2016 CONDUCTORS, DIRECTORS, ENSEMBLES, ARTS MARKETING:
We expect WINNERS will be announced this month in virtually all remaining contests, starting with the first announcement coming later this week.

Here is the procedure for announcing winners:

1. After judges have weighed-in with rankings in the various categories, we contact the winner(s) by email and ask them to accept their prize designation(s).

2. Once we hear back positively from a winner, we post to facebook and also tweet when we will announce the winners and runners-up in that category. The announcement will be made on our blog and will include photos and bios of the winners and runners-up, and notification of any special Citations or Honorable Mentions.

3. After all the winners have been announced in all categories, we assemble and send packets of awards, evaluations and certificates to the addresses we have on file.

4. Personalized press releases will be sent to the media contacts of all winners. A copy of the press release will be sent to those individuals.

Please be patient while we make these announcements: Sometimes we are waiting to hear from an individual on our judging panel, or for an acceptance. We will announce winners as soon as we possibly can.


2016 COMPOSERS, ERNST BACON CONTESTANTS:
Certificate and award packets are being prepared now. All will be sent by the end of the month. If your address has changed since you made your original application and you have NOT already sent your new address to the office, please do so now by email theamericanprize@gmail.com

Composers who requested the return of scores will receive them with their certificate packages.

This week, will also be posting QUICKLINKS to all 2016 winners previously announced, so results are easy for everyone to find.


2017 CONTESTANTS:
This week we will begin to confirm applications for 2017 received thus far.

2017 CONTEST DEADLINES:
All 2017 contests are now updated on the website www.theamericanprize.org.

The 2017 DEADLINE for composers, vocalists, pianists, chamber ensembles and solo instrumentalists in Tuesday, March 28, 2017. Extensions for those who need more time to complete their materials are available by request. Email us at theamericanprize@gmail.com

The preliminary 2017 DEADLINE for conductors, ensembles, stage directors and arts marketers, and for the ERNST BACON MEMORIAL AWARD for the PERFORMANCE of AMERICAN MUSIC is Tuesday, April 18, 2017, with final deadlines in May.

Please email with questions: theamericanprize@gmail.com

The American Prize is honored to announce the winners, runners-up and honorable mentions of The American Prize in Band/Wind Ensemble Performance, 2016-17. Congratulations!

All applicants finalist or higher receive written evaluations from a member of The American Prize judging panel.

Complete listings of finalists and semi-finalists in The American Prize competitions may be found elsewhere on this blog. Please use the chronological tool in the right-hand column to find specific results.

Please make us aware of any misprints: theamericanprize@gmail.com


The American Prize in Band/Wind Ensemble Performance, 2016, college/university division:

The American Prize winner:
Illinois Wesleyan University Wind Ensemble
    Lev Ivanov    Bloomington IL

Illinois Wesleyan University Wind Ensemble

Founded in 1979, the Wind Ensemble is comprised of the top wind and percussion students at the university and performs the finest wind band literature. The ensemble has worked with and sponsored commissions from Pulitzer Prize winning composers such as William Bolcom, John Corigliano, Karel Husa, Jennifer Higdon, Michael Schelle, and Joseph Schwantner. In addition, the Ensemble has also had the opportunity to work with the renowned Dutch composer Louis Andreissen. The IWU Wind Ensemble annual Solo Competition allows student winners to perform as a soloist with the Ensemble. The Ensemble performs several concerts throughout the year and tours regularly. The group has appeared at the College Band Directors National Association Conference, and the Illinois Music Educators Association Conference.


2nd Place:
Hodgson Wind Symphony—UGA
    Jaclyn Hartenberger    Athens GA

Hodgson Wind Symphony—UGA

As one of the University of Georgia's large wind bands, the Wind Symphony has performed extensively throughout the Southeast, including concerts at regional conferences of the College Band Directors National Association and the annual Georgia Music Educators Association In-Service Conferences. The Wind Symphony meets year-round, performing the finest standard and new repertoire for wind band at several concerts each season in the UGA Performing Arts Center. The Wind Symphony regularly features outstanding guest artists and performs collaborative concerts with Georgia High School Bands. Membership is determined by blind audition and includes undergraduate music majors, music minors, and gifted non-majors who are preparing for careers in performance, music education, or a life-long involvement with music.


3rd Place:
Capital University Symphonic Winds
    Jeffrey D. Gershman    Columbus OH

Capital University Symphonic Winds

The Capital University Symphonic Winds, under the direction of Jeffrey D. Gershman, is the premier wind band in the Conservatory of Music. The Symphonic Winds perform programs that draw from the cornerstones of the wind literature, the finest contemporary works, and the rich and varied repertoire composed for chamber winds.  The ensemble frequently hosts nationally recognized guest soloists, guest composers, and guest conductors and its recording with the Boston Brass, “Heroes and Legends,” is available nationally through Summit Records.

Outside of their campus concerts, the ensemble has toured throughout the United States and abroad and has earned frequent invitations to perform at professional conferences. Recent appearances have included the College Band Directors National Association Regional Conference, the Ohio Music Education Association Professional Development Conference, and a week-long tour of Taiwan.



The American Prize in Band/Wind Ensemble Performance, 2016-17, community division:
  
The American Prize winner: 
The Valley Winds
    Brian Messier    Amherst MA

The Valley Winds

The Valley Winds is an artistically driven ensemble with an emphasis on being relevant to the people of Western Massachusetts: concerts designed to be accessible and enjoyable by all potential audience members; pay as you can admission; and the use of multiple performance venues in order to share our music with various populations throughout the Pioneer Valley. The Valley Winds is comprised of brass, woodwind, and percussion players from the Pioneer Valley and beyond. The majority of the players are public school music teachers and/or private studio teachers, working hard to educate the next generation of musicians and music lovers in the Pioneer Valley. Not a single member of The Valley Winds receives payment, including the director or guest performers. The Valley Winds has just completed their second season. For information about upcoming events please visit our website at www.thevalleywinds.org, and like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pioneervalleywinds.


2nd Place:
Eastern Wind Symphony
    Todd Nichols    Princeton NJ

Eastern Wind Symphony

The Eastern Wind Symphony membership consists of musicians from the New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania area.  More than half of the members are music educators who teach in the public school system. In addition, numerous members are freelance musicians, manage businesses, work in the sciences, or raise families.  Whatever their vocation, all members of The Eastern Wind Symphony are accomplished and talented musicians who volunteer their time and enjoy performing the most highly regarded wind symphony repertoire in a high-caliber ensemble.  Their reward is musical enjoyment at its highest level: music for music’s sake! The Eastern Wind Symphony is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization.  All members perform for the love of music, and no member is compensated for their participation. For more information about the symphony please visit www.easternwindsymphony.org. 


3rd Place (there was a tie):
Quad City Wind Ensemble
    Brian Hughes Davenport IA

Quad City Wind Ensemble

In February 1987, Dr. Charles B. DCamp, then Director of Bands at St. Ambrose University, inaugurated the QCWE. Today it is one of the premier ensembles of its kind in the country, winning the 2012 Community Division of The American Prize in Band/Wind Ensemble Performance.  In May 2014, the ensemble made its sixth appearance at the prestigious Iowa Bandmasters Association Conference.

Current Music Director Brian Hughes assumed leadership of the ensemble in Fall 2007 and is the ensemble’s first non-resident conductor. Repertoire presented by the ensemble runs the gamut of the wind medium, from historical to contemporary.  To celebrate its 25th Anniversary season, the QCWE commissioned Roy Magnuson’s To have seen the worst…but expect the best…  In this, our thirtieth season, the QCWE has offered an exciting mix of compositions.  Our Winter Concert – “Ars Nova” – included all music of the new millennium and a premiere performance of Kenyon Wilson’s Five.


3rd Place (there was a tie):
St. Norbert Community Band
    Michael Knight    De Pere WI

St. Norbert Community Band

Founded in 1991 by Fred Schmidt, the St. Norbert Community Band was formed in order to provide an opportunity for outstanding musicians from Northeastern Wisconsin to experience the finest available band literature.  Membership in the band is comprised of friends, alumni, and faculty of St. Norbert College in De Pere, WI.   Michael Knight was appointed conductor of the band in 2010.  The ensemble presents two concerts per year and performs a wide variety of literature including marches, orchestral transcriptions, and contemporary works for wind band.  The band has been selected to perform at the Wisconsin State Music Conference on three occasions and has been featured at the National Convention of the Association of Concert Bands twice.

 
The American Prize in Band/Wind Ensemble Performance, 2016-17, community division:
  
The American Prize winner: 
Belchertown HS Wind Ensemble
    Brian Messier    Belchertown MA

Belchertown HS Wind Ensemble

The Belchertown High School Wind Ensemble is comprised of 9th - 12th grade students, admitted by audition. The ensemble meets after school on Monday and Wednesday afternoons from 2:15 – 3:00. The Belchertown High School Wind Ensemble has been a Gold Medal recipient at the Massachusetts Instrumental and Choral Conductor Association's festival each of the past several years. In 2016 all three Belchertown High School Bands were awarded a superior rating against a national standard at the Dixie Classic Festival at the University of Buffalo, and in 2014, the Belchertown Band program received two adjudicator's awards, the best band group award, and the overall program award at the Heritage Festival in Chicago.


2nd Place:
North Hills HS Wind Ensemble
    Leonard Lavelle   Pittsburgh PA

North Hills HS Wind Ensemble

The North Hills Wind Ensemble has a long and storied history. The ensemble has been featured at conventions around the country including the Midwest Convention (six times), the Concert Band National Convention, the MENC All-Eastern Convention (eight times) and PMEA State Convention (twelve times). The bands were awarded the Sudler Flag of Honor from the John Philip Sousa Foundation as part of the inaugural group in 1983. Guest soloists and conductors have included William Revelli, Arthur Fieldler, Arnald Gabriel, Allen Vizzutti, Urbie Green, Fred Hemke, and Louis Bellison among many others. The North Hills School District has adopted the band’s motto of “Pride, Tradition and Excellence”.


The ensemble has maintained a commission series since 1965, making it the longest-running series of its kind in the country. Works from the series have been recorded by the Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra, D.C. service bands, University of North Texas Wind Symphony, and college ensembles throughout the country. They have also been featured in the educational series, "Teaching Music Through Performance in Band".

Thank you to our previous directors, Mr. James Caruso (1946-1960), Mr. Warren Mercer (1961-1992), Ms. Areta Kalogeras (marching band, 1989-2008) and Mr. David Matthews (1992-2011). More about the band program at North Hills is available at www.nhipa.org.


3rd Place:
Peabody Preparatory Wind Orchestra
    Elijah Wirth    Baltimore MD

Peabody Preparatory Wind Orchestra

Open to advanced wind, brass and percussion players, the Peabody Preparatory Wind Orchestra is the elite wind ensemble in Peabody’s Preparatory division.  This ensemble performs collegiate and professional repertoire in a challenging, nurturing and educational environment.  Wind Orchestra students frequently collaborate with Peabody Conservatory students and receive coachings from Preparatory and Conservatory faculty.  Enrollment is limited to one or two players on a part, which insures personal attention from the conductor and other faculty members.  Membership is drawn from the Baltimore Metro Area, Washington D.C. Metro Area, Southern Pennsylvania and Delaware.  This ensemble is meant to be a supplement to the student’s school band program and requires that the student be a member of their school music program if one exists.  The group performs a large array of music, from well known classical and contemporary band works to jazz and modern styles as well. 


4th Place—HONORABLE MENTION:
Youth Wind Ensemble of Westchester
    Bradley Morrison    Ossining NY

Youth Wind Ensemble of Westchester

Youth Wind Ensemble of Westchester, founded in 2010 and based in Ossining, New York, is an ensemble for highly motivated high school students interested in playing music from the Wind Ensemble/Concert Band literature. The ensemble is comprised of Woodwind, Brass, and Percussion students from throughout Westchester County. Our students come from over a dozen different public and private high schools throughout the region. We have performed at various festivals and received superior and 1st place ratings.


***

Congratulations!

The American Prize is honored to announce the winners, runners-up and honorable mentions of The American Prize in Conducting—band/wind ensemble divisions, 2016-17. Congratulations!

All applicants finalist or higher receive written evaluations from a member of The American Prize judging panel.

Complete listings of finalists and semi-finalists in The American Prize competitions may be found elsewhere on this blog. Please use the chronological tool in the right-hand column to find specific results.

Please make us aware of any misprints: theamericanprize@gmail.com


The American Prize in Conducting—band/wind ensemble, 2016-17,  college/university division:

The American Prize winner:
Andrew Pease  
    Arizona State Univ. Wind Bands           
    Tempe AZ

Andrew Pease

Andrew D. Pease began his career helping to put bands back on the map in New York City, where he led the Columbia University Wind Ensemble and the community band Columbia Summer Winds.  He has degrees from Dartmouth College, Columbia University, Hofstra University, and a DMA in wind conducting at Arizona State University, where his teachers included Gary Hill, Wayne Bailey, Timothy Russell, and William Reber.  While at ASU, he conducted all levels of instrumental ensembles and led composer clinics with John Mackey and Michael Markowski. Also in Phoenix, he founded the professional Sun Valley Chamber Winds.  Dr. Pease is the newly-appointed Director of Bands at Hartwick College in Oneonta, NY.  Dr. Pease runs two websites dedicated to the music of the wind band.  Wind Band Literature attracts a global audience. The Wind Band Symphony Archive is a living record of wind band symphonies.  


2nd Place:
Chee Weng Yim  
    Frost Wind Ensemble                   
    Coral Gables FL

Chee Weng Yim

Chee Weng Yim is currently enrolled in the Doctor of Musical Arts in Instrumental Conducting at the University of Miami Frost School of Music where he is a student of Robert M. Carnochan.  A native of Singapore, Chee Weng earned the Master of Music in Instrumental Conducting degree from the Georgia State University, under the instruction from Robert J. Ambrose.
Chee Weng has worked with prominent conductors both at home and in the United States. Professionally, Chee Weng has been invited to conduct in Taiwan, Osaka, Japan, Johor Bahru, Malaysia, and local bands in Singapore.  He pioneered the SALON concert series (currently in its fifth installment), which performed chamber music for winds, at the Georgia State University.


3rd Place (there was a tie):
Cormac Cannon
    University of SC Symphonic Winds               
    Columbia SC

Cormac Cannon

Cormac Cannon is Associate Professor of Music and Associate Director of Bands at the University of South Carolina, where he conducts the Symphonic Winds, teaches conducting, and guides all aspects of the athletic band program. Previously, Cannon served for six years on the music faculty at Michigan State University. Cannon earned the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in conducting at the University of Texas at Austin, the Master of Music degree in wind conducting from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and the Bachelor of Music degree in percussion performance and music education from the University of Iowa. From 2001-2005 Cannon served as director of bands at Williamsburg High School in Williamsburg, Iowa, and from 2006-2007 was music director and conductor of the Cincinnati Youth Wind Ensemble. His primary conducting teachers include Jerry Junkin, Rodney Winther, and Kevin Sedatole.  


3rd Place (there was a tie):
Kevin Michael Holzman  
    The Eastman Wind Ensemble & Wind Orchestra     
    Rochester NY

Kevin Michael Holzman

Kevin Michael Holzman recently completed his Doctor of Musical Arts degree coursework in conducting at the Eastman School of Music studying with Dr. Mark Scatterday, director of the Eastman Wind Ensemble. As the Frederick Fennell Conducting Fellow and 2016 recipient of the Walter Hagen Prize for Excellence in Conducting, he serves as Associate Conductor of the world-renowned Eastman Wind Ensemble and Eastman Wind Orchestra. Kevin is the first wind conducting student at Eastman to be invited to conduct rehearsals for the Eastman Philharmonia, as well as the first to serve as cover conductor for the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. In addition, he has on multiple occasions conducted OSSIA New Music, the Graduate Chamber Orchestra, and the Graduate Composer’s Sinfonietta, including multiple world premieres. Kevin was recently invited to serve as the associate conductor of an upcoming tour to Europe with the Eastman Harmonie. He recently collaborated with prominent composers David Maslanka and Bert Appermont for the “Celebration of the Symphony” concert with the Eastman Wind Ensemble, which included the North American premiere of Appermont’s Symphony No. 2.  


FINALIST / HONORABLE MENTION:
Jaclyn Hartenberger  
    Hodgson Wind Symphony  (UGA)    
    Athens GA

Jaclyn Hartenberger

Jaclyn Hartenberger serves as the Associate Director of Bands and Assistant Professor of Music at the University of Georgia. In addition to serving as the conductor for the Wind Symphony, she teaches undergraduate and graduate conducting. Dr. Hartenberger received a Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts in Conducting from The University of Texas at Austin, under the tutelage of Jerry F. Junkin. Prior to her graduate degree work she served as a middle school and high school band director in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex for distinguished music programs. Dr. Hartenberger received her Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of North Texas, where she performed and recorded with the prestigious UNT Wind Symphony. Dr. Hartenberger has served as a visiting conductor in concert with the West Point Band in New York; the University of Missouri Wind Ensemble in St. Louis, Missouri; and most recently traveled to Brazil serving as visiting professor and wind band conductor for the Festival International de Inverno da USFM.   


FINALIST / HONORABLE MENTION:
Shawn Smith  
    UNC Charlotte Wind Ensemble           
    Charlotte NC

Shawn Smith

Dr. Shawn Smith is Director of Bands at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. In high demand as a band and orchestra conductor, Smith has been invited to conduct throughout the United States and internationally.

Smith has conducted professional ensembles including the Corpus Christi Symphony, and members of the Charlotte Symphony and conducts regularly throughout Brazil including guest conducting engagements with one of the finest professional bands in South America, the State Symphonic Band of São Paulo. Equally at home with opera and musical theater productions, Smith has conducted pit orchestras for the Marriage of Figaro and Les Misérables.  His performances have been heard numerous times on American Public Media’s "Performance Today," the most popular classical music radio program in the United States. 

