Our Sterling Scholar in Music

My talented nephew Anders with his licorice stick

I'm so lucky to have four handsome nephews and a beautiful niece.  They make life a lot more interesting!

My nephew Anders (nephew #3) was selected as a Bingham High School Sterling Scholar in Music back in December.  I think that is pretty cool.

He plays the clarinet.

I guess getting chosen to represent your school is only the first step of the Sterling Scholar process.  He now has put in his application for the Sterling Scholar competition.  I'm told he played a Hindemith piece that showed off his abilities.

Now the judges will sift through the applications and decide who to interview further as a finalist.

Good luck, Anders!

Anders playing at Abravanel Hall

Anders also made it into the Utah All-State Band, against stiff competition.

I hear that the All-State band performance at Abravanel Hall (Jan 19, 2013) was fantastic.  They had a guest conductor and composer from Pittsburgh.

Abravanel Hall is a concert hall located in the heart of downtown Salt Lake City.  A cultural landmark adjacent to historic Temple Square and the Salt Palace, it's known for its outstanding acoustics and a grand four-story lobby with a spectacular city view.  It's also home to the Utah Symphony and is part of the Salt Lake County Center for the Arts.

Just to show you how ancient of days I am, I remember back in the day when Maurice Abravanel was the conductor of the Utah Symphony.  He was a marvelous man and a musical force to be reckoned with. The hall was named in his honor back in 1993.

I think it's terrific that Anders had a chance to play there.  What a fun opportunity, and a well-deserved honor for this talented and hard-working high school senior.

Whether he wins the Sterling Scholar competition or not, I think he's a winner in my book.  He's quite the accomplished young man.  In addition to his musicianship, he's an outstanding mathematician.  He's one of those wunderkinds who can solve a Rubik's cube in under a minute.

A Rubik's Cube

Seriously.  I've seen him do it. It's amazing.

I'd hate him for that alone, if he wasn't so doggone adorable.

And related to me.

Actually, if you think about it, math and music go hand in hand.  Music is just audible mathematics, after all!  But I digress...

Anders' immediate goals involve graduating from high school, then serving a full-time LDS mission before going off to college.

Yup.  Just another over-achiever!

I repeat: Good luck, Anders!  We're all rooting for you.

Photos: JD Evensen, L Farnsworth