360 MTSU GUITARIST SILVIU CIULEI TAKES TWO TOP PRIZES

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 24, 2007
CONTACT: Tim Musselman, 615-898-2493

MTSU GUITARIST SILVIU CIULEI TAKES TWO TOP PRIZES IN PERFORMANCE CONTESTS

(MURFREESBORO, Tenn.)—MTSU guitar student Silviu Ciulei recently won the $2,000 second prize in the Texas International Guitar Competition in Dallas on March 24.
"This competition is recognized as one of the top guitar competitions in North America," said Dr. William Yelverton, MTSU guitar professor.
The competition is open to guitarists of all ages and has brought competitors in from Uruguay, Brazil, Finland, Nicaragua, France, Russia, Australia, New Zealand and all parts of North America. At 21, Ciulei—a junior guitar performance major—was the youngest guitarist in the competition.
"This prize is a major honor for him and is the largest cash award ever won by an MTSU guitar student in a competition," Yelverton said.
Additionally, Ciulei won the $500 second prize at the 12th Annual Appalachian State Guitar Competition held April 15 in Boone, N.C.
"This year's competition was exceptionally competitive and included guitarists from across the U.S. representing universities and conservatories in Los Angeles, Chicago, Baltimore, Hartford and Dallas," Yelverton said.
Also competing in this contest were international students representing Slovakia, Bosnia, Israel and Ecuador. (First prize was won by Cameron O'Conner, a graduate student from Cal Sate Northridge).
Yelverton said this is the fourth consecutive year that an MTSU guitar student has won a prize in this nationally recognized competition.
"The primary benefactor of the Appalachian Guitar Festival and Competition, Ralph Grosswald, was quite impressed with Ciulei and has invited him to perform a fund-raising concert in Boone next September to raise money for Ciulei to purchase a concert guitar," Yelverton said.
"This is a similar event was held last year for MTSU grad Matt Palmer that raised $6,000 for his purchase of a concert guitar," he added.
Also of note, Yelverton observed, is MTSU senior Erol Ozsever, who advanced to the semifinal round of 12 in the Appalachian State Competition. Ozsever also won second prize in the Beethoven Club Guitar Competition in Memphis last March for the consecutive time.

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