by Ryan Cornell for Eastern Mennonite University and available here
EMU’s music maestro Dr. Benjamin Bergey earned second-place honors in one of the most prestigious awards competitions in the country for the performing arts.
Bergey, assistant professor of music at EMU and director of its orchestra and choirs, is the runner-up for the 2023 American Prize in Conducting in the college and university orchestra division.
The annual nonprofit American Prize series of contests is among the most renowned for evaluating music ensembles, directors and solo performers in the U.S., with awards given at the professional, college/university, community and high school levels.
“The panelists and judges are often folks who have experience,” Bergey said, “so to feel that affirmation or validation in the work we’re doing here is really meaningful.”