Smith has presented clinics and speeches at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago and at conferences in the United States, Europe and South America.  


FINALIST / HONORABLE MENTION:
Mark Tse       
    U.of Washington Concert Band      
    Seattle WA

Mark Tse

Mark Tse is pursuing his doctoral studies in conducting with Timothy Salzman at the University of Washington in Seattle where he regularly conducts the UW Concert Band and is an assistant conductor to the UW Wind Ensemble. He recently won 2nd place with the American Prize competition in the area of college/university wind band with footage from his masters program.

Tse completed his masters in conducting with Charles Peltz at the New England Conservatory. While there, he has premiered new works and conducted with NEC’s Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Winds.

Tse has been invited to participate as a conducting fellow with scholarship at many symposiums including the Wintergreen Conductors' Summit, the Bard Conductors' Institute, and the Hartt Instrumental Conducting Clinic.

In addition to wind ensembles, Tse also conducts orchestras, musical pit bands and jazz ensembles. 


HONORABLE MENTION:
Brett A. Richardson
     UTW Wind Ensemble

Brett A. Richardson

Dr. Brett A. Richardson serves as the Coordinator of Music Education/Director of Bands, Instrumental Area Coordinator, and an Assistant Professor of Music at the University of the Incarnate Word where he teaches courses within the music education curriculum, conducts the Wind Ensemble, directs the Marching Cardinals, and administers all facets of the UIW Band program. In the 2015-16 school year, he will begin serving as a representative in the Faculty Senate for the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences. Richardson holds the Doctor of Music degree in Wind Conducting from the world-renowned Indiana University Jacobs School of Music where he was a student of Prof. Stephen W. Pratt. He also holds a Master of Music with emphasis in Wind Conducting from Texas A&M University-Commerce under Dr. Bradley N. Kent and a Bachelor of Music Education from Stephen F. Austin State University with Texas State Board of Education Certification in Secondary Music under Prof. Fred J. Allen. Prior to his appointment at UIW, Dr. Richardson proudly served as an Associate Instructor with the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music Department of Bands/Wind Conducting and as the Resident Conductor for the Southern Indiana Wind Ensemble, a community wind band based in Bloomington, Indiana. Previously, he served as the Assistant Director of Bands and Instructor of Music at his alma mater, Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas. 




The American Prize in Conducting—band/wind ensemble, 2016-17, community/school division:
  
The American Prize winner:
Brian Hughes       
    Quad City Wind Ensemble          
    Davenport IA

Brian Hughes

The winner of the 2015 American Prize in Band Conducting and lauded by Iowa Public Radio as a “major figure in Iowa arts,” Brian Hughes is an active conductor at home and abroad.  Since his 1993 European debut with the Northern Iowa Chamber Winds in Eger, Hungary, he has conducted concerts in the Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, and Russia.  In 1995, he founded the Tri-State Wind Symphony (Dubuque) and has led it through twenty-one seasons of substantive growth. Brian is also the Music Director of the Quad City Wind Ensemble (Davenport).

He holds degrees in music education and conducting from Olivet College (MI), the University of Northern Iowa, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Brian lives in Dubuque with his precocious teenage daughter, Caitlyn. When not on the podium, Hughes can be found in various coffee shops or in his own kitchen—glass in hand--with his favorite utensil: his wok.  


2nd Place:
Michael Knight   
    St. Norbert Community Band          
    De Pere WI

Michael Knight

Michael Knight joined the St. Norbert College music faculty during the fall of 2010.  In addition to serving as conductor of the St. Norbert Community Band, his duties include conducting the Wind Ensemble, Concert Band and teaching courses in conducting and instrumental music education.  Dr. Knight previously held the position of Associate Director of Bands at the University of Missouri, where his responsibilities included directing the 290-member Marching Mizzou, conducting the Symphonic Band, and teaching courses in conducting and marching band techniques. He also served as conductor of the Southeast Iowa Concert Band based at Iowa Wesleyan College in Mt. Pleasant, IA. Prior to his collegiate teaching career, Dr. Knight taught public school music in Missouri.  


3rd Place:
Mark Tse       U. of Washington Wind Ensemble           
    Seattle WA

Mark Tse

Mark Tse is pursuing his doctoral studies in conducting with Timothy Salzman at the University of Washington in Seattle where he regularly conducts the UW Concert Band and is an assistant conductor to the UW Wind Ensemble. He recently won 2nd place with the American Prize competition in the area of college/university wind band with footage from his masters program.

Tse completed his masters in conducting with Charles Peltz at the New England Conservatory. While there, he has premiered new works and conducted with NEC’s Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Winds.

Tse has been invited to participate as a conducting fellow with scholarship at many symposiums including the Wintergreen Conductors' Summit, the Bard Conductors' Institute, and the Hartt Instrumental Conducting Clinic.

In addition to wind ensembles, Tse also conducts orchestras, musical pit bands and jazz ensembles.

***
Congratulations!


 

The American Prize is honored to announce the winner and runner-up of  The American Prize in Arts Marketing, 2016-17.  Congratulations!

The American Prize in Arts Marketing recognizes and rewards the best marketing campaigns by performing arts organizations in America, based on submitted applications from professional or community groups. The contest seeks evidence of campaigns that combine inspiration and creativity with demonstrable success, regardless of the budget available.

All finalists receive written evaluations from a member of The American Prize judging panel.

Complete listings of finalists and semi-finalists in The American Prize competitions may be found elsewhere on this blog.  

Please make us aware of any misprints: theamericanprize@gmail.com

The American Prize in Arts Marketing, 2016-17.
The American Prize winner:
The Endicott Repertory Dance Ensemble
    Cynthia Roberts, Nikko Sao Pedro Welch
    Beverly MA
for ARMATIONS 

CYNTHIA ROBERTS is a visual artist born and raised in New York, currently living and working north of Boston and in Detroit. Her work is grounded in a studio practice of painting and drawing and includes extended painting in the form of animation, video, and live painting collaborations with dance companies and musicians. In 2012, Roberts was a laureate of the Regards Croisés//Criss Cross: NY//Le Havre residency and production grant, with support of the French Institute, the City of Le Havre, and Triangle Arts Association in New York. She was an artist in residence in the city of Le Havre, France for the fall of 2012. Roberts obtained a B.A. at Brown University in Providence, RI and an M.F.A. in Painting at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY; she is currently an Associate Professor of Studio Art at Endicott College. Her work can be found online at: www.cynthiaroberts.us and http://cynthiaroberts.virb.com


NIKKI SAO PEDRO-WELCH obtained an MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts from Goddard College, a M.ED in Arts and Learning from Endicott College, and a BA degree in Dance from Point Park University. She is the Coordinator of Dance, head coach of the Endicott Dance Team, and professor of multiple courses in the dance program at Endicott College. She has choreographed over seven original productions for Endicott including the most recent, Armations: Activating Adaptation, “a movement, visual, and sonic superworld”(2015). Her professional work has been shown at NACHMO of Boston, Dumbo Dance in NYC in 2015, outside in Salem MA, and Dance in the Fells (Medford, MA). Nikki has taught and choreographed work for the American College Dance Association, and has been a professional dancer Danny Swain Dance Company, The Boston Celtics Dance Team, Peter DiMuro/Public Display of Motion, Quicksilver Dance, and Monkeyhouse. Dancing for these companies, Nikki has performed in many festivals including Montreal Fringe (Canada), Dumbo Dance (Brooklyn NY), NACHMO (Boston, MA) and Cool New York (Brooklyn, NY) among many professional dance venues. Her professional website is: www.bodyforceunderground.com



2nd Place:
Tallahassee Community Chorus
   Jan Smith, Gabriela Mendizabal, and Lara Larsson 
   Tallahassee FL 
for Season Promotion

The Tallahassee Community Chorus is the only mixed ensemble of its size (200+ voices) and quality in the North Florida “Big Bend” region that does not require its singers to audition.  Established in 1988, the Chorus’ unique structure encompasses singers of all ages, ethnic groups and levels of musical ability, from teens to octogenarians.  Singers and the community are provided the opportunity to learn and experience choral music in all genres under the baton of world-renowned choral conductor and teacher Dr. André J. Thomas.  The Chorus performs three concerts per season, generally with full orchestra.  Two concerts feature choral masterworks of great composers, classical to modern, while the third is the “Unity” concert, which, through song, celebrates the great diversity of our community or focuses on an issue that unites the community.  In addition, the Chorus features a different local nonprofit organization at each concert.


3rd Place (there was a tie):
Distinguished Concerts International New York
    Iris Derke, Andrea Macy & Staff
    New York NY
for Calling All Dawns
Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) is the leading producer of dynamically charged musical excellence. With its unforgettable concert experiences in renowned venues, empowering educational programs, and its global community of artists and audiences, DCINY changes lives through the power of performance.


3rd Place (there was a tie):
River Oaks Chamber Orchestra
    Eric Skelly
    Houston TX
for Tenth Anniversary Season

The River Oaks Chamber Orchestra (ROCO) is a forty-piece professional chamber orchestra that was founded in 2005 by Alecia Lawyer. A Juilliard-trained musician with an eclectic background as a performer, recording artist, adjunct professor and radio host, Ms. Lawyer had a vision to reimagine the orchestral experience for both audience and musicians. The result is ROCO: an orchestra of all-star musicians, distinguished conductors and contemporary composers who come together from all over the world to present unexpected classics, original compositions and delightful performances that dissolve the barriers between audience and orchestra. www.roco.org


A public relations internship at The San Antonio Festival in the mid-80s first brought Eric Skelly to Texas from his native Cincinnati, Ohio. While in San Antonio he made connections with Houston Grand Opera, and he joined the company in 1986 as a public relations assistant. He stayed at HGO for 8 ½ years, the last 2 ½ as public relations director. During his time at HGO, Eric programmed, produced and hosted opera programming for commercial classical station KRTS. Eric Skelly directed public relations and provided creative marketing services for The Cleveland Orchestra and Houston’s Society for the Performing Arts before joining Houston Public Radio -- now Houston Public Media -- in early 1999 as an underwriting account executive specializing in non-profits. Since then, he’s written feature articles for Houston Grand Opera’s Opera Cues magazine and Houston Public Media’s website, as well as Playbill and Time Out New York.




***
Congratulations!

The American Prize is honored to announce the winners, runners-up and honorable mentions of The American Prize in Conducting—opera/music theater divisions, 2016-17. Congratulations!

All applicants finalist or higher receive written evaluations from a member of The American Prize judging panel.

Complete listings of finalists and semi-finalists in The American Prize competitions may be found elsewhere on this blog. Please use the chronological tool in the right-hand column to find specific results.

Please make us aware of any misprints: theamericanprize@gmail.com


The American Prize in Conducting—opera/music theater, 2016-17,  professional division:

The American Prize winner:
Ryan Murray
    Fresno Grand Opera
    Fresno CA
    A Streetcar Named Desire (Previn)

Ryan Murray

The newly appointed Artistic Director of Townsend Opera, Ryan Murray’s dynamic conducting, engaging persona and deeply held passion for the arts have allowed him to steadily build a robust career since his professional debut at the age of just 22. Ryan is a past winner of the Vienna Philharmonic’s Ansbacher Fellowship for Young Conductors and previously studied at the Eastman School of Music's Summer Conducting Institute featuring the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra; he has attended the Aurora Conducting Seminar with Kurt Masur, as well as the Lucerne Festival Academy Conducting Masterclass. Ryan is currently the Associate Conductor for the Modesto Symphony Orchestra, Music Director for the Modesto Symphony Youth Orchestra and Resident Conductor of the Music in the Mountains Summer Festival. As part of a unique artistic partnership, Ryan has served as the Music Director of Fresno Grand Opera's main stage productions of contemporary American operatic works for the past two seasons. Ryan also previously served as a conductor for BASOTI, and the Opera Academy of California. Visit www.ryanjmurray.com for news and upcoming engagements.


2nd Place:
Walter Morales
    Opera Theater of Pittsburgh Summer Fest
    Pittsburgh PA
    Figaro (redux)

Walter Morales

Walter Morales is the Music Director of the Edgewood Symphony Orchestra. His previous positions include Music Director of Undercroft Opera, Music Director of the Carnegie Mellon University Contemporary Ensemble, Head of Music of Opera Theater of Pittsburgh, Principal Guest Conductor of the Pittsburgh Philharmonic, Assistant Director of Orchestral Studies at Carnegie Mellon University and Assistant Conductor of the Carnegie Mellon Philharmonic. He has been a guest conductor with the National Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica, Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra, Butler County Symphony Orchestra, McKeesport Symphony Orchestra, University of Costa Rica Symphony Orchestra, University of Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Duquesne University Opera & Orchestra, Pittsburgh Youth Chamber Orchestra and Rutgers Chamber Orchestra.  He has also served as cover conductor for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. For more information please visit: www.waltermoralesmusic.com 


3rd Place:
Warren Puffer Jones
    Arbor Opera Theater
    Ann Arbor MI
    La Traviata

Warren Puffer Jones

Warren Puffer Jones is in his tenth year as Music Director of Arbor Opera Theater. For his performance of The Sound of Music with Arbor Opera Theater he received the 2014 Wilde Award for best Music Director in the state of Michigan. In 2012 he was the winner of the 4x4 Prize, a national competition for conducting new music.

Mr. Jones is also the Music Director of TACTUS, a professional chamber orchestra and vocal ensemble in Oklahoma City. He has led TACTUS in groundbreaking performances that re-envision the concert experience, pairing thousand-year-old music with brand new compositions. Mr. Jones did his undergraduate work at Yale University and received a Master's degree in choral conducting from Indiana University, with further study at the Conductor's Institute at Bard. He received a DMA in conducting from the University of Michigan, where he studied with Kenneth Kiesler. www.warrenpufferjones.com


The American Prize in Conducting—opera/music theater, 2016-17,  college/university division:

The American Prize winner:
Joshua Horsch
    University of Colorado-Boulder
    Eklund Opera Program
    Boulder CO
    The Tender Land

Joshua Horsch

Joshua Horsch is a conductor, coach, and pianist equally comfortable in opera, orchestra, and recital settings.  Joshua’s upcoming engagements include work with Tri-Cities Opera, North Carolina Opera, and Opera Columbus.  During the 2016-2017 season at Pensacola Opera, Joshua served as Music Director/Conductor for Glory Denied, Assistant Conductor for Aida and Dead Man Walking, and Music Director/Coach/Pianist for the Artist in Residence program.  Joshua’s recent positions include Assistant Conductor/Pianist/Vocal Coach for Opera Saratoga’s 2015, 2016, and 2017 seasons, Assistant Conductor/Rehearsal Pianist for Fort Worth Opera, and Assistant/Cover Conductor for the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra.  Additionally, Joshua has served as Music Director/Conductor for Copland’s The Tender Land at the University of Colorado Boulder, Music Director/Conductor of the University of Colorado Boulder Campus Orchestra, Conductor/Pianist for the CU New Opera Workshop, Conductor for the Colorado New Music Ensemble, Assistant Chorus Master for the Colorado Music Festival, Conductor/Pianist for the Newport Music Festival, and Staff Conductor for the Boston Opera Collaborative. Joshua’s guest and workshop conducting includes work with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Omaha Symphony, the Oregon Bach Festival Orchestra and Chorus, the Bohuslav Martinu Philharmonic, Lyatoshinsky Chamber Orchestra, Orquestra Filharmonica de Chihuahua, Boulder Bach Festival, PENDULUM New Music Ensemble, Greater Boulder Youth Orchestras, and the Cabrillo Festival Orchestra.  Joshua holds degrees in conducting and piano from the University of Colorado Boulder, Penn State University, and Ithaca College. 


2nd Place:
Michael W. Moore
    Bob Jones University
    Greenville SC
    La Cenerentola

Michael W. Moore

Conductor Michael W. Moore is in his fifth season at the helm of the Bob Jones University Symphony Orchestra in Greenville, SC. Under his baton, the BJUSO received Honorable Mention in the 2015 American Prize for Orchestral Performance--college/university division. In his recent opera conducting debut (Rossini’s La Cenerentola), Moore garnered praise for his “tight performance,” “clear and spirited” reading, and “polished sound” (Greenville News, 3/10/16). Steven White (assistant conductor, Metropolitan Opera) noted “from beginning to end [Moore showed] a genuine comfort level with the style and demands of the music... a result of obvious preparation along with natural instinct… Always clear, always expressive… He breathed and moved with [the singers], leading and following at the same time with the kind of coordination that is the sine qua non of good opera conducting.” Moore holds degrees in music education and instrumental conducting and studied with William Moody (USC-Columbia).


3rd Place:
Chad Hutchinson
    University of Minnesota
    Minneapolis MN
    Susannah

Chad Hutchinson

Chad Hutchinson is the Assistant Conductor of the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra and Music Director of the South Dakota Symphony Youth Orchestra.  He is conducting 5 concerts for the SDSO this season including two Pops Concerts, Link Up, a new partnership with the Sioux Falls Public Schools, and will lead three youth symphonies in the SDSYO program.

Away from the symphony, Mr. Hutchinson is a James Sample Fellow and DMA candidate in orchestral conducting at the University of Minnesota.  A student of Mark Russell Smith, he conducts three campus orchestras and assists with the University Symphony Orchestra and Opera Theater programs.  Prior to his time in Minnesota, he served as director of Northwestern College's(IA) Chamber Orchestra and Women's Choir, was the Coordinator/Music Director for the Siouxland Youth Orchestras and taught in the public schools for nine years.   Hutchinson resides in Sioux Falls with his wife Karen and their two daughters.  
 

