Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The North Carolina Federation of Music Clubs hosts 13 Junior Festival Music events each year as part of the national program.

Students from the music studio of Teresia Ann Queen of Advance, as part of the Wake Forest district, brought home four state titles and scholarships from this year’s nationally recognized state finals.  The district includes Advance and Clemmons.

More than 4,000 students competed state-wide.  Local competition winners continued to the state finals on the campus of UNCG.

• Hymn playing is one of the many NFMC state finals categories.  There are five classes and two local students won.

First time state finalist, Sean Lane, won the state title for the Carolyn Jones Summerlin Hymns Class I event. He was also the Wake Forest Junior Festival Event winner. His winning music included: a Jewish Traditional Hymn “Siman Tov” and a contemporary hymn written by Dan Tuttle “Hosanna.”   

Sean is the son of John and Jackie Lane and a rising junior at Davie County High School. He attends River Oaks Church. Sean is a member of the National Honor Society and involved in several music performing groups at Davie. He enjoys crafting, playing tennis and playing the piano.  He is a five year member and participant of NFMC and competed in six performing Junior Festival events this past spring with a score of Superior in all.

• Katelynn Beadle is again, for the third consecutive year, a winner in the Hymn Playing event, capturing the state title for the Peggy Robinson Matthews Hymn Playing Class III event for 2023.  For her winning performances, Katelynn played:  a traditional hymn “To God Be the Glory” and a contemporary hymn written by Eddie Espinoza “Change My Heart, O God.”

She is the daughter of David and Jeanette Beadle of Clemmons. She is homeschooled and a rising sophomore.  Katelynn is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints of the Tanglewood Ward where she sometimes plays the organ and the piano for services.  Her hobbies include: reading, crocheting, playing the guitar, ukulele, piano and working out.

Katelynn is also interested in classic cars and animals.  She is a multiple festival gold cup winner at the NCFMC annual junior festival and has been a five year member.

• Elijah Beadle, Katelynn’s brother, also won an NCFMC state title this year as a vocalist competing in the Sara Copley Moore Folk Singing Cup.  Mrs. Moore, a musician and former public school music teacher, endowed the award to NCFMC to help keep an awareness of American heritage in folk music alive for generations of young vocal musicians.  Eli, 16, was the Wake Forest winner with a perfect score of 100, and went on to capture the state title at UNCG.  His winning performances included the spiritual “My Lord What a Morning” and folksong “The Erie Canal.” Eli is also a five year member of NFMC and is on track to receive his 6 year festival gold cups in his singing events in 2024.

Eli’s hobbies include reading, fishing, running and singing.  His future plans are to attend college and study biology or history and to serve a mission for the church.  Eli is a homeschooled rising junior, and attends the Jesus Christ Church of Latter Day Saints, Tanglewood ward in Clemmons.  His parents are David and Jeanette Beadle of Clemmons.

• This was the second year for the Sacred Music Piano Solo Scholarship which was added to the list of 19 scholarships offered annually by the NC chapter of NFMC in 2022.   The scholarship is an endowment given to NCFMC and sponsored by Allen and Teresia Queen.

First time NCFMC competitor, Olivia Rareshide, is the 2023 winner.  She is the daughter of Steve and Melissa Rareshide of Advance and attends Ellis Middle School where she will be an eighth grader in the fall.

Olivia is 13 and attends Holy Family Catholic Church.  She enjoys playing basketball, tennis, is on the swim team, participates in competition math and also plays the oboe.  She was the Wake Forest winner in her event with the highest score and performed “Come thou Fount of Every Blessing” and “Victory in Jesus” as her winning competition pieces.

Olivia was asked to perform at the annual NCFMC State Winners’ Recital held at the end of May and will be included in the fall issue of the national NFMC magazine, Junior Keynotes.