The Medalist Band

The winner of the third annual Earl C. Benson Concerto Competition is Hallie Houser, a senior at Eastview High School. Houser was selected as the contest winner from among eight students after a rigorous application and audition process conducted by Professor Jerry Luckhardt, musical director of the Medalist Concert Band, and a committee of band members.

Hallie's interest in music began at a young age. She studied piano at age four, picked up the violin at age six, and finally the flute at age ten. After fifth grade, however, she decided to drop violin and piano and focus exclusively on flute. In seventh grade, she began studying privately with Alicia McQuerrey of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. Starting in eighth grade, Hallie has been accepted every year to participate in state-wide honor bands, including the Minnesota Band Directors Association (MBDA), Minnesota Music Educators Association (MMEA), and the University of Minnesota. In the past two years she has attended the Ohio State University (OSU) Summer Flute Workshop, studying with Katherine Borst-Jones and performing as a featured soloist. She has also performed with the Minnesota Youth Symphonies (MYS) for eight almost consecutive years; 2003-2005 on violin and 2006-2012 on flute, where she performed numerous pieces of music such as Maurice Ravel’s Dapnis et Chloé under the direction of Manny Laureano of the Minnesota Orchestra.

Hallie has been a member of the Eastview Wind Ensemble for three years, and in March 2011 had the unique opportunity to tour Europe with the Wind Ensemble, performing in Nimes, France, and in Barcelona, Spain. Also in 2011, she competed in the Schubert Club Scholarship competition and won second place in the Senior High School Brass/Woodwinds division.  As of December 2010, Hallie has studied with Adam Kuenzel of the Minnesota Orchestra. After she graduates high school, she plans on pursuing flute performance as a major along with Japanese as a minor.