Saxophonist Keaton Garrett, a senior in high school from Arlington, Texas, won the grand prize in Monday night’s Conservatory Concerto Competition. Garrett performed the allegro movement from a contemporary work by composer David Ott.

Keaton also won the Director’s Award, singled out by Conservatory Artistic Director Matt Albert for special recognition.

Six finalists from a field of 17, who competed in the semifinal round last Friday, performed in Roshong Recital Hall on Monday. A panel of five judges from the Conservatory faculty awarded Keaton the top honor.

First prize, as distinguished from the grand prize, went to oboist Peter Davies, 15, from Dallas. He played the opening movement from Mozart’s Concerto in C Major. Like most wind and brass players who come to Durango from a lower altitude, Davies navigated long, complex passages with some effort. His near perfect, highly musical performance also won him the Audience Favorite Award.

The judges selected Amanda Hofheins, 17, for the second place prize. She played the adagio from Edward Elgar’s Concerto in E minor, a dark and distinctly mature work. Hofheins’ serious concert demeanor matched the nature of the music she played.

The two top winners will perform again next week. Keaton will reprise the Ott selection with the Festival Orchestra on July 29. The program is titled “Epic Grandeur,” and Karina Canellakis will conduct, opening with Sibelius’ En Saga, Op.9, and ending with Brahms’ Symphony No.4 in E minor, Op. 98. Keaton and company will be the center of the concert.

Judith Reynolds is an arts journalist and member of the American Theater Critics Association.

The Ott Concerto for Alto Saxophone

Securing orchestral scores at the last minute for a relatively new work “was a challenge,” Diane Wylie, said in an interview Tuesday night.
Wylie is the Music in the Mountains librarian, responsible for securing orchestral scores for every work to be performed in the Festival.
After the Concerto Competition concluded Monday night, she learned that 2003 David Ott Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Orchestra had suddenly been scheduled for the July 29 concert. Most likely, it would be new to festival musicians and maybe even Guillermo Figueroa, who would have to learn the music in a hurry. Time was of the essence.
“It’s unusual in many ways,” Wylie said. “It’s unique and a bit obscure. But if you know who to call, the search may not take too long.”
Wylie started making phone calls Tuesday morning, starting with the Educational Music Service. “It’s who you know, and I have a lot of contacts in the music industry.”
In no time, Wylie found the publisher: “Lauren Keiser Publishing,” she said. ”I had it all settled by 10 a.m., and because Keaton Garrett is a student in the Conservatory, the company gave us a break on the overnight delivery costs.”
This is the first time the Festival has chosen a wind instrument winner.
“It’s another marker for how the Conservatory is growing,” Wylie said.
Since the concerto competition began in 2009, performing contemporary music has been rare. Standard repertoire, concerti by Mozart, Beethoven or Brahms, for example, are most likely chosen by the Conservatory students. So David Ott’s concerto was a surprise.
Ott, 59, is a contemporary American composer. He completed composition degrees from the Universities of Wisconsin and Indiana and a completed a doctorate at the University of Kentcucky. The concerto is one of several for different instruments including piano and flute.
The Concerto for Alto Saxophone was commissioned by the Knoxville Symphony Society and premiered in 2003 at the University of Wisconsin in Platteville. You can listen to a complete recording on YouTube by the Slovak Chamber Orchestra with Debra Richtmeyer soloist.
With new music, it’s a good idea to listen more than once to achieve some familiarity and appreciation. Here’s a chance to do just that before Keaton Garrett performs with the Festival Orchestra next Friday.
Judith Reynolds is an arts journalist and member of the American Theater Critics Association.