Sergio A. Mims: Music Institute of Chicago Students Place 1st at Sphinx Competition in Detroit, Win Big at Other Competitions

Hannah White

Sergio A. Mims forwards this release from Jill Chukerman of the Music Institute of Chicago:

MUSIC INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO ACADEMY STUDENT PLACES FIRST IN 

18TH ANNUAL SPHINX COMPETITION JUNIOR DIVISION

Music Institute Students Win Big at Other Recent Competitions

Music Institute of Chicago students, including those studying through its Community School and those enrolled in its Academy for gifted pre-college musicians (designated below with *), continue to demonstrate the results of the organization’s high-quality instruction by excelling at annual competitions. These students live in the city of Chicago and suburbs throughout the Chicago area, as well as in nearby towns in Wisconsin. Sphinx Competition January 28–February 1, 2015 At the 18th Annual Sphinx Competition, Hannah White became the fifth Music Institute student to win the Junior Division during the past 10 years. Hannah, 15, lives in Germantown, Wisconsin; she studies with Almita and Roland Vamos and Hye-Sun Lee and is the Betsey and John Puth Academy Fellow. Placing second was Mira Williams, 17, from Chicago, a former student in the Music Institute’s Academy for gifted pre-college musicians who studies viola with Roland Vamos. The Sphinx competition is open to all junior high, high school, and college-age black and Latino string players residing in the U.S. The Sphinx Competition offers young black and Latino classical string players a chance to compete under the guidance of an internationally renowned panel of judges and perform with established professional musicians in a competition setting. As the Junior Division winner, Hannah receives a cash prize, solo appearances with major orchestras, performances with the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra and at the Finals Concert, and a nationally broadcast radio appearance on From the Top. She was Junior Division 3rd place Laureate in 2014 and Junior Division Semi-Finalist in 2013. Music Institute of Chicago Academy Sphinx Competition History 2015:   1st Hannah White, violin (Almita and Roland Vamos, Hye-Sun Lee) 2nd Mira Williams, former viola Academy student (Roland Vamos) 2014:   2nd place Laureate Mira Williams, viola (Marko Dreher) 3rd place Laureate Hannah White, violin (Hye-Sun Lee) 2012:   1st Ade Williams, violin (Almita and Roland Vamos) 1st (Senior Division) Gabriel Cabezas, cello alumnus (Hans Jorgen Jensen) 2011:   1st Alexandra Switala, violin (Almita and Roland Vamos) 2008:   1st Clayton Penrose-Whitmore, violin (Almita and Roland Vamos) 2006:   1st Gabriel Cabezas, cello (Hans Jorgen Jensen) Walgreens National Concerto Competition December 28 and 29, 2014 The 19th annual Walgreens National Concerto Competition was hosted by Midwest Young Artists (MYA) on December 28 and 29, 2014 at the MYA Center at Fort Sheridan and at Bennett Gordon Hall at Ravinia. Prizes for this solo competition included an opportunity to perform with the MYA Symphony Orchestra and on the prestigious From the Top radio program. Music Institute students who placed include: Senior Division Other Instruments Category Honorable Mention Daniel Aisenberg, clarinet, 15, Skokie | student of Barbara Drapcho Junior Division String Category Honorable Mention Liam Diethrich, violin, 12, Highland Park | student of Sonia Hadar Early Music Category Co-Winners Rowena Bakke, cello, 13, Buffalo Grove | student of Abbey Hansen Maia Law, violin, 13, Winnetka | student of Addison Teng Open Senior Division String Category Honorable Mention Joshua Brown*, violin, 15, Gurnee | student of Almita and Roland Vamos Nicholas Brown*, violin, 18, Gurnee | student of Almita and Roland Vamos Karisa Chiu*, violin, 15, Palatine | student of Almita Vamos Krystian Chiu*, cello, 18, Palatine | student of Hans Jorgen Jensen Serena Harnack*, violin, 16, Glen Ellyn | student of Almita Vamos Nathan Mo*, cello, 16, Rolling Meadows | student of Hans Jorgen Jensen Julian Rhee, violin, 14, Brookfield Wisconsin | student of