only student from the United States awarded first prize in an international music competition

 MACOMB, IL – A Western Illinois University music major has been awarded first prize in an international music competition; the only student from the United States.

Madalyn Pridemore, of Macomb, a sophomore violin performance major, is one of 21 finalists in Asociația Culturală Arta Sonoră's "Rezonanțe Sonore Online" International Festival. She is the winner of the violin category and one of the winners featured on the George Enescu Museum's website.

The competition included 137 participants from Germany, Spain, Portugal, the United States, the Republic of Moldova and Romania. A total of 14 winners were chosen to have their videos featured on the George Enescu National Museum's website, which is based in Bucharest, Romania.

The juried competition was conducted by students submitting YouTube videos of their repertoire choices. There were nine sections, each representing different instrument sections from which the winners were chosen.

"This semester has been quite unusual for music students," said Pridemore, "We have few live performances, so participating in various competitions and festivals has pushed me to practice more and perfect my pieces. After several days of recording, I submitted my videos to the competition, and a few days later, found out I had been awarded a prize. I hope that I represent both my school and country well with my performance."

Pridemore previously represented the United States in "The Violin Doc" International Online Competition, and received third place this summer. She also won honorable mention at the University's school-wide Concerto Competition this semester.

Pridemore is a student of WIU Associate Professor of Violin Julieta Mihai. The jury for the competition consisted of musicians and music teachers from around the world.

After completing her bachelor's degree at WIU, Pridemore plans to continue on toward master's and doctoral degrees in violin performance.