The American Prize in Conducting—opera/music theater, 2016-17,  community division:

The American Prize winner:
Dale Kruse
    Project Opera
    Minneapolis MN
    Memory Boy (Reynaldo Moya)

Dale Kruse

Dale Kruse resides in Hopkins, MN and holds degrees from Luther College (B.A.), Drake University (M.M.) and the University of Minnesota (D.M.A.). Prior to joining the voice faculty at St. Olaf College, he conducted the Augsburg College Cedar Singers Men's Choir, taught choral music at Armstrong High School and Wayzata High School and served on the voice faculty of Gustavus Adolphus College.  Since 2004, he has been the Music Director for the Minnesota Opera: Project Opera education program, Summer Camp and Children's Chorus Master.  He is currently serving as Past-President/Membership Chair of the Minnesota NATS Chapter.  With students, he has travelled twice to England, Scotland (American High School Theatre Festival) and Wales with Music Theater and Opera productions.


2nd Place:
Ezra Donner
    University of Michigan Gilbert and Sullivan Society
    Ann Arbor MI
    H.M.S. Pinafore

Ezra Donner

Ezra Donner is an American composer, conductor, pianist, and educator. Based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, he holds a Doctor of Music Degree from Indiana University and a Bachelor of Music Degree with High Honors from the University of Michigan. He has served as Music Director with the University of Michigan Gilbert and Sullivan Society since 2015. EzraDonner.com 


3rd Place:
Eric Peterson
    Savoynet Performing Group
    Harrogate UK
    The Pirates of Penzance

Eric Peterson

Eric Peterson is a theater conductor based in New York City, music-directing musicals and operettas with the Blue Hill Troupe in Manhattan, Troupers Light Opera in Connecticut and the Savoynet Performing Group at the annual International Gilbert & Sullivan festival in England. He is a graduate of William & Mary and Peabody Conservatory, where he studied horn. For many years, he was a band director for LGBT community bands: his final concert with NYC's Big Apple Corps was declared “Maestro Eric Peterson Day” in the borough of Manhattan. He was a 2013 American Prize opera conducting finalist, and received a special judge's citation for excellence in conducting Gilbert & Sullivan. He is currently the concerts and choral music director with the Blue Hill Troupe.



***
Congratulations!


 

The American Prize is honored to announce the winners and runners-up of The American Prize in Conducting—chorus—in the professional, community and school divisions, 2016-17. Congratulations! (Results in the COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY division have been delayed momentarily and will be announced as soon as they are available.)

All applicants finalist or higher receive written evaluations from a member of The American Prize judging panel.

Complete listings of finalists and semi-finalists in The American Prize competitions may be found elsewhere on this blog. Please use the chronological tool in the right-hand column to find specific results.

Please make us aware of any misprints: theamericanprize@gmail.com


The American Prize in Conducting—chorus, 2016-17,  professional division:

The American Prize winner:
Jeremiah Selvey 
    Chorosynthesis Singers
    Seattle WA

Jeremiah Selvey

DR. JEREMIAH SELVEY currently serves as Visiting Director of Choral Activities of Connecticut College and Co-Artistic Director of Chorosynthesis Singers, a professional, project-based chamber ensemble in Seattle. He has performed throughout North America, New Zealand, Australia, and Europe and regularly teaches voice master classes and clinics choirs of all levels. Jeremiah’s compositions have been performed on four continents, and his research on choral expressivity has been presented in Asia, Europe, and throughout the North America. He is most recently published by The Choral Scholar and the Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education. A Southern California resident, Jeremiah has taught applied voice majors, group voice class, conducting, choral methods, theory, music history, aural skills, and diction. He holds advanced degrees from the University of Washington and Emory University. www.jeremiahselvey.com


2nd Place:
Brian A. Schmidt
    South Dakota Chorale  
    Sioux Falls SD

Brian A. Schmidt

Brian Schmidt is a choral conductor at Duke University in Durham, NC, where he serves as conductor of the Duke Vespers Ensemble and Duke Divinity School Choir, and conductor of the Duke Chapel Bach Cantata Series. With the Duke Vespers Ensemble, Schmidt leads the highly-auditioned chamber choir in a weekly candlelit Choral Vespers service, as well as concerts and recording projects specializing in early music. He is also Founder and Artistic Director of the South Dakota Chorale, a professional choral organization in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. His leadership has guided them to rapid growth as well as the release of two commercial albums and the signing of an international recording contract with Pentatone, a Dutch classical music label.


3rd Place:
Wendy K. Moy
    Chorosynthesis Singers
    Seatlle WA

Wendy K. Moy

Wendy K. Moy is the Co-Artistic Director of Chorosynthesis Singers and the Director of Choral Activities and Music Education at Connecticut College. She is frequently sought as a guest conductor and clinician for orchestral and choral ensembles at all levels. Dr. Moy continues to perform as a soprano soloist and is currently singing in the professional ensemble CONCORA. Dr. Moy has presented at national conferences on her research on the culture of singing communities and the factors that contribute to successful choral organizations. She serves on the Connecticut American Choral Directors Association Board and is the Co-Founder/President of Chorosynthesis, a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to transform the culture of American choral music through collaboration, sustainability, innovation, and excellence. Dr. Moy holds a BA in Music Education from Seattle Pacific University, a MME from Westminster Choir College, and a DMA in Choral Conducting from the University of Washington. www.wendymoy.com



The American Prize in Conducting—chorus, 2016-17,  community division:

The American Prize winner:
David Fryling   
    eVoco Mixed Ensemble & Women's Ensemble
    Lynbrook NY

David Fryling

Dr. David Fryling (www.davidfryling.org) is Professor of Music and Director of Choral Studies at Hofstra University, where he conducts the select Chorale and Chamber Choir, teaches beginning through graduate-level studies in Choral Conducting and Literature, and supervises choral student teachers during their field placements. Recent professional engagements include various all-state and regional honor choirs, master classes, workshops, and adjudications in over a dozen states. From 2007 to 2013 he served as conductor of the World Youth Honors Choir and Festival Choir at the Interlochen Arts Camp, and since 2014 has been a guest conducting artist at the NYSSSA Choral program. He is the founding conductor and artistic director of eVoco Voice Collective, serves as president of the Eastern Division of ACDA, and was inducted in the fall of 2014 into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame as “Educator of Note.”  


2nd Place:
Douglas Buchanan
    Canticum Novum Chamber Chorus
    Baltimore MD

Douglas Buchanan

Douglas Buchanan (b. 1984) has been lauded for his “sense of creative imperative” (The Philadelphia Inquirer) and for creating music “filled with terrific orchestral color and weight, not to mention feeling” (The Baltimore Sun). An active conductor, composer, and educator noted for his “ability to get under the skin of [the music’s] core material” (The Scotsman), Buchanan teaches at the Peabody Conservatory and Dickinson College. As pianist and organist he has performed concerts throughout the country, including at the Fort Worth Museum of Modern Art and the National Cathedral. In addition to serving as director of the Maryland Choral Society and Organist and Choirmaster at St. David’s, Baltimore, he enjoys interspecies microtonal improvisation with his black lab, Grover. You are invited to visit www.dbconductor.com to learn more.  


3rd Place:
Reginald M. Houze
    The Weddington UMC/First BC Worcester Choirs
    Charlotte NC

Reginald M. Houze

Dr. Reginald M. Houze has experience and education conducting ensembles of all types. Previously, Houze was conductor of The Wind Ensemble at Tarleton State University in Texas and served on the conducting faculties at Clemson University, the University of Southern Mississippi, and Anna Maria College. He has taught both instrumental and vocal music in the schools of Tennessee, Florida, and Mississippi. Dr. Houze holds music degrees from the University of Southern Mississippi and New York University. He holds the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in conducting from the University of South Carolina. He has done additional conducting study at the Eastman School of Music, the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and The Hartt School of Music. Houze made his conducting debut at Carnegie Hall with The Overton Wind Ensemble featuring Grammy-winning saxophonist Kirk Whalum. Currently, he is Director of Music and Arts at Weddington United Methodist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.



The American Prize in Conducting—chorus, 2016-17,  school division:

The American Prize winner: 
Philip Brown
    Hopkins High School Concert Choir
    Minnetonka MN

Philip Brown

Philip Brown is the director of choral activities at Hopkins High School and conductor of the Cantanti Singers with Angelica Cantanti Youth Choirs. He graduated summa cum laude from Bethany College (KS) and received his M.M. degree from Northern Arizona University. He has taught at the high school level in Colorado and Minnesota, coaching tennis and directing musicals in addition. Philip’s choral groups have performed with many college and professional choirs at festivals or special concert events. His choirs have received top awards at FAME Festivals, Heritage Festivals, and Festival Disney. His teaching has been recognized with awards given by ACDA-MN, Choral Director Magazine, and his alma maters. Philip is an active clinician and professionally affiliated with ACDA and NAfME.  


2nd Place:
Amy Johnston Blosser 
    Bexley Vocal Ensemble
    Bexley OH

Amy Johnston Blosser

Amy Johnston Blosser is the National Chair for Repertoire and Resources for ACDA.  As National Chair, Blosser has been active in planning National Conferences in Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, Oklahoma City, Dallas and Salt Lake City.  Prior to this position she served as the National R&R Chair for Senior High School choirs. In her thirteenth year as Director at Bexley High School, Blosser conducts six choirs in grades 7-12. Under her direction, the Bexley High School Vocal Ensemble has performed at state conferences of OMEA and ACDA and for Central Division conferences in 2012 and 2016. Ms. Blosser was named Educator of the Year for Bexley City Schools in 2011. She was selected to serve as one of 14 Conducting Fellows for the International Conductors Exchange Program to Sweden in 2015. Amy Blosser is the Artistic Director of the Bexley Choral Society and the Director of Music at Bexley UMC.     


3rd Place (there was a tie):
Tatiana Kats
    Columbus International Children's Choir
    Columbus OH

Tatiana Kats

Tatiana Kats earned her Master degrees in choral conducting and piano pedagogy from the Ohio State University where she studied with Dr. Hilary Apfelstadt and Mr. James Gallagher. Mrs. Kats is the founder of Columbus Music and Art Academy, Columbus International Children’s Choir (CICC) and Central Ohio Singing Competition.  Since 2003, she has been serving as the Executive Director of the academy, Artistic Director of the choir, and Conductor of CICC’s top choirs. Mrs. Kats also holds a very successful piano studio. Her advanced students have been winners in many Ohio piano competitions. She was recognized by the National Music Certificate Program as "Founding Teacher ... instrumental in establishing a national standard for developing musicians in the United States of America".  


3rd Place (there was a tie):
Patrick Ryan
    Great Falls High School Delphian Choir
    Great Falls MT

Patrick Ryan

Patrick Ryan is the lead choral director at Great Falls High School in Great Falls, Montana.  Patrick is currently President of the American Choral Directors Association Northwest Division.  In 2012 he directed the inaugural Korean International Music Education Association National Honor Choir in Seoul, South Korea.  His choirs have commissioned and premiered works by John Muehleisen and Timothy Takach, and have performed on two NAfME Northwest Conferences.
***
Congratulations!


 

The Ziegfeld star, Marilyn Miller

The American Prize is honored to announce the winners,  runners-up and citation recipients of The American Prize in MUSIC THEATER and THEATER Performance, 2016-17. Congratulations!

All applicants finalist or higher receive written evaluations from a member of The American Prize judging panel.

Complete listings of finalists and semi-finalists in The American Prize competitions may be found elsewhere on this blog. Please use the chronological tool in the right-hand column to find specific results.

Please make us aware of any misprints: theamericanprize@gmail.com


The American Prize in MUSIC THEATER and THEATER Performance, 2016-17.
"Each in their own way very fine productions..."

The American Prize winner:
AZ State University Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts
    Brian DeMaris
    Tempe AZ
Sondheim—Company

AZ State University Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts

Established in 1964, ASU's flagship Lyric Opera Theatre program is distinctive in that it combines training in both opera and musical theatre. Serving approximately 100 undergraduate and graduate opera and musical theatre majors from the School of Music, as well as students from the School of Film, Dance and Theatre, LOT is committed to preparing outstanding operatic and musical theatre performers for professional careers in the 21st Century.

LOT currently produces five fully staged and costumed opera and musical theatre productions each year in its own 450–seat Evelyn Smith Music Theater, all supported with full orchestras from ASU's nationally renowned instrumental ensemble program. It boasts a significant team of faculty directors, conductors, designers, voice teachers, coaches and support staff, along with regular guest artists and other faculty from the School of Music and the School of Film, Dance and Theatre. The program also features formal collaborations and professional performance and study/cover opportunities with Arizona Opera and the Phoenix Theatre.

 
2nd Place:
Belmont University
    Nancy Allen
    Nashville TN
Berlin, et al—White Christmas

Belmont University

Belmont University has been producing excellence in Musical Theatre for almost 20 years.  Located in the heart of Nashville, Belmont is a premier training ground for talented students who wish to experience a rigorous conservatory style education in a liberal arts atmosphere.  Belmont students graduate to become top tier talent in the theatre industry and are employed in Broadway shows, Off Broadway shows, in National Tours and in excellent equity theatre around the country. To learn more about this incredible university, please visit www.belmont.edu/music.


3rd Place:
Bob Jones University
    Darren P. Lawson
    Greenville SC
Shakespeare—Richard III

Bob Jones University

The Bob Jones University Classic Players was founded in 1929 as part of its commitment to liberal arts training for all of its students, who are provided free tickets to the productions.  It has grown into one of the outstanding college Shakespearean repertoire groups in the world. Membership is open to students who show the requisite ability in public tryouts. Faculty and staff also participate as cast members.  Major productions are presented each year, including such great plays as Hamlet, Julius Caesar, Macbeth, The Merchant of Venice, Twelfth Night, As You Like It, Richard III, and other plays covering the great majority of the Shakespearean repertoire. In addition to the Shakespearean plays, the Classic Players have also mounted other great classics including Cyrano de Bergerac, Pride and Prejudice, and Great Expectations. http://www.bju.edu/events/fine-arts/concert-opera-drama/archive/
                         
 
FINALIST—CITATION: "Exceptional energy and wonderful special effects"

Top Billing Entertainment
    Kristina Keener Ivy
    Glendora CA
Baum, et al—The Wizard of Oz

Top Billing Entertainment

Top Billing Entertainment Performance Academy is a 501(c)3 nonprofit, "no cuts" group where each performer is treated with respect, given professional instruction, and given the opportunity for a featured solo. In January 2015, Top Billing opened a 4,000 square foot location in Glendora, CA where they now offer group and private classes in singing, dancing, acting, on-camera acting, fitness and instruments. In 2014 Top Billing won #1 Best Musical Theater Production and #2 Musical Theater Director in the American Prize Competition, Best Dance School in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune's Readers Choice Awards, and has received 39 National Youth Arts Nominations with 10 wins. We are successful because we believe each performer is vital and should be treated as if they have top billing.

Kristina Keener Ivy

Kristina Keener Ivy is the Executive Director and founder of Top Billing Entertainment Performance Academy. She has performed with various jazz bands, as a member of various church worship teams, on three film soundtracks, and in numerous musical theatre productions. In January 2015, Top Billing opened a 4,000 square foot location in Glendora, CA where they now offer group classes in singing, dancing, acting, on-camera acting, fitness and instruments. In 2014 Top Billing won Best Musical Theater Production and #2 Musical Theater Director in the American Prize National Competition, Best Dance School in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune's Readers Choice Awards, and has received 23 National Youth Arts Nominations with six wins. She would like to thank Jesus for all the good gifts around us, her husband, David, for his unending love and patience, and her family, friends, and especially her students for their continued support.


FINALIST—CITATION: "Youthful Exuberance and Educational Excellence in Theater Performance"

Royal Oak Middle School
    Nicole Pedroche
    Covina CA
Brown, et al—13, The Musical

Royal Oak Middle School

Royal Oak Middle school, located in Covina, California, has an incredible history in Theater Art excellence and community. It should be noted that though ROMS is competing in the high school division, we are a public middle school theater troupe in the truest sense. The entire cast and technical crew is comprised of only 7th and 8th grade students. Students pay zero fees to participate, instead funding the program through fantastic ticket sales and small refreshment fundraisers. The program in fiercely loved by the community and has produced several successful actors, writers, film producers, theater educators and other industry types. Students are also expected to learn technical theater and handle costume pulls, scenic work, set changes, stage management, audio engineering, lighting, front of house business, and program writing. This is the fourth ROMS musical for the new program director, Nicole Pedroche. romsdrama.weebly.com
 

***
Congratulations!


 

The American Prize is honored to announce the winner and runners-up of The American Prize in DIRECTING, 2016-17. Congratulations!

All applicants finalist or higher receive written evaluations from a member of The American Prize judging panel.

Complete listings of finalists and semi-finalists in The American Prize competitions may be found elsewhere on this blog. Please use the chronological tool in the right-hand column to find specific results.

Please make us aware of any misprints: theamericanprize@gmail.com


The American Prize in DIRECTING, 2016-17.

The American Prize winner:
Jacque Trussel
    Purchase Opera—SUNY Purchase
    Purchase NY

Jacque Trussel

Jacque Trussel, directed throughout his internationally renowned career as a tenor, winning acclaim for productions of Merry Widow (Indiana), Tales of Hoffman and Koenigskinder (Sarasota Opera) Salome (Opera Nantes) and Don Giovanni (Univ. Illinois, Urbana/Champaign). In 1999 he become the Head of Opera Performance/Vocal Studies and Stage Director of Purchase Opera at the Conservatory of Music/S.U.NY. He was named Stage Director of the Year by Classical Singer Magazine/2005 and has led the Purchase Opera to eleven National Opera Association awards for Best Opera Production of the Year and received glowing reviews by the New York Times and Opera News.  The Award winning productions included the American East Coast premiere of Lee Hoiby’s The Tempest (in which he was the original Caliban), and the World premiere of Raphael Lucas’ Confession for which he co-authored the libretto. Confession was later named Best Chamber Opera of the Year by the NOA.


