WFMC Newsletter Article

WFMC Newsletter Article

2016 Ruth Kreuser Music Scholarship

By Cathy Paquette

Ruth Kreuser Music Scholarship State Chairman

Our talented winner of the Ruth Kreuser Music Scholarship for 2016 is Jacob Thomas Beranek. Jacob is a current piano student of Margarita Kontorovsky of the Milwaukee Music Teachers’ Association, and studies composition with composer/conductor Ronald Foster in Cedarburg. He is a former student of Sam Ecoff of the Lake Country Senior Club, who recently encouraged Jacob to further his music studies by taking lessons from Margarita and Ronald. Sam was instrumental in teaching him composition and piano for eight years. The Ruth Kreuser Music Scholarship is a $500 award and is very competitive, and Jacob is well deserving of this award. Congratulations go to him, Margarita, Ronald and Sam.

Jacob is a 17 year old award-winning composer and pianist from Oconomowoc. He started composing music at the age of eight and began competing in composition contests at age eleven. To mention three of his awards, his Sonata for Violin and Piano was declared winner of the national 2016 Project 21 Prize for Music Composition which received a performance this past April at the Bass School of Music at Oklahoma City University. The same composition also won first place in Wisconsin for the National Federation of Music Clubs 2016 Junior Composer’s Competition, moving now to North Central Region judging. In 2015 his Piano Concerto in F-sharp minor: I. Allegro agitato was named “Outstanding Piano Composition, Laura K. Wilson Memorial Fund honoring Dorothy Dann Bulock” nationwide in the NFMC Junior Composers Competition. He has attended the Junior Composer’s Institute in Minneapolis since 2012 where he has studied with Dr. Seth Custer, Randall Davidson and Dr. Sarah Miller. He currently has seven pieces published with Alliance Publication, Inc.

In addition to his work in composition, Jacob is a serious pianist who has earned many honors. He has won first place in every event that he competed in during the 2014 and 2015 Wisconsin Federation of Music Club State Festivals, performing difficult pieces. He has consistently earned Superior ratings at the WFMC festivals since 2008, and has advanced to the Badger state level every year he was eligible, earning first place in 2013. This past June, in connection to his Czech heritage, he had the privilege of studying piano with internationally acclaimed Czech pianist, Radoslav Kvapil in Prague.

When Jacob is not composing or working at the piano, Jacob enjoys singing in his high school’s choir and works as a choral accompanist at Ascension Lutheran Church in Waukesha. He currently has a 4.36 GPA at University Lake School in Hartland.

Jacob’s future will be to study music at a competitive music school. Upon visiting New York City, Jacob was fortunate to meet with the late Dr. Steven Stucky at the Juilliard School, who encouraged Jacob to seriously consider applying there. This summer Jacob will be attending Curtis Institute’s summer music program. The funds will go toward that experience.

Jacob is an extremely hard working, dedicated and talented musician who will be making music his lifetime career. Our sincere congratulations and best wishes go to Jacob in his musical endeavors from the members of the Wisconsin Federation of Music Clubs.