BROOKINGS — Twenty-seven students in the Brookings area recently participated in the National Piano Playing Auditions. The auditions, sponsored by the National Guild of Piano Teachers, Division of the American College of Musicians are held each spring in hundreds of cities throughout the nation.

Each student performed a program of pieces for a guild adjudicator and received a written critique of their performance. They were also awarded a pin and a certificate, as well as a year’s membership in the National Fraternity of Student Musicians.

Four Local certificates were awarded to Caitlin Collins, Angela Deutz, William Deutz, and Gabriela Mejia Valencia, all of whom played whom played two or three memorized pieces.

Seven District certificates were awarded to Makenzi Hawks, Katherine Kroger, Macy Mueller, Emma Olson, Josiah Schubert, Zoe Schubert, and Natalie Thaden, all of whom played four, five or six memorized pieces.

Five State certificates were awarded to Jackson Hahn, Jack Jeppesen, Isabel Karels, Camden Olson, and Obed Sobolayi, all of whom played seven, eight or nine memorized pieces.

Six National certificates were awarded to Sabastian Bui, Liam Diercks, Sydney Hahn, Xochi Markel, Sash Prager, and Kinley Schubert, all of whom played 10, 11 or 12 memorized pieces.

Five International certificates were awarded to Lucy Diercks, Davina Lafoma, Frida Markel, Alaina Overby, and Elise Ulvestad, all of whom played 15 memorized pieces.

Participating teachers who are members of the National Guild of Piano Teachers include Sheila Dailie from Milbank, Mary Hunter from Madison, Cynthia Jorgensen from Lake Benton, Minnesota, Deb Kalsbeck from Brookings, and Nancy Sandro from Hendricks, Minnesota. This year’s adjudicator was Rennae Peterson from Sioux Falls.