2nd Place (there was a tie):
Darren P. Lawson
    Bob Jones University
    Greenville, SC
Verdi: Aida

Darren P. Lawson

Dr. Darren P. Lawson is dean of the School of Fine Arts and Communication at Bob Jones University in Greenville, SC.  He has a BA in Rhetoric and Public Address from Bob Jones University, an MA in Platform Arts from Bob Jones University, and PhD in Communication Studies from the University of Kansas.  He is a member of the University Classic Players and has portrayed such roles as Cyrano in Cyrano de Bergerac, Leontes in The Winter’s Tale, Henry in King Henry IV, Duke of Buckingham in Richard III: The Terrible Reign, Bottom the Weaver in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Macduff in Macbeth, Jaques in As You Like It, Feste in Twelfth Night, and many others.  He also serves as one of the stage directors for the Bob Jones University Opera Association with productions including Aida, Samson et Dalila, Andrea Chenier, Mefistofele, L’Elisir d’Amore, Rigoletto, Il Trovatore, and Simeon. http://www.bju.edu/events/fine-arts/concert-opera-drama/archive/
 

2nd Place (there was a tie):
Samuel Mungo
    Texas State University
    San Marcos TX
Mollicone: Lady Bird, First Lady of the Land

Samuel Mungo

Dr. Samuel Mungo has directed professionally across the country and around the world. His honors include Classical Performance of the Year for Rigoletto in San Antonio, and Opera Production of the Year from the National Opera Association.  Professional directing credits include Die Entführung aus dem Serail for Florida Grand Opera, Suor Angelica for Opera Plovdiv, Gianni Schicchi at Stara Zagora Opera, Il Trovatore for San Antonio Opera, Pirates of Penzance for Colorado Light Opera.

As Director of Opera Studies at Texas State University, he has created perhaps the most comprehensive undergraduate opera training program in the country. Recently he has produced Die Fledermaus, Don Giovanni, The Student Prince, The Turn of the Screw and Candide.  He conceived and produced the World Premiere of Mollicone’s Lady Bird in May.

He received his Doctorate from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and his Masters in Vocal Performance from the New England Conservatory.
 

3rd Place:
Justin John Moniz
    Florida State University Student Opera Society
    Tallahassee FL
Gilbert & Sullivan: The Mikado

Justin John Moniz

Justin John Moniz is a director, singer, actor, and teacher in high demand. During the 2016/17 season, he joins the faculty of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music where he will serve as Visiting Instructor of Opera. He has previously directed various scenes programs and productions across the country, and most recently at Florida State University. Moniz currently serves as the chair of the vocal division at the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival. His ongoing research on singer training in the 21st century has been presented at the National Opera Association. As a critically singer/actor, he previously has sang roles with Opera Grand Rapids, Utah Festival Opera, Sarasota Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Opera Company of Middlebury, and DreamCatcher Theatre/Adrienne Arsht Center, among many others. For more information, please visit: www.justinjohnmoniz.com. 
***
Congratulations!


 

The American Prize is honored to announce the winners,  runners-up and citation recipients of The American Prize in OPERA Performance, 2016-17. Congratulations!

All applicants finalist or higher receive written evaluations from a member of The American Prize judging panel.

Complete listings of finalists and semi-finalists in The American Prize competitions may be found elsewhere on this blog. Please use the chronological tool in the right-hand column to find specific results.

Please make us aware of any misprints: theamericanprize@gmail.com
 

The American Prize in OPERA Performance, 2016-17

The American Prize winner:
University of Michigan Opera
    Kathleen Kelly    Ann Arbor MI
    Ravel—L'heure espagnole / Puccini—Gianni Schicchi

University of Michigan Opera—Gianni Schicchi

The Opera Program at the University of Michigan is a cornerstone program in the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance. Students develop skills in an environment that oversees careful skill building yet encourages adventurous risk. Here they find world-class coaching in music, languages, and stagecraft. University Productions, a unique collaboration of faculty, staff, and students, designs and executes all scenery, costumes, properties, and lighting. Two mainstage productions and two workshop productions each year provide myriad performances opportunities for both undergraduates and graduates. Last but not least, the incomparable academic resources of the University of Michigan are at the program’s disposal.


2nd Place (there was a tie):
University of South Dakota Opera
    Tracelyn Gesteland    Vermillion SD
    Copland—The Tender Land

University of South Dakota Opera—The Tender Land

The University of South Dakota Opera offers training and performance opportunities for students interested in the art of opera.  Every semester, students have the opportunity to study and perform operatic literature from the common practice period as well as contemporary lyric theater.  Annually, USD Opera presents a main stage opera in addition to children’s touring outreach productions.  In 2014, USD Opera was honored to have been selected as a Finalist for The American Prize in Opera Performance.  In 2013, USD Opera was awarded Second Place for The American Prize in Opera Performance, and in 2012, won Third Place in division 3 of the National Opera Association’s Opera Production Competition.  USD Opera was also honored to perform children’s opera excerpts by invitation at the NOA convention in 2011.


2nd Place (there was a tie):
Messiah College Opera
    Damian Savarino    Mechanicsburg PA
    Copland—The Tender Land

Messiah College Opera—The Tender Land

The Messiah College Opera Workshop recently collaborated with the Department of Theatre and Dance at Messiah College to present Aaron Copland’s opera, The Tender Land the first ever student opera production in the college’s 100+ year history.  Previous offerings by the Opera Workshop ensemble have been Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, Menotti’s The Medium and The Old Maid and the Thief, Gilbert and Sullivan’s Trial By Jury, as well as opera scenes programs with scenes representing various time periods, composers, and languages.  The Messiah College Opera Workshop was founded and currently directed (music and stage direction) by Dr. Damian Savarino.  Dr. Savarino’s production of The Medium won 1st Prize in the 2013-2014 National Opera Association Opera Production Competition.  www.damiansavarino.com


3rd Place:
Conservatory Opera of Music (SUNY—Purchase)—The Crucible    Jacque Trussel    Purchase NY
    Ward—The Crucible

Conservatory Opera of Music (SUNY—Purchase)—The Crucible

The Purchase Opera, performing arm of The Opera Performance/Vocal Studies Area in the Conservatory of Music/S.U.N.Y., has received critical acclaim, collecting eleven National Opera Association - Best Opera of the Year awards, including the American East Coast premiere of Lee Hoiby’s The Tempest. Working with the composer the company later recorded one of the only existing recordings of the piece (Albany Records). The company also presented the World Premiere of Raphael Lucas’ Confession, winning National Opera Association’s International competition for Best Chamber Opera, 2011/12 (also recorded for Albany Records). This past March (2016) they presented Robert Ward’s The Crucible, which will be recorded in September 2016.
 
                         
FINALIST—CITATION: "Exceptional Production Values"

Bob Jones University Opera    Darren P. Lawson    Greenville SC
    Verdi—Aida

Bob Jones University Opera—Aida

The Bob Jones University Opera Association was founded in 1942 as part of the university’s commitment to liberal arts training for all of its students, who are provided free tickets to the productions.  It has become a national award-winning organization that mounts major operatic works, including Aida, Mefistofele, Samson et Dalila, Tosca, Andrea Chenier, L’Elisir d’Amore, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Il Trovatore, Rigoletto, La Cenerentola, and others.  Opera productions are presented regularly, with guest artists featured in the principal roles along with student and faculty soloists. Supporting roles and chorus parts are taken by students who show requisite ability.  http://www.bju.edu/events/fine-arts/concert-opera-drama/archive/


FINALIST—CITATION: "Ensemble Excellence"

FSU Student Opera Society—The Mikado
    Justin John Moniz    Tallahassee FL
    Gilbert & Sullivan—The Mikado

FSU Student Opera Society—The Mikado

The Student Opera Society at Florida State University mission is to serve the diverse student body within the College of Music and beyond by providing unique performance and professional development opportunities in opera. The productions chosen are aimed at complementing Florida State Opera’s mainstage programming while also being relevant and meaningful to the development of student singers. Additionally, workshops, fundraisers, socials, and other enrichment events are hosted to encourage the enjoyment and appreciation of opera among the greater Florida State University community.
 

FINALIST—CITATION: "Exceptional Commitment to New Music"


Texas State University Opera
    Samuel Mungo    San Marcos TX
    Mollicone—Lady Bird, First Lady of the Land

Texas State University Opera—Lady Bird, First Lady of the Land

The Award Winning Texas State Opera Theatre is dedicated to training the whole Opera performer. Voice, Acting, Dance and Theater Tech professionals training strictly in their fields join Director Samuel Mungo, Conductor Carolyn Watson and Collaborative Artist Kristin Roach to give Texas State possibly the most comprehensive undergraduate opera program in the country. 2 full Productions, Scenes Programs, Masterclasses with names like Jill Grove, Margaret Lattimore, Nicholas Carthy, and Margo Garrett, and access to professional summer programs, draw students from across the country. Recent productions include Don Giovanni, Candide, Turn of the Screw and Dialogues of the Carmelites. In May of 2016 TSOT produced the World Premiere of Lady Bird: First Lady of the Land, composed by Henry Mollicone with libretto by Sheldon Harnick.
***
Congratulations!


 

The American Prize is honored to announce the winners, runners-up and honorable mention of The American Prize in ORCHESTRAL PERFORMANCE, 2016-17, in all divisions. Congratulations!

All applicants finalist or higher receive written evaluations from a member of The American Prize judging panel; the competitions reserve the right to award additional citations for merit up until the final announcement of results for 2016-17 has been made.

Complete listings of finalists and semi-finalists in The American Prize competitions may be found elsewhere on this blog. Please use the chronological tool in the right-hand column to find specific results.

Please make us aware of any misprints: theamericanprize@gmail.com
  
The American Prize in Orchestral Performance, 2017—professional division

The American Prize winner:
River Oaks Chamber Orchestra
    Alecia Lawyer, artistic director    Houston TX

River Oaks Chamber Orchestra

The River Oaks Chamber Orchestra (ROCO) is a forty-piece professional chamber orchestra that was founded in 2005 by Alecia Lawyer. A Juilliard-trained musician with an eclectic background as a performer, recording artist, adjunct professor and radio host, Ms. Lawyer had a vision to reimagine the orchestral experience for both audience and musicians. The result is ROCO: an orchestra of all-star musicians, distinguished conductors and contemporary composers who come together from all over the world to present unexpected classics, original compositions and delightful performances that dissolve the barriers between audience and orchestra. www.roco.org


2nd Place:
Michigan Philharmonic
    Nan Washburn, music director    Plymouth MI

Michigan Philharmonic

The Michigan Philharmonic, one of the most innovative and dynamic professional orchestras in Southeast Michigan, was recently awarded the prestigious Knight Foundation Arts Challenge Grant and received 2nd and 3rd Place honors from The American Prize, professional orchestra division. Nan Washburn, Music Director and Conductor since 1999, was the TAP Professional Conducting Winner in 2013 and has won 19 ASCAP Awards for Adventuresome Programming of Contemporary Music from the League of American Orchestras. Michigan Phil is bringing its events into an ever-expanding roster of Michigan communities, including Plymouth, Canton, Birmingham-Bloomfield, Brighton, Downtown Detroit, and many others. The organization is committed to reaching out to a broad and diverse array of audiences. Currently in its 70th Season, the orchestra plays a full season of concerts throughout the year including pops, outdoor, Bollywood and Fusion Festivals. The Philharmonic also has an extensive education program that includes the Michigan Philharmonic Youth Orchestra.


3rd Place:
Odysseus North Texas Chamber Orchestra
    Jason Lim, music director    McKinney TX

Odysseus North Texas Chamber Orchestra

Founded in Denton in 2012, Odysseus North Texas Chamber Orchestra consists of  professional classical musicians from the DFW area. In May 2012, Odysseus launched a successful inaugural performance featuring local soloists, performed with Christopher Deane, Professor of Percussion at the University of North Texas and gave the world premiere of Breathe by Brad Robin, a work commissioned by Artistic Director, Jason Lim. Innovative in its programs under the direction of Jason Lim, OCO collaborated with the Denton City Contemporary Ballet  staging a full ballet performance of Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf and in 2014 staged the premiere performance of the full production of Igor Stravinsky’s A Soldier’s Tale. In 2014 OCO collaborated with world renowned double bassist, Jeff  Bradetich featuring the Tango music of Astor Piazzolla. In its short history, the Odysseus Chamber Orchestra has gained a growing national reputation as an emerging ensemble, winning third prize in the 2015 American Prize Competition for professional orchestras, 2nd prize in the 2014 and 3rd prize the year before. OCO has supported local service clubs like the Denton Breakfast Kiwanis Club, the Robson Ranch Kiwanis Club, sponsoring events such as the Eliminate Project Cruise and the Passing of the Banner Dinner. The outreach programs of Odysseus has expanded in the last two year, providing free chamber music series concerts, free amenity concerts in neighborhoods, educational school performances and collaborating with the Arts and Music Guild to organize the Summer Music Intensives.  Furthermore, OCO pioneered the Mentorship Program created by Artistic Director Jason Lim. This program provides high school orchestra students the opportunity to rehearse and perform side-by-side with members of OCO.  In 2014, OCO relocated from Denton and began planting new roots to become the resident professional orchestra of McKinney. www.odysseusorchestra.com 



The American Prize in Orchestral Performance, 2016-17—college/university division

The American Prize winner:
Baylor Symphony Orchestra
    Stephen Heyde, conductor    Waco TX

Baylor Symphony Orchestra

Founded in 1946, the Baylor Symphony has had only two resident conductors, Daniel Sternberg and, since 1984, Stephen Heyde. In a typical year 95 students from two dozen states and several foreign countries are selected to perform in the ensemble. The orchestra has performed at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival, national conventions of the American String Teachers Association and the College Orchestra Directors Association and multiple times at the Texas Music Educators Convention. In 2003 the Symphony was featured in a PBS Special that aired nationally to an estimated audience of six million viewers. The orchestra has performed with many distinguished performers including Josef Gingold and Robert Shaw among many others and taken international tours of Costa Rica in 2004 and Belgium in 2010. The Baylor Symphony also presents annual concerts for 6000 school children, an unbroken tradition of 70 years and won The American Prize in 2014 and 2015.


2nd Place:
Peabody Symphony Orchestra
    Hajime Teri Murai, conductor    Baltimore MD

Peabody Symphony Orchestra

The Peabody Symphony Orchestra is the senior of the two full symphonic orchestras at the Peabody Conservatory of Music.  The members of the orchestra are primarily upper division and graduate students.  The Peabody Symphony Orchestra performs five to six symphonic concerts and a major opera production each season. Programming for the orchestra is designed to provide its members with a rich and diverse performance experience, centered around the standard repertoire, but including contemporary music, American works, and premiere performances.  Peabody orchestras have regularly won ASCAP Awards for Adventurous Programming.  The Peabody Symphony Orchestra has been praised by the Baltimore Sun and provides its audiences with committed, energetic, and heartfelt performances.


3rd Place: 
Cornell Chamber Orchestra
    Chris Younghoon Kim, conductor   Ithaca NY

Cornell Chamber Orchestra

Cornell Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Chris Younghoon Kim, present multiple concerts during each academic school year.  The membership of the orchestra is formed from students of all colleges and departments across the university-wide community.  It is the only non-music major orchestra to win first place among collegiate orchestras the ASCAP award for Adventurous Programming of Contemporary music during the 2008-2009 season. It has won the Adventurous awards for 6 years in a row from 2008-2014. For the last seven seasons Cornell Orchestras have been jointly producing the Ithaca International conducting masterclasses with Ithaca College Symphony Orchestra.  



The American Prize in Orchestral Performance, 2016-17—community orchestra division

The American Prize winner: 
Texas Medical Center Orchestra
    Libi Lebel, conductor   Houston TX

Texas Medical Center Orchestra

Established in November 2000, Texas Medical Center Orchestra (TMCO) is one of very few community orchestras in the United States and the world with its origin in the health professions. It includes physicians, dentists, nurses, medical students, biomedical scientists, social workers and other allied health professionals who are dedicated to making music. Part of the orchestra’s mission is to provide health care professionals a creative outlet; offer affordable concerts to a diverse public audience; and bring public attention and support for, medically related and/or educational charities. Russian-born conductor Libi Lebel, founder and artistic director of TMCO, has a strong and growing reputation in the music world. Ms. Lebel has been listed as one of the 50 most influential women in Houston, (population over 2 million). She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Julliard School of Music and Westminster Choir College, in piano performance and conducting. Conducting appearances in New Jersey, New York, Texas, Russia and Romania have been met with high praise. In 2013, conductor Lebel led the TMCO in a well-received program at Carnegie Hall.
 As to her passion about music, Ms. Lebel says: “What inspires me is to make music come alive. To feel the love, pride, joy, sadness. To help it unfold in the most convincing and compelling way. With it, we connect to the very essence of our humanity, we then come into contact with that part of ourselves that expresses our most profound creativity. I am so lucky to have music in my life.”   


