The Rotary Club of Claremont hosted the highly competitive regional round for the Dan Stover Music Competition at Claremont High School. The six participating high school musicians, two of whom were from CHS, had already proven themselves by winning previous rounds. The winner of this round will have a chance to compete for the Rotary 5300 District first place prize of $5,000. District 5300 includes 64 Rotary clubs in Southern California and Nevada.

Sponsored by local Rotary Clubs, these highly skilled musicians have practiced seriously for years, with many planning to continue their musical careers in college or professionally. The rules of the contest are simple: each contestant plays a four-to-eight-minute instrumental piece, which can be chosen from a variety of styles: classical, jazz, Broadway, folk, and rock.

The competition at the regional level is fierce and takes place in a controlled environment with judges and parents in attendance. No names are called and no cheering or applause is permitted until after the judges select a winner. Former Claremont High School Principal Brett O’Connor managed the event.

After the six contestants finished playing, the judges gathered in the back to pick winners.

If you thought playing in the competition was stressful, parents of the players could only watch and wait in silence until everyone was finished playing.

CHS sophomore Caleb Fong won the semi-final regional round and heads to Las Vegas. He’s been playing the violin since the age of six, and is considering a double major in college including music. He goes on to the finals at the Sheraton Fairplex in May.