Friends of the Pops Announces 2017 Esther Weil Student Competition Winners

OCEAN CITY – The Friends of the Pops have held their seventh annual competition for high school students from schools in Cape May and Atlantic Counties. There were also two homeschooled students in the contest from Cape May County. The contest was held May 3, 2017, in the Ocean City Music Pier at 6 p.m. There were three judges: Bill Scheible (Conductor of the Pops), Inna Nederezov (Principal 2nd Violin of the Pops) and Angel Loffredo (Retired Choral Director at Mainland HS).
Friends, family and local music lovers gathered for the competition at the Ocean City Music Pier where each contestant presented a selection for the judges to evaluate. Featured this year were students playing trumpet, tuba, violin, saxophone, bassoon, piano and flute as well as fourteen singers. The emcee for the event was local barrister and President of the Friends of the Ocean City Pops, Jon Batastini. Listed below are the winners of this year’s contest.
Instrumental Winners
1st Place:            
Derek Yu, Piano               
Egg Harbor Twp HS         
$1,000
2nd Place:          
Luis Ozoria, Trumpet     
Absegami HS                     
$500      
3rd Place:           
Aidan Seals, Sax.             
Mainland HS                      
$250
4th Place:           
Matthew Torrence         
Ocean City HS                   
$150                                        
Vocal Winners
1st Place:            
Maecy Bischoff                                
Wildwood Catholic HS   
$1000
2nd Place:          
Fred Spiewak                                    
Wildwood Catholic HS      
$500
3rd Place:           
Grace Mozitis                                   
Mainland Regional HS      
$250
4th Place:           
Anika Buchanan                               
Middle Twp HS                    
$150