Second-year DMA pianist Michiko Saiki was awarded 1st Prize in the Without Words Film Festival for her work, “a, i, u, e, o.”

The film was one of 263 entries submitted under the theme Digital Superimpositions. The competition was held at the University of Lorraine, Ile du Saulcy, in Metz, France and was judged by experts from France, Malaysia, Spain and the USA. Ms. Saiki’s work was created to remind people of the tragic aftermath of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake in her native country Japan. Ms. Saiki has studied with Drs. Tom Rosenkranz and Laura Melton.