Concerto Aria Competition Recital March 7th. Logston performed right in the middle of the
recital, and her voice and animated expressions captivated the audience. | Photo by Kaelyn McHugh
Pressure of perfection
Musicians compete for recognition, and cash at Bethel’s annual Concerto-Aria Competition.
Katelyn Rentschler | Freelance Reporter
Cadie Logston peered through the crack in the stage door. From the other side, a flute trilled and floated through Mozart’s Flute Concerto No.1 in G. Logston will be up next. She had been pacing and humming scales backstage in anticipation of her turn. Seven vocalists and instrumentalists came before her in the performance order. The seventh, now playing, was almost done.
Student musicians gathered in Benson Great Hall March 7 to compete for both a cash prize and a chance to perform with Bethel’s orchestra during the spring classics concert. The event, originally scheduled to take place Feb. 24, had been rescheduled due to snow.
Not only had the 13.4 inches of snow in Twin Cities delayed the Concerto-Aria Competition, it also sent Jon Veenker, chair of the music department, searching for a new panel of judges. The panel, which needed to consist of three judges — from professional string, vocal and keyboarding backgrounds — would choose the new winner.
“It’s a big mess,” Veenker said.
Logston, a music major, used to dress up as the Disney princess Aurora or splodge lipstick over her face like the Little Mermaid villain Ursula before performing their songs in her parents’ living room. For seven years, she took voice lessons from her classically trained Nana. Last November, she won first place at Minnesota’s National Association of Teachers of Singers competition’s classical division. She intends to attend graduate school to pursue her dream of becoming a professional opera singer.
Logston acknowledged that sopranos like her come “a dime a dozen,” in the opera world. But she remains committed to her path.
“This is the only thing that I feel I can do with my life,” she said.
When the seventh competitor exited the stage, Logston arched her shoulders and took slow strides up to the piano. Deep breath in. The piano lurched into an accompaniment for her piece, “Quando M’en Vo” by Gaetano Donizetti. Logston had it all memorized. Walking about the stage and tossing her hair, Logston executed a series of runs with exacting precision.
“I’m not proud of it. You know you can do better and you know what your best sounds like.” — Cadie Logston, sophomore music major
With a flourish, she finished, clasped her hands in a bow and retreated from the stage to the dressing room. She reemerged into the common space 10 minutes later, a crumpled tissue tucked in her hand.
“I’m not proud of it,” Logston said. “You know you can do better and you know what your best sounds like.”
Logston felt she had performed her piece better earlier Tuesday in vocal studio. In the performance for the competition, however, she claimed to have made a number of mistakes including running out of breath at the end of a phrase. She worried she had ruined her chances. All there was left to do was wait.
Logston aimed to win at least second place. The year prior, first place had been awarded to vocalist Jacob McCullough and second place to soprano Kristianna Woller. McCullough did not sign up to compete in this year’s competition, but Woller took a shot at claiming a prize for the second year in a row.
Twenty-two hours later, the results were finally in. They were listed on a single sheet of paper taped to the wall outside the music office.
Second place: Sabrina Mecicar, piano.
First place: Cadie Logston, voice.
