Gilen Gottinger, a senior at Fredonia High School, has earned multiple accolades from the National Guild of Piano Teachers. Founded in 1929, the Guild is the largest nonprofit organization of piano teachers and students in the world.

Every spring, students across the U.S. participate in Guild Auditions, performing exams of increasingly difficult music. They receive grades based on their performances and their understanding of music theory and musicianship.

After earning high grades at the auditions for 10 consecutive years, Gilen won a Paderewski Medal. She went on to earn the High School Diploma in Artistic Piano Playing, which required an hour-long, memorized recital of difficult music representing multiple time-periods. Upon combining her scores from the years of auditions, the National Guild of Piano Teachers has awarded Gilen with a “Top Five” Scholarship, given to the top five students in the country who applied. The $300 prize will be applied to her future study of piano.

Gilen has been studying the piano since the age of six with retired SUNY Fredonia faculty Jannis Peterson, who expertly guided her through all the years of auditions. Gilen is an honors student who also performs in the high school musicals, plays the harp, and is captain of the varsity tennis team. She is applying to colleges to study psychology and international relations.