2nd Place (there was a tie):
Austin Civic Orchestra
    Lois Ferrari, conductor    Austin TX

Austin Civic Orchestra

Among the oldest community orchestras in the country, the Austin Civic Orchestra was founded in 1977 as a small group of string players which has since grown and evolved into the full 80-piece symphonic orchestra it is today. The ACO is committed to bringing high quality classical music to Austin area communities and to supporting young musicians in particular. To this end, the Orchestra offers free admittance to all students under the age of 18. In addition, the ACO sponsors the annual Pearl Amster Chamber Music Festival and co-sponsors (with the University of Texas) the annual Texas Rising Stars Concerto Contest. A champion of new music, ACO Music Director Lois Ferrari founded the Composition Contest in 2005. The ACO's illustrious list of guest artists include: Anton Nel, Lauren Lane, David Amram, David Whitwell, Peter Bay, and Hai Zheng. The ACO is proud to announce that all of its 2015-16 season concerts were underwritten by donors. http://www.austincivicorchestra.org


2nd Place (there was a tie):
Dudley House Orchestra
    Aaron Kuan, conductor    Cambridge MA

Dudley House Orchestra

The Dudley House Orchestra is affiliated with the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences in Cambridge, MA. It's mission is to provide artistic enrichment by providing opportunities for qualified students, scholars, and community members to rehearse together and perform in public concerts. The orchestra aims to perform at a high level of artistic excellence while maintaining a rehearsal environment amenable to full-time students, scholars and professionals and making every reasonable effort to include musicians of varying levels of artistic experience. During the academic year, the orchestra presents a fall concert in Paine Hall and a spring concert in Sanders Theatre as part the Harvard Arts First Festival.


3rd Place:
Midwest Chamber Ensemble
    Steve Nelson Lewis Jr., conductor Prairie Village KS

Midwest Chamber Ensemble

The Midwest Chamber Ensemble is a Kansas City-based organization dedicated to the performance of chamber orchestra and chamber ensemble music. Ensemble members are primarily young professional musicians and exceptional music students. The Midwest Chamber Ensemble prepares its members for future career opportunities by creating a professional environment and providing audiences with quality performances. Joseph Kern is the Composer-in-Residence with the Midwest Chamber Ensemble.  Prior to college, he was surrounded by rural and small town living, church activities, American Rust Belt history, and traveling the northeast United States; these things have and continue to influence his musical life. Steve N. Lewis Jr. is the Music Director of the Midwest Chamber Ensemble where he conducts orchestra concerts and performs chamber music.  He has conducted the Missouri Symphony, the Wilson Symphony (NC), Classical Revolution-Kansas City, OvreArts (PA) and the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra. www.midwestchamberensemble.org 



The American Prize in Orchestral Performance, 2016-17—youth orchestra division 

The American Prize winner:
Houston Youth Symphony
    Michael Webster, conductor   Houston TX

Houston Youth Symphony

Celebrating its 70th season, Houston Youth Symphony (HYS) is the recipient of national acclaim including the 2015 first prize winner of the Mark of Excellence Award from The Foundation for Music Education and the 2015 American Prize in Orchestral Performance – Youth Orchestra Division. Each season approximately 350 musicians between the ages of seven and 19 come from across the greater Houston area to perform in one of four HYS orchestras. In addition to the core orchestra program, HYS offers advanced musicians a chamber music training program and an annual concerto competition. In the community, HYS provides free private music lessons for talented youth in select economically disadvantaged communities through the Melody Program. In January 2015, HYS launched the Coda Music Program, an after-school effort modeled after El Sistema that brings graduated, intensive string instruction to two elementary schools using classical music and group instruction to build community and social transformation.


2nd Place:
Interlochen Arts Academy Orchestra
    Carolyn Watson, conductor   Interlochen MI

Interlochen Arts Academy Orchestra

Winner of the 2015 American Prize in Orchestral Performance and Runner-up for the American Prize in Conducting, Australian conductor Carolyn Watson is Director of Orchestral Studies at Texas State University. From 2013-15 she held the position of Conductor of the Interlochen Arts Academy Orchestra, having also conducted the World Youth Symphony Orchestra and Detroit Symphony Youth Orchestra. Prior to moving to the US Carolyn enjoyed a successful tenure as the inaugural Conductor-in-Residence at Sydney's Conservatorium High School from 2011-2013. A Fellow of the American Academy of Conducting at the Aspen Music Festival, Carolyn was a major prizewinner at the 2012 Emmerich Kálmán International Operetta Conducting Competition in Budapest. She is the recipient of the Brian Stacey Award for Emerging Australian Conductors, Charles Mackerras Conducting Prize, Nelly Apt Scholarship and Opera Foundation Australia’s Bayreuth Opera Award and Berlin New Music Opera Award. Dr. Watson holds a PhD in Performance (Conducting) from the University of Sydney where the subject of her doctoral thesis was Gesture as Communication: The Art of Carlos Kleiber. www.carolyn-watson.com



The American Prize in Orchestral Performance, 2016-17—high school orchestra division

The American Prize winner:
Plano West Chamber Orchestra
    Ryan Ross, director   Plano TX

Plano West Chamber Orchestra

The Plano West Orchestra is proud to be recognized as one of the most accomplished orchestra programs in America. Plano West is a grade 11 and 12 campus in Plano, TX, a Dallas suburb. The orchestra program currently serves shy of 200 students in four orchestras. Since its inception, Plano West has been recognized as the Texas String Honor Orchestra six times, most recently in 2016. Nationally, it has been recognized as an invited orchestra at the Midwest Clinic and been named a National Winner in the Mark of Excellence National Orchestra Honors.  The program as a whole routinely earns sweepstakes awards at the annual UIL competition.  The program is led by Director of Orchestras, Ryan Ross.  And for many years, Associate Director Amy Gross has been a key player in helping the program grow and thrive.  


2nd Place: 
Arlington HS Philharmonia
    Jon Handman, director    LeGrangeville NY

Arlington HS Philharmonia

Arlington High School's Philharmonia is the most advanced of five orchestras and has been selected to perform at the 2015 NY State School Boards Convention, the 2014 NYSSMA Winter Conference and was the Grand Champion of the ASTA National Orchestra Festival in March 2012. The program consists of two ninth grade string orchestra and three symphonic orchestras for students in grades 10-12, of which Ms. Elizabeth Handman and  Mr. Jonathan Handman are the directors.  In total, the program has over 250 string students and 70 wind/percussion members that join the strings every other day as their second ensemble in addition to the band program that they are members of.  Arlington Central School District’s High School Principal is Mr. Paul Fanuele and Music Coordinator is Mr. Richard Guillen. 


3rd Place:
Allen HS Symphony Orchestra
    David DeVoto, director    Allen TX

Allen HS Symphony Orchestra

The Allen ISD Orchestra program began in 1997 at the 6th grade level with approximately 50 students. By 2002, the 30 member Allen High School orchestra began performing in their first concerts and festivals and earned their first “sweepstakes” UIL award.  Since 2002, the HS orchestra program grew to 300+ students, placed in the finals of the Texas Honor Orchestra Competition in 2004, 2006, 2007,  2015, and 2016 and was accepted to the Midwest Clinic in 2006.  Today, there are over 1,300 orchestra students in Allen ISD: seventeen elementary orchestras, three middle school orchestra programs with 4 or 5 orchestras each, a freshman center orchestra program with a full orchestra and four string orchestras, and the high school orchestra program with a full orchestra and six string orchestras. Students in the AISD orchestra program participate in UIL Region XXV Solo & Concert Contests and the Texas Music Educators Association All-State Orchestras and Bands.


Honorable Mention:
Reagan Chamber Orchestra
    Sixto Elizondo IV, director   San Antonio TX

Reagan Chamber Orchestra

The Ronald Reagan orchestra program comprises of seven performing ensembles with a total enrollment of 245. The musicians in the Chamber Orchestra serve as the string section of the RRSO. The Reagan Orchestra performs six major concerts a year, including a young people’s concert which serves 1700 elementary and middle school students in the Reagan Cluster.  Members of the orchestra also serve the greater Stone Oak community by performing at events, nursing homes and in our cluster schools. The Reagan Orchestra has a long standing tradition of excellence in performance and service, and this tradition has continued under the direction of their Director, Sixto Elizondo IV.
***
Congratulations!


 

The American Prize is honored to announce the winners, runners-up and honorable mentions of The American Prize in Conducting—orchestra—in the professional, college/university, community and youth/school divisions, 2016-17. Congratulations!

All applicants finalist or higher receive written evaluations from a member of The American Prize judging panel.

Complete listings of finalists and semi-finalists in The American Prize competitions may be found elsewhere on this blog. Please use the chronological tool in the right-hand column to find specific results.

Please make us aware of any misprints: theamericanprize@gmail.com


The American Prize in Conducting—orchestra, 2016-17,  professional division:

The American Prize winner:
Jason Lim
    Odysseus N. Texas Chamber Orchestra
    McKinney TX

Jason Lim

Recognized by the Denton-Record Chronicle as one of “2012’s Most Fascinating People,” the career of conductor Jason Lim is on the rise. Lim was born in Penang, Malaysia and began his formal training in viola performance when he won a scholarship to study at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts with Alice Waten. He commenced his studies at the Canberra (Australia) School of Music, and completed his bachelor’s degree with honors at the Australian Institute of Music in Sydney. Jason received his Masters degree in orchestral conducting from the University of North Texas.

Known for his fine technique in performances, Jason began his conducting studies in Australia: first as an apprentice with the Canberra Youth Orchestra, and later as an Assistant Conductor with the Ku Ring Gai Philharmonic Orchestra in Sydney, a position that was awarded in conjunction with the New South Wales Ministry of Arts Conducting Prize. Most recently, Mr. Lim has been of awards from the American Prize Competition: the 2011 Young Conductor Citation Award, third prize in the 2013 Conducting Competition and most recently second prize in the 2015 and 2014 American Prize Competition for professional conductors. In 2013 Jason made his European conducting debut with the Academic State Concert Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine in Kiev and in 2014 appeared as guest conductor with the Zabrze Philharmonic Orchestra in Poland and the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Currently, Jason is the Artistic Director and conductor of the Odysseus Chamber Orchestra, a group he founded in 2012. In 2014 the orchestra was awarded second prize in the Professional Orchestra division of the American Prize Competition and third prize in 2015. Thanks to Jason’s commitment to education, the group pioneered a unique mentorship program that gives talented high school students the opportunity to perform side-by-side with professional musicians. www.jasonlim-conductor.com
http://jasonlim-conductor.wix.com/jason


2nd Place:
Genevieve Leclair
    Boston Ballet Orchestra
    Boston MA

Genevieve Leclair

Canadian conductor Geneviève Leclair was appointed Music Director of Parkway Concert Orchestra in 2013 and Assistant Professor at Berklee College of Music in 2016. Equally at home in the symphony, ballet and opera worlds, she was Assistant Conductor for Boston Ballet from 2010 to 2016, where she conducted main stage productions on a regular basis. In 2016, she returned to the company as Guest Conductor and made her debut with The National Ballet of Canada.She had the honour of being the recipient of the 2010 Sir Ernest MacMillan Memorial Foundation Award in orchestral conducting.

In recent years, Ms. Leclair has had the opportunity to guest conduct various orchestras both in Canada and the United States, including Orchestre symphonique du Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean, McGill Chamber Orchestra, Symphony New Hampshire, Syracuse University Symphony Orchestra and New England Conservatory Chamber and Youth Philharmonic Orchestras. Her performances have been hailed as “impeccable” (Boston Phoenix), “ravishing” and of “exemplary pacing and reading” (Hugh Fraser) while her conducting style is praised for its “verve and precision”, “confident dynamics and tempos, crisp rhythms, and crystalline phrasing creat[ing] powerful forward momentum” (Carla DeFord).


3rd Place (there was a tie):
Paul Mauffray
    Hradec Kralove Philharmonic
    Czech Republic

Paul Mauffray

Paul Mauffray began his music studies at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts and Louisiana State University. He won 2nd Prize in the Bartok Conducting Competition and has 20 years professional conducting experience with European orchestras and operas in Prague, Brno, Bratislava, Lyon, Salzburg, St. Petersburg, and Vienna. After studies in Germany and the Czech Republic, he earned his master's degree in conducting at Indiana University where he was engaged as Associate Instructor. He conducted at the Bucharest National Opera, Slovak National Opera, and appeared frequently as conductor with violin-soloist Tomas Vinklat from the Vienna Philharmonic. Mauffray has been a frequent guest conductor with the Hradec Kralove Philharmonic, Janacek Philharmonic, Bohuslav Martinu Philharmonic, and Schoenbrunn Palace Orchestra in Vienna.  In 2016 he recorded the opera “The Scarlet Letter” and conducted performances of “Rusalka” at the Mariinsky Theatre. He is currently reconstructing the 1894 opera "Tabasco" by George W. Chadwick. www.paulmauffray.com


3rd Place (there was a tie):
Walter Morales
    Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra
    Greensburg PA

Walter Morales

Walter Morales is the Music Director of the Edgewood Symphony Orchestra. His previous positions include Music Director of Undercroft Opera, Music Director of the Carnegie Mellon University Contemporary Ensemble, Head of Music of Opera Theater of Pittsburgh, Principal Guest Conductor of the Pittsburgh Philharmonic, Assistant Director of Orchestral Studies at Carnegie Mellon University and Assistant Conductor of the Carnegie Mellon Philharmonic. He has been a guest conductor with the National Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica, Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra, Butler County Symphony Orchestra, McKeesport Symphony Orchestra, University of Costa Rica Symphony Orchestra, University of Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Duquesne University Opera & Orchestra, Pittsburgh Youth Chamber Orchestra and Rutgers Chamber Orchestra.  He has also served as cover conductor for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. For more information please visit: www.waltermoralesmusic.com


The American Prize in Conducting—orchestra, 2016-17,  college/university division:

The American Prize winner:
Genevieve Leclair
    Syracuse University Symphony
    Syracuse NY

Genevieve Leclair

Canadian conductor Geneviève Leclair was appointed Music Director of Parkway Concert Orchestra in 2013 and Assistant Professor at Berklee College of Music in 2016. Equally at home in the symphony, ballet and opera worlds, she was Assistant Conductor for Boston Ballet from 2010 to 2016, where she conducted main stage productions on a regular basis. In 2016, she returned to the company as Guest Conductor and made her debut with The National Ballet of Canada. She had the honour of being the recipient of the 2010 Sir Ernest MacMillan Memorial Foundation Award in orchestral conducting.

In recent years, Ms. Leclair has had the opportunity to guest conduct various orchestras both in Canada and the United States, including Orchestre symphonique du Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean, McGill Chamber Orchestra, Symphony New Hampshire, Syracuse University Symphony Orchestra and New England Conservatory Chamber and Youth Philharmonic Orchestras. Her performances have been hailed as “impeccable” (Boston Phoenix), “ravishing” and of “exemplary pacing and reading” (Hugh Fraser) while her conducting style is praised for its “verve and precision”, “confident dynamics and tempos, crisp rhythms, and crystalline phrasing creat[ing] powerful forward momentum” (Carla DeFord).


2nd Place (there was a tie):
Chris Younghoon Kim     
Cornell Chamber Orchestra
    Ithaca NY

Chris Younghoon Kim

Cornell Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Chris Younghoon Kim, present multiple concerts during each academic school year.  The membership of the orchestra is formed from students of all colleges and departments across the university-wide community.  It is the only non-music major orchestra to win first place among collegiate orchestras the ASCAP award for Adventurous Programming of Contemporary music during the 2008-2009 season. It has won the Adventurous awards for 6 years in a row from 2008-2014. For the last seven seasons Cornell Orchestras have been jointly producing the Ithaca International conducting masterclasses with Ithaca College Symphony Orchestra. This performance is a live performance without edits from the College Orchestra Director's Association's National conference in Salt Lake City, UT, in January, 2016.


2nd Place (there was a tie):
Ricardo Averbach
    Miami U. Symphony Orchestra
    Oxford OH

Ricardo Averbach

Ricardo Averbach is a native of Brazil. Prior to his coming to Miami University in 2002, he was Music Director of the Echternach Festival Chamber Orchestra in Luxembourg, Music Director of the University of Pennsylvania Symphony Orchestra and Wind Ensemble in Philadelphia and Acting Music Director of the Orquestra Sinfônica Municipal de São Paulo in Brazil. After only three years under his leadership at Miami University, the symphony orchestra was selected in one single year and by competitive audition to three major conferences: MENC, ASTA and OMEA. In 2005 he organized the first international tour of the ensemble, creating the Russian-American Orchestra Institute, in collaboration with the St. Petersburg State Conservatory. His discography includes several world premiere recordings, which have sold more than half a million copies around the globe. Dr. Averbach conducts regularly in South and North America, Asia and Europe.


3rd Place:
Kevin Sutterlin     
University of Memphis Symphony Orchestra
    Memphis TN

Kevin Sutterlin

Kevin Sütterlin has recently been appointed Director of Orchestral Activities at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. Prior to that, Sütterlin served as Acting Music Director and Chief Assistant Conductor of the Orchestras and Acting Music Director of Opera at the University of Memphis. He received the school’s Creative Achievement Award and is an awardee of the Hirschmann Foundation scholarship. As Co-Music Director of Sinfonietta Memphis, he strives to present historically-informed performances of Viennese Classics in innovative ways.

He has taught and performed in many countries, including Austria, China, Germany, Italy, Romania, Slovenia, Switzerland. Sütterlin holds a Bachelor in Conducting from the Hochschule Luzern – Musik, Switzerland and a Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting from the University of Memphis, where he is also currently finishing his DMA in Orchestral Conducting. Kevin is grateful for the continuous guidance of his teachers Pu-Qi Jiang, Mark Ensley, Christoph Rehli, Douglas Bostock, and Michael Stern.


