The DC Bluegrass Union has announced the winners in their inaugural running of the Mike Auldridge Instrumental Composition Contest.
After several successful years running a bluegrass song competition honoring the late Hazel Dickens, the Union decided to run a tune contest as well to honor Mike. Now the results are in, and the three winners have been revealed.
- Meet the Metro Gnome – Jim Millward, Washington, DC ($500 prize)
- Mysterious Eyes – Keith Arneson, Bowie, MD ($250 prize)
- Goodbye Lianne – Gina Clowes, Winchester, VA ($100 prize)
Though not restricted by rule to tune writers in the DC Metro area, it is fitting that all three winners in this first year hail from the area that Auldridge called home.
Judges were Tom Adams, Katy Daley, and Patrick McAvinue.
Millward is a professor of Chinese and East Asian History at Georgetown University, and plays mandolin with By and By. His tune is a jig in the Celtic tradition.
Arneson may be familiar as the more than 20 year member of the US Navy Band Country Current. Keith played banjo with them from the time Bill Emerson retired until earlier this year. His tune is a clawhammer banjo piece.
Clowes is the current banjo player with Chris Jones & The Night Drivers. Her piece blends the old time and bluegrass fiddle tune styles.
All three winning entries can be heard in their entirety on the DCBU web site.
Congratulations to the winners, and to DCBU for holding an effective first year of the Mike Auldridge Instrumental Composition Contest.
