November 22, 2019 (Spartanburg, S.C.) - This past semester, two music majors and one alum fromBelhaven University's Strings Program competed against some of the country's most prestigious universities and earned top honors.
After two rounds of competition with top musicians from schools like Boston University, Indiana University, and Wheaton College, Belhaven musicians' hard work paid off at the 2019 MasterWorks Festival in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
Zak Joyner, senior violin major, won the MasterWorks Concerto Competition for the first time. He is one of the three winners who earned the honor to perform as a featured soloist. He performed Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto 3rd Movement with the MasterWorks Festival Orchestra.
Rebekah Miller '18, celloist, and Noelani Perry, a sophomore violin performance major, were both selected as recitalists and performed their solo pieces in the 2019 MasterWorks Festival's Honor Recital. Miller and Perry secured two of the seven prestigious recital spots.
"It's a very tough competition, showcasing the best of the best, and I am very proud of our students and their accomplishments,” said Belhaven Professor of Music Song Xie. “I believe these competitions are an important aspect of learning and they inspire our students to grow as musicians, helping them strive toward excellence.”