Park University - Park Graduate Student Wins Naftzger Young Artists Competition

Graciella Kowalczyk

Park University graduate student Graciella Kowalczyk recently won the Naftzger Young Artists Auditions and Music Awards grand prize held May 6-7 at the Wichita State University's Duerksen Fine Arts Center in Wichita, Kan.

Kowalczyk competed in the first stage against 23 other pianists, followed by the semifinals on Saturday morning against six pianists from the University of Kansas (KU), University of Missouri at Kansas City (UMKC), and other schools. She won the pianists category of the competition and qualified to compete in the overall finals against two pianists from KU, three instrumentalists (cello, saxophone, and marimba) and three vocalists.

Established in 1940 as a fund for fine arts by the Naftzger family, the Wichita Symphony became the administrator for the competition later in 1956. It consists of three categories, piano, voice and instrumental, for which $11,000 in cash prizes are awarded, including a $5,000 grand prize award and $2,000 for each category winner.

The competition was open to residents of Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma or non-residents who are enrolled at college, university or conservatory in Kansas, Oklahoma or Missouri. Previous winners represented Julliard (viola, 2001 and violin, 2002); University of Kansas (piano, 2003); and Kansas State University (violin, 2004). This is the first year a Park University student has participated in this competition.

French-born, Polish-raised pianist, Kowalczyk previously studied at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow, Chopin School of Music in Warsaw and Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas. On Saturday, May 7, Kowalczyk also received her graduate certificate in piano performance from Park University where she had been studying under the direction of Stanislav Ioudenitch, associate professor of music and the artistic director of the Youth Conservatory for Music and International Center for Music.

Submit your news

If you have news to share, please submit it through the Park News submission page, Communication Coordinator, or send the information through campus mail to Box 65.

For more information about Park University, please contact Rita Weighill, Vice President of Communication at (816) 584-6211.