Announcing the 2023 Music Academy Competition Winners in Performance and Innovation
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Winners of the Music Academy’s Solo Piano, Duo, and Song Competitions return in 2024 to perform commissioned premieres in recital.
The Academy sends the 12 MAX (Music Academy Exchange) fellows to London this fall to perform with the London Symphony Orchestra.
Winners of Alumni Enterprise and Fast Pitch Awards are recognized for their innovative endeavors
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“Music Academy makes an unparalleled investment in the creative futures of its fellows and alums through these competitions. In addition to significant financial support, awardees receive unique, educational experiences and career-advancing opportunities.”
– Jamie Broumas, Music Academy Chief Artistic Officer
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2023 Performance Competitions
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The Music Academy’s annual Solo Piano, Duo, and Marilyn Horne Song Competitions offer fellows opportunities to showcase their exceptional talents. The 2023 winners are:
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Each winner received a cash award of $5,000. They will also have a work commissioned on their behalf by the renowned composers Anthony Cheung (solo piano), Derek Bermel (duo), and Joel Thompson (song). The winners will premiere these works in recital in Music Academy’s Hahn Hall during the opening week of the 2024 Summer Festival.
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The Duo Competition is generously endowed by Leslie and Philip Bernstein.
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2023 MAX Fellows (pictured left to right):
Chandler Currier tuba, Luke Sieve bass trombone, Michail Thompson trumpet, Tim Rinehart double bass, Oliver Leitner violin, Aaron You-Xin Li violin, Molly Prow viola, Sarah Bobrow bassoon, Mary La Blanc percussion, Alejandro Lombo flute, Jiho Seo cello, and Patrick Baek cello.
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This summer, 72 instrumental fellows auditioned for the 2023 MAX (Music Academy Exchange) program with the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO). Five LSO guest musicians David Cohen, Gareth Davies, Clare Duckworth, Peter Moore, and Nigel Thomas worked with the fellows in person this summer and adjudicated the audition, selecting 12 winners.
The Music Academy will send the cohort to London this fall to train and perform alongside the LSO. The intensive, 10-day residency includes lessons and coaching with LSO members. Each fellow receives a $1,500 award, plus travel, housing, and meals. They will perform under the baton of Susanna Mälkki for the following two programs:
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Thu, Nov 30, 2023, Barbican Centre
Susanna Mälkki conductor, Kirill Gerstein piano
GEORGE BENJAMIN Concerto for Orchestra
PAUL HINDEMITH Symphony: Mathis der Maler
SERGE RACHMANINOFF Piano Concerto No. 3
Sun, Dec 3, 2023, Barbican Centre
Susanna Mälkki conductor, Kirill Gerstein piano
CLAUDE DEBUSSY Three Nocturnes
MAURICE RAVEL Piano Concerto for the Left Hand
ALEXANDER SCRIABIN Symphony No. 4, ‘The Poem of Ecstasy’
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The Music Academy and the London Symphony Orchestra have had a vibrant partnership spanning six years. This transatlantic collaboration has provided 75 Music Academy alums with an opportunity to work with some of the world’s top conductors, perform side by side with LSO musicians, experience the European approach to music making, and share best practices in education and community engagement. Music Academy is grateful to the London Symphony Orchestra for collaborating to provide these transformative experiences for musicians on the cusp of an orchestral career.
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Support for the London Symphony Orchestra partnership has been provided in part by Linda and Michael Keston.
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INNOVATION INSTITUTE:
ALUMNI ENTERPRISE & FAST PITCH AWARDS
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The Innovation Institute empowers fellows and alums to use their goldmine of creative skills to blaze trails as artists of impact, seeding the musical landscape with new ideas and approaches.
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Awardee Niv Ashkenazi discusses slow motion practice technology with fellow Danny Jin.
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2023 ALUMNI ENTERPRISE AWARDS
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This year, nine Music Academy alums, representing seven ventures, received Alumni Enterprise Awards (at either the Founder or Prototype Award levels). 105 applications were reviewed by 27 Music Academy leaders and affiliates.
Founder Awards were given to leaders with a track record of spearheading innovative projects. These awardees received training at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business and Design Thinking Program and up to $10,000 in support for entrepreneurial projects at their organization.
Prototype Awards were given to alums developing new ventures poised for impact. These awardees received project development opportunities at Music Academy’s Summer Festival and up to $2,500 in entrepreneurial funding.
Applications for 2024 Alumni Enterprise Awards open Oct 16.
