The lilting tones of woodwinds, the searing melancholy of strings and the boom of brass instruments emanated from Spaulding Auditorium yesterday afternoon, but this was no ordinary practice session of one of the College's myriad ensembles.
The music was fraught with concentration and determination as students competed not only for critical acclaim but for cash prizes in the annual Culley Competition.
The Culley competition selects the best performance by undergraduate musicians in three divisions, brass, woodwind and stringed instruments. It awards prizes of $200 and $100 for first and second place.
According to Max Culpepper, who directs the Dartmouth Marching Band and the Dartmouth Wind Symphony, the Culley Competition is a resource not only for students but for the music department, which is comparatively small.
"A lot of our best students are majoring in something else, and this is a way to stimulate interest in the music major and in solo performing," Culpepper said.
He added that judges are invited from other colleges to ensure fairness.
The Culley Competition began in 1987 and is funded by the family of Maryly Culley '86, a career musician who was highly involved in music at Dartmouth.
