Ciara Benham
Staff Writer
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A sophomore music performance major at Murray State was triumphant in a Kentucky Music Teachers Association competition after submitting an audition in October. 

Luke Weatherly, from Paris, Tennessee, won the Bluegrass Brass Young Artist Competition for ages 19-26 for three solo trombone pieces. 

Weatherly is a student of Li Kuang, professor of music, who informed him about the opportunity to compete in the KMTA competition. As an aspiring professional musician, Weatherly jumped on the chance to enter.

“I get to put myself out there in the small world of music,” Weatherly said. “The countless hours of working on details in the music and my sound pays off when I get to perform.”

The KMTA competition required Weatherly to submit three video recordings of his audition pieces by Oct. 30. Weatherly chose the pieces “Trombonsillo” by Carolina Calvache, “Hommage a Bach” by Eugene Bozza and “Parable XVIII” by Vincent Persichetti.

The three pieces are written in different styles and in different time periods, so it took a lot of preparation. Weatherly practiced by listening to professional recordings of the pieces as well as practicing alone and with Kuang.

“I have to make an inanimate object sing, so every step of the way I’m focused on being as expressive as possible,” Weatherly said. “When I get on stage it becomes second nature.”

A week before Christmas, Weatherly received the results of the competition while driving around Nashville, Tennessee, with a fellow trombone player. When he found out he won he felt reassured about his passion and talent. 

“It gave me such a boost of confidence and humility,” Weatherly said. “It always feels good to know my process is working, so it’s all the more important that I keep going.”

Since coming to Murray State, Weathlery has been heavily involved in the music program as a member of a wind ensemble, jazz orchestra, concert choir and smaller ensembles. Weatherly said these experiences have helped shape his progress and success in music. 

“Murray State has been extremely hospitable to me, and the music faculty has really helped push me leaps and bounds ahead of where I started just one and a half years ago,” Weatherly said. “The directors are smart, passionate and driven people; simply being around them makes me a better musician.”