April 2026 OFMC Newsletter

IN THIS NEWSLETTER

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From the President

 Greetings Everyone,

Happy Easter to all and hope everyone had a chance to recharge after a busy Lenten, Festival, Recital, and Holy Week season!

We have a lot to share with you in this newsletter, including photos from recitals, award recognitions and also upcoming events and dates you should know about.

Mark your calendars that October 2 nd and 3 rd is our bi-annual OFMC Convention in Columbus. We thank Denise Eikum, for not only doing such a great job as our new Festival Treasurer but also taking on being the coordinator for this convention. This  convention will be when I hand the keys to our vice president Julie Rhiegle, who will

take over as president! She will do an amazing job!

Also, this convention we are bringing back the festival choir and yours truly will be

directing it! If you love to sing, please come join us! Let me know via email if you are

interested!

Thank you for making Ohio one of the top Federations in the country and for all of your hard work with both this organization and your students!

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District 1 Honors Recital, April 11th  

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OFMC Adult Composers Contest 2026 Awards

First Prize ($900): Stephanie Webster-Cheng

                              Composition: “Aurora” for piano solo

Second Prize ($700): Gwen Brubaker

                              Composition: “A Lenten Meditation” for SATB and piano

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OFMC Collegiate Composers Contest 2026 Awards

First Place ($1400): Owen Axelberd

                                  Composition: Snake Oil Trip for piano and cello

                                  Cleveland Institute of Music

Second Place ($800): Nicholas Stanick

                                     Composition: Songs of Resilience (song cycle) for voice and piano

Baldwin Wallace Conservatory of Music

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A reminder from the Chair of Chamber Music of OFMC. 

It is time to send the report for any participation of a senior club involved with chamber music.  The form may be accessed online: OFMC –forms, (AR 2-1).  The deadline is May 1 but I will accept it a little later.   Then I will send a report to the national chair.  I would like to be able to send information that we had more than 1 or 2 clubs.  Thank you.  Pat BrooksA reminder from the Chair of Chamber Music of OFMC.  It is time to send the report for any participation of a senior club involved with chamber music.  The form may be accessed online: OFMC –forms, (AR 2-1).  The deadline is May 1 but I will accept it a little later.   Then I will send a report to the national chair.  I would like to be able to send information that we had more than 1 or 2 clubs.  Thank you.  Pat Brooks

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National Music Week, May 2026

    On Sunday, May 3, during National Music Week that is sponsored annually during the first full week of May by the National Federation of Music Clubs, the Warren Music Club will present an annual club scholarship to Madison Sheffield, a junior at the Dana School of Music on the campus of Youngstown State University.  Amanda Beagle, club scholarship chair, will give a brief bio before Madison presents the May program of piano & organ solos. 

    Madison has studied piano for 14 years with Sean Baran, former WMC member & OFMC junior division chair until his untimely death; Dr. Cicilia Yudha, Diane Yazvac and Dr. Caroline Oltmanns all at Dana School of Music.  She has also studied organ for 3 years with Ralph Holtzhauser and Dr. Richard Konzen.  

    Pat Preusser, a member of the scholarship committee, will present the award following the program.  Elaine Maki, who is also a scholarship committee member, will accompany the attendees in the Federation benediction “The Gift of Song” by Lana Bailey, a past NFMC president. The public is invited to the program.  A picnic will precede the program.

Submitted by Jeannine Morris, Warren Music Club president

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Tuesday Musical announces 2026 Scholarship Competition winners

Akron, OH, March 21, 2026 — Tuesday Musical announced today that 26 college and university music students in Ohio have won its 2026 Scholarship Competition.

Now in its 70^th year, the adjudicated annual competition provides support for music majors from throughout Ohio who are embarking on careers as music educators and performers.
 
Nearly 130 applicants from 15 schools applied to compete this year for 29 scholarships ranging from $750 to $2,000 each and totaling a record-breaking $41,550.

Categories judged today at The University of Akron included music education, brass, classical guitar, piano, percussion, strings, voice, and woodwinds. The organ category was judged at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Akron.

Mark Greer and George Pope are the co-chairs of Tuesday Musical’s scholarship committee. An array of judges, volunteers, donors and teachers make the annual competition possible.

The first- and second-place winners in the performance categories will be invited to perform in the competition’s Final Round/Winners Concert on Sunday, May 3, 2:30 p.m. at The University of Akron School of Music’s Guzzetta Recital Hall, 157 University Ave. Two additional adjudicated scholarships — one for $1,000 and one for $2,000 — will be awarded. The audience will also pick the winner of the John M. Ream Jr. DDS People’s Choice Award of $500.

