2023 Sally Chapin Piano Competition: Pride in Accomplishment
In 2016, longtime Concord piano teacher Sally Chapin (1931-2017) presented her family’s cherished 1889 Steinway grand piano to our Music School. In 2017, after receiving a generous donation from the Chapin family to fund the annual Piano Competition for our students, we named the event in her honor. Groton Hill is grateful for the ongoing generous support of our piano program from Sam Chapin and the Chapin/Gunzenhauser Funds and the Helen and William Mazer Foundation.
This year, the Sally Chapin Piano Competition was held on Sunday, April 30 in the 300-seat Meadow Hall in our brand new venue. Groton Hill Music School Piano Department Chair Christina Dietrich served as coordinator and host of the competition. Our guest judges were Sonya Ovrutsky Fensome and Konstantinos Papadakis.
“This year’s competition was very inspiring as it was the first one held at Groton Hill Music Center in the spectacular Meadow Hall. And, it was the first time the students were able to play on our 9-foot Steinway concert grand piano!” said Christina. “We’re so proud of our piano students. It takes countless hours of intense practice and dedication to be a competitor, and this experience will enhance their performance abilities and help them master unique life skills.” Julia Zhou, 15, 1st place winner in Division III, added: “It’s been a long few years since we’ve been able to cherish music together, and the magnificent Meadow Hall must have some magic sprinkled in it, because the music came to life unlike ever before!”
There were 20 outstanding entrants, ages 8 – 17. Music School Merit Scholarships were awarded in three divisions with 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners selected in each category, plus honorable mentions. These young pianists are students of Christina Dietrich, Niva Fried, and Jenny Tang.
The Division I winners were: 1st Place: Tim Li, 8 (Westford), 2nd Place: Ryan Liu, 10 (Acton), 3rd Place: Ryan Zhao, 10 (Westford). Honorable Mention: Aanya Sadineni, 10 (Littleton).
Division II: 1st Place: Sasha Chiang, 13 (Acton), 2nd Place: Edward Yang, 12 (Westford), 3rd Place: Eric Feng, 14 (Boxborough). Honorable Mentions: Yihong Lin, 11 (Westford), Anna Selig, 14 (Harvard), Ian Song, 11 (Acton), Brianna Xin, 13 (Southborough).
Division III: 1st Place: Julia Zhou, 15 (Boxborough), 2nd Place, William Wang, 15 (Groton), 3rd Place: Sara Selig, 18 (Harvard). Honorable Mentions: Siddhant Ganeshwaran, 16 (Acton), Colin Miranda, 15 (Ashby), Minh Nguyen, 16 (Chelmsford).
On Friday, May 5, the nine division winners performed their pieces in a Winners Recital in our beautiful Meadow Hall. Pictured below (l-r): Sara Selig, Julia Zhou, WIlliam Wang, Eric Feng, Sasha Chiang, Tim Li, Edward Yang, Ryan Liu, and Ryan Zhao.
