Vinton Lions host annual Bland Music Scholarship Competition

By Debbie Adams

The Vinton Breakfast Lions Club hosted its ninth annual Bland Foundation Music Scholarship
Competition on February 11 at Thrasher Memorial United Methodist Church. The Bland
competition was established by the Lions Clubs of Virginia in 1948 to “assist and promote
cultural and educational opportunities for the musically talented youth of Virginia.”

The competition honors James Bland, who is considered “the greatest black writer of American
Folk Music,” composing over 700 songs throughout his career, which started out with building a
banjo at age 12. He wrote “Carry Me Back to Old Virginny,” the state song from 1940 to 1997.

Twelve students, ranging in age from 8 to 18, performed in this year’s local Bland competition.

Baritone Paul Sealey won first place in vocals, performing “Cara sposa” from Handel’s Rinaldo.
He is 18 years old and a senior in high school. He was also last year’s first place winner.

Violinist Pam Kampanya won first place in instrumentals, performing “Praeludium and Allegro.”
She is 12 years old and in the 7th grade.

Alto Ryleigh Woolwine won second place in vocals, singing “Human.” She is 11 years old and
in 6th grade.

Mezzo soprano Lyla Young took third place in vocals, performing “Vittoria, Mio Core!” She is a
junior in high school, age 17.

Kayleigh Taylor won second place in instrumentals playing “Sonata in C Major/HOB.XVI:1.”
She is a junior, age 16.

Lucy Sealey and Lilla Clark tied for third place in instrumentals. Sealey is 12 years old and in
7th grade; she played “L’Orage”—Opus 109, No. 13. Clark is 8 years old and a third grader. She
performed “River Flows in You.”

Other participants in this year’s Vinton Lions Club Bland Music Scholarship Competition were:

• Violinist Pete Kampanya, age 10, a fifth grader, performing “Concertino in G Major”
• Lily Sealey, age 12, a seventh grader, playing “Sonatina, Op. 39, No. 1 I Allegro” on the
  piano
• Vocalist Nolan Ferguson, a 10-year-old fifth grader, performing “You Raise Me Up”
• Petra Dodge, 11 years old and a fifth grader, singing “Come Thou Fount of Every
  Blessing”
• Brent Saunders, 13 years old and in 8th grade, singing “I See the Light” from “Tangled”

Pete and Pam Kampanya, from Blacksburg, take violin lessons from Wei-Fang Gu. All the other
students take voice and/or piano lessons from Susan Lewis of the Susan Lewis Music Studio in
Vinton.

Any elementary, middle, or high school student is eligible to participate. Contestants may
perform in the vocal or instrumental category, but not both. Presentations are limited to eight
minutes and must be memorized. Performers are not allowed to use microphones. Vocalists must
have an accompanist; instrumentalists, other than pianists, must have an accompanist as well.

Musicians are judged on “faithfulness to score, technique, interpretation, stage presence,
complexity of composition, and memory.”

First place winners advance to the Lions Club Regional Competition on March 10. Regional
winners advance to the state competition on April 19 in Dulles, where 12 contestants compete
from across the state. Over $25,000 is awarded annually in prizes at the local, district, and state
level. At the state level, first place winners receive $3,000; second place winners, $2,500; third
place winners, $2,000; and fourth through sixth places, $1,500.

Local winners receive monetary awards and certificates. First place winners in the Feb. 11
competition received a check for $100; second place winners, $50; and third place winners, $25.
Judges for this year’s Vinton competition were Judy Barger Edgell and Judy Clark, who served
as vocal judges, along with Charles Krause and Kelly Wheelbarger, who evaluated the
instrumental performances.

Barger Edgell has served as a Minister of Music in the Roanoke Valley for over 50 years and has
taught private piano and voice lessons over the same period. She is currently president of the
Thursday Morning Music Club and directs the chorus that performs at local organizations and
venues. She is a graduate of Longwood University with a BA in Fine Arts, and Masters Study
with Radford University in vocal technique.

Clark is the Founding Executive Director of Opera Roanoke; she also served as company
rehearsal/performance pianist. She has conducted numerous choirs and has coached singers
throughout her career. In addition to her current work as a teacher and freelance
coach/accompanist, she serves as music director and organist at South Roanoke United
Methodist Church.

Krause has a Bachelor of Music in Education degree from VCU. He taught in Richmond before
becoming an education consultant with Boykin’s Music Shop. He received his Master of Church Music and became the first graduate to serve in a full-time capacity as director of a church
orchestra. Krause has also played the tuba with the Richmond Symphony Brass Quintet and
Opera Roanoke.

Wheelbarger received his master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction in Music from Virginia
Tech and his bachelor’s degree in music education from Bridgewater College. While at
Bridgewater, he was a three-time recipient of the Ruth Weybright Organ Scholarship and studied
piano and organ with Dr. John G. Barr.

Guitarist Bruce Hildenbrand, guest musician, performed during interludes in the competition
when judges were completing their scoring.

Lion Chris McCarty welcomed guests to the competition and served as master of ceremonies.
Lion Gary Myers organized the event as chairman of the local Lion Bland Contest and also
serves as the district competition chair.

During breaks in the competition, McCarty shared the history of the Bland competition, the
Lions, and some facts about the numerous Vinton Breakfast Lions activities.

There are approximately 50,000 Lions Clubs in over 200 countries, with over 1.4 million
members around the world, reportedly the largest service organization in the world. They
celebrated their 100 th anniversary in 2017.

The Vinton Breakfast Lions Club was chartered in 1985 and is part of Lions of Virginia District
24C (with 59 clubs). Its members fulfill their motto—“We Serve”—in community outreach in a
multitude of ways throughout the year. They sponsor many fundraising events including a
Pancake Breakfast during the Vinton Fall Festival and their Spaghetti Dinner prior to the Vinton
Christmas Parade. Proceeds from all Breakfast Lions’ fundraisers go back into the local
community and communities across the Commonwealth, the nation, and the world.

The local Lions are well-known for their broom sales which provide support for eyeglasses and
eye exams for needy children. They maintain the bright yellow eyeglass collection boxes at the
Bonsack and Vinton Kroger’s. Donated eyeglasses are sorted by prescription by local Lions
members at the Lions Eyeglass Recycling Center in Roanoke and then distributed around the
world. The Breakfast Lions conduct vision screenings in many area schools and
preschools—both private and public.

One of their most important functions is sponsoring the Leo Club at William Byrd High School.
Leo Club members, and their sponsor, Lisa Stover, assist with virtually all Vinton Lions Club
projects, including the music scholarship competition.

Each spring, the club awards five $1,000 scholarships to seniors at William Byrd High School in
memory of Wallace Cundiff and two scholarships to Staunton River High School seniors in
memory of Lion Ryan Chambers.

Lions place a great emphasis on helping youth. Each year the Breakfast Lions sponsor a
Christmas shopping trip for about 20 students from Herman L. Horn and W.E. Cundiff
Elementary Schools.

The Lions Club participates in the Lions of Virginia Foundation which assists local Virginia
communities in disaster relief.

In the Vinton community, the Breakfast Lions have taken on legacy projects in the preservation
of the historic Gladetown Cemetery, in building a picnic shelter for the community at Herman L.
Horn Elementary, and funding two Metro bus shelters at Kroger and PFG. In their latest project,
the District 24C Lions and the Lions Club International Foundation are partnering with the new
Carilion Pediatric Center to enrich the lives of pediatric cancer patients.