Each spring, the Dora Khayatt Music Competition allows Upper School musicians to display their incredible musical talents to the EA community. During this year's competition on Monday, March 6, a record-high 34 students performed music covering a wide range of genres and styles ranging from classical and jazz to pop and folk.
"The Dora Khayatt Competition encourages EA’s dedicated and gifted musicians to shine as individual performers," said Music Department Chair Jim Erwin. "This year, we had student pianists, instrumentalists, singers, and even a student playing the Korean Buk Drum. I've never seen it so competitive, and it gets better every year. The array of skill and talent was truly inspirational."
The 2023 winners included:
- Ishan Bhattacharyya '23, who performed Liebestraum No. 3 on piano.
- Albert Chen '23, who sang vocals and played guitar for Future Days by Pearl Jam, as well as played Airplane Mode by Cory Wong on electric guitar.
- Katie Lee '24, who played a traditional Korean drum rhythm on the Korean Buk Drum.
- Sarah Memmo '24, who played guitar and sang vocals for Running Up That Hill by Kate Bush and then sang a rendition of In The Kitchen by Reneé Rapp.
"I've been singing for as long as I can remember, and I think my family can attest to the fact that I still am always singing, whether it's in the car, at open mic nights, at home, or in school musicals," said junior Sarah Memmo. "On the other hand, I only started learning guitar in my freshman year, and it’s been a lot of fun learning and trying new things with it! I’ve auditioned for Dora Khayatt every year I could (freshman, sophomore, and now junior year), and I never won before this year. My advice to students auditioning in the future would be to choose pieces that really show your range and contrast each other."
Senior Albert Chen said he only started playing guitar during freshman year in Mr. Erwin's Intro to Guitar course, and he only began singing for an audience within the past two years. "This was only my second year [performing] at Dora Khayatt, so it is never too late!" he exclaimed. Upon hearing he had won, Albert felt both surprised and overjoyed. "I am so appreciative of the tremendous support shown to us by the community!" he said.
The winners played during a combined Upper and Middle School assembly, followed by a Lower School performance and lively Q&A, on Tuesday, March 7. All performances were met with jaw-dropping reactions and an abundance of applause. Watch here.
For Albert, the highlight of winning was having the opportunity to perform for the Lower School. "Not only was it my best performance, but it was also heartwarming to see so many young kids engrossed by music," he explained. "After the performances, we had a Q&A session and their untamed curiosity is truly something to be treasured and preserved at all costs! I offered some kids to hold my guitar, and you could just see their eyes light up as they held up the instrument about their own size."
The Dora Khayatt Awards were established in 1990 in memory of Dora Khayatt, an artist and the wife of former EA's Classics Department Chair John Plant. The Dora Khyatt fund provides annual support for student awards for excellence in the fine arts and music.
The annual competition and performance opportunity is open to every interested Upper School student-musician, each of whom is assigned an eight-minute time slot to present their work in front of three judges from the Philadelphia area. For the 2023 competition, EA was proud to have three accomplished individuals serving as judges: Dr. Marci Major, Associate Professor and Department Chair of Music Education and Music Therapy at West Chester University; Marcus Bryant, an award-winning singer, songwriter and producer; and Philadelphia Freelance Trombonist and Secretary-Treasurer of the Philadelphia Musicians’ Union Jarred Antonacci.