University Place's Torsen Necessary Wins Tacoma Concert Band Competition

On Jan. 15, was selected as the 2012 winner of Tacoma Concert Band's Student Soloist Competition. Students competed for the Wayne Timmerman Prize of $500 and the honor of being the featured soloist with Tacoma Concert Band at the Celebrating America's Musical Diversity concert on Feb. 25, 2012, at the Pantages Theater in Tacoma.

Necessary has played flute for seven years. A senior at he plays in the Symphonic Band under the direction of Don Rose. Necessary studies privately with Pamela Ryker and is in the Tacoma Youth Symphony for the fifth year, currently holding the position of First Flute. Necessary is also principal flute for the Puget Sound Youth Wind Ensemble at University of Puget Sound and continues as a senior member with the Northwest Flute Collegium.

Tacoma Concert Band has been delighting audiences in the South Puget Sound region since 1981. The band features over sixty members, all volunteers who play in the band from hometowns ranging from Seattle to Aberdeen. Every year, the band holds the Student Soloist Competition to encourage the careers of the region's youngest performers and to support local and regional school band programs. The Competition has been held since 1990, and Jason Gilliam, the winner of the first Competition, now plays with Tacoma Concert Band.

Founder and Conductor Robert Musser commented, “The Student Soloist Competition is the Tacoma Concert Band's way of contributing to the development of fine young musicians. Even the best technology does not come close to the experience of stepping onto a stage and creating music for your friends and neighbors. We hope to foster that experience for as many future performers as possible.”

The prize is named in honor of Wayne Timmerman, the principal trumpet player of the TCB from the band’s beginning until his passing a few years ago. He was the band director at Olympia High School for many years and president of the Washington Musical Educators Association (WMEA) 1989-1990.

Everyone is invited to Celebrate America's Musical Diversity with Tacoma Concert Band and Torsen Necessary, the Student Solo Competition winner. The concert will be held on February 25, 2012, at 7:30 pm at Tacoma's Pantages Theater. Selections range from Scott Joplin's “Maple Leaf Rag” to “Abbey Road: A Symphonic Portrait” of the Beatles in America to the world premiere for band of Karankawa, a wild and adventurous tone poem that describes a dramatic event in the history of the Karankawa Indian tribe of Southeast Texas. Tickets are available at http://www.broadwaycenter.org.