Meredith Bixel, a senior at Bluffton High School and daughter of Dean and Brenda Bixel of Bluffton, was the recipient of the Hurless Award on April 2.

The $500 award was given to her by Don Hurless in memory of his late wife, at the 51st annual Young Artists Competition at the Ohio State University in Lima.

Meredith competed in the competition which is sponsored by the Friends of the Symphony. She performed the Piano Concerto Opus 23 No. 2 in D minor by Edward MacDowell and was accompanied by Kathleen Price who is also her piano teacher.

Musicians from around the world compete for thousands of dollars in scholarship money and the opportunity to perform as a featured soloist with the Lima Symphony next season.

The Hurless Award was established in 1987 and is given to a Lima area high school musician for outstanding piano performance.