Lawrence University Musician Wins Pair of Flute Competitions

For the second year in a row, Lawrence University flutist Sam Golter earned first-place honors in a regional competition sponsored by the Flute Society of Washington Inc. Golter, a senior from Springfield, Va., won the Mann Orchestral Excerpt Competition held Feb. 16 in Reston, Va. He was selected as one of three finalists from audition tapes submitted by musicians who are from or attend college in the Mid-Atlantic states. Golter was the only undergraduate among the finalists. In the live finals, he performed seven different flute solo excerpts from major orchestral pieces by composers ranging from Bach and Brahms to Mozart and Stravinsky. In addition to winning a first-place prize of $500, Golter also performed with Sarah Jackson, principal piccolo player with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, as part of a master class. In 2012, Golter won the Flute Society of Washington’s Collegiate Soloist Competition. Prior to the Mann Competition, Golter also earned first-place honors in the Flute Society of Kentucky Collegiate Competition conducted at Campbellsville University. Golter was one of three finalists selected from 19 undergraduate musicians from nine states who submitted preliminary round audition tapes. He performed C.P.E Bach’s “Sonata in A Minor” and Ian Clarke’s “The Great Train Race” in the finals. A student in the flute studio of Erin Lesser, Golter received $250 for his winning performance and also played a recital as part of the 2013 Kentucky Flute Festival