ECB Concerto Competition

2025 EARL C. BENSON CONCERTO COMPETITION

About the Competition

The Medalist Concert Band is pleased to continue its sponsorship of an annual performance competition for high school band students. Named for a long-time music educator and the original conductor of the Medalist Concert Band, the Earl C. Benson Concerto Competition is now in its fifteenth year.

The purposes of the competition are to identify talented wind and percussion musicians and to encourage high school students to pursue further musical study. In doing so, the competition supports one of the key tenets of the Medalist Concert Bandʼs mission statement: to provide young musicians with a model of music as a lifelong hobby.

2025 Competition Winner: Ryan Vecchio

Ryan Vecchio is a junior at Edina High School and has been playing tuba since the summer before fifth grade. His main teacher is Ben Parke, but he also studies with Steve Campbell. Ryan is in his third year as the tuba player in the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphony (GTCYS). He won the GTCYS concerto competition in October 2024, and he performed the Gregson Tuba Concerto with the orchestra in February 2025. Ryan also performs in Edina High School’s Concert Band and in the school’s top jazz band on trombone. In addition, he is a member of the No Limits Brass Choir, directed by Ben Parke, in which he plays both trombone and tuba. 

This summer, Ryan will spend six weeks at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute, which is run in partnership with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. While there, he will be a member of the Young Artists Orchestra, which is considered one of the nation’s premier high school programs. 

When Ryan isn't playing the tuba, he enjoys mountain biking with his friends, participating in Model UN, and working as a lifeguard at the Edina Aquatic Center.

EARL C. BENSON COMPETITION WINNERS

2010 | Carley Olson, clarinet | Watertown-Mayer HS
2011 | Timothy Morris, euphonium | Hopkins HS
2012 | Hallie Houser, flute | Eastview HS
2013 | Brandon Caplin, percussion | Apple Valley HS
2013 | Kaitlyn Mann, clarinet | Rosemount HS
2014 | Olivia Nichols, alto saxophone | Eastview HS
2015 | Brenna Sherman, flute | Rochester Lourdes HS
2016 | Anders Peterson, clarinet | Northfield HS
2017 | Lauren Swee, trombone | Waconia HS
2018 | Duncan Henry, bassoon | Prior Lake HS
2019 | Adam Pazandak, alto saxophone | Bloomington Jefferson HS
2020 | Joe Mahin, euphonium | Wayzata HS
2022 | Jacob Welch, alto saxophone | Lakeville South HS
2023 | Arlo Hollander, trombone | Robbinsdale Cooper HS
2024 | Christian Garner, trumpet | Minnetonka HS
2025 | Ryan Vecchio, tuba | Edina HS

Upcoming Performances

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