Sisters pianist called 'exceptional'

Sisters pianist Cammi Benson, age 10, performed in the National Piano Guild competition held in California on July 24.

She performed the Bach Repertoire, consisting of 10 pieces written by Bach - played completely from memory - in addition to two-octave scales, and major/minor chord progressions.

She scored 23 out of a possible 24 points, which places her performance as "exceptional" in national ranking.

Benson was the youngest student to perform the Bach program at this competition, which is usually performed by teens and adults. This is Benson's third year competing at the National Piano Guild.

Benson studies piano in Sisters with Donna Moyer. Moyer uses the Piano Guild competition guidelines, and corresponds with the Piano Guild mentors to help Cammi prepare her programs for judging.

In addition to her classical studies, Cammi enjoyed accompanying the Sisters Elementary School choir in several concerts last year. She is entering fifth grade at Sisters Middle School this fall. She auditioned and was accepted into the SMS Jazz Band.