F. Ludwig Diehn School of Music: Old Dominion University Symphony OrchestraRussell Stanger String Quartet Scholarship
Prospective and current undergraduate students are invited every year to participate in the annual Russell Stanger String Quartet Competition. A partial tuition scholarship of at least $3000 per year is awarded to winners of the competition. Winners of the competition become members of the Russell Stanger String Quartet for the following academic year. The competition is named after Russell Stanger, Conductor Laureate of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra and an honorary degree recipient at ODU, for his contributions to music and his support of the F. Ludwig Diehn School of Music.
Members of the Russell Stanger String Quartet meet weekly for professional coachings and perform several times a year on campus and across the community. Often appearing in master classes with leading internationally known quartets, quartet members rehearse twice a week and usually play leading roles in the ODU Symphony Orchestra.
Competition Guidelines
The Russell Stanger String Quartet Competition takes place every spring and is open to both current undergraduates and prospective students who are applying for admission into the F. Ludwig Diehn School of Music. Current quartet members must audition each year to retain their place in the quartet. This year's competition will take place Saturday, January 27, 2024 at 4:00pm in the Diehn Center for the Performing Arts (Room 1201). Live zoom auditions will also be accepted.
Requirements: Prepare one to two solos of your choice (up to 10 minutes of total performance time) as well as the two assigned excerpts from the standard string quartet repertoire. It is recommended that you listen to the quartets listed in the excerpts and review a score so that you are familiar with the style and what the other instruments are playing.
Please see the following links to download the assigned excerpts:
Students interested in participating in the competition should e-mail their intent to ODU String Coordinator Dr. Paul Sanho Kim. Please include your name, instrument, and what solo(s) you will prepare in addition to the assigned excerpts. The deadline for entering the competition is Saturday, January 20, 2024.
Prospective ODU applicants take note: This competition is separate from your audition for entrance into the F. Ludwig Diehn School of Music. Prospective students need to apply for admission to the F. Ludwig Diehn School of Music using the online application process. The online application must be completed prior to the competition. Saturday, January 27, 2024 is the last available audition date to be eligible for this year's competition.
Scholarship offers will be offered to the winners by e-mail following the competition.
Contact Dr. Paul Sanho Kim with any additional questions.
