For more than a century, the Wednesday Club has provided performance opportunities for artists in the mid-state region. This month, they embark on a new venture — a Competition for the Classical Musician.

Although several statewide piano competitions take place in Pennsylvania, this is the first ever to be held in Harrisburg. The Philadelphia and Lancaster Symphonies have held comparable competitions, and the Yamaha Corporation, the well-known piano manufacturer, supports yet another in conjunction with the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) and the Pennsylvania Music Teachers Association (PMTA). That event takes place annually in November.

Saturday, May 20, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., nine classically trained high-school age piano students from around the state will perform at the Sunoco Theatre of Whitaker Center before a panel of two of the finest pianists in the mid-Atlantic region. Marilyn Neeley, Professor of Piano at The Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C. and Dr. Lucy Mauro, Associate Professor of Piano at York College of Pennsylvania and Shepard College, Shepardstown, West Virgina comprise the jury.

According to Paul Fierro, Vice President of the Wednesday Club and organizer of the competition, the "quality of local musicians often goes unnoticed in this region. This competition will bring attention to some of our exceptional young performers."

Norma Swain, President of the Wednesday Club, said that although this Inaugural Competition is reserved for piano students, the Club hopes to expand the event in coming years to include voice and string categories.

Following the competition is a 4:00 p.m. performance also at the Sunoco Performance Theater by the Wednesday Club Youth Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Dr. John Harrison, Professor of Music and Chair of Fine and Performing Arts at Elizabethtown College, and the Camerata Singers. The Youth Orchestra will perform pieces by Handel, Mozart, Elgar, Casals, and Fletcher. The Harrisburg Camerata Singers, conducted by Stephen Strauss, was formed in 1972 under the auspices of the Wednesday Club, utilizing their performing member vocalists. Their selections will include British Folk Songs arranged by John Rutter, and a capella selections from the 17th and 18th centuries including "Three Contemporary Madrigals" by Eugene Butler. The proceeds from this concert benefit the Wednesday Club.

"The Wednesday Club is the oldest performing arts organization in the state," said Fierro. "We’re pleased to be hosting a competition in the capital city at our brand new facility, Whitaker Center."

The competition itself would not have been possible, said Fierro, without the support of Allied Arts, who provided a grant to cover bringing in the distinguished jury, and the providers of the prizes: the law firm of Saul, Ewing, who donated the grand prize, and Frances and Lee Swartz, who donated second prize.

The competition is free and open to the public. Admission to the afternoon concert is $25.00 for box seats or $15.00 for general admission; students receive a special rate of $15.00. Contact The Box at 214-2787.