Hye-Sun Lee Voice Category Winner Dana Pepowski, alto, 16, Lake Forest | student of Dorothy Jean Lloyd Early Music Category Honorable Mention: Dana Pepowski, alto, 16, Lake Forest | student of Dorothy Jean Lloyd Open Junior Division String Category Honorable Mention Isabella Brown, violin, 12, Gurnee | student of Almita and Roland Vamos John Heo, violin*, 14, Northbrook| student of Almita Vamos and Cornelius Chiu Claudia Yoon, cello, 11, Vernon Hills | student of David Cunliffe Piano Category Honorable Mention Aliya Alsafa, piano, 10, Joliet | student of Ralph Neiweem Early Music Category Winner Aliya Alsafa, piano, 10, Joliet | student of Ralph Neiweem Early Music Category Honorable Mention Isabel Chen, piano, 11, Northbrook | student of Inah Chiu Claudia Yoon, cello, 11, Vernon Hills | student of David Cunliffe Central Region Association of Teachers of Singing (CRNATS) January 8, 2015 First Place, Student Auditions Division IV High School Women Lindsay Whisler, 17, Winnetka | student of Lisa Griffith In addition to a cash prize, Lindsay is qualified to compete in the National Student Auditions in April and may continue to the live finals at the University of North Carolina in July. DePaul Concerto Festival for Young Performers January 10, 2015 The DePaul Concerto Festival for Young Performers was founded in 2003 to provide an opportunity for intermediate level pianists in the Community Music Division to perform with an orchestra. Since then, the Festival has expanded to include students outside the Community Music Division and those who play violin, cello, flute, viola, clarinet, oboe and bassoon. A partnership was formed in 2007 with the Oistrach Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Mina Zikri. Winning soloists will perform with members of the Oistrach Symphony Orchestra on Saturday, March 14, 2015, as part of the Winter Youth Orchestra Concert. Cello Winners Leevy Williams*, 16, Chicago | student of Gilda Barston Honorable Mention with Distinction Krystian Chiu*, 18, Palatine | student of Hans Jorgen Jensen Honorable Mention Mia Wimbiscus, 11, Wilmette | student of Gilda Barston Claudia Yoon, 11, Vernon Hills | student of David Cunliffe Piano Honorable Mention Tyeese Braslavsky, 14, Buffalo Grove | student of Milana Pavchinskaya Won Yang, 12, Wilmette | student of Elaine Felder Viola Winner Katherine Gallagher*, 18, Naperville | student of Almita Vamos Violin Winners Joshua Brown*, 15, Gurnee | student of Almita Vamos Karisa Chiu*, 15, Palatine | student of Almita Vamos Steven Song*, 15, Naperville | student of Gerardo Ribeiro Honorable Mention Isabella Brown, 12, Gurnee | student of Almita Vamos Kitsho Hosotani*, 14, Wilmette | student of Paul Vanderwerf Barbara Juminaga, 12, Highland Park | student of Hye-Sun Lee Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra’s Arthur D. Montzka Young Artists Concerto Competition January 10, 2015 Nathan Mo*, 16, Rolling Meadows, cello student of Hans Jorgen Jensen, is the winner and will perform with the Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra in March. Music Teachers National Association  January 15, 2015 The Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Competitions consist of three levels: State Competition, Division Competition, and National Finals. The state competitions are considered the primary educational level with the division and national levels showcasing outstanding performance and honoring significant pedagogical achievement. Finalists competing at Nationals in Las Vegas in March Maya Anjali Buchanan*, violin, 14, Rapid City, SD | student of Almita and Roland Vamos winner of the Junior Strings West Central Division Competition representing South Dakota Josiah Yoo*, cello, 16, Northbrook | student of Hans Jorgen Jensen winner of the Senior Strings East Central Division representing Illinois Julian Rhee, violin, 14, Brookfield Wisconsin | student of Hye-Sun Lee winner of the Junior Strings East Central Division representing Wisconsin These three also won their state competitions to advance to the regionals, as did these Music Institute students:  Tabby Rhee*, violin, 