The May 3 concert and post-concert reception are free and open to the public. 

An Akron anchor arts organization founded in 1887, Tuesday Musical presents concerts by world-acclaimed musicians in Akron as well as education and community engagement programs throughout northeast Ohio. More at tuesdaymusical.org/scholarship.

Tuesday Musical’s 2026 Scholarship Competition Winners

Brass — adjudicated by Stephanie Blaha, principal horn, ProMusica Columbus.

• 1st Place, Arden J. Yockey Scholarship, $2,000: Elijah Leonard, trumpet, Cleveland Institute of Music. 
• 2nd Place, Tuesday Musical Scholarship, $1,500: Joseph Barnhouse, tuba, Baldwin Wallace University.
• 3rd Place, Tuesday Musical Scholarship, $1,000: Benjamin Bunting, tuba, The University of Akron.

Piano — adjudicated by Alexandre Marr, owner/founder of Akron Music Institute; Laura Silverman, accompanist and teacher.

• 1st Place, Marilyn Fischer & Joan Marie Scherer Scholarship, $2,000: Georgios Kyriazidis, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. 
• 2nd Place, Marguerite Thomas & Gertrude Lancaster Scholarship, $1,500: HaEun Kim, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. 
• 3rd Place, Jerry Davison and Clarenz J. Lightfritz Scholarship, $1,000: Guoanni Qin, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.
• 4th Place, William Bingham Foundation Scholarship, $750: Inhwa Lee, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. 

Strings — adjudicated by Emily Cornelius, concertmaster of Heights Chamber Orchestra and assistant concertmaster of the Canton Symphony Orchestra.

• 1st Place, Drs. Frederick A. and Elizabeth M. Specht Scholarship, $2,000: Fiona Tsang, cello, Cleveland Institute of Music.
• 2nd Place, Tuesday Musical Scholarship, $1,500: Christoforos Petridis, violin, Oberlin Conservatory of Music.
• 3rd Place, Barbara Ainsworth Porter Scholarship, $1,000: Ari Peraza-Webb, cello, The Juilliard School (from Ohio).
• 4th Place, Tuesday Musical Scholarship, $750: Kiarra Saito-Beckman, viola, Yale University (from Ohio).
• Howard E. Leisinger Viola Prize, $2,000: Kiarra Saito-Beckman, viola, Yale University (from Ohio).

Voice — adjudicated by Marla Berg, associate professor at Kent State University’s Glauser School of Music; Cynthia O’Connell, associate professor emeritus at Baldwin Wallace University’s Conservatory of Music.

• 1st Place, Arden J. Yockey Scholarship, $2,000: Sarah Rosales, soprano, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. 
• 2nd Place, Tuesday Musical Scholarship, $1,500: Saige Hoffman, soprano, Oberlin Conservatory of Music.
• 3rd Place, Barbara Kingsbury Eaton Scholarship, $1,000: Yi Ching Ariel Wong, soprano, Cleveland Institute of Music. 
• 4th Place, Tuesday Musical Scholarship, $750: Edward Ferran, tenor, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.

Woodwinds — adjudicated by Jane Berkner, artistic director of Urban Troubadour. 

• 1st Place, Arden J. Yockey Scholarship, $2,000: Kevin Hebovia, saxophone, Baldwin Wallace University.
• 2nd Place, Ann, Emily & Jeffrey Gleason/Travis & Caitlin Rea Scholarship, $1,500: Dylan Masariego, flute, Cleveland Institute of Music.
• 3rd Place, George Pope Scholarship, $1,000: Jake McQuaid, flute, Cleveland Institute of Music.

Classical Guitar — adjudicated by Bryan Reichert, faculty member at Baldwin Wallace University’s Conservatory of Music.

• Margaret Watts Hunter Scholarship, $2,000: Solis Dornan, Oberlin Conservatory of Music.

Percussion — adjudicated by Dr. Alexandros Fragiskatos, faculty member at Denison University.

• Dr. Larry D. Snider Scholarship, $2,000: Dylan Catlin, The University of Akron.
• Tuesday Musical Percussion Scholarship, $1,500: Jonathan Cooley, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.

Organ — adjudicated by Dr. Kelsey Berg, assistant organist-choirmaster at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Akron, and guest lecturer in organ for the Joint Music Program of the Cleveland Institute of Music and Case Western Reserve University.

