On Super Bowl Sunday, February 2nd, 2020, there was super music performed as the Middleburg Lions Club hosted the Peter Chittick- James Bland Competition held in the Hill School Theater. Lion Ron Lang was the emcee of the event, which featured 12 contestants from locations around our area, including Middleburg, Aldie, Leesburg, Warrenton, and Paeonian Springs. The Community Music School of the Piedmont worked with the Middleburg Lions to facilitate the event, including providing judges.

The event features vocal and instrumental components and consists of junior and senior divisions. There was a delightfully wide range of music presented from Chopin Etudes to Somewhere Over the Rainbow by Arlen and Harburg.

The competition, held by Virginia Lions clubs, is a tribute James A. Bland (1854-1911), an entertainer and a prolific composer, considered among the most significant black writers of American Folk Songs. As a sustained memorial, the Lions of Virginia established the James A. Bland Music Scholarship Program in 1948 to assist and promote cultural and educational opportunities for the musically talented youth of Virginia. The Middleburg Lions Club also honored long time Lion Peter Chittick for his devotion to and support of the Bland Competition over many years.

This year's winners were Cameron Hoang, Junior Instrumental, Anna Dawson, Junior Vocal, Raelyn Hoang, Senior Instrumental, and Madeline Wooden, Senior Vocal. The winners of the Senior Division will advance to the Lions Regional Competition to be held in March in Fairfax. Congratulations to all the performers for an afternoon of beautiful music!