HONORABLE MENTION:
Jeffrey Klefstad
    All University Orchestra
    Carnegie Mellon University
    Pittsburgh PA

Jeffrey Klefstad

Jeffrey Klefstad is Music Director and conductor of the All University Orchestra at Carnegie Mellon University and assistant conductor for Resonance Works | Pittsburgh. While off the podium, Klefstad is board member, chair of the Community Engagement and Outreach Committee, and member of the artistic committee for Resonance Works | Pittsburgh. Previously Klefstad has been cover conductor for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Akron Symphony Orchestra and The Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh. Additionally he has been Music Director for Undercroft Opera (Pittsburgh). Conducting teachers and mentors have included Diane Wittry, Kenneth Kiesler, Robert McCashin, and Bruce Houglum, respectively. In addition, he has worked with such influential conductors and composers as Kurt Masur, Keith Lockhart, Victor Yampolsky, Steve Reich, Jennifer Higdon, Robert Sierra, Victoria Bond, and Samuel Jones. Additionally, he has been coached by Paul Vermel, Jorge Mester, Peter Jaffee, and Donald Portnoy.


The American Prize in Conducting—orchestra, 2016-17,  community division:

The American Prize winner:
Matthew Cody
    Oneota Valley Community Orchestra
    Decorah IA

Matthew Cody

Matthew Cody is a conductor and music educator based in Northeast Iowa.  Along with teaching instrumental music in the public school system, Matt is also the founder and conductor of the Oneota Valley Community Orchestra.  The OVCO is a full symphonic orchestra that serves communities in Northeast Iowa, Southeast Minnesota, and Southwest Wisconsin.

Matthew graduated from Simpson College with a Bachelor of Music specializing in music education.  In 2014 he earned his Master of Music degree from Colorado State University with music education and conducting specialties.  Additionally he was invited to be the Conducting Fellow for the 2011 season of the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony and a guest conductor for the 2013 Iowa Bandmasters Conference and 2014 Iowa Band Conductors Forum. His principal conducting mentors include: Dr. Robert L Larsen, Founder Des Moines Metro Opera, Jason Weinberger, Music Director, Waterloo Cedar Falls Symphony, Wes Kenney, Music Director, Fort Collins Symphony.


2nd Place:
Lois Ferrari
    Austin Civic Orchestra
    Austin TX

Lois Ferrari

Lois Ferrari is Professor of Music at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas and has been a member of the faculty since 1993. Dr. Ferrari conducts the SU Orchestra and Wind Ensemble, teaches conducting classes, and serves as host and clinician for the bi-annual SU Conductors' Institute. As ACO Music Director, Dr. Ferrari was named 1st Runner-Up for the 2012 American Prize in Community Orchestra Conducting. In 2014, Dr. Ferrari was honored to be named finalist for the same contest. In 2010 and 2016, Dr. Ferrari conducted all-state ensembles at the Washington State music educators conference.

An enthusiastic champion of new music, Dr. Ferrari founded the bi-annual ACO Composition Contest and is proud to have premiered more than twenty works during the course of her career. One such work was nominated by the Austin Critics Table for Best Symphonic Performance of 2009. In 2012, Ferrari and the ACO were commissioned by composer David Amram to present the Texas premiere of his “Symphonic Variations on a Song by Woody Guthrie.”

A graduate of the Eastman School of Music, where she received a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Conducting, Dr. Ferrari received a full doctoral fellowship and was appointed Assistant Conductor of the renowned Eastman Wind Ensemble. She also earned a Master of Music degree in Conducting and a Bachelor of Music degree with a double major in Performance and Music Education from the Ithaca College School of Music. Her principal teachers were Donald Hunsberger, Rodney Winther, David Effron, and Donald Neuen. http://loisferrari.wix.com/maestra-lois-ferrari


3rd Place:
Zachary D. McCoy
    Balmoral Chamber Orchestra
    Memphis TN

Zachary D. McCoy

A native of Tennessee, Zachary D. McCoy has studied conducting with Maestro Pu-Qi Jiang and percussion with Drs. Julie Hill and Frank Shaffer. In 2010, McCoy became the founding music director and conductor of the 7AM Marimba Choir. In 2011, he became the founding music director and conductor of the Balmoral Chamber Orchestra, an ensemble dedicated to charitably supporting various causes and organizations within the community. As conductor of BCO, McCoy premiered 11 compositions and arrangements by composers across the country and Australia in addition to more than 15 of his own arrangements. As a soloist, McCoy has been featured as a concerto competition winner under the baton of Maestro Michael Gilbert. McCoy graduated summa cum laude from the University of Memphis with a Bachelor of Music in performance and a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry. Currently, McCoy is taking time off in San Francisco while applying to medical school.
The American Prize in Conducting—orchestra, 2016-17,  youth & school division:

The American Prize winner: 
Orlando Cela
    North Carolina Governor's School Orchestra
    Winston-Salem NC

Orlando Cela

Recently appointed music director of the Arlington Philharmonic (MA), Orlando Cela’s experience includes launching the orchestral department at Ningbo University in China and conducting the inaugural concert of the Ningbo City Symphony Orchestra. In the US, his conducting positions include work with orchestras and choruses at Randolph College (VA), and UMass Dartmouth (MA). Guest conducting credits include the Marquette Symphony Orchestra (MI), the Northern Michigan State University Orchestra (MI), Brandeis New Music Ensemble (MA).  He is currently the music director and conductor of the orchestra of the Governor’s School of North Carolina, with which he has performed world and American premieres by composers like Salvatore Sciarrino, Chen Yi, Hector Parra, Rebecca Saunders, Alwynne Pritchard, and many others.


2nd Place:
Michael Webster
    Houston Youth Symphony
    Houston TX

Michael Webster

A multifaceted musician, Dr. Michael Webster is known as clarinetist, conductor, composer, arranger and educator. Professor of music at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, he has been artistic director of Houston Youth Symphony since 1997. He led the Symphony at the inauguration of Houston Mayor Lee Brown, at Carnegie Hall, and at the 2002 National Youth Orchestra Festival in Sarasota, Florida, as one of six orchestras selected from applicants nationwide. Rarely featuring an orchestra, NPR’s national radio show “From the Top” invited HYS to perform in September 2012.

Dr. Webster served as assistant conductor of the Asian Youth Orchestra under Yehudi Menuhin, music director of the Wellesley Symphony Orchestra, and director of the Michigan Youth Symphony Orchestra. He has held faculty positions in clarinet and conducting at the University of Michigan, New England Conservatory, Boston University, and Eastman School of Music, where he had earned his three degrees.


3rd Place:
Carolyn Watson
    Interlochen Arts Academy Orchestra
    Interlochen MI

Carolyn Watson

Winner of the 2015 American Prize in Orchestral Performance and Runner-up for the American Prize in Conducting, Australian conductor Carolyn Watson is Director of Orchestral Studies at Texas State University. From 2013-15 she held the position of Conductor of the Interlochen Arts Academy Orchestra, having also conducted the World Youth Symphony Orchestra and Detroit Symphony Youth Orchestra. Prior to moving to the US Carolyn enjoyed a successful tenure as the inaugural Conductor-in-Residence at Sydney's Conservatorium High School from 2011-2013. A Fellow of the American Academy of Conducting at the Aspen Music Festival, Carolyn was a major prizewinner at the 2012 Emmerich Kálmán International Operetta Conducting Competition in Budapest. She is the recipient of the Brian Stacey Award for Emerging Australian Conductors, Charles Mackerras Conducting Prize, Nelly Apt Scholarship and Opera Foundation Australia’s Bayreuth Opera Award and Berlin New Music Opera Award. Dr. Watson holds a PhD in Performance (Conducting) from the University of Sydney where the subject of her doctoral thesis was Gesture as Communication: The Art of Carlos Kleiber. www.carolyn-watson.com


HONORABLE MENTION:
Ryan Murray
    Modesto Symphony Youth Orchestra
    Modesto CA

Ryan Murray

Ryan Murray’s dynamic conducting, engaging persona and deeply held passion for the arts have allowed him to steadily build a robust career since his professional debut at the age of just 22. Ryan was a winner of the Vienna Philharmonic’s Ansbacher Fellowship for Young Conductors and previously studied at the Eastman School of Music's Summer Conducting Institute featuring the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra; he has participated in the Aurora Conducting Seminar with Kurt Masur, as well as the Lucerne Festival Academy Conducting Masterclass. Ryan is currently the Music Director of Townsend Opera, the Associate Conductor for the Modesto Symphony Orchestra, Music Director for the Modesto Symphony Youth Orchestra and Resident Conductor of the Music in the Mountains Summer Festival. Ryan previously served as a Conductor for the BASOTI, and the Opera Academy of California. Visit www.ryanjmurray.com for news and upcoming engagements.
***
Congratulations!


 

Maestro Vytautas Marijosius

The American Prize is proud to announce the winners, runners-up and honorable mentions of The American Prize in Orchestral Programming—Maestro Vytautas Marijosius Memorial Award, 2016-17. Awards were made in three divisions this year: college/university orchestras, community orchestras and youth orchestras. All the results are below.

Please make us aware of any misprints by emailing:theamericanprize@gmail.com 

For nearly thirty five years Director of Orchestral Activities at the Hartt School of Music of the University of Hartford, Vytautas Marijosius programmed concerts that were alive in every sense—not programming for novelty’s sake, nor neglecting the great masters of the past—but always bringing to the awareness of his students and his audiences great composers of the current time and potential masters of the future. I believe he would be pleased in different ways with each of this year's honorees."—DK

For more about Maestro Marijosius, please visit the companion blog here.

James Allen Anderson
    University of Delaware Symphony Orchestra
    Newark DE

James Allen Anderson

Hailed for his inventive programming and compelling interpretations, maestro James Allen Anderson continues to engage audiences with inspirational and entertaining performances worldwide. Trained as both a conductor and pianist, he studied with maestro David Effron at the Eastman School of Music and with maestro Tonu Kalam and pianist Michael Zenge at the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill. Additional studies include two seasons at Le Domain Forget under the tutelage of Pierre Hétu and Otto-Werner Mueller.

Since 2011 maestro Anderson has served as Director of Orchestral Activities at the University of Delaware. In previous positions Anderson held the post of Music Director of the Butte Symphony Association, cover conductor with the North Carolina Symphony, Director of Orchestral Activities at both Appalachian State University and the University of Montana. He is in demand as a guest conductor, having worked with ensembles in North and South America, Europe and Asia.


2nd Place:
David Rahbee
    University of Washington Symphony Orchestra
    Seattle WA

David Rahbee

David Alexander Rahbee is currently Senior Artist in Residence at the University of Washington School of Music in Seattle, where he is director of orchestral activities and teaches conducting. He also serves of faculty of the Pierre Monteux School and Music Festival as Conducting Associate. He is recipient of the American-Austrian Foundation's 2003 Karajan Fellowship for Young Conductors, the 2005 International Richard-Wagner-Verband Stipend, and the Acanthes Centre in Paris in 2007. He has recently worked with the Seattle Symphony, Orchesterakademie der Bochumer Symphoniker, the Seattle Modern Orchestra, and Orquesta Sinfónica de Loja. He participated in masterclasses with Kurt Masur, Sir Colin Davis, Jorma Panula, Zdeněk Mácal, Peter Eötvös, and Zoltán Peskó. His principal conducting teachers were Charles Bruck and Michael Jinbo at the Monteux School. He holds degrees from Indiana University, New England Conservatory, and University of Montreal. He also studied at Universität für Musik und Darstellende Kunst, Vienna.
 

3rd Place:
Peter Askim
    The Next Festival of Emerging Artists
    The Raleigh Civic Symphony Orchestra
    Raleigh NC

Peter Askim

Active as a conductor, composer and bassist, Peter Askim is the Artistic Director of the Next Festival of Emerging Artists and the conductor of the Raleigh Civic Symphony and Chamber Orchestra, as well as Director of Orchestral Activities at North Carolina State University. He was formerly Music Director and Composer-in-Residence of the Idyllwild Arts Academy.

A dedicated champion of the music of our time, he has premiered numerous works, including works by composers Richard Danielpour, Nico Muhly, Christopher Theofanidis, Pierre Jalbert, Phil Kline, Rufus Reid, Chen Yi and Aaron Jay Kernis. He has collaborated with such artists as the Miró String Quartet, ETHEL Matt Haimovitz, Vijay Iyer and Sō Percussion.


HONORABLE MENTION:
Jaemi Loeb
    Centre College Orchestra
    Danville KY

Jaemi Loeb

Jaemi Blair Loeb is the Director of Instrumental Ensembles at Centre College, where she is Music Director of both the Centre College Orchestra and Wind Ensemble. She is also Principal Guest Conductor of the Piccadilly Symphony Orchestra in Manchester, England and the Director of the International Conductors’ Festival - Danville. Jaemi’s work as a music director is always driven by the goal of building community within the ensemble and the audience. On the podium, she balances her musical vision with a collaborative mode of working to create exciting and emotional performances. To learn more, visitwww.jaemiloeb.com.
 

Anthony Spain
    Northwest Symphony Orchestra
    Seattle WA

Anthony Spain

Anthony Spain has been Music Director of the Northwest Symphony Orchestra (NWSO) since 1987. Dr. Spain has guest conducted orchestras throughout America and in Europe including the Seattle Symphony, and the Bath Philharmonia in Bath, England. He has been a cover conductor with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, and recently guest conducted in Hong Kong and Honduras. A noted conductor of works with orchestra and choir, Dr. Spain has conducted several choirs in America and in Europe including the Orfeo International Orchestra with the choir of L’UNESCO (the cultural branch of the United Nations) in Paris, France. Dedicated to education, Dr. Spain is an active clinician and adjudicator. Spain graduated with a Doctorate Degree in Music from the University of Washington and has received numerous awards and honors including a Grammy nomination.


2nd Place:
Pia Liptak & Kathleen Suher
    Cordancia Chamber Orchestra
    Rochester NY

Pia Liptak & Kathleen Suher

CORDANCIA: Vibrant Music for a Vibrant Community
Founded by violinist Pia Liptak and oboist Kathleen Suher
Formed 2009; a not-for-profit since June 2010
www.cordancia.org

Kathleen and Pia serves as co-artistic directors of Cordancia as well as being members of the ensemble, respectively as principal oboist and concert-master. Pia Liptak earned her DMA in violin performance and literature from the Eastman School of Music. She is on the faculty of the Hochstein School of Music and Dance and performs as a soloist and chamber musician. She has recorded a number of CDs and been much involved in the contemporary music scene. Kathleen, a graduate of Syracuse University College of Law, is a real estate attorney in Rochester. She studied with Richard Killmer at Eastman and Anita Brandon and is currently performing in a number of musical ensembles, including serving as the principal oboist of the University of Rochester Symphony Orchestra.


3rd Place:
Donald L. Appert
    The Jewish Community Orchestra of Portland
    Portland OR

Donald L. Appert

Donald Appert has been Music Director/Conductor of the Jewish Community Orchestra in Portland, Oregon since 2012. He has guest conducted orchestras in Europe, Central America, Japan and Australia. Currently he is a Professor of Music and Head of the Music Department at Clark College in Vancouver, Washington. In addition he is the Music Director/Conductor of the Clark College Orchestra and of the Oregon Sinfonietta.  He received The American Prize in Orchestral Programming—Vytautas Marijosius Memorial Award in 2011, an Honorable Mention in 2012, 3rd Place in 2014, and 2nd Place in 2015. He was also Honored Artist of the American Prize in 2015. In 2014 he received the Clark County (WA) Arts Commission Lifetime Achievement in the Arts Award. He has received the ASCAPLUS Award numerous times. Videos of his conducting and his original compositions may be seen and heard via the Internet on his web site at www.maestrodonappert.com. 


Orlando Cela
    NC Governor's School Orchestra
    Winston-Salem NC

Orlando Cela

Recently appointed music director of the Arlington Philharmonic (MA), Orlando Cela’s experience includes launching the orchestral department at Ningbo University in China and conducting the inaugural concert of the Ningbo City Symphony Orchestra. In the US, his conducting positions include work with orchestras and choruses at Randolph College (VA), and UMass Dartmouth (MA). Guest conducting credits include the Marquette Symphony Orchestra (MI), the Northern Michigan State University Orchestra (MI), Brandeis New Music Ensemble (MA).  He is currently the music director and conductor of the orchestra of the Governor’s School of North Carolina, with which he has performed world and American premieres by composers like Salvatore Sciarrino, Chen Yi, Hector Parra, Rebecca Saunders, Alwynne Pritchard, and many others.


2nd Place:
Robert Boardman
   South Bend Youth Symphony
   South Bend, IN

Robert Boardman

Robert W. Boardman, a native of Ithaca, New York is currently Music Director and Conductor of the South Bend Youth Symphony Orchestras, and Artistic Director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra's webcast, "Life from Orchestra Hall." He has assisted Marin Alsop at the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, and served as Associate Conductor for CAMI's worldwide tour of Howard Shore's "The Lord of the Rings Symphony." Boardman received the DMA of Orchestral Conducting from the University of Michigan in 2010 where he studied with Kenneth Kiesler. He has participated in dozens of workshops nationwide and been a participant in masterclasses with conductors Larry Rachleff, Lorin Maazel, Kurt Mazur, Gustav Meier, JoAnn Falletta, and many other fine pedagogues. 


