After a year of planning, the Department of Music hosted its first annual Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) Competition earlier this month. Inspired by the National Association of Teachers of Singing’s BIPOC category, the competition was brought to JSU and expanded beyond vocal music to include instrumental music, as well.

The hope of Music Department Head Dr. Renée Baptiste is that this competition will bring students an awareness, appreciation, and knowledge of what and who they are not already familiar with, while also helping them build their repertoire. Dr. Shellie Beeman, BIPOC Competition and Recital Coordinator, said students were not only encouraged to explore the work of diverse composers, but to also contact those that are still living for additional information; the Winner’s Competition program will include footnotes about the composers for the audience to see what students learned.

The BIPOC Competition Winner’s Concert will be in Mason Hall on Sunday, April 24, at 7:30 PM. Winners are listed below.

1^st Place: Sierra Tolhurst – Flute

2^nd Place: Aaron Nottingham & Ben Pentecost – Flute Duo

3^rd Place / Distinguished Presentation: Candisa Lake – Piano

3^rd Place / Distinguished Presentation: Ethan Owens – Oboe

Honorable Mentions: Benjamin Barnwell – Tenor and Ryan Hayes – Bassoon

Join us on April 24 to see these students perform!