NEDERLAND — Nederland High junior pianist Seth Weeks topped the list when the Symphony of Southeast Texas announced the results of the 2020 Concerto Competition.

The 17-year-old Nederland native was the winner of the competition, receiving a $750 scholarship and a chance to join the symphony on stage at the Youth Education Concert on April 15.

Weeks, who has been playing the piano for over seven years, said he is ecstatic to be bringing the first-place title home to Nederland.

“It’s a great honor to receive,” he said.

Weeks performed Concerto in D by Franz Joseph Haydn, a piece he practiced for more than six months.

“The piece is in what we call Sonata form,” he said. “It’s from the classical era, so it’s a different style and is more of a basic chord structure. There’s a lot of fast movements in it, but it was simple and fun to perform.”

Roughly 15 students from Region 5 schools across the area competed for the title. Students were instructed to prepare their concerto movement entirely from memory.

Weeks said he is honored to be joining the Symphony of Southeast Texas to perform his concerto.

“It’s definitely a great experience being young and not a professional yet to be playing with a real symphony,” he said. “It will be a great learning experience to see how that kind of stuff works, so that when I do become a real professional I will be ahead in experience.”

Weeks plans to enhance his musical career through high school and into college.

He also extended his thanks to past and present musical teachers, including Kathleen Odom from Port Neches, Dr. Jacob Clark from Lamar University and Nederland band director Greg Rose.

While several students have placed in the Concerto Competition, Rose said Weeks is the first in the district to receive first place.

Rose said he is extremely proud of Weeks’ accomplishments as a musician and student.

“Seth is very talented,” he said. “He is also someone who is really nice to have in a full class like band because he is real attentive and gets the whole ensemble picture. So for somebody who works hard to receive an honor like, it’s is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for him.”