Third Place:
Alyze Dreiling
    YPO Soloists Ensemble
    San Diego CA

Alyze Dreiling

Alyze Dreiling, www.alyzedreiling.com  is an award-winning conductor, and accomplished violinist and violist in San Diego. In addition to serving as the YPO Soloists Ensemble Artistic Director and Conductor since 2010, she conducts the San Diego Civic Youth Orchestra Symphonic Orchestra and has guest conducted the San Diego Master Chorale and Cabrillo Chamber Orchestra to name a few. She was also the founding Artistic Director and Conductor of Classics for Kids, a fully professional orchestra performing specialty youth concerts in the San Diego area. Ms. Dreiling’s performing violin credits include: soloist with the Detroit Symphony, Philharmonica Hungarica at the Vienna Summer Festival, Florida Chamber Orchestra, concertmaster of the Knoxville Symphony and Knoxville Chamber Orchestra. With composer, Myron Fink, she received a recording prize from Contemporary Recording Society for the production and release of a CD featuring Fink’s Violin Sonata #1 and subsequently the Violin Sonata #2


HONORABLE MENTION:
Farkhad Khudyev
    Youth Music Monterey
    Monterey CA

Farkhad Khudyev

Hailed for “ever-sensitive control and extraordinarily imaginative interpretation", Farkhad Khudyev has served as the Music Director of the New Jersey Intergenerational Orchestra, New Haven Chamber Orchestra, as well as the Associate Conductor of the Opera Hidden Valley and the Alternate Conductor for the Cleveland Orchestra. As a Guest Conductor, Mr. Khudyev has worked with the Monterey Symphony, Yale Symphony Orchestra, Yale Philharmonia, Greenwich Village Orchestra of New York City, Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra, New Jersey Youth Symphony and the Taipei Chinese Orchestra. Currently, Mr. Khudyev serves as the Music Director of the Youth Music Monterey Orchestras. Farkhad studied at the State Music School of Ashgabat, Interlochen Arts Academy, Oberlin Conservatory and the Yale School of Music. He is the winner of the Grand Prize/Gold Medal of the 2007 National Fischoff Chamber Music Competition and the first American Conductor to receive the "Best Interpretation Prize" at the 2015 International Taipei Conducting Competition.


***

Congratulations!

The American Prize is honored to announce the winners, runners-up, citation recipients and honorable mentions of The American Prize in CHORAL PERFORMANCE, 2016-17, in all divisions. Congratulations!

All applicants finalist or higher receive written evaluations from a member of The American Prize judging panel; the competitions reserve the right to award additional citations for merit up until the final announcement of results for 2016-17 has been made.

Complete listings of finalists and semi-finalists in The American Prize competitions may be found elsewhere on this blog. Please use the chronological tool in the right-hand column to find specific results.

Please make us aware of any misprints: theamericanprize@gmail.com

The American Prize in Choral Performance—professional division

The American Prize winner:
South Dakota Chorale
    Brian A. Schmidt Sioux Falls SD

South Dakota Chorale

Based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the South Dakota Chorale is a collaborative network of musicians combining the talents of singers locally, regionally, and across the nation. “Bringing people together to produce inspirational world-class performances of choral arts that embrace professional artistry and enrich the cultural life of South Dakotans” is their mission, and they strive to reach this in all of their work.

In their five-year history they have developed educational collaborations with high school choirs, led master classes with pre-professional/collegiate singers, partnered with local arts series’ to build support and awareness for the arts, initiated a guest conductor residency, and released three commercial recordings in collaborations with Grammy award-winning producer, Blanton Alspaugh. In 2014, they joined PENTATONE, a Dutch classical music label specializing in high-end, surround sound recordings. www.southdakotachorale.com


2nd Place:
Chorosynthesis Singers
    Wendy K. Moy, Jeremiah Selvey   Seattle WA

Chorosynthesis Singers

CHOROSYNTHESIS SINGERS, a state-of-the-art project-based ensemble, exists to collaborate with professional-level musicians and composers in the creation and performance of music that connects the art with community. Their most recent concert featured a collaboration with 10 composers in performances of 10 premiere works on the theme of social justice. Based in Seattle, the personnel embody the best professional choral singers from the Pacific Northwest and across the country. Co-Artistic Directors Wendy K. Moy and Jeremiah D. Selvey, who received their Doctor of Musical Arts in Choral Conducting from the University of Washington, lead the ensemble. Prior concerts include a collaborative benefit concert of Brahms’s Requiem in collaboration with two academic institutions and two religious organizations. As part of the greater vision of Chorosynthesis, the ensemble serves as a practical example of applying the ideals of the organization, which are collaboration, innovation, sustainability, and excellence.  www.chorosynthesis.org/singers


3rd Place:
 Saint Louis Chamber Chorus
    Linda L. Ryder    St. Louis MO

Saint Louis Chamber Chorus

The Saint Louis Chamber Chorus was founded and nurtured for its first twenty years by a recent import from Great Britain, Ronald Arnatt, now recognized as one of the Episcopal Church’s most influential musicians. During his tenure the SLCC introduced St. Louis audiences to numerous masterworks by Delius, Stravinsky, and Vaughan Williams. After Dr. Arnatt took up a position in Boston, the choir’s pioneering spirit was continued by two local academics, Allen Carl Larson and Stephen Curtis. In 1989, Philip Barnes was appointed the fourth artistic director in the choir’s history, and under his guidance the focus has shifted to a cappella literature, recordings, and the commissioning of new music. Over the past 25 years the SLCC has premiered numerous works from some of the leading choral composers around the world which includes R R Bennett, Judith Bingham, Bob Chilcott, Sydney Guillaume, Howard Helvey, Gabriel Jackson, and Ned Rorem. St. Louis Chamber Chorus website:  www.chamberchorus.org.



The American Prize in Choral Performance—community chorus division
 
The American Prize winner: 
Tallahassee Community Chorus
    Andre Thomas   Tallahassee FL

Tallahassee Community Chorus

The Tallahassee Community Chorus began in 1988 as a collaborative effort between the Florida State University School of Music and 37 community singers. The group has grown to more than 200 singers and has become one of the leading non-auditioned community choruses in the country. Much of the momentum for this growth and development has been the genius of the Artistic Director, Dr. André J. Thomas, whose energy, skill and musical talents are known and respected throughout the choral world. In addition, the Chorus continues to enjoy an excellent relationship with the Florida State University College of Music. The Chorus includes singers from all walks of life. Age is no restriction, as the Chorus boasts a range of members from high school students through senior citizens. The mission of the Chorus is to enjoy promoting choral music through excellence in performance, and to reach out into the schools and community.


2nd Place (there was a tie):
Pasadena Master Chorale
    Jeffrey Bernstein   Pasadena CA

Pasadena Master Chorale

Founded in 2009 by artistic and executive director Jeffrey Bernstein, the Pasadena Master Chorale is one of Pasadena's most vibrant arts organizations. An auditioned community choir with professional standards, PMC presents well-loved and affordable concerts of the highest quality to the greater Pasadena community. Recently acclaimed concerts by the chorale include "A Portrait of Benjamin Britten", and "The Voice of California", a program of music by local composers including two newly-commissioned works. The chorale has thrilled audiences with performances of Orff's Carmina Burana, Brahms's Ein Deutsches Requiem, a folksong program entitled "Songs of the World", and a Renaissance program entitled "The Golden Age". PMC also offers a robust education program, committed to engaging Pasadena's young choral singers and fostering their love of the choral art. PMC is the proud recipient of support from the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, the Pasadena Community Foundation, the Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts and the City of Pasadena. www.pasadenamasterchorale.org


2nd Place (there was a tie):
eVoco Mixed Ensemble
    David Fryling   Lynbrook NY

eVoco Mixed Ensemble

eVoco* Voice Collective (www.evoco.vc) summons singers of the highest musical, technical, and expressive abilities and invites listeners to experience the extraordinary power of the voice. Through the power of the empathetic imagination, we remind each other of our shared human experiences.

Passionate advocates for excellence in the vocal art, we present inspirational performances of the highest caliber through projects that include the Mixed Ensemble, the Women’s Ensemble, our Voice Recitals, and the Young Vocal Artist Award.

We firmly believe in the transformative and educational power of music, and we welcome everyone to observe our work together. All of our rehearsals are open to the public, and our hope is that our weekly work together will not only prepare us for each concert series, but also–and just as importantly–will serve as a continual learning space for students, educators, and music enthusiasts alike. *From the Latin evocare: to lure, to summon; to evoke


3rd Place
Choral Arts Ensemble of Portland
    David DeLyser   Portland OR

Choral Arts Ensemble of Portland

As one of the region's premiere choral ensembles beginning its 48th season, the Choral Arts Ensemble of Portland seeks to educate, enrich and entertain its audiences with exceptional performances of familiar and rarely heard music.  As Portland’s Choir, we exemplify everything that makes Portland great: fun and a little geeky, accessible and approachable, passionate about our art form, collaborative, friendly and welcoming.  We are singers who represent a variety of professional occupations and diverse singing experiences, but we have all joined for a simple reason – passion – for music, for our fellow singers and for our audiences. Through artistic excellence and creative collaboration, we are committed to creating inspiring concert experiences performed at the highest artistic level.  Find out more at http://www.portlandschoir.org/



The American Prize in Choral Performance—college/university chorus division

The American Prize winner:
The Wartburg Choir
    Lee Nelson   Waverly IA

The Wartburg Choir

Founded in 1937, The Wartburg Choir has received critical international acclaim for their versatility of sound and innovative programming. The Wartburg Choir has received invitations for special appearances in the United States and abroad, including the White House Holiday Concert Series and the National Cathedral’s Bethlehem Prayer Service, which was simulcast worldwide. Over the past 20 years, the choir has appeared in many prestigious concert halls including the Kennedy Center; Avery Fisher Hall of Lincoln Center; Carnegie Hall; Chicago’s Symphony Hall; and Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis. The Wartburg Choir has performed at two national and four divisional conventions of the American Choral Directors Association. Renowned composer Morten Lauridsen lauded the choir’s performance of his O Magnum Mysterium as being “in the top echelon of any performance of that piece by any choir that I have ever heard.” The choir has collaborated with numerous composers including Morten Lauridsen, Eriks Esenvalds, Ola Gjeilo, Jake Runestad, Stacey Gibbs and René Clausen.


2nd Place:
University of AZ Symphonic Choir
    Elizabeth Schauer   Tucson AZ

University of AZ Symphonic Choir

Symphonic Choir is the premier undergraduate ensemble at the University of Arizona, carrying on a sixty-five-year tradition of excellence in choral music and education. In addition to performing formal concerts on campus, on Tucson-area concert series, and on tours throughout the Southwest, the choir collaborates with university and professional ensembles, including on recent performances of Faure’s Requiem with University Community Chorus & Orchestra, Stravinsky Symphony of Psalms with Arizona Choir, Mendelssohn A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Arizona Symphony, Dvorak’s Stabat Mater with the City of Prague Philharmonic, and Mahler Symphony No. 2 with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra.  Symphonic Choir has been invited to perform on the concert programs of the 2014 and 2010 Western Divisional ACDA Conferences, the 2012 Pacific-Southwest Regional Conference of College Music Society, and the 2011 Annual Conference of Arizona Music Educators Association.  Students represent a broad variety of disciplines and hail from throughout the United States.


3rd Place:
University of Denver Lamont Chorale
    Catherine Sailer   Denver CO

University of Denver Lamont Chorale

Catherine Sailer is Director of Choral Studies at the University of Denver Lamont School of Music, and Associate Conductor of the Colorado Ballet Orchestra.  Conducting credits include the Santa Fe Symphony, Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, Beijing Symphony, National Opera of China, Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music Orchestra, Central City Opera, Bravo! Vail Valley Festival, Oregon Bach Festival Chorus and Orchestra, Madrigal Vocale (Brazil), Rheinpfalz International Choir, and the Shanghai International Choral League.  She has collaborated as conductor or chorus master with singers William Warfield and Marilyn Horne and conductors Bramwell Tovey, Robert Spano, Ed Spanjaard, Eric Whitacre, Victor Yampolsky, Marius Szmolij, Stephen Alltop, David Amram, Tan Dun, David Fanshawe, Marin Alsop, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Colorado Symphony, Aspen Festival Orchestra, and Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra.
Sailer was awarded Chorus America’s Robert Shaw Fellowship, First Place in ACDA’s conducting competition, and serves as state president for ACDA.


JUDGES CITATION: "Exceptional Programming and Distinctive Repertoire"
Rutgers University Voorhees Choir
    Elian Kujawinski   New Brunswick NJ

Rutgers University Voorhees Choir

The Voorhees Choir maintains a membership of 55 voices, representing all women of the university. The choir presents two major concerts each year and serves as the official college choir at Douglass Residential College events, such as the Yule Log, Sacred Path and commencement ceremonies. The Voorhees Choir has a long tradition of representing Rutgers University, from its beginnings as the choir of the New Jersey College for Women (NJC) to its years as the official choir of Douglass College to its important dual role as an ensemble in the Mason Gross School of the Arts and its continuing work as an institution of pride representing the Douglass Residential College (DRC). The Voorhees Choir is extremely appreciative of the support of the Dean of the Douglass Residential College and Douglass Campus, Jacquelyn Litt.


HONORABLE MENTION: 
Wichita State University Concert Chorale
    Michael Hanawalt   Wichita KS

Wichita State University Concert Chorale

The Wichita State University Concert Chorale is the premiere choral ensemble at Wichita State University.  The Chorale is a highly-selective, auditioned choir open to all WSU students, specializing in the performance of a wide variety of significant choral literature from the Renaissance through the twenty-first century. The Chorale combines annually with other WSU choirs to present the annual Candlelight Christmas Concert.  It also performs with the WSU Symphony Orchestra for the spring choral/orchestral work, past performances of which have included Durufle's Requiem and Bernstein's Chichester Psalms, under the direction of Robert Shaw.  The Chorale and other WSU choirs performed with internationally-acclaimed operatic artist and WSU alumnus Samuel Ramey in his appearance in Wichita in 2001.   The Chorale has a rich history of notable conductors, including Harold Decker, Harrison Boughton, René Clausen, Robert Glasmann, and currently, Michael Hanawalt.


HONORABLE MENTION: 
Pacific Lutheran University Choir of the West
    Richard Nance   Tacoma WA

Pacific Lutheran University Choir of the West

The Choir of the West is the premier choral ensemble at Pacific Lutheran University, located in Tacoma, Washington. The choir has toured to Europe, Scandinavia, Japan and China, and has appeared at several professional regional and national conferences. Most recently, the choir performed as one of the featured choirs at the 2016 National Collegiate Choral Organization Conference, held in Portland, Oregon, under the direction of headline clinician Simon Carrington. The choir gave a highly acclaimed performance at the 2013 ACDA National Conference in Dallas, Texas. Choir of the West has won gold awards at prestigious international competitions, including the 2011 Harmonie Festival in Lindenholzhausen, Germany and the 2015 Anton Bruckner Choir Competition held in Linz, Austria, where the choir was awarded the Anton Bruckner Prize. Choir of the West is comprised of undergraduate students from a variety of academic disciplines. For more information please visit the choir’s website: www.plu.edu/choir.


HONORABLE MENTION:  
Wheaton College Concert Choir
    John William Trotter   Wheaton IL

Wheaton College Concert Choir

The Wheaton College Concert Choir is made up of approximately fifty young women and men with a passion for choral music. Led by Dr. John William Trotter, the ensemble provides an ideal performance venue for experienced and motivated choral singers whose goal is to make music at a high level. It also provides an experience of great value for those intending to make music their career. The Wheaton College Concert Choir has frequently been honored with invitations to perform on concert series and at regional and national conventions, to lead worship in churches, and to perform with professional ensembles. They also perform in more unconventional situations, ranging from soup kitchens and furniture stores to public lectures and prisons. Taken together, these varied experiences enrich students’ understanding of the vocation of the musician. Recently, the Choir has also enjoyed exploring interdisciplinary collaborations and engaging in musical improvisation with audiences.


HONORABLE MENTION: 
The College of Wooster Chorus
    Lisa Wong   Wooster OH

The College of Wooster Chorus

Founded in 1964, the Wooster Chorus is comprised of students representing all academic areas within the College of Wooster’s liberal arts program. A finalist for The American Prize in Choral Performance in 2015 and 2016, the Chorus has been praised for its beautiful sound, high level of artistry, and engaging performances.  The Wooster Chorus presents several concerts both on and off-campus throughout the academic year, and embarks each spring on a weeklong domestic tour. Members of the chorus collaborate annually with The Cleveland Orchestra and Cleveland Orchestra Chorus at Severance Hall.  The Chorus was selected to perform at the 2016 Central Division Conference of the American Choral Directors Association, and also at the 2014 and 2016 statewide Professional Development Conferences of the Ohio Music Education Association. In recent years, the Chorus has premiered thirteen new works, including Jake Runestad’s Ner Ner.  (2015)   



The American Prize in Choral Performance—youth and high school chorus division

The American Prize winner:
Sprague High Concert Choir
    David Brown    Salem OR 

Sprague High Concert Choir

Charles A. Sprague High School, located in southwest Salem, is a four-year high school with an enrollment of 1,800 students.  The school is named for Charles A. Sprague, a former governor of Oregon and editor of the Oregon Statesman Newspaper in Salem.  The school opened in the fall of 1972 and is now one of six public high schools in the Salem-Keizer School District.  Oregon’s second largest school district, Salem-Keizer has long been recognized for its tradition of outstanding music programs.  The Sprague Concert Choir is made up of the most advanced sophomore, junior, and senior vocalists at the school.  Since its inception over 30 years ago, the choir has won numerous titles at state and regional festivals and has made multiple appearances at regional and national ACDA conventions.


2nd Place:
Bexley HS Vocal Ensemble
    Amy Johnston Blosser    Bexley OH 

Bexley HS Vocal Ensemble

Vocal Ensemble, the advanced choir at Bexley High School, is one of four choirs in the Choral Department. Since 2003, Vocal Ensemble has toured throughout the United States and Canada including major cities such as New York, Toronto, Chicago, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. They performed in Carnegie Hall in 2010, and will perform again in 2017.  They have travelled overseas to perform in the cathedrals of Venice, Salzburg, Vienna, Prague, Budapest, Krakow, London, Paris, and throughout Ireland.  Vocal Ensemble has been invited to perform for OCDA Professional Conferences in 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2014 as well as OMEA Professional Conferences in 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2016. They performed for the ACDA Central Division Conference in 2012 and 2016. Members have worked with numerous conductors and composers including Hilary Apfelstadt, Eric W. Barnum, David Childs, Rollo Dilworth, James Gallagher, Sydney Guillaume, Lynda Hasseler, Ronald Jenkins, Kristina MacMullen, James Mulholland and Timothy Takach.


