TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Jerry Welker, a student in The University of Alabama’s School of Music, is this year’s recipient of the Music Teacher’s Association Brass Soloist of the Year Award. Welker, a senior from Tuscaloosa, was selected as the best brass soloist from all brass students in the nation.

Each year, music students across the nation participate in this competition at the state level. One winner from each state is selected to compete at the regional level. After five regional winners are selected they proceed to the national competition where one overall winner is chosen.

Welker, who plays the French horn, received a cash award of $2,500 as part of his prize. In August, he also was invited to perform at the Music Teacher’s Association National Convention in Nashville.

According to Charles Snead, music professor and Welker’s instructor for the past 10 years, not all of Welker’s success can be attributed to talent alone. “His attitude is exemplary,” Snead said. “No doubt he has been successful because he has remained very focused and has devoted a lot of time and effort to his music.”

In addition to winning the Brass Soloist of the Year Award, Welker recently finished in the top five in the professional division at the American Horn Competition. This competition is the largest of its kind in the Western Hemisphere and is open to horn players at any age level. “To finish in the top five there is an unprecedented achievement for someone so young,” said Snead.

After graduation, Welker’s main goal is to audition for symphonies, although he has not ruled out the possibility of graduate school.

The School of Music is housed in UA’s College of Arts and Sciences, the University’s largest division and the largest public liberal arts college in the state, with approximately 5,500 undergraduates and 1,000 graduate students. The College has received national recognition for academic excellence, and the College’s students have been selected for many of the nation’s top academic honors, including 13 Rhodes Scholarships, 14 Goldwater Scholarships, seven Truman Scholarships, and 15 memberships on USA Today’s Academic All-American teams.