Notes From the Piano (p. 2)
The Beardsley Cup, composed of sterling silver and manufactured in 1907 in London, resides in a new custom built display case with the names of the winners of the Beardsley Competition.
This post is the second installment of “Notes From the Piano,” a series of blog posts about the Robert B. Beardsley Piano Competition by Ruthmere’s Concert Coordinator, Mark Doddington. See his first post here.
One of the first steps involved in coordinating the Beardsley Prize is selecting the judges. In 2018, when we held our first competition, two of the judges were already in place. Drs. Luke and Mary Rose Norell (also known as the Norell Piano Duo) from Goshen College were already firmly established in the Ruthmere concert milieu, having performed here before in our Fall Concert Series. They served as judges for the first two years, being very helpful to me in getting things started.
Luke gave me the name of a fellow pianist he thought would make an excellent third judge. Unfortunately, his choice was unavailable, but that person, in turn, put me onto Dr. Daniel Lin from Indiana Wesleyan, who graciously agreed to serve as judge. Together, Daniel and the Norells adjudicated the first two competitions. No small task, given the enormous talent they faced. But, as they are all experienced in the art of competing on a world-class scale, they rose to the task with gusto.
For the third year, however, we decided to give our judges a rest. I set out to find three new judges from colleges in a relatively easy driving distance from Elkhart. I have a list of 100 colleges and universities throughout Indiana and the four surrounding states that offer music/piano programs. I use that list to select new judges.
Last year, the road to the judges’ bench was not a smooth one, unfortunately. Covid-19 restrictions forced me to make a last-minute substitution, as one of the judges, Dr. John Blacklow of Notre Dame, decided it would be safer if he remained distant. As luck would have it, I already had a fourth judge on standby, so to speak, having spoken to her earlier in the year. Professor Kymoi Sugimura-Vatchnadze of DePaul University was still available to step in at the eleventh hour. She joined Dr. Winston Choi of Roosevelt University and Dr. Chi Yong Yun of Andrews University.
Again, the stakes were high and the competition fierce. But they, too, met the challenge, even more difficult than in previous years as we added second- and third-prizes in 2020.
Now the time has come to choose three judges for 2021. Because he was unable to join us last year, Dr. Blacklow was my first choice for this year. I’m happy to say that he accepted my offer. I’ve also managed to secure the services of Dr. José Montez from Northwestern University and Dr. Youmee Kim from Ohio Wesleyan University.
Dr. John Blacklow, Notre Dame
Dr. José Montez, Northwestern University
Dr. Youmee Kim, Ohio Wesleyan University
I like the idea of having judges from different states, different musical backgrounds, and different cultural backgrounds to bring a sense of diversity to the Beardsley Prize. On the basis that no two people have exactly the same taste, let alone the same experiences, a refreshing wave of diversity seems to me a good idea. I also want judges who are well-versed in competing and thus know the machinery that makes a competition flow smoothly.
High-profile schools are also very impressive and give our competition a sense of gravitas. If we can attract judges from the finest schools in the Midwest, then we can do the same with the competitors themselves. As our reputation grows, so, hopefully, will our competition—and perhaps our prize money. It all comes down to prestige, doesn’t it?
For next year’s competition, I’ll probably seek three all-new judges, maybe even reaching as far as Kentucky (if anyone’s willing to drive that far for a single afternoon). I’d like to have a pool of at least a dozen judges I can call on to mix it up from year to year. That way, no one has to feel they’re being put upon, but also not being ignored. To that end, I will be reaching out to Dr. Lin and the Norells again in the future, as well as last year’s judges. But for now, they deserve a bit of a break.
