The William T. White String Quartet, a student ensemble at Missouri State University, won first prize at the West Central Division finals of the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Chamber Music Competition in Boulder, Colo. The students will compete as finalists in New York City in March.

The ensemble works under the musical guidance of faculty members Dr. David Hays, Dr. Amy Muchnick and Dr. Michael A. Murray. The White String Quartet includes the following members:

• Two students from Quindao, China; violinists Yajing Zhang and Xiao Hu are currently in their second year here.
• Violist Ryan Hardcastle is a junior majoring in viola performance.
• Cellist Matthew Price is a pre-law major and continues to perform with the Missouri State University Symphony and Chamber Orchestra

Ryan Hardcastle also received first prize in the Young Artist String Competition at the MTNA competition and will compete as a finalist in New York City; his winning performance included the music of J.S. Bach and Paul Hindemith. His professor is Dr. Amy Muchnick.

Pianist Jia Hui Wong, who competed in the MTNA Piano Young Artist Division, received second place (alternate). She is a junior piano performance major and studies with Dr. Wei-Han Su.

Filed Under: award · COAL · competition · music · students