• 1st Place, Tuesday Musical Scholarship, $2,000: Chase Olsen, Oberlin Conservatory of Music.
• 2nd Place, Tuesday Musical Scholarship, $1,500: Alisdair Welty, Cleveland Institute of Music. 

Music Education — adjudicated by Dr. Patricia Grutzmacher, professor emerita, The Hugh A. Glauser School of Music, Kent State University. 

• William Bingham Foundation Scholarship, $1,000: James Allio, saxophone, Kent State University.
• Gertrude Seiberling Scholarship, sponsored by the Ohio Federation of Music Clubs, $1,400: Patrick Burse, percussion, Baldwin Wallace University. 
• Winifred Collins Scholarship, sponsored by the Ohio Federation of Music Clubs, $1,400: Matthew Rutherford, tuba, Baldwin Wallace University.

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Cleveland Institute of Music: 2026 Helen Curtis Webster Awardee

Caroline Friend (mezzo-soprano) is a second-year Master of Music student from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, studying with Dina Kuznetsova. Friend graduated from CIM with a Bachelor of Music in vocal performance with a minor in music theory. Her stage credits include Zerlina (Don Giovanni), Lazuli (L’Étoile), Orlofsky (Die Fledermaus), and Mère Marie (Dialogues des Carmélites). Her performance of Cherubino (Le Nozze di Figaro) marked her debut at the Estates Theatre in the 2023 Prague Summer Nights Young Artist Festival. She also performed in the 65th Annual Sewanee Summer Music Festival & Operafest in 2022. In addition to her stage credits, she has sung in masterclasses for Julius Drake, Kirill Kuzmin, and Annemarie Kremer. Friend is a member of the St. Elizabeth of Hungary Schola at the Shrine of St. Elizabeth of Hungary in Cleveland, Ohio, which exclusively sings Gregorian chant and Renaissance polyphony.

Learn more at https://www.cim.edu/aboutcim

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Upcoming State Convention Highlights

October 2-3, 2026

Location:

First Presbyterian Church 
2330 S Main Street
Findlay, OH  45840

Lodging:

Hancock Hotel
631 S Main Street 
Findlay, OH 

Registration opens at the church on October 2, 3:00-4:00 p.m.

Friday will include traditional Convention opening, banquet for dinner, and 8 p.m. evening performance, (performer TBA), with reception following.

Saturday includes:

12:30 luncheon – catered by Mancy’s

Afternoon will include:
Family of the Year
Memorial Service 
Choir performance 
Concluding comments

8:30 – Executive Committee meeting
9:30 – Festival chair meeting
11:00 – Convention Choir rehearsal 
11:45 – Guest speaker Doug Swiatecki – topic Influential Ohio Jazz Musicians including Art Tatum and Jon Hendricks

Denise K. Eikum, NCTM

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News from the Salem Music Study Club

We started our 2025-2026 season in September with a tribute to member Sally Bricker who passed away in Aug. 2025, followed by entertainment provided by Sassabrass, a local brass quintet.

October featured a nice program from Anna Anderson called Throughout The Years.

In November we had a program of music by Alan Menken, with lots of participation from members.

A Festival of Choirs was held on November 30th at Salem’s First Methodist Church, featuring numerous choirs from the area and Owen Joyce, a handbell soloist. An offering was collected for student music scholarships.

Meetings resume in April and continue throughout the summer.

Judging took place on April 18th for various scholarship opportunities presented by the club.

Submitted by club president, Mike Newman

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Venetia Hall Piano Concerto Competition

On Saturday, March 29, eight very talented pianists competed in the Venetia Hall Concerto Competition held at Graves Piano and Organ in Columbus, OhiThe Venetia Hall Concerto Competition was held on Saturday, March 28, 2026 at Graves Piano Store in Columbus. There were three participants this year – Isabella Wang, a student of Esther Chiu of Sylvania, Ohio; Alexandria Zhang, a student of Dr. Angelin Chang from Cleveland, Ohio; and Benjamin Lu, a student of Diane Diebec of Canfield, Ohio. These students were judged by Dr. Tianshu Wang of Capital University, Dr. San Sung Aum of Denison University, and Vivian Ripley – a highly respected piano teacher in the Columbus area.

The three students played well and are to be commended for a job well-done. Isabella placed first, receiving a $1000 prize; Alexandria placed second, receiving a $500 prize; and Benjamin Lu placed third, receiving a $200 prize. Thank you to the students, teachers, parents, and accompanists who worked to make this competition possible.

May more students be inspired to compete In this competition next year.

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