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FOUNDER AWARDEES & PROJECTS
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Molly Carr
’07 alum, viola
- New York, NY
- Founder & Artistic Director, Project: Music Heals Us: global performance and education initiatives for refugees, elderly, and those hospitalized and incarcerated
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Bruno Lourensetto
’12 alum, trumpet
Camila Barrientos Ossio
’11, ’12 alum, clarinet
- Bolivia, Brazil
- Founders & Artistic Directors, La Sociedad Boliviana de Mu?sica de Ca?mara | Projects: Música para Respirar Festival in Sucre, Bolivia, featuring the commission of MATILDE en las Ojeras de la Noche; Real-time video concerts for patients across Latin America
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Tim Maines
’22 alum, trombone
- New Haven, CT
- @trombonetimo, social media guru / influencer with millions of views on multiple platforms, increasing exposure for classical music
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Brenda Patterson
’00 alum, mezzo-soprano
- Charlottesville, VA
- Co-Founder and Director of Music, Victory Hall Opera | Projects: producing Orpheus & Erica;a ground-breaking production for Deaf and hearing performers and audiences; multi-city tour of Ned Rorem’s “Evidence of Things Not Seen”
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PROTOTYPE AWARDEES & PROJECTS
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Niv Ashkenazi
’11 alum, violin
- Los Angeles, CA
- Project: Eye for Technique; an online consulting practice introducing slow-motion technology developed to guide violinists towards greater artistry and understanding of their playing
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John Irrera
’08 alum, violin
Annie Stevens
’06 alum, percussion
- Blacksburg, VA
- Project: Practice 10K; an app/practice hub that helps musicians reach their performance goals by assisting in structuring practice sessions (with functionality to plan sessions, share data, and gamify key processes)
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Alexandra Smither
’16 alum, soprano
- Houston, TX
- Project: New Community Songbook; expanding the tradition and impact of communal singing by creating movement songs, in collaboration with organizers, poets, and composers, that demonstrates how classical music can operate in new, vital spheres
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8 new ventures were selected for the final round of the Fast Pitch Awards, presented before a live audience on July 21, 2023. Solo piano fellow Priscila Navarro was named the winner for her project Peru Piano: an anthology for inclusive education. Watch the video of her winning pitch.
Learn about all the finalists and their innovative concepts here.
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The Innovation Institute is generously supported by Lead Sponsor, the Ladera Foundation, with additional support provided by Marcy Carsey, Bobby Woods, and Cheryl & Peter Ziegler.
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ABOUT THE 2023 SUMMER FESTIVAL WINNERS
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Priscila Navarro solo piano
FAST PITCH AWARDEE
- Born in Huanuco, Peru, Priscila earned her doctorate from the University of Miami
- She was awarded the Christa Marschall-Bach Foundation Prize at the 2022 Bach Leipzig International Competition
- Priscila is director of keyboard studies at Whitworth University, and artistic director of Parnassus Music Society in Peru
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Szuyu Su solo piano
SOLO PIANO COMPETITION WINNER
- Born in Taiwan, Szuyu earned a master’s degree from The Juilliard School, studying with Yoheved Kaplinsky and Hung-Kuan Chen
- She was the second prize winner of the 2022 Mieczyslaw Munz Piano Scholarship Competition and placed in the second round of the 2021 Warsaw Chopin International Piano Competition
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Danny Jin violin
DUO COMPETITION WINNER
- Born in Gunsan, South Korea, Danny earned a bachelor’s degree at Curtis Institute of Music
- He joins the Chicago Symphony Orchestra this fall as assistant principal second violin
- He has also performed with the Royal Symphony, Seoul Philharmonic, Suwon Philharmonic, and Charleston
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Ji Youn Lee collaborative piano
DUO COMPETITION WINNER
- Born in Seoul. Korea, Ji Youn is earning her master’s degree from The Juilliard School, where she studies with Jonathan Feldman
- Awards include winning the 2019 New England Conservatory Concerto Competition, and Second Place in the 2022 Ke’alohi International Piano Competition
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Brian Cho vocal piano
MARILYN HORNE SONG COMPETITION WINNER
- Born in Toronto, Brian received his master’s degree from the University of Western Ontario
- He has served as both a collaborative pianist and an intern repetiteur with the Canadian Opera Company
- Brian was a finalist in the Classical Musician category for Forest City London Musician of the Year
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Navasard Hakobyan baritone
MARILYN HORNE SONG COMPETITION WINNER
- Armenian baritone Navasard is a second year Butler Studio Artist with Houston Grand Opera
- He received several awards in 2022, including the Sullivan Award, First Place in the Eleanor McCollum Competition, and First Prize in the Premiere Opera Foundation International Vocal Competition
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ABOUT THE 2023 MAX FELLOWS
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Patrick Baek
cello
- Born in Seoul, South Korea, Patrick graduated with a master’s degree in cello performance and literature from Eastman School of Music
- He won third prize in the 2022 Music Teachers National Association String Competition
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Mary La Blanc
percussion
- Born in Laguna Hills, California, Mary is currently earning her master’s degree at The Juilliard School
- She competed in the 2021 International Artist Competition and won second prize in the Collegiate Solo Category for marimba
- She also attended Music Academy in 2022
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Sarah Bobrow
bassoon
- Born in New Hartford, New York, Sarah earned a master’s degree at The Juilliard School
- She was a finalist in the 2021 Meg Quigley Vivaldi Competition
- She has performed with the New York Philharmonic and as principal with the Juilliard Orchestra in Carnegie Hall.
