Since 1948, Lions Clubs across VA have held music competitions and awarded cash scholarships to youth at regional and state levels. They are called “Bland Music Contests,” named for the African-American composer James A. Bland (1854–1911), who was one of the greatest writers of American folk songs and composed over 700 songs.
On March 10th, Northern VA Lions Clubs hosted eight persons in a competition. Shown in the photo (L to R): Yanglan Xu (Oakton HS), Yasmin Gerardi (Potomac Falls HS), Rebecca Lipshultz, (Potomac Falls HS), Angela Zhang (Cooper MS), Noah Zimmerman ((James Madison HS), Raelyn Hoang (Mercer MS), and Kayleigh Hoang (John Champe HS). Not shown: Claire Wang (Cooper MS).
Congratulations to the both the top two vocalists and instrumentalists who received cash awards and now advance to the next level of competition: Raelyn Hoang, Rebecca Lipshultz, Angela Zhang, and Yasmin Gerardi. Presenting the awards of Fairfax Lion Jeff Root.