Auditorium.