Competition results exciting for Rotorua musician Hannah Seo

(From left) Liz Tamblyn - third place, Hannah Seo - first place, and Veronica Chen - second place with adjudicator Justin Bird. Photo / Margaret Stokes

A Rotorua student was excited and happy with her results at a music competition, saying it felt like a dream.

John Paul College student Hannah Seo, 14, came first place at the 32nd annual Senior Scholarship run by local music teachers recently.

Playing the piano, she came first place and received the Chou Best Piano Solo Award for La Plus Que Lente by Debussy.

She also got into the final for her performance playing the recorder.

"I didn't expect the results. I was surprised and it felt like a dream. I was really nervous in the competition and happy with the results."

She says she has played the piano for about nine years and the recorder for about five or six years.

Hannah also plays the saxophone and trombone at school, where she is in the Jazz Band and Concert Band. She also plays the saxophone in the Rotorua Symphonic Band.

"I like playing lots of instruments because they are all unique and I love the sound of them."

She says performing is fun nerve-wracking at first but when you get into the feel of it, it is fun to perform in front of other people.

Hannah says this competition has been going for a long time though the committee and organisers did a great job keeping it together and students and teachers who participate.

The adjudicator of the Senior Scholarship was Justin Bird from Auckland, and was impressed with the high quality of performances by all the contestants.

Throughout the daytime trials nine contestants performed programmes of music including the Baroque composers Bach and Handel, classical composers Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven, romantic composers Brahms, Chopin and Debussy and a variety of modern, such as Bartok, Schytte and Milne.