CLASSICAL & JAZZ UW CONCERTO COMPETITIONIf I were to parrot the usual line about music competitions, I would tell you that they are bad, that they bludgeon already fragile (or inflated) egos with horrid, untellable pressures. I'd say that at worst, they transform naive hopes for a career in classical music into bitter memories of what could have been. I would then dutifully insert a personal heart-twisting tale of a classical musician (the above photo would show you how beautiful she or he was, just to break your heart a little more) who had trained for 10 or 15 years on an instrument, only to give it up after garnering a go-nowhere silver medal at a European competition with an unpronounceable name. Shed no tears for those musicians; if you love music and adore your instrument (and most musicians do), you'll make music no matter what.

So why should I recommend a concert whose participants are, as of press time, yet to be determined, and whose "greatest hits" of classical music repertory will be played in a piano reduction? Apart from touting a free classical music gig and the chance to hear dazzling musicians in action, I think competitions reflect a fascinating, fundamental condition of every performer's life. Robin McCabe, director of the UW School of Music, explains this condition succinctly: "Musicians have to produce under the pressure of real time. Just as in sports, musical competition has an alluring, sometimes daunting edge in that students practice and prepare for that moment that they walk out on stage."

Competitions are an important crucible of the performing arts--a chance to reach deeply into your soul, play your ass off, and emerge not just intact, but triumphant. CHRISTOPHER DeLAURENTI

The UW Concerto Competition Concert is Mon Nov 18 at 7 pm (Meany Theatre, UW Campus, 685-8384) and is free.

chris@delaurenti.net