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Winners of the 2016 Malibu Rotary Club Middle and High School Singing Competition--Top Row High School Division Winners Maggie Valdman, Isabella Haagen, Claire Anneet and Cat Evers---Bottom Row Middle School Division Winners Gina Marcellino, Alina Rose Armstong and Scarlett Steinberg
The 2016 Malibu Rotary Club Middle and High School Annual Singing Competition was held January 27st at Raitt Recital Hall at the Pepperdine University campus in Malibu. 15 singers from Amy Loch's Malibu Middle and High School choral classes competed for six prizes awarded by the Malibu Rotary Club.
Three winners in the Middle School division and four winners in the High School division were announced and cash prizes of $200, $100, and $50 were awarded the night of the event to the first, second, and third place finishers in each division. A tie for third in the High School Division meant their were 4 awards given instead of 3 in that division, for a total of 7 awards given in all. Winner of the High School Division, Maggie Valdman, was sponsored by the Malibu Rotary Club to compete in the Rotary District 5280 Art, Dance, Music and Speech Competition held March 5th at Loyola Marymount University where a where she competed against 23 instrumentalists and vocalists in the Los Angeles area Rotary district. She was the top vocalist and 2nd overall in the music competition, winning the $500.00 2nd place prize. Previous winners in the Malibu Rotary Singing competition have done well in the District competition, The 2009 Malibu entrant Katlyn Conners placed 2nd in the district and the 2015 Malibu entrant Isobel Anthony placed 3rd.
(Top picture) High School Division Winners Maggie Valdman, Isabella Haagen, Claire Anneet and Cat Evers.
Maggie Renee Valdman captures 2nd place at March 5 Rotary District 5280 Music Competition at Loyola Marymount University held March 5, 2016. Maggie competed against instrumental and vocalist submitted from all the clubs in the Los Angeles district. A harpist came in first overall, but Maggie was judged the top vocalist.
The participants in the Malibu Rotary competition all qualified by performing material of the own choosing in front of Malibu Middle and High School Choral Director Amy Loch, and the 15 singers were all so good it was difficult for the panel of 5 judges to choose winners. Entrants were judged on Range, Pitch, Projection, Presentation and Style.
Middle School students who qualified to participate in the competition, in addition to the three winners, were Camille Anneet, Madison Ford, Aurelia Gallagher, Jersie Boyd, Bailey Mathews and Ben Burton. Qualifying high school student who participated, in a addition to the four winners, were Emma Altobello and Isabella Thatcher.
Maggie Valdman, who was one of the winners in the 2015 Malibu Rotary Club Singing Competition singing and scatting a jazz song, showed her musical versatility, training, and incredible voice by singing opera this year, taking top honors (and an invitation to the Rotary District Music Competition at LMU on March 5) with her rendition of W. A. Mozart's Voi Che Sapete. Maggie is seen below performing Voi Che Sapete at the Malibu Rotary Singing Competition (picture from Alex Vejar, Malibu Surfside News).
High School second place winner Isabella Haagen also chose opera, when she sang Alvaro Carrilo's Sabor a Mi. There was a tie for third place in the High School Division, between Claire Anneet, who sang Fred Ebb & John Kaders's Maybe This Time and Cat Evers, who sang Donida, Leiber and Stoller's I Who Have Nothing.
The winners of the Middle School Division were Gina Marcellino, who was first place finisher singing Scanlan and Tesri's Gimme Gimme, Alina Rose Armstong, who sang another Scanlan and Tesori song Not for the Life of Me, and Scarlett Steinberg, who belted out the Funny Girl favorite by Bob Merrill and Jules Stein, Don't Rain On My Parade.
The five judges were Terence Davis, Zoe Scott, Victoria Scott, Hunter Havens and John Elman.
Piano accompaniment for all performers was by Joellen McNaughton. Chair person for the even for the Malibu Rotary was Margo Neal.
Middle School Division Winners Gina Marcellino, Alina Rose Armstong and Scarlett Steinberg
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