ECU senior wins national music competition

ECU music major Caroline Cox was the winner of a national performance competition. (Contributed photo)

ECU senior Caroline Cox of Southern Pines won top honors at the Music Teachers National Association Young Artist String Competition.

Cox, 21, is a double performance major in violin and piano, studying violin with Ara Gregorian and piano with Keiko Sekino. Cox served as concertmaster of the ECU Symphony for three years and has performed alongside such artists as Robert McDonald in the Four Seasons Chamber Music Festival at ECU. In 2011, she was chosen to perform Sibelius’ Violin Concerto with the Raleigh and Durham Symphonies.

The MTNA Young Artist Performance Competition took place March 26, during the 2012 MTNA National Conference in New York City. As a national competition winner, Cox received $3,000, provided by the MTNA Foundation Fund.

The three-tiered MTNA competitions begin at the state level. First-place winners of each state’s competition advance to a division competition. Division winners compete in the national finals.

Music Teachers National Association is a nonprofit organization of independent and collegiate music teachers committed to furthering the art of music through teaching, performance, composition and scholarly research. Founded in 1876, Music Teachers National Association is the oldest music teachers association in the United States.

For more information about MTNA, contact the MTNA national headquarters at (513) 421-1420, mtnanet@mtna.org or visit the website at www.mtna.org.