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CORVALLIS - Four Oregon musicians will compete for a total of $12,500 in scholarships to further their professional music careers during the Lillian and Paul Petri Music-Study Scholarship competition on Saturday, March 6, in Benton Hall Room 303 on the Oregon State University campus.

The Petri Music-Study Scholarship is administered every other year by the Benton County Foundation. The original award was established through the estate of Paul Petri, professor of music and head of the OSU Department of Music from 1923 to 1947, and his wife Lillian. Since its inception in 1962, awards have been granted to 26 top Oregon musicians.

Corvallis musician Lara Wickes, oboe, won the first place award in 2002. Eugene pianists Ezra Bartz and Ji-Won Lee tied for second place and shared that award in 2002.

Applicants are required to be Oregon citizens between the ages of 21 and 35, and must be performers of voice, piano, organ, harpsichord, or orchestral instruments in the European Art Music tradition. The scholarships are intended to provide the means for broadening the scope of a musician's present training.

Adjudicators are David Stabler, classical music critic and writer for The Oregonian; Joan Paddock, professional trumpeter and professor of music at Linfield College; and Nancy Nickel, professional pianist and one of the founders of the LeRoi Nickel piano duo.

The musicians, in order of audition are: Elizabeth Shoemaker, bassoon, a doctoral candidate in music from the University of Oregon; Shannon Conley, piano, a Portland resident who is studying at the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore, Md.; Timothy Hatcher, clarinet, the director of bands at Franklin School in Corvallis; and JiYun Jeong, violin, a senior at the University of Oregon.

The judges determine the exact amounts of the individual awards. Selection of the winners will be based on the applicant's solo performance at the audition and their professional plans for the future.

The competition, which begins at 10 a.m. and concludes at 1:15 p.m., is free and open to the public. Audience members are asked to arrive early so that the auditions can begin promptly and without interruption. For more information contact Erin Sneller, auditions coordinator at 541-737-5592.