Every year, over 180 teams from around Minnesota come together at regional tournamentsr to celebrate and compete in classical music knowledge. A niche for music lovers, this program gives students the opportunity to learn about the history of music.

The Music Listening Contest has been a staple for music enthusiasts since its founding in 1988. It tests students in five different rounds, ranging from multiple choice to listening samples. At the beginning of the season, participants are given a 100-page study guide which is packed full of information about composers, time periods, musical pieces, and facts. Edina was originally a powerhouse, but over a decade ago the program was discontinued and did not start up again until five years ago. Now, Edina High School has three teams, one of which competed in the State Championship on Friday, Feb. 2.

The regional contest in January of this year featured three EHS teams which included students ranging from freshmen to seniors. After hours of competition, Edina took both first and second place. Unfortunately, two teams from the same school cannot move on to State, so the third place team, Wayzata, took the second spot in the state championship. “The second place team got the trophy, but they were not allowed to compete at state. They did get a certificate because they were also fifth out of the entire state [during the regional competition],” coach Paul Kile said.

The first place team, which included Sophomore John Santrizos, Sophomore Paul Gherghetta, and Freshman Soren Edman, moved ahead without their upperclassmen counterparts. “I’m fine with it because they worked hard for it. I was really there to have a good time and learn more about classical music,” senior and second place team member Jean Smith said.

On Feb. 2, EHS took fifth place in state against nineteen other teams from around the state. “All of them were excited to simply do it. . .We took a team to state but we had three other team members come along just for fun. They wanted to come just to see what it was like,” Kile said. The contest was held at Augsburg College in the main chapel, and while intense, all three of the underclassmen were excited for the opportunity to prove their knowledge. “There is palpable excitement and there’s nerves. It’s pretty geeky too. They are nerding out about music,” Kile said.

The underclassmen are excited to continue their music listening adventure throughout the rest of their high school careers. “The best part [is] probably getting to be exposed to new music because 90 percent of what’s in there I didn’t know. It’s, of course, cool to see some stuff that I did know and really like and it was also cool to find some new stuff that I like,” Santrizos said.