The Community Music School's Camerton String Quartet took two Firsts in the Midwest Young Artists 5th Annual Discover Chamber Competition in the North Shore Chicago suburb of Highland Park on Sunday.

The Camerton, part of the Prepatory Program (PREP) of Webster University's Community Music School, placed first in the String Division and First Overall in the Open Division of the competition, sponsored by the Discover Card financial network.

The members of the Camerton are Rebekah Heckler, Godfrey, IL, violin (home school); Julia Son, Ballwin, MO, violin (Marquette High School); Sean Byrne, Chesterfield, MO, viola (Parkway Central High School); and Nomin Zolzaya, St. Louis, MO, cello (home school). For the competition, they performed the Shostakovich String Quartet No. 10, Op. 118, II. Allegro furioso, and the Brahms String Quartet in a minor, Op. 51, No. 2, I. Allegro ma non troppo.

The annual competition provides both an educational and a competitive experience for young chamber ensembles with members in 12th grade and younger, with the contestants competing for over $5,000 in cash prizes and scholarships.

The winner of each division will perform in a recital on Sunday, March 4, 2012 at 3 p.m. at the Chicago Cultural Center in Chicago's Loop.

The Preparatory Program, for gifted high school music students pursuing a career in music, has been recognized for excellence by the National Endowment for the Arts with three grants, including one for $28,000 for 2011-12. PREP Artistic Director and Founder Vera Parkin was named the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra's Educator of the Year for 2011.