GFMC Congratulates the GFMC Junior Composer Winners !
Jr, Class IV Category
Thomas Stark, 1st Place State Winner
Composition: “A Waltz”
Teacher: Fernando Ramos
Thomas Stark is a high school junior from Newnan, Georgia. In addition to being an excellent student who enjoys diverse Advanced Placement and Dual Enrollment courses, Thomas is passionate about both visual art and music. He studies classical art with Chris DiDomizio and has won awards for drawing and painting. Thomas has studied piano for over ten years and currently studies with Fernando Ramos. Over the years he has participated in Federation and piano festivals, scoring consistent superiors. As a member of the Spivey Hall Children’s Choir, Thomas has performed at GMEA State Convention, ACDA National Convention, as well as abroad. In May of 2023, Thomas was asked to help accompany the children’s choir and was delighted to play a beautiful Steinway on stage in Spivey Hall. In his free time, Thomas enjoys playing a wide range of genres on piano, guitar, ukulele, and melodica. He helps lead worship for his church youth group and plays keys and synths for the band, “The Lost Meerkats.
Prism McClurkin, 2nd place State Winner
Composition:”Dancing on Tear Drops”
Teacher: Wendy Vann-Reifler
Jr Class III Category
Luke Gekic , 1st Place State Winner
Composition: “Minuet”
Teacher, Courtney Gekic
Luka Gekic is a 13-year old composer and pianist. He has been acutely drawn to the piano since he was a baby and first demonstrated perfect pitch just after his 2nd birthday. He has received multiple honors for both composition and performing piano including being selected as a semi-finalist of the 2020 Young Talent Big Dreams Talent Contest for his Opus 1, an original piece which he calls “Easy Going”. He received second place at GFMC Junior composer State competition Class II in 2022 for this piece as well. Other recent awards Luka received include being a semi-finalist in the 2022 International Keyboard Odyssiad & Festival concerto competition in Fort Collins, CO, the Individual Musical Instrument First Prize Winner and the Overall Grand Prize Winner at the 2021 Young Talent Big Dreams contest of Miami-Dade County, First Prize in the Kiwanis Club of Peachtree City’s 2022 and 2023 Music & Art Talent Showcase, the Excellence in Artistry Award at 2022 Georgia Federation of Music Clubs Junior Club Festival, winner of the Outstanding Performer Alternate 2 Award at the 2023 Georgia Music Teacher’s Association State Auditions, the Janice Broadhurst Artistry! Award by Atlanta Music Teachers Association at the 2022 Atlanta Piano Festival and 2nd place at AMTA’s 2022 Romantic Impressionistic Piano Competition, a scholarship to study at Miami International Piano Festivals 2023 Winter Academy as well as a scholarship from the Coral Gables Music Club. Luka also enjoys swimming competitively, playing basketball with his friends, and riding the waves at the beach.
Abigail Vann-Reifler, 2nd Place State Winner
Composition: “Thorns and Roses”
Teacher: Wendy Vann-Reifler
Abby Vann-Reifler is a 10th grade student at Norcross High School. She has been playing piano since she was 5 years old, studying first with her grandmother, Gayle Vann, and presently with her mother, Wendy Vann-Reifler. This year marks eleven years of Abby participating in the Jr. Composers Contest. She has been awarded First Place or Second Place in Georgia for seven of those years! In 2023 she was awarded her 75-point Gold Cup for Composition, and she hopes to earn her 90-point Cup next year. Abby has also participated in the GFMC Festivals playing solos and duets every year since age 5, and has received Consecutive Superiors in both events.
Besides piano, Abby also loves theatre, and has performed in 5 shows at her high school in the last two years. Abby also enjoys time with her family and extended family, with many aunts, uncles, and cousins living nearby.
Jr. Class II Category
Oliver Paynter, 1st Place State and Regional Winner
Composition: “Prelude in d minor”
Teacher: Stephanie Leotsakos
Composer and pianist, Oliver Paynter, 11, attends Gwin Oaks Elementary school and discovered his love of classical music after teaching himself to play piano and compose on a hand-me-down neighborhood piano at the age of 7. Since then, he has composed over 20 pieces under the guidance of his talented composition teacher, Stephanie Leotsakos. Oliver continues to be inspired by the Romantic and Baroque periods, Tomaso Albinoni, Tchaikovsky, Bach, and many more. When he isn’t composing, you can find him travelling to Revolutionary War Reenactment sites and learning about the historical events surrounding the lives of his favorite composers.
Evangeline Morson, 2nd Place State Winner.
Composition:”New Beginnings”
Teacher: Dr. Ipek Brooks
Evangeline, now 12 years old, is an aspiring composer and pianist. She lives in Atlanta and is in middle school. As a pianist, Evangeline participated in and earned a commendation for her ‘Superior’ performance at the 2023 NFMTA Fall Festival. She earned the highest score in the state of Georgia for her performance in the Royal Conservatory of Music’s Piano Level 3 Practical Exam. She will perform at a recital honoring outstanding achievements in the RCM 2023 Exam Program in Tampa, Florida.
Evangeline is also a ballet dancer and has danced for 9 years. She enjoys spending time composing music, exploring different types of repertoire on her piano, creating visual art, and spending time with her family.
Jr. Class 1 Category
Ean Hon, 1st Place State Winner
Composition: “Sunset in Saville”
Teacher: Gayle Vann
Ean Hon, aged 9, has been playing the piano since he was 5 years old and has studied under the guidance of Gayle Vann. In 2023, his original composition, “High Country Sword Dance,” was awarded Second Place in the State and received an Honorable Mention in the Southeastern Region. This year, his latest composition, “Sunset in Seville,” was First Place in the Junior Composer category.
Aside from his love of music, Ean finds joy in playing basketball and swimming. In addition to these activities, Ean has a passion for coding and delights in creating his own games. Furthermore, he loves exploring, traveling and discovering the wonders of the world around him.
Sidney Lia Vann, 2nd Place State Winner
Composition: “Mysterious Night”
Teacher: Derek Vann
Sydney Vann, daughter of Stephanie and Derek Vann, has been composing since she was 4 years old. She started piano lessons with her Nana, Gayle Vann, at that young age, and entered the Jr. Composers Contest in January 2020. She has continued to compose, and placed First in Georgia in 2023, and Second Place in 2024. This year she will receive her 30-point Gold Cup for Composition!
Sydney also participates in Federation Festival playing both Solos and Duets, and received Consecutive Superiors in both events. Besides playing piano, Sydney also enjoys hiking, swimming, painting, drawing, and arts and crafts.
