Music is a universal language with the power to bring people together, and Rotarians around the world share a love of music and people.
Our own District 5340 is fortunate to host an annual Youth Instrumental Music Competition, which had its beginnings over a decade ago, when Rotarian Robert (Bob) Hartsfield moved from North Lake Tahoe to Carlsbad.
As past District Governor of District 5190, Bob brought with him the idea of a music competition for students aged 14 to 18 when he moved to District 5340 and joined the Carlsbad Hi-Noon Rotary Club. He proposed that the mission of our District’s soon-to-be named Rotary Youth Instrumental Music Competition (RYIMC) be to identify and recognize student musicians demonstrating outstanding levels of excellence in talent, training and passion for music. The RYIMC’s meaningful cash prizes and recognition for our young musicians adhere to and uplift Rotary’s Four-Way Test core principles by ensuring fairness and benefit to all.
Bob Hartsfield won the Carlsbad Hi-Noon Club’s Rookie of the Year award in 2014-15 and soon began to champion and organize the new Music Competition. Together with loyal friend and hardworking assistant Bob Kreisberg, the “Bobs” grew the RYIMC through the District, adding new participating Clubs every year. In later years Bob Hartsfield hosted the North Regional Semi-Final at his retirement community, Carlsbad-to-the-Sea, and was able to secure the state-of-the-art Schulman auditorium at the Carlsbad Dove Library for the Final Concert. After Bob Hartsfield’s passing in 2021, the top prizes were named in his honor.
Coronado Rotary Club member and former Broadway actress Mary Munger Taylor then took over as District Competition Chair. Mary secured the Coronado Library as the location for the South Regional Semi-Final. During the Pandemic in 2020, at a time when gathering for musical performances was only possible virtually, the competition had to be paused, and Mary took on the challenging task of rebuilding the RYIMC programme, once concerts could resume.
As current District Chair of the RYIMC, I first heard about the competition in 2023 when I saw Mary’s call in NewsBits for clubs to participate. As a lifelong cellist and chamber musician, I was immediately interested to learn more about the competition. My Rotary Club, Downtown San Diego had not previously participated in the District RYIMC, as our priority had been to host international students participating in the San Diego Youth Symphony’s summer program.
That year, I shadowed Mary and attended the Coronado club’s competition, the Regionals and Final. The following year I organized my club’s first competition which included a pianist, a classical guitarist, a rock drummer, and a traditional Mexican music group. Our members had a blast! I also helped Mary with the District Competition, with a view to taking over as chair in 2025.
In 2025 I assumed the position of Chair of the RYIMC and found myself organizing both our own Club’s second competition and the District Competition! While a somewhat Herculean feat at the time, I moved rapidly up the learning curve, with continuing mentorship and cheerleading by Mary, as well as constant help and support from Bob Kreisberg, who is an invaluable source of institutional memory and creativity. We were proud of our marvelous 2026 RYIMC District Finals concert and of the amazingly talented students who performed. I am certain that our support of the district’s young musicians through this competition will continue to grow both in size and appreciation every year.
Left to right, Competition founder Bob Hartsfield, 2019 RYIMC winner Gabriella Beltran (flute) from La Costa Canyon High School, and Bob Kreisberg .
Gabriella has since graduated from USC and is now completing her PhD studies in music composition at USC.
Over the years the competition has built an eager following among many local music teachers and youth orchestra leaders, who see it as a wonderful opportunity for students to develop their solo performance skills. Many participating Rotary clubs have also built strong relationships with their local high school music programs through the competition. It’s been a pleasure to watch students grow as musicians, when returning to compete a second or third time, and to be able to follow their musical journeys.
Please consider joining the growing list of 5340 clubs in this vital and growing tradition of supporting our youth through music. I am happy to advise you on how to hold your own Club Contest in February 2027, which is the first stage of the RYIMC yearly journey. You can reach me at janetwhite99@hotmail.com. We also welcome your support by coming to hear these amazingly talented young people perform at the RYIMC Instrument finals in March in Coronado (Sun March 14), Pacific Beach (date TBD) and Carlsbad (date TBD), or at the Competition Winners’ Concert on Saturday April 17, 2027.