Continuing on a beautiful tradition, the 2017 Sandra Graef Memorial middle school flute competition was an amazing success! Following a preliminary round on Saturday morning, 6 talented flutists advanced to the finals, and 3 of them walked away with some fabulous prizes. The Indy Flute Shop is honored to contribute to these awards.
Sandra was a prolific educator and performer in the Indianapolis area. She earned a Bachelor of Music degree from Ithaca College in 1989 and a Master’s degree in flute performance at Butler University in 2006. She was the Music Department Chair and Director of Bands for the 7th and 8th grades at Zionsville Middle School, and she was a member of the Anderson and Lafayette Symphony Orchestras and also performed with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, and the Russian Festival Orchestra. After her death in 2008 after a long battle with breast cancer, this memorial competition was set up in her name to honor middle school flute players who have achieved a high level of performance.
This competition is so valuable because it is often the first experience that middle school flute players have outside of ISSMA Solo and Ensemble contest to perform for their peers and an audience. Here are the results of these talented students:
1st Place, $1000 gift card to the Indy Flute Shop: Allyson Donnelly
2nd Place, $500 gift card to the Indy Flute Shop: Janvi Bhatia
3rd Place: Lesson with Karen Moratz: Adrien Qi
Pictured left to right:
Janvi Bhatia (8th grade, Syrinx by Debussy)
Lily Marrs (8th grade, Concerto by Pergolesi)
Allyson Donnelly (7th grade, Concertino by Chaminade)
Sabrina Holford (7th grade, Hungarian Serenade)
Abby Nitsos (8th grade, Madrigal by Gaubert)
Adrien Qi (7th grade, Hypnosis by Ian Clarke)
Once again, congratulations to all participants!