Thursday, February 12, 2015

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.

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Photo: Hannah White.
Copyright © 2015 JAC Communications, All rights reserved.

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