Brookville native singing for scholarship prize at SRU

SLIPPERY ROCK — Twenty-six Slippery Rock University students will compete in the 29th annual Chad Williamson Memorial Vocal Scholarship competition at 4 p.m. Oct. 30 at Swope Music Hall.

Each student will present two selections, a classical piece and a piece of their choosing, and the first-, second- and thirdplace winners will receive scholarships of $750, $500 and $250, respectively.

Elizabeth Wingard, a sophomore music therapy major from Brookville, will perform “Quella Fiamma” and “Evensong.”

The scholarship honors the late Chad Williamson, who planned to study music at SRU but was killed in a traffic accident prior to his freshman year. Williamson’s mother, Karen Legato, a 1991 SRU communication graduate and former SRU employee, and father, the late Fred Williamson, started the scholarship in 1992.

“This event gives students a goal to work toward, and it raises their performance and technical levels of singing so they can be the best they can be,” said Colleen Gray, professor of music and department chair. “This is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate our students and showcase their skills, and it’s also a wonderful way to remember a young man who was supposed to be a voice major here.”

Judging the competition will be Hope Koehler, a professor of voice at West Virginia University who is a regular performer and featured soloist with the renowned American Spiritual Ensemble. The pianist for the competition is James Lesniak of the Pittsburgh Opera, who has served as a coach and accompanist for SRU vocal students for more than a decade. Colleen Saunders, a senior music therapy major from Severna Park, Maryland, will also provide piano accompaniment for selected competitors.