The final round of the Elizabeth Verveer Tishler Competition in Musical Performance was held yesterday afternoon in the Alumnae Lounge.
Junior Matthew Miller - one of six performers - won the competition for his performance on the saxophone.
Miller performed the piece "Scaramouche" by Darius Milhaud, accompanied by Music Department Lecturer Steven Morris on piano.
"Amazing people played here today, [winning was] a big surprise to me," Miller said, who practiced intensively for the event from January through March.
"[There was an] amazing field of talent. I don't think I'm the winner, everyone here is a winner," Miller said.
Morris accompanied three of the musicians on piano. He said he was familiar with most of the performers' music. "[I] thought most of them did a great job, probably as good as they could've done under the pressure."
All the students who performed are taking private lessons through the Applied Music Program. "I was very pleased with the level of preparation, it reflects the dedication of students to their musical pursuits," Director of the Applied Music Program Karma Tomm said.
Senior Joshua Hyman, who performed a Sergei Rachmaninoff piece on the piano, said he was satisfied with his performance.
"I played really well, but at the same time everyone did so well it is hard to tell [the judging]," Hyman said.
Senior Rebecca Clayman performed a Maurice Ravel piece on her violin. "All the performer's music reflects all the hard work we put in," she said. "[It's] how seriously we take our involvement in the Applied Music Program."
"I was impressed with the lineup and felt that everyone did a great job regardless of the instrument," attendee Saagar Thakkar said.
According to freshman attendee Jackie Silbermann, "all the musicians sounded really good and very talented, especially the more contemporary."
The other performers included senior Kristin Livingston, who sang James Joyce lyrics accompanied by Morris on the piano, sophomore Hannah Yan Field, who performed Johannes Brahms on the violin, and freshman Daniel Erickson, who played a piece by Igor Stravinsky on clarinet.
Prior to announcing the winner, the panel of three judges noted that the performances were very well-prepared and that the concert reflected how well students are able to balance their musical pursuits and their academic career at Tufts.
The Alumnae Lounge in the Aidekman Arts Center held about 20 attendees for the event.