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Chandler Currier
tuba
- Born in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Chandler is earning a bachelor’s degree at The Juilliard School studying with Alan Baer
- He won the 2019 Tennessee Music Education Association Solo Competition and has appeared with The Greenwich Village Orchestra
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Oliver Leitner
violin
- Born in San Diego, California, received a bachelor’s degree from Yale University in Chemistry, and is earning his master’s degree at Yale School of Music
- He was a recipient of the 2022 Yale Music Department Selden Memorial Award, and was one of three finalists in the 2021 Yale William Waite Concerto Competition
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Aaron You-Xin Li
violin
- Born in Tainen, Taiwan, Aaron earned a master’s degree at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music
- A first-year Fellow at New World Symphony, he has played with the Evansville Philharmonic, Owensboro Symphony, and Terre Haute Symphony
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Alejandro Lombo
flute
- Born in Miramar, Florida, Alejandro graduated with his master’s degree from The Juilliard School
- He was named winner of the Sphinx Orchestral Partners Audition in 2023, and winner of the Yamaha Young Performing Artist Competition in 2019
- He also attended Music Academy in 2019
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Molly Prow
viola
- Born in Toubei, China, Molly is earning a bachelor’s degree from The Juilliard School
- In 2019, she was a silver medalist and winner of the Joseph Haydn Prize at the St. Paul String Quartet Competition, and a semifinalist at the Fischoff Chamber Competition Junior Division
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Tim Rinehart
double bass
- Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Tim is earning his bachelor’s degree at Rice University Shepherd School of Music
- He was the winner of the 2023 Les Violons du Roy Chamber Orchestra Concerto Competition
- He has performed the Houston and North Carolina symphonies
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Jiho Seo
cello
- Born in Seoul, South Korea, Jiho received a master’s degree from New England Conservatory
- In 2022, she earned first prize in the NEC Tecchler-Forster Cello Competition
- She has performed with the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra and appeared with Busan Philharmonic Orchestra as soloist
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Luke Sieve
bass trombone
- Born in Dallas, Texas, Luke earned his bachelor’s degree from the New England Conservatory
- He performs with the Cincinnati Symphony and Boston Pops Orchestra as a substitute musician
- He was a member of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra for their 2021-2022 season
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Michail Thompson
trumpet
- Born in Portland, Oregon, Michail is pursuing a master’s degree at Rice University Shepherd School of Music
- He was a winner of the SFCM Concerto Competition and also a solo finalist in the National Trumpet Competition
- He is a substitute musician with Canadian Brass and the San Francisco Symphony, Opera and Ballet
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Located in Santa Barbara, the Music Academy creates a space where exceptional talent can thrive by encouraging artists to stretch, experiment, improvise, and play. We give artists the tools they need to become not just great musicians but great leaders.
The Music Academy’s year round programs are: Sing!, a children’s choir free of charge for all participants that performs with local, national, and international partners; the annual eight-week Summer School & Festival which trains up to 140 fellows ages 18-34 and presents more than 120 performances and events, competitions, and a fully staged opera; the MAX (Music Academy Exchange) partnership with the London Symphony Orchestra; the Innovation Institute’s Alumni Enterprise Awards; and the Mariposa Series of concerts by Academy-affiliated artists. For more information, visit musicacademy.org.
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released: October 11, 2023
photos: Zach Mendez
DOWNLOAD PRESS IMAGES
(Innovation photos courtesy of artist)
Kate Oberjat (she/her/hers)
Senior Director of Content Marketing & Digital Experience
Music Academy
805-695-7908 / koberjat@musicacademy.org
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