Colin Ross entertained crowds Friday evening with song and piano music. HERALD PHOTO/Becky Crum

Local students learn technique at Piano Festival



Composer and multi-instrumentalist Colin Ross performed various musical styles and used several instruments Friday evening for the fifth act in the Uinta County Concert Series.

Ross has extraordinary talent as a concert pianist and composer.

Saturday Ross conducted several mini-workshops and worked with Evanston’s talented young musicians by giving suggestions and advice on the pieces they chose to perform in the competition for the annual Piano Festival Honors Concert.

Students competed and the best of the best were chosen to perform in an honors concert Saturday evening at DMS.

Celeste Hatch, Young Musicians piano festival coordinator, said the piano festival is one of the first events that Young Musicians Inc., sponsored.

She said the festival was made up of instrumental divisions such as band instruments, vocal division, a piano division, and a strings division.

“Carolee Bowen chooses visiting professionals who come in to help young musicians practice their musical pieces and get expert advice. Carolee is very good at finding professionals to come in on specific instruments when students express a need,” Hatch said.

Hatch said this year the concert has changed a bit. She said over the years the instrumental and vocal divisions have decreased in numbers and the strings and piano have grown.

“The strings and piano have grown to the point that it justified having two different festivals. It is the same festival; however, we have split it up. This year we will have one day for just piano division and one day for the strings division,” Hatch said.

Hatch said the piano festival brings two valuable musical purposes to Young Musicians, Inc.

“One side of it is the opportunity to meet and interact with a professional. They receive a mini-workshop that will encourage them and help them improve in their musical careers. The other side is the chance to pick and work with a musical piece for the competition,” Hatch said.