Winners of Miami’s Concerto Competition and the Composition Competition will be featured in the Miami University Symphony Orchestra concert Wednesday, May 1, at Hall Auditorium. 

"We are immensely proud to showcase the exceptional talents of our student musicians and composers in this season's finale concert," Ricardo Averbach, director of the symphony orchestra, said. 

“It will feature three world premieres — compositions by our composition winners. Miami is the only college in the country to have an established yearly composition competition for undergraduate students,” Averbach said. This is the second year for the Composition Competition.   

Left to right: Eric Seidel, Theodora Bowne, and Cole Kubesch

Miami University Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition Winners

Theodora Bowne, senior Music Performance major from Cleveland, will perform the first movement of Haydn's Cello Concerto in D major. Bowne was also a winner of the 2022 Concerto Competition.

Cole Kubesch, junior Music Performance and Biochemistry double major from Cincinnati, will perform the first movement of Mozart's Oboe Concerto. Kubesch was also a winner of the 2022 Concerto Competition.

Eric Riedel, senior Music Performance and Music Education double major from Bethel, will perform arias from operas by Handel, Donizetti, and Mozart.

Left to right: Oscar Ávila, Max Liber, and Gabe Manisco

Composition Competition Winners

Max Liber, senior French Horn Music Performance and Composition major, Arts Management co-major, and Emerging Technology in Business + Design minor from Libertyville, Illinois, won for his composition “To Paint the Bigger Picture.” 

Gabe Manisco, senior Music Composition major from Oxford, won for his composition “A Trip to the Stars.”

Oscar Ávila, junior Music Composition and Computer Science double major from Troy, won for his composition “Todo en Exceso.” 

Dedicated to the memory of maestro Seiji Ozawa

“Maestro Seiji Ozawa, an iconic figure in the world of classical music, left an indelible mark on the orchestral landscape through his unparalleled artistry and dedication to the craft,” Averbach said. As a mentor to Averbach at the Tanglewood Music Festival, Ozawa’s influence resonates deeply with the musicians of MUSO.

A highlight of the concert will be a performance of Beethoven's Egmont Overture, “a composition that held a special place in Maestro Ozawa's heart. It was the very piece he conducted at his last concert before his passing, on Nov. 22, 2022, with the Saito Kinen Orchestra. Despite his physical challenges, his passion for music shone through as he conducted from a wheelchair, with the performance broadcast live to Koichi Wakata, an astronaut aboard the International Space Station,” Averbach said.