17, Brookfield Wisconsin | student of Hye-Sun Lee (Junior Division/Wisconsin) Ria Honda*, violin, 14, Wilmette  | student of Almita Vamos (Junior Division/Illinois) MTNA Composition Contest Finalists Aliya Alsafa, 10, Joliet | composition student of Dr. Matt Hagle placed first in the elementary division of the Illinois competition and in the East Central regional competition and won second prize in her division of the National contest Holden Mui, 12, Lisle | composition student of Dr. Matt Hagle placed first in the junior division Illinois competition and in the East Central regional competition and was a finalist in his division of the National contest 2015 Johansen International Competition for Young String Players January 17, 2015 The Johansen International Competition (JIC) for Young String Players ages 13–17 (violin, viola, cello) takes place only once every three years. This year’s competition received more applications than ever before, from 19 countries. Thirty semi-finalists will represent nine countries—only 11 violinists, eight violists, and 11 cellists will compete for $67,000 in prize money in March in Washington, D.C. Finalists Maya Anjali Buchanan*, violin, 14, Rapid City, SD | student of Almita and Roland Vamos Julian Rhee, violin, 14, Brookfield Wisconsin | student of Hye-Sun Lee West Suburban Symphony Society January 17, 2015 Each year since its founding, the West Suburban Symphony Society has provided an opportunity for high school instrumentalists and vocalists to compete to perform a solo work with orchestra as a way to inspire, educate, and foster the musical talent of young adults. Karisa Chiu*, 16, Palatine, violin student of Almita Vamos, is the winner of the 2014–15 competition and will perform a selection from Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D Major on the May 17 concert at Hinsdale Central High School. Illinois Music Educators Association All-State Festival & Conference  January 28–31, 2015 Music Institute Academy students who were invited to be part of the Honors Orchestra after performing in the district festivals: Serena Harnack*, concertmaster, 16, Glen Ellyn | student of Hye-Sun Lee and Almita Vamos Gallia Kastner*, violin, 17, Arlington Heights | student of Almita Vamos Nathan Mo*, cello, 16 | Rolling Meadows | student of Hans Jorgen Jensen Nathan Walhout*, cello, 17 | Wheaton | student of Gilda Barston Alexandra Kim*, cello, 16 | Wilmette | student of Hans Jorgen Jensen Robert Stanger Young Artists Concerto Audition February 7, 2015 Winner Joshua Brown*, violin, 15, Gurnee | student of Almita and Roland Vamos Joshua will perform with the Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra later this year. Third Place Steven Song*, violin, 15, Naperville | student of Girardo Ribeiro Music Institute of Chicago The Music Institute of Chicago is a community music school dedicated to transforming lives through music education. The institution exists to lead everyone in its community toward a lifelong engagement with music. Founded in 1931, the Music Institute has grown to become one of the three largest and most respected community music schools in the nation. Offering musical excellence built on the strength of its distinguished faculty, commitment to quality, and breadth of programs and services, the Music Institute is a member of the National Guild for Community Arts Education and accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Pre-collegiate Arts Schools (ACCPAS). Each year, the Music Institute’s teachers and arts therapists reach thousands of students and clients of all ages and levels of experience. Music Institute locations include Chicago, Evanston, Winnetka, Lincolnshire, Lake Forest, and Downers Grove. In addition, the Music Institute is proud of its longstanding partnership with the Chicago Public Schools through its Arts Link program. The Music Institute offers lessons and classes, creative arts therapy, and concerts through its Community School, Academy, Institute for Therapy through the Arts (ITA), and Nichols Concert Hall. ### Photo: Hannah White.

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