Dora Khayatt Music Contest Winners Wow Judges & Students

Student-musicians competed in the annual Dora Khayatt Music Competition on Monday, March 7.

Twenty seven students performed throughout the day before three outside judges, including vocalists and instrumentalists, a trio, and a jazz quintet.

"Every year I am amazed with the performances of our skilled and talented musicians," observed Music Department Chair Jim Erwin. "This year was no exception. I am delighted with the variety of performances and that so many students participated."

Winners include:

The Jazz Quintet: Alaina Guo '22 (vocals), Nick Cerone '22 (baritone sax), Felix Zhu '22 (piano), Arjun Bhamra '22 (drums), and Ben Cook '25 (bass). The group performed What a Little Moonlight Can Do by Harry Woods, and It's Easy to Blame the Weather by Billie Holliday.

The Trio: Berkeley Sando '22 (Alto), Will Sargent '22 (Bass), and Owen McCabe '23 (guitar) performed Twenty Years by The Civil Wars, and Roberta Flack's Where is the Love.

Senior Bobby Albani performed on the piano, playing Frederic Chopin's Revolutionary Etude Op. 10 #12 and Black Key Etude Op 10 #5.

Sophomore Rohith Tsundupalli played the traditional Indian percussion Mridangam Drum, performing Misra Chapper Thalam composed by Adi Thalam.

The winners performed for the Lower School and fielded questions from curious students on Tuesday, March 8. Most of the winners explained that they had started taking guitar, piano, and other music lessons when they were in Kindergarten and 1st grade. Baritone sax player Nick Cerone recalled how he discovered his love for the saxophone in EA's Lower School band with music teacher Deb Newnham, Hon.

The winners also played for their Upper School peers and teachers on Thursday, March 10. Watch here.

The Dora Khayatt awards in music and fine arts were established in 1990 in memory of Dora Khayatt. She was an artist and the wife of the late John Plant, former Chairman of The Episcopal Academy Classics Department.