MARTINSBURG, W.Va. – Two students from Saint Joseph School in Martinsburg recently dominated at the Mountain State Piano Competition in Huntington, W.Va.

Fifth-grader Freyja Dreflak won first place in the elementary division for her composition titled “Endless Summer.” The judges considered her piece rhythmically interesting and melodically beautiful. She performed her work Oct. 26 for members of the West Virginia Music Teachers Association (WVMTA) at Shepherd University.   

Brandon Lu, a seventh-grader, placed second in the junior high division of the piano competition on Nov. 2 at Marshall University in Huntington. Lu, who was among eight elite junior pianists who competed, performed “Clair de Lune” by Claude Debussy and “Asturias,” Op. 47, No. 5 by Isaac Albeniz.

Dreflak and Lu are students at the Virtuoso Music School in Kearneysville, W.Va. They have been studying piano with Yevgeniya Jenny Anderson, a nationally certified teacher of music, since they were 8 years old. 

The Mountain State event featured elementary, junior, senior and collegiate musicians who wrote musical compositions or performed on brass, woodwind or string instruments. It was part of the annual WVMTA conference, which was held Oct. 31 to Nov. 2 at Marshall University. 

Each year, the competition and conference are hosted in a different location around the state. Next year, it will be at Shepherd University in Shepherdstown. 

More information about WVMTA and the Mountain State music competitions can be found at www.wvmta.org/state-competitions.