For the past 13 years, Millikin has hosted the Hollis Prize Competition. In this competition, three finalists compete to win a prize of $1,000, and the chance to have their own concert in Chicago. The prestige of this competition is known throughout Millikin’s campus, and it is an honor to be a finalist, even if you don’t win. The runners up do not leave empty handed, however, as they each receive a $500 scholarship that they may use for their studies.

This year’s competition was interesting, to say the least. Usually, this competition has one vocalist and two instrumentalists of different types. For example, in last year’s competition there was one vocalist, a percussionist and a saxophonist. This year, however, there were two female vocalists and one instrumentalist. The contestants were soprano Chloe Raffe, Bassoonist Christopher Raymond and Soprano Abigail Karnes.

Raffe’s selections ranged from Baroque selections by Händel to the least traditional stylings by Samuel Barber. She showed of her rich tone and strong lower range with a Russian piece by Tchaikovsky named “Otchevo?” She ended her set with two emotional arias; first with “Elle a fui, la tourterelle” from Offenbach’s Les Contes D’Hoffmann, followed by “Voi lo sapete” from Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana. All together a beautiful set.

Following Raffe’s performance was Raymond. He started with a piece that is traditionally performed by a cellist: Bach’s “Suit No. 1 in G Major BWV 1007.” While the title seems obscure, it is one of the most famous cello suits ever written. After this piece, the next piece that stood out was Hovatter’s,  “En Los Bosques.” This was an interesting piece because he brought in technology. The piece was composed to have a track played behind it that consisted of nature sounds and French poetry. The sound was alarming, and not at all melodic, but it was a fascinating piece from an academic standpoint. He finished his set with two movements from John William’s The Five Sacred Trees. He performed these completely from memory, which is a feat for pieces of such difficulty.

The final performer was Abigail Karnes. Like Raffe, she started with a selection by Händel. This piece was joyous and very difficult technically with its ongoing runs. The next piece she performed was an aria from one of Mozart’s most famous operas, Le Nozze di Figaro. The aria she decided to perform was “Dove sono I bei momenti.” It is a long emotional aria. She finished with a final aria from Gounod’s Faust, “The Jewel Song.” In this aria, Karnes was able to show of her acting skills as well as her vocal strengths.

In the end, Raymond was the winner of the competition. All in all, it was a beautiful recital and all performers did beautifully in their own rights.