3rd Place:
Delphian Choir
    Patrick Ryan    Great Falls MT 

Delphian Choir

The Delphian Choir is the most select of seven choirs at Great Falls High School, located in north central Montana.  The choir consists of 44 sophomores through seniors, who strive to create and share passion, creativity, integrity, and empathy with their audiences through unique programming of choral music.  Delphian has performed on more than a dozen regional and national conference programs since the choir's inception in 1959. Recent highlights of the Delphian Choir include the commissioning and world premiere of John Muehleisen's Consolation: Requiem for Newtown; performing at the Northwest NAfME Conference in 2015; frequent performances with the Great Falls Symphony; and being part of a commission consortium and premiere of Timothy Takach's seven-movement work, The Longest Nights. 


JUDGES CITATION: "Excellence in the Performance of Music Before 1800"
Brookline HS Camerata & Chamber Orchestra
    Michael Driscoll    Brookline MA 

Brookline HS Camerata & Chamber Orchestra

The Brookline High School Camerata is made up of 48 students, all of whom are enrolled at Brookline High School. The singers are selected by audition and rehearse two days per week before school and one evening per week. Each member of the Camerata is required to sing in Concert Choir or A Cappella Choir for two years. Sight-singing ability is a major requirement for entry into the Camerata. Repertoire for the group spans all areas of choral literature including works of master composers, spirituals, gospel, music from world cultures and contemporary popular music. The group frequently performs with the instrumental ensembles at Brookline High School. Michael Driscoll is in his thirteen year directing the choirs at Brookline High School. He has a Masters in choral conducting from New England Conservatory and a doctorate in choral conducting from Boston University.


***

Congratulations!

The American Prize is pleased to announce SEMI-FINALIST instrumental soloists for 2017-18. Congratulations! As the contests unfold, finalists, runners-up and winners will be selected from this list. To know the exact date when finalists will be announced, please like our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter #AmericanPrize, where that information will be published first.

We invite semi-finalists to make the most of their selection by announcing it on their facebook page, tweeting the news, and including a link to this announcement on their website or blog. A sample announcement may be found at the end of the post.

All contestants are reminded they are responsible for the viability of their online links to audition materials. Those links must remain active until complete results in the contest are announced officially. Questions, or to make us aware of any misprints in the listings below, please email: theamericanprize@gmail.com

The American Prize in Instrumental Performance, 2017-18, professional division:

Orlando Cela   Arlington MA, flute
Elena Korableva   Brighton MA, cello
Brittany Lasch   Brighton MA, trombone
Christopher Nichols   Newark DE, clarinet
Sean Osborn   Shoreline WA, clarinet
Colleen Phelps   Nashville TN, percussion
Benjamin Scott   Philadelphia PA, violin
Kumiko Shimizu   Cleveland MS, collaborative piano
Alina Windell   Auburn AL, flute


The American Prize in Instrumental Performance, 2017-18, college/university division:

Micheal Barnes   Cincinnati OH, percussion
Rebecca Bressanelli   Iowa City IA, violin
Gabrielle Chou   Pembroke Pines FL, violin
David John Davani   Sea Cliff NY, clarinet
Christopher Lowry   Antioch TN, viola
Ava Oaxaca   Arlington VA, saxophone
Noemie Raymond-Friset   Brighton NY, cello
Angela Reynolds   Clarksville TN, flute


The American Prize in Instrumental Performance, 2017-18, high school division:

Ryan Har   Palo Alto CA, cello
Samuel Perlman   Highland Park IL, clarinet


***

Semi-finalists: make the most of your selection by announcing it on your facebook page, tweet the news, and include a link to this announcement on your website or blog.

Here is a sample announcement:

"Great News! I've just been selected as a SEMI-FINALIST in the (blank) division of The American Prize national non-profit competitions in the performing arts. Here's the link: (copy link here). The American Prize will be announcing FINALISTS in my division later this year. You can learn more about this prestigious national competition here: www.theamericanprize.org or follow the news on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-American-Prize-celebrating-American-excellence-in-the-arts/214320622728 or Twitter: https://twitter.com/americanprize"

Please feel free to modify or expand this announcement to suit your needs.

Congratulations to all semi-finalists!

The American Prize is pleased to announce SEMI-FINALIST chamber music ensembles for 2017-18 in all divisions. Congratulations! As the contests unfold, finalists, runners-up and winners will be selected from these lists. To know the exact date when finalists will be announced, please like our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter #AmericanPrize, where that information will be published first.

We invite semi-finalists to make the most of their selection by announcing it on their facebook page, tweeting the news, and including a link to this announcement on their website or blog. A sample announcement may be found at the end of the post.

All contestants are reminded they are responsible for the viability of their online links to audition materials. Those links must remain active until complete results in the contest are announced officially. Questions, or to make us aware of any misprints in the listings below, please email: theamericanprize@gmail.com

Semi-finalists are listed by ensemble name, by contact person in alphabetical order, and by city and state. 

The American Prize in Chamber Music Performance, 2017-18: professional division


Duo Concertato
Richard Bosworth
Naples FL
 
Ulysses Quartet
Colin Brookes
New York NY
 
Gesteland-Smith Duo
Tracelyn Gesteland
Vermillion SD

Telos Trio
Deborah L. Grohman
Rochester NY
 
Odysseus Chamber Players
Jason Lim
Denton TX
 
Pianissimo!
Susan Merdinger
Highland Park IL
 
The City Of Tomorrow
Rane Moore
Medford MA
 
Sorores Duo
Amy Rosine
Manhattan KS
 
MATIMA
Maiko Sasaki
Houston TX
 
Amarillo Virtuosi
Catie White Shanks
Amarillo TX
 
icarus Quartet
Jeff Stern
Baltimore MD
 
Bell Art Ensemble
Lenny Young
Pittsburgh PA



The American Prize in Chamber Music Performance, 2017-18: college/university division

Bear Lake Wind Quintet
Justin Cook
Greeley CO
 
Sound Out Loud
Kyle Johnson
Madison WI



The American Prize in Chamber Music Performance, 2017-18: high school division

The Bright Boys
Ryan Bright
Knoxville TN
 
Orpheus Duo
Samuel Perlman
Highland Park IL
 
George Magub String Quartet
Leo Santi
Santa Monica CA
 
The Bach Trio
Evan Wang
Fremont CA

***

Semi-finalists: make the most of your selection by announcing it on your facebook page, tweet the news, and include a link to this announcement on your website or blog.

Here is a sample announcement:

"Great News! I've just been selected as a SEMI-FINALIST in the (blank) division of The American Prize national non-profit competitions in the performing arts. Here's the link: (copy link here). The American Prize will be announcing FINALISTS in my division later this year. You can learn more about this prestigious national competition here: www.theamericanprize.org or follow the news on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-American-Prize-celebrating-American-excellence-in-the-arts/214320622728 or Twitter: https://twitter.com/americanprize"

Please feel free to modify or expand this announcement to suit your needs.

Congratulations to all semi-finalists!

Lorin Hollander

The American Prize is pleased to announce SEMI-FINALIST pianists for 2017-18 in the CONCERTO division, The LORIN HOLLANDER AWARD. Congratulations! As the contests unfold, finalists, runners-up and winners will be selected from this list. To know the exact date when finalists will be announced, please like our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter #AmericanPrize, where that information will be published first.

The American Prize LORIN HOLLANDER AWARD celebrates the artistry of one of the greatest pianists of his generation. Lorin Hollander has appeared as guest soloist with virtually every major symphony orchestra in the world and is a veteran of over 2,500 performances across the globe. The American Prize is delighted to share the legacy of this legendary artist through the re-naming of the award for Piano Concerto Performance in his honor.
For more about the extraordinary life and career of Lorin Hollander, please visit http://lorinhollander.com/

All contestants are reminded they are responsible for the viability of their online links to audition materials. Those links must remain active until complete results in the contest are announced officially. Questions, or to make us aware of any misprints in the listings below, please email: theamericanprize@gmail.com

We invite semi-finalists to make the most of their selection by announcing it on their facebook page, tweeting the news, and including a link to this announcement on their website or blog. A sample announcement may be found at the end of the post.

Please make us aware of any misprints in the listings below by emailing: theamericanprize@gmail.com

The American Prize in Piano Performance, concerto, The Lorin Hollander Award, 2017-18
—professional division

Richard Bosworth   Naples FL   
    Tchaikovsky Concerto in B minor

Jacob Clark   Beaumont TX
    Hartley Concerto #2 for Piano and Wind Ensemble

Paul Dykstra   Sanbornton NH  
    Beethoven Emperor Concerto

Qyunh Nguyen   New York NY
    Mozart K. 453 (G major)

Roberto Plano   Holliston MA
    Busoni Concerto in D minor

Tomasz Robak   Baltimore MD 
    Mendelssohn Concerto in G minor



The American Prize in Piano Performance, concerto, The Lorin Hollander Award, 2017-18
—college/university division

Xiao Chen   Los Angeles CA
    Rachmaninoff Concerto #2
   
Pei-Sin Chen   Columbus OH
    Prokofiev Concerto #1

Lishan Xue   Urbana IL
    Bartok Concerto #2



The American Prize in Piano Performance, concerto, The Lorin Hollander Award, 2017-18
—high school division

Annika Huprikar   Highland Park IL
    Mozart K 414 (A major)
  

Leyla Kabuli   Davis CA
    Rachamninoff Concerto #2


Victor Shlyakhtenko   Los Angeles CA 
    Beethoven Choral Fantasy


Sarah Sun   Cedar City UT
    Rachmaninoff Concerto #2


Xiaoping Wang, Jr.   Highland Park IL
    Saint-Saens Concerto #2 (G minor)

***

We encourage finalists to make the most of their selection by announcing it on social media and including a link to this announcement on their website or blog.

Here is a sample announcement:

"Great News! I've just been selected as a finalist in the (blank) division of The American Prize national non-profit competitions in the performing arts. Here's the link: (copy link here). The American Prize will be announcing winners in my division later this year. You can learn more about this prestigious national competition here: www.theamericanprize.org or follow the news on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-American-Prize-celebrating-American-excellence-in-the-arts/214320622728 or Twitter: https://twitter.com/americanprize"

Please feel free to modify or expand this announcement to suit your needs.

Congratulations to all finalists.

The American Prize is pleased to announce an impressive list of 2017-18 SEMI-FINALIST pianists in all SOLO divisions. Congratulations!

As the contests unfold, finalists, runners-up and winners will be selected from these lists. To know the exact date when finalists will be announced, please like our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter #AmericanPrize, where that information will be published first.

We invite semi-finalists to make the most of their selection by announcing it on their facebook page, tweeting the news, and including a link to this announcement on their website or blog. A sample announcement may be found at the end of the post.

All contestants are reminded they are responsible for the viability of their online links to audition materials. Those links must remain active until complete results in the contest are announced officially. Questions, or to make us aware of any misprints in the listings below, please email: theamericanprize@gmail.com

The American Prize in Piano Performance (solo)—professional division, 2017

Kris Carlisle   Rome GA

Jiwon Choi   Maryville MO

Andree-Ann Deschenes   Los Angeles CA

Mirna Lekic   Bayside NY

Qyunh Nguyen   New York NY

Roberto Plano   Holliston MA

Gabriel Quenneville-Belair   Minneapolis MN

Tomasz Robak   Baltimore MD

Michael Seregow   Pullman WA

Johnandrew Slominski   Rochester NY

Alessandra Tiraterra   Hillsborough NJ

James Woolwine   Coral Gables FL


The American Prize in Piano Performance (solo)—college university division, 2017

Harold Bailey   Radford VA

Chia-Ying Chan   Urbana IL

Pei-Sin Chen   Columbus OH  

Xiao Chen   Los Angeles CA  

Gabrielle Chou   Pembroke Pines FL  

Mimi Chun   East Lansing MI  

Ge Gao   Los Angeles CA  

William Hume   Rochester NY  

Yuan Jiang   Tempe AZ  

Mikhail Maurice Johnson   Bowling Green OH 

Ekaterina Paniukova   Lubbock TX  

Hyuna Park   Cincinnati OH  

Natasha Stojanovska   Chicago IL  

Nicholas Susi   Saint Louis MO  

Trenton Teruo Takaki   Wilmette IL  

John Wilson   Miami Beach FL  


The American Prize in Piano Performance (solo)
—high school division, 2017

Megan Auyeung   Los Gatos CA  

Yuqing Liu   Sugar Land TX  

Avik Sarkar   Chestnut Hill MA  

Victor Shlyakhtenko   Los Angeles CA

Jarrett Mitsuhiro Takaki   Willmette IL  

Xiaoping Wang, Jr.   Highland Park IL  

Barbara Xiong   Brentwood TN  

***

We invite semi-finalists to make the most of their selection by announcing it on their facebook page, tweeting the news, and including a link to this announcement on their website or blog.

Here is a sample announcement:

"Great News! I've just been selected as a semi-finalist in the (blank) division of The American Prize national non-profit competitions in the performing arts. Here's the link: (copy link here). The American Prize will be announcing finalists in my division later this year. You can learn more about this prestigious national competition here: www.theamericanprize.org or follow the news on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-American-Prize-celebrating-American-excellence-in-the-arts/214320622728 or Twitter: https://twitter.com/americanprize"

Please feel free to modify or expand this announcement to suit your needs.

Congratulations to all semi-finalists.

The American Prize is pleased to announce SEMI-FINALIST men in art song & oratorio for 2017, The FRIEDRICH and VIRGINIA SCHORR MEMORIAL AWARD in VOICE. Congratulations! As the contests unfold, finalists, runners-up and winners will be selected from this list. To know the exact date when finalists will be announced, please like our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter #AmericanPrize, where that information will be published first. Semi-finalist men in opera will be published separately.

All contestants are reminded they are responsible for the viability of their online links to audition materials. Those links must remain active until complete results in the contest are announced officially. Questions, or to make us aware of any misprints in the listings below, please email: theamericanprize@gmail.com

We invite semi-finalists to make the most of their selection by announcing it on their facebook page, tweeting the news, and including a link to this announcement on their website or blog. A sample announcement may be found at the end of the post.


The American Prize in Voice / Friedrich & Virginia Schorr Memorial Award—art song/oratorio, professional division (men),  2017

Andrew Chukwuka Egbuchiem   Brooklyn NY 

Vahagn Hovents   Glendale CA 

Justin John Moniz   Tallahassee FL  

Bryan Pinkall   Manhattan KS 



The American Prize in Voice / Friedrich & Virginia Schorr Memorial Award—art song/oratorio, college/university division (men),  2017

David John Davani   Sea Cliff NY  

Jake Goz   East Northport NY  

Jake Hemminger   Greensboro NC  

James Ley   Elkton MD  

Ben M. Reisinger   Rochester NY




***

We invite semi-finalists to make the most of their selection by announcing it on their facebook page, tweeting the news, and including a link to this announcement on their website or blog.

Here is a sample announcement:

"Great News! I've just been selected as a semi-finalist in the (blank) division of The American Prize national non-profit competitions in the performing arts. Here's the link: (copy link here). The American Prize will be announcing finalists in my division later this year. You can learn more about this prestigious national competition here: www.theamericanprize.org or follow the news on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-American-Prize-celebrating-American-excellence-in-the-arts/214320622728 or Twitter: https://twitter.com/americanprize"

Please feel free to modify or expand this announcement to suit your needs.

Congratulations to all semi-finalists.

The American Prize is pleased to announce SEMI-FINALIST men in opera for 2017-18, The FRIEDRICH and VIRGINIA SCHORR MEMORIAL AWARD in VOICE. Congratulations! As the contests unfold, finalists, runners-up and winners will be selected from this list. To know the exact date when finalists will be announced, please like our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter #AmericanPrize, where that information will be published first.

All contestants are reminded they are responsible for the viability of their online links to audition materials. Those links must remain active until complete results in the contest are announced officially. Questions, or to make us aware of any misprints in the listings below, please email: theamericanprize@gmail.com

We invite semi-finalists to make the most of their selection by announcing it on their facebook page, tweeting the news, and including a link to this announcement on their website or blog. A sample announcement may be found at the end of the post.


The American Prize in Voice / Friedrich & Virginia Schorr Memorial Award—professional opera division (men), 2017

Stefan Barner   Jamaica Plain MA 

Evan Bravos   Chicago IL 

Scott J. Brunscheen   Chicago IL 

Ryan Francis Burns   Vernon CT 

Jeffrey W. Clark   Tampa FL 

Andrew Chukwuka Egbuchiem   Brooklyn NY 

Victor Khodadad   Brooklyn NY 

Joseph Ryan   Sarasota FL 

Kyle van Schoonhoven   Chicago IL 

Duane Wittman   Pompano Beach FL 

   

The American Prize in Voice / Friedrich & Virginia Schorr Memorial Award—college/university opera division (men), 2017

David John Davani   Sea Cliff NY 

Jake Hemminger   Greensboro NC 

Ben M. Reisinger   Rochester NY 

***

We invite semi-finalists to make the most of their selection by announcing it on their facebook page, tweeting the news, and including a link to this announcement on their website or blog.

Here is a sample announcement:

"Great News! I've just been selected as a semi-finalist in the (blank) division of The American Prize national non-profit competitions in the performing arts. Here's the link: (copy link here). The American Prize will be announcing finalists in my division later this year. You can learn more about this prestigious national competition here: www.theamericanprize.org or follow the news on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-American-Prize-celebrating-American-excellence-in-the-arts/214320622728 or Twitter: https://twitter.com/americanprize"

Please feel free to modify or expand this announcement to suit your needs.

Congratulations to all semi-finalists.