The Greater Houston Chapter of the American Harp Society is pleased to announce the 2021 Mildred Milligan Scholarship Competition for members of the GHC.  The competition will take place on Sunday, April 25th, 2021, 1:00 pm - 8:00 pm at St. Luke’s Presbyterian Church. Register here and view required repertoire here.

The main goals of this competition are educational: encouraging student growth and development by challenging harpists to prepare for an adjudicated performance and building a sense of community for Houston area harpists.

All contestants, as well as their teachers, must be members of the Greater Houston Chapter of the American Harp Society.  Become a member here.

• Students will perform before a panel of judges (without a screen).  Parents, family members, teachers, and friends are encouraged to listen during students’ performances.
• The judges' decisions are final.
• Winners in each category will perform for the Milligan Competition Winner's Recital (date TBD).
• First Place Winners in all categories will receive a cash prize.  Second and Third place winners will be chosen for all categories and will receive a gift certificate to a harp retailer.
• In addition to a cash prize, the First Place Winner of the Division VI (college level) will receive a recital performance opportunity as part of the GHC’s 2021/2022 season. Repertoire may include chamber music as well as solo.
• Arrival and audition time will be sent via email to all registered contestants.
• To participate in the competition students must prepare from memory both a required piece, and a “free choice” piece.  Division VI prepares two free choice pieces. The time limit of the free choice piece varies by division. View this year's required repertoire here. Contestants will be judged by professional harpists.  

Judges will award scores in the following areas:

• Accuracy of Notes/Rhythm
• Dynamics/Phrasing
• Memory
• Tempo
• Overall Artistic Performance

It is important for competitors to select a “free choice” piece that can be performed accurately, by memory, and with the correct dynamics, phrasing, and tempo.  Overall, judges will be looking for the most polished performances.

We hope that you and your students will take advantage of this exciting opportunity!  Please note that the registration deadline is March 15th, 2021.  To register, please fill out this form, and pay the $15 registration fee. If you have any questions or would like to volunteer to help with this event, please contact Naomi Hoffmeyer, Milligan Committee Chairman via email at njhoffmeyer@gmail.com.