Pianist Mark Werling sitting at the grand piano (on left, glasses, cap) with Chicago jazz pianist Tony Ciampa
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Info on the festival can be found on the web at http://www.va.gov, go to "Special Events", "Ceremonies and Games", then "National Creative Arts Festival".
As a winner in the annual National VA Show tour I've performed before thousands in selected cities all over the USA for five years in a row, and have continued to win Gold medals to date.
Having received local and regional notice for a few subsequent years, my first National "1st Place" Gold Medal with an invitation to appear in the NVACAF show was surprisingly for an on the spot, impromptu arrangement of the old hymn, "What a friend we Have in Jesus", ---after having auditioned other numbers I had worked on for months.
Although I didn't consider myself "religious" at that moment, the miracle of winning first place awakened my discovery of a greater miracle, of really finding new life, forgiveness, and peace with God by believing in Him.
"What a Friend" was perfomed for a standing room only crowd of several thousand at the beautiful new multi million dollar facility of the Viterbo University Auditorium in La Cross Wisconsin http://www.viterbo.edu/academic/ug/sfa/facilities/lobby.htm along with other thrilling performances that included double Grammy award winner Odell Brown and Mormon tabernacle choir soloist John Prather.
The audition I had planned worked out a little differently. The theatre auditorium of the Chillicothe V.A. Medical Center Campus, where the Central Midwest area auditions were normally conducted, was in use that day, so a chapel not in use was substituted. I had worked for months on a jazz and popular music entry and after recording, they said I could yet enter a third.
On the spot, being in a chapel, I sat at the piano and played "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" from my heart, using contemporary harmonies I'm familiar with. It soared all the way to win first in the nation. After finding out my entry won the gold, I refined the arrangement and wrote the orchestra score.
Being overwhelmed with joy and anticipation, while on the plane flight from Columbus to La Cross Wisconsin where the show took place I bowed my heart in surrender to God in thankfulness.
I would recommend to every musician to look up to God who is indeed the composer and creator of not only music but every thing of beauty and redeeming value.
In consequent years my National 1st place awards and performances were
1998 Houston Texas
Gold Medal -Classical Instrumental Award
JS Bach -Inventions and Synfonias in D
1999 Grand Junction Colo
Gold Medal -Classical Instrumental Award
W.Amadeus Mozart -Piano Sonata K545
2000 Washington, DC
Constitution Hall
Gold Medal -Jazz Piano Award
"Green Dolphin Street"
arr. Oscar Peterson
2001 Prescott Arizona
Gold Medal -Classical Instrumental Award
Fredric Chopin
Waltz in Db Major
the "Minute" Waltz
2002 Milwaukee, Wisconsin
(without appearance)
Gold Medal -Classical Instrumental Award
W.Amadeus Mozart
-23rd Piano Concerto
2003 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
(without appearance)
-Silver Medal~ Sacred Instrumental Category
W.Amadeus Mozart
-Medley: Adagio K331 / "Sweet Hour of Prayer"
-Gold Medal~ Instrumental Classical
J.S. Bach
Prelude and Fugue #13in F# Major
-Gold Medal~ Instrumental, Pop
Poinciana (The Song of the Tree)
based on Ahmad Jahmal, Live at the Pershing
2004 Salt Lake City, Utah
(without appearance)
-Gold Medal -Sacred Instrumental Category
Psalm 51 "Give me a Clean Heart"
-Gold Medal -Instrumental, Classical
"Minuette L'Antique" (Minuette in G major)
Paderewski
-Gold Medal -Instrumental, Jazz
Ragtime Piano
"From this Moment On' - Cole Porter