Darren Li
Columbus North High School seniors Darren Li and Molly Hotek were winners of the 2023 Brown Music Competition hosted Saturday at the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic’s Helen Haddad Hall at 315 Franklin St. in downtown Columbus.
Li, a student of local violin instructor Laura Andrews, won the Betty F. Brown Award for Instrumental Excellence, performing “Violin Concerto No. 7, Op. 76” by Beriot.
Hotek, a soprano student of local voice teacher Jenny Heichelbech, won the Anna Newell Brown Award for Vocal Excellence, singing “Oh Had I Jubal’s Lyre” by Handel and “Apres Un Reve” by Faure.
Molly Hotek
Both students will receive a $3,500 scholarship award.
Twenty-two students participated in the competition.
Other senior award winners were:
Instrumental
• Aislinn Tian, marimba, $2,000
• Grace Riordan, clarinet, $750
• Jacob Strietelmeier, piano, $750
Vocal
• Ethan Burton, baritone, $1,000
Underclass award winners were:
Instrumental
• Jasmine Yang, piano, $1,700
• Ethan Deak, euphonium, $1,500
• Grace Huang, piano, $600
• Sreepadaarchana Munjuluri, violin, $600
• Rishabh Rajesh, share drum, $600
Vocal
• Gavin Foley, tenor, $2,500
• Austin Clark, baritone, $2,000
• Amelia Maddox, mezzo, $1,000
• Annie Miller, alto, $500
• Kenzie Pendleton, soprano, $500
Judges for the event were: Susan Chan, violist, New Century String Quartet and adjunct faculty, University of Indianapolis; Ray Kilburn, associate professor of music, piano, Ball State University; Lissa F. May, professor of music education, Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University; Mary Ann Hart, professor emerita, voice, Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University; Kerry Jennings, associate professor of voice and director of opera, California State University, Fullerton; and Thomas Studebaker, lecturer of voice and codirector of opera, Central Michigan University.
The Betty F. Brown Awards for Instrumental Excellence was established by the late Robert N. Brown, the longtime chairman of Home News Enterprises that owned The Republic, in 1992 in memory of his wife, Betty. She was a well-known and highly respected advocate and patron of the arts, both locally and statewide.
The Anna Newell Brown Awards for Vocal Excellence were established through the Heritage Fund in 1985 by Robert N. and Betty FR. Brown to honor Robert N. Brown’s mother, Anna Newell Brown. She was a distinguished vocalist and contributed greatly to the cultural life of Bartholomew County.
Robert N. Brown served as chairman of the Heritage Fund board from 1980 to 1983, during which the foundation awarded its first grant – a $500 award for the Art in Public Places Program.
Both competitions are administered annually by Heritage Fund – The Community Foundation of Bartholomew County.
