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John and Susie Beatty have underwritten the Beatty Music Scholarship Competition to celebrate and encourage young musicians in the Washington, DC region. 


The classical guitar is the featured instrument class, acknowledging nearly 100 years of strong support for this instrument in the Washington, DC area.  In 1993 the International Conservatory of Music began the John E. Marlow Guitar Series, which brings leading international classical, jazz and flamenco guitarists to Washington, DC to perform recitals, teach classes, and give lectures, and in 2007 ICM added the Beatty Competition to its list of community programs.


In the 2007 inaugural year, 22 students competed for $4,500 in scholarships in three age divisions: Youth (up to 12 years old), junior (13-15 years old) and senior (16-18 years old).  In 2008 29 students performed in the competition and in 2009 the Beatty Competition saw 38 students compete.


The Competition is held at George Washington University in downtown Washington, DC. 

In 2010, students will compete for $7,450 in scholarships, including a $1,000 scholarship to be awarded to the student producing the best performance of a Heitor Villa-Lobos composition.  


The Grand Prize Winner will receive an additional $750 scholarship in addition to their age division prize.  The International Conservatory of Music will feature the Grand Prize winner in a short opening recital at the March 20, 2008 performance in the John Marlow Guitar Series (more information is available at www.marlowguitar.org).


Application to the competition is free and all performances are free to the public.  The first two days of the 2010 Competition are March 13th and 14th, to be held at the GWU Music Department, 802 22nd Street, NW, Room B120, Washington, DC 20052 (exact times to be posted closer to the actual competition dates).  The final round of the competition will be held at 6:30 pm on March 15th at a location yet to be determined. The Marlow Guitar Series performance on March 20th will be held at the Westmoreland Congregational United Church of Christ, 1 Westmoreland Circle, Chevy Chase, MD 20816.