Students from the piano studio of Galina Gertsenzon competed in the Crescendo International Piano Competition. From left to right, Sean Uliasz (1st place winner), Lewis Pacheco (2nd place winner), Professor of piano Galina Gertsenzon, and Christina Richard (2nd place winner). (Photo submitted)
WESTFIELD – Three Westfield State University music students performed in the 2013 Crescendo International Piano Competition at Carnegie Hall in New York City on January 26.
The three WSU students that performed are Sean Uliasz ’13 of Southwick who placed first, Lewis Pacheco ’14 of Worcester, and Christina Richard ’15 of Monson, who both placed second.
Contestants from across the globe auditioned to participate in the competition and first and second place winners qualified to perform at the winner’s recital at Carnegie Hall. The competition was suggested by Westfield State piano instructor, Galina Gertsenzon. Gertsenzon is considered by her students to be a source of direction and encouragement and she holds them to very high expectations.
“It was an honor to be selected to perform at such a prestigious and well-known concert venue,” said Uliasz. “Although people have said to me in the past, ‘Maybe you’ll play at Carnegie Hall someday,’ I never truly imagined that I would have the opportunity to perform there.”
Sean Uliasz Performed Mardi Gras, a piece by contemporary American composer Richard Danielpour, Lewis Pacheco performed Prelude in C-sharp Minor, Op. 3 no. 2, by Serge Rachmaninoff, and Christina Richard performed Clair De Lune from Suite Bergamasque by Claude Debussy.
To Richard, performing at Carnegie hall was a dream come true.
“Performing at Carnegie Hall has been my dream for as long as I can remember, “ Richard said. “It is such a prestigious concert hall and is so beautiful both visually and the way the music sounds in it. I am so honored that I was selected to perform there, especially it being an international competition.”
The Department of Music at Westfield State has over 40 faculty members with an average of 100 students that major or minor in music. The department offers seven concentrations including Music Composition, Vocal Music Performance, Music History, and Jazz Studies. Westfield State students have performed at Carnegie Hall in the past including the University Chorale, which has performed there numerous times in the last few years.
