`Best' young talent performs at FSC.

Byline: Mary Jo Hill

FITCHBURG - The cream of the crop of the state's young musicians, ages 6 to 18, played piano, string and woodwind instruments before panels of judges Saturday at Fitchburg State College.

Self-possessed girls wearing party dresses and ribbons in their hair waited in the college halls with boys wearing shirts and ties while melodies from practice rooms filled the air.

They were among the 200 students from around the state competing in the Massachusetts Music Teachers Association's 39th annual Bay State Contest.

Music teachers send their students to compete, said Shelley Reeves, a contest coordinator and a music teacher from Carlisle.

"A teacher is pretty much selecting their finest students to come here," she said.

After outgrowing the space at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, the competition came to Fitchburg State four years ago, Ms. Reeves said.

Students must play pieces representing a span of music history, with earlier music from composers such as Johann Sebastian Bach as well as pieces by Romantics such as Frederic Chopin, she said.

"We like to see range," Ms. Reeves said.

There is a time limit on performances. The programs are shorter for the younger musicians and have a 20-minute limit for 17- and 18-year-olds.

The contest can be "horribly competitive," with rivalries among both students and teachers, she said. Some of the youngsters have been coming for six or seven years and know who they're competing against, she said.

While Ms. Reeves periodically announced winners in different divisions, Raad Siraj of Brookline waited in the audience with his three children, who all performed pieces on the piano.

Seven-year-old Amir Siraj ate a lollipop as he waited for the results in his division.

Amir, who has played the piano for about three years, said he performed a waltz by Robert Schumann and a sonatina by Muzio Clementi. He thought he had done "really good" and was not nervous when he played, he said.

Next to him was his 10-year-old sister, Yasmin, who said she practices about an hour a day without prodding.

"I like it a lot. Sometimes, I might forget (to do) it," she said.

"Practice is all about getting the notes," Yasmin said. Performance is about making sure you have the emotion and have fun, she said.

Both Yasmin and her 13-year-old sister, Layla, also are competitive figure skaters. Yasmin ranks first in New England and Layla seventh in their

divisions, their father said.

Layla said she gets up at 5:30 a.m. to spend two hours practicing the piano.

But she doesn't pay attention to competing with other students, she said.

"We're immune to competition," Layla said. "We've been to too many of them."

When Ms. Reeves announced the winners in Amir's competition, he ended up with a third-place trophy, coming back to his seat with a big smile on his face. His father leaned over and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and congratulations.

In a performance hall, 15-year-old Sarina Huang of Westwood gave a quick bow before sitting down to perform two pieces on the piano.

At times Sarina leaned in, hovering over the keys like a mother watching over a child as the notes came gently. Other times, her arms seemed to move a bit like wings, while her fingers put melodies in flight.

Afterward, Sarina said she enjoyed the contrast between the two pieces she played.

"Gavotte" by Prokofiev is very playful when compared with "32 Variations" by Beethoven, she said.

ART: PHOTO

CUTLINE: Jeanie L. Chan of Lexington listens to her son, Christopher F. Chan, 14, practice for the contest Saturday. Christopher is reflected in a mirror.

PHOTOG: T&G Staff/TOM RETTIG