Stillwater Senior Wins Honors At Music Competition [Video]

STILLWATER, MN — Stillwater Area High School senior Collin Jinks won top honors at a national music competition. He took first place in the piano division at the Music Teachers National Association Senior Performance Competition.

About 2,500 musicians from around the country attended the event which was held in Baltimore, Maryland. Jinks, who was one of just seven national finalists, captivated the judges with his 25 minute performance, according to a news release.

"Collin's deep communicative powers were so evident that even after hours of playing (Collin was the last of the seven finalists to play) suddenly everyone sat up in their seats - including the judges," Dr. Joseph Zins, co-owner of Crocus Hill Studios, where Jinks studies, said in a statement. "No one had heard playing like this in the high school finals."

Last fall, school officials caught up with Jinks during his independent music study time at SAHS. Have a listen:

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