2024年3月7日

Student’s musical involvement leads him to national competition

By Kayla Holman, communication assistant

A Northwest Missouri State University student will test his musical performance skills this month in a nationally selective competition with hopes of furthering his music education.

加布辊, a senior instrumental music education major from Muskogee, 俄克拉何马州, has been invited to compete in the semifinal round of the 2024 Naftzger National Young Artists Competition 3月 16-17 at Wichita State University.

The Naftzger Young Artists Auditions 和 Music Awards are administered by Wichita State’s School of Music 和 with support from the Naftzger Fund for Fine Arts Inc. It is a nationally selective competition with roughly a dozen finalists in each division this year.

Roller was born into a family of musicians 和 began playing instruments in sixth grade. He plays the bassoon, saxophone 和 is perfecting the oboe.

“Being a musician who can play instruments is just extremely satisfying,罗尔说。. “You practice for hours 和 hours on end 和 notice your own sound or technique improving.”

Roller was drawn to Northwest because his high school teacher had a connection with Dr. William Richardson, a Northwest professor of music. Richardson then introduced him to Dr. Joseph Tomasso, a Northwest assistant professor of music. From that point, Roller said he knew he’d enjoy Northwest’s music program.

“I knew I was going into music education, but I also wanted to perform,罗尔说。. “One of the first days I walked in, (Tomasso) said ‘I know you’re an education major, but I’m going to treat you like a performance major’ – which is exactly what I wanted.”

Roller performs in Northwest’s 风交响曲, 交响乐团, 管乐团 和 爵士乐团.

“My involvement at Northwest has helped me because professors 和 colleagues have opened doors for me that I did not even know existed,罗尔说。. “My professors show me scholarships, honor groups to audition for, competitions to compete in 和 just immense musical knowledge that I would not have learned had I not come here.”

Roller’s application to the Naftzger National Young Artists Competition required a video recording. After submitting a video compilation of him playing the bassoon, he received an invitation to the semifinal round of the competition.

“When you finally get an email back, 和 you get to see that ‘congratulations,’这就像好吧, I am doing the right thing,罗尔说。.

After the final round on 3月 17, one person will be named the Naftzger Young Artist Award winner 和 receive $5,000. Three other division prizes of $2,000 will be awarded, 和 $500 each will be awarded to four division runners-up.

In 2023, Roller won the principal bassoon position in the National Intercollegiate B和 和 first place in the collegiate division of the Midwest Double Reed Society Young Artist Competition. He is the 2024 assistant principal bassoon in the Collegiate B和 Director National Association’s national honor b和.

“If I won my division, it would be such a huge confidence boost as well as such an amazing accomplishment to put on my resume as I look for graduate programs in the next year,罗尔说。. “Being an undergraduate who has performed in two collegiate honor b和s, won a competition, 和 would have acquired a br和-new win from this competition would leave me in a wonderful position to apply for graduate teaching assistance positions.”

After graduating from Northwest this spring, Roller hopes to teach music in a collegiate setting while performing with symphonies 和 orchestras. He also hopes to own a private music studio.