Elk Grove student named District 214 Concerto/Aria Competition winner

After an evening of stellar performances by six finalists in Township High School District 214’s annual Honors Orchestra Concerto/Aria Competition Finals Recital, Elk Grove High School senior Peter Pendowski has been named this year’s winner.

He now will perform a solo with the Honor Orchestra as the featured guitarist in the District 214 Honors Music Festival March 6 at Forest View Educational Center in Arlington Heights.

Pendowski earned this mark of distinction by playing on the guitar the “Concierto del Sur, Mvt. I” by Manuel Ponce.

An active member of Elk Grove’s music program, Pendowski is currently involved with Advanced Mixed Choir, Jazz Ensemble, Vocal Jazz Ensemble and Towne Criers. He is also one of the supporting roles in the year’s musical, “13.” This is Elk Grove High School’s first concerto competition winner in at least a decade.

To become a finalist in this prestigious competition, students submitted an application and auditioned for the opportunity earlier this school year. Only six students were selected to compete.

The other finalists include Rolling Meadows High School junior Neil Krzeski, who played the “Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2” by Sergei Rachmaninoff on the piano; John Hersey High School senior Kevin Kapinos, who played “Concerto for Trombone” by Gordon Jacob on the trombone; John Hersey High School senior Samantha Lapid, who played “Concertino Clarinette in B, Op. 26” by C.M.V Weber on the clarinet; Prospect High School senior Jennifer Jane Ruda, who sang “Vedrai, Carino” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; and Rolling Meadows High School junior and the evening’s runner-up Michael Priller, who played “Wieniawski Violin Concerto No. 2” by Henri Wieniawski on the violin.

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