Three Student Musicians Win Annual Concerto Aria Competition, Will Perform with Orchestra

The LVC Music Department hosted its annual Concerto Aria competition in March and named three student musicians winners who earned the honor of performing with the College’s Symphony Orchestra during the Fall 2018 semester. 

Aaron Furry ’19 is a triple major in music, music education, and business administration. First arriving at LVC solely as a business major, he was attracted to The Valley for all of the music performance opportunities. 

“After playing in the marching band, orchestra, and sax ensemble my freshman year, I realized that the music department was a place I needed to be,” he said. 

Furry performed "Scaramouche" by Darius Milhaud on the baritone saxophone for the competition. He also plays tuba, piano, accordion, clarinet, and his favorite—cello,—among others. “I'm not sure what inspired my interest in music, it has just always been something that gets me out of bed in the morning and continues to challenge me,” he said.

Including the ensembles and marching band from his first year, Furry has performed with a total of nine LVC music groups. 

Marie Grenchik ’19, who is pursuing a degree in music education, performed a concerto on the piano. Grenchik looks forward to November’s performance opportunity and said, “It has been my dream since I was five years old to play with a symphony so to have my hard work pay off felt so great.” She was inspired early on by her grandmother, who played the piano.

A visit to LVC during her junior year of high school for a lesson with Dr. Eric Fung, associate professor of music, proved influential. “What was supposed to be 30 minutes turned into almost three hours of working on one of my pieces. We worked together like we had known each other for a long time and for that I was–and continue to be–thankful,” she said.

Grenchik is part of LVC’s chamber and concert choirs, and also participates on the women’s swim team, and serves as a peer mentor, peer tutor, and writing mentor. Along with playing the piano, she plays the guitar and can play a bit on a variety of instruments as part of her degree requirements.

“My inspiration in music has always been fueled by the incredible teachers that I have been blessed to have placed in my life,” said Grenchik.

Catie McLain ’19, a music major with a focus on flute performance, played “Ballade,” Op. 288 by Carl Reinecke for the competition. 

“The piece is very lyrical and passionate at both the beginning and the end, with a fast, peppy section in the middle,” she said. “The energy and phrasing make it a very challenging piece to play.”

McLain, who transferred to LVC because of the strong reputation of the music faculty and facilities, comes from a musical family. She has an aunt that inspired her to become a flutist. McLain also plays the piccolo, piano, and guitar, and is a member of the College’s symphony and chamber orchestras.