Boise pianist wins Runnicles Scholarship competition – JH News& Guide

The Grand Teton Music Festival honored three more talented young musicians Sunday at the ninth annual Donald Runnicles Musical Arts Scholarship Competition.

This year’s field of five semifinalists was flutists — Ella Charette and Devon Meyers, both from Billings, Montana, and Corinne Inglet, of Idaho Falls — and pianists — Adelyn Bendorf of Boise, Idaho, and Oliver Soulek from Casper — but their programs ranged from Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach and Joseph Haydn to Sergei Rachmaninoff, Maurice Ravel and other impressionists.

Semifinals took place Saturday in the Jackson Hole High School auditorium, after which judges Stephanie Key, Jerry Hou and GTMF Music Director Donald Runnicles pared the list down to three. They squared off Sunday afternoon to compete for $50,000 in funds to help them along on the next steps of their musical education.

At the end of the weekend, the panel awarded Bendorf the $25,000 first prize, with Soulek taking second place and $15,000, and Charette coming in third.

Bendorf performed the first movement of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor and a selection form Rachmaninoff’s “Moments Musicaux” on Saturday. New this year, finalists added a third work Sunday: Bendorf offered the third movement of Ravel’s 1905 Sonatina.

In addition to the confidence with which she dove into the three challenging, virtuosic pieces, Bendorf displayed a natural-looking poise, as if the champion runs and dynamic turns were no big thing.

“There is a grace, an ease, an accuracy,” Runnicles said to her as he awarded the prizes that bear his name. She succeeded in accessing the depth of the Mozart, which Runnicles said was his favorite concerto, and her Rachmaninoff was “just excellent,” he said. “We are thrilled to award you first prize, and we look forward to following your career.”

Also new this year, Bendorf as the first-place winner will get to solo with the Wyoming Symphony Orchestra under Music Director Hou.

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