Classical Competition Winners Concert - Jan 21, 2018

In early January, The Musical Club of Hartford held its 42nd annual scholarship competition for high school students living or studying music in Connecticut. At the Winners’ concert we will hear the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners in the Piano, Strings, Winds, and Voice categories of this competition.

The strings, brass/woodwind, and voice scholarship prizes are awarded by the Musical Club’s Gifts and Scholarships Fund, which also supports many other musical activities in the Hartford area. The Piano Competition is sponsored by the Musical Club's Evelyn Bonar Storrs Fund, set up by a bequest to provide funds for talented and advanced students of piano.

This is one of our most well attended programs of the year. Be sure not to miss the performances of these extraordinarily talented young students! Admission is free!

Bridget Gilchrist, Coordinator and Winds Chair

David Garrido-Cid, Piano Chair

Linda MacGougan, Strings Chair

Carolyn Bernstein, Voice Chair

Winds Competition Winners

1st Place winner: Grace Helmke
Concert performance piece: Sonatine (1943) - Henri Dutilleux (9:10)

Accompanist: Elizabeth Tomczyk

The First Place winner in the Musical Club of Hartford’s High School Winds Competition was Grace Helmke, a junior at South Windsor High School. She studies with Greig Shearer. Grace has been playing in the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras for three years, as principal flute. For the past 2 summers, she has played in the Boston University Tanglewood Institute Young Artists Wind Ensemble. In 2013, she won the Hartt Community Division Honors Recital. In 2015, she received honorable mention in this competition. Grace has received 3 honorable mention awards in the New York Flute Club Young Musicians Contest, and an honorable mention in the BYSO’s Repertory orchestra Concerto Competition. Grace has been accepted by audition into the Eastern Region Band and Orchestra for the past 3 years, twice as principal flute, as well as

being principal flute in Ct All State Orchestra last year. She was principal flute of the New England Music Festival Orchestra for 2 years, as well.

2nd Place winner: Steven Mustakos
Concert performance piece: Solo De Concours, Opus 10 (1901) - Henri Rabaud (5:30)

Accompanist: Gay Chun

The Second Place winner in the Winds Competition was Steven Mustakos, a senior at Guilford High School. He studies with Andrew Grenci. Steven is principal Clarinet in his High School Symphony Orchestra and Wind Ensemble, and Lead Alto in the Jazz Ensemble. He is also principal clarinet in the Hartt Community Division Youth Symphony, and the Neighborhood Music School Greater New Haven Youth Wind Ensemble. Steven plays e flat clarinet in the Greater Hartford Youth Wind Ensemble, as well. He has been accepted into the Southern Region Band and Orchestra, and the Ct All State Band. He plans to attend a conservator and major in clarinet performance with a minor in woodwind repair.

3rd Place winner: Trevor Shultz

Concert performance piece: Fantasie Sur un Theme original (1860) - Jules Demersseman ( 6:22)

Accompanist: Elizabeth Tomczyk

The Third Place winner in the Winds Competition was Trevor Shultz, a senior at Hamden Hall County Day School. He studies with Shane Rathburn at the Neighborhood School, where he currently is in honors programs for both Alto saxophone and piano. He is principal alto saxophone in the Greater New Haven Symphonic Wind Ensemble, as well as the Hamden Day School Orchestra, Concert Band, and Jazz Ensemble. He performs with several Jazz ensembles. Trevor has been accepted into the Southern Region Middle and High School Festivals. Last summer he studied with Ken Randolfsky at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute. He is hoping to pursue a dual degree in Music/alto sax performance and math/statistics/data science in college.

Honorable Mention was awarded to : Mariel Christiana, a senior at Berlin High School. Her teacher is Dr Barbara Hopkins.

Judges: Mr. Anthony Susi, and Mrs. Elaine Thoma

Vocal Competition Winners

1st Place winner: Emily Steele, Soprano

Concert Performance Pieces: Widmung (Myrthen, Op. 25 no.1) - Robert Schumann (2:20)

Will There Really Be a Morning - R. I. Gordon (3:10)

Accompanist: TBA (Barbara Robbins accompanied Emily at the auditions)

The First Place winner in the Musical Club of Hartford's High School Vocal Competition is Emily Steele. Emily is a junior honors student at Simsbury High School, where she is a member of the National Honor Society, the Tri-M, the Simsbury Singers and No Fella' A Cappella. She has performed in the CMEA Honors Choir, the OAKE Youth Choir, the CT Northern Regionals Choir and the Berkshire Chorale International. Musical theater performances include: Annie, The Music Man, Aladdin, 42nd Street and Mary Poppins. Emily sings with the CCC Primi Voci, is the Ensign-Darling Vocal Fellowship first alternate and is the recipient of the HCD Bel canto award. Emily was also awarded the title of Most Promising Sophomore at the the Schmidt Vocal Competition.

2nd Place Winner: Camille Hoheb, Soprano

Concert Performance Pieces: Kiss Me Not Goodbye - Robert Schumann*(1:40)

Lascia ch'io Pianga - George Frederic Handel (4:40)

Accompanist: David Chrzanowski

The Second Place Winner in the Vocal Competition is Camille Hoheb, a junior at Farmington High School. Camille was recently awarded first place in the High School Musical Theater sector of the NATS Competition as well as second place in the Upper High School Classical Competition. This past fall she played Abigail Williams in Arthur Miller's The Crucible with Farmington High School's Drama program. She is also a fellow with the Ensign Darling Vocal Fellowship program at the Bushnell.

3rd Place Winners (tied):

Sarah Lewis, Soprano

Concert Performance Pieces: Nuit D'etoiles (L 4) - Claude Debussy (3:22)

Sure on This Shining Night, Op. 13 - Samuel Barber (2:18)

Accompanist: Stacy Cahoon

Tied for Third Place Winner in the Vocal Competition is Sarah Lewis, a junior at Hall High School in West Hartford. Sarah has auditioned for and performed with the CMEA Northern Regionals choir for the past five years. She is a member of the Hall High School Choraliers, Hall's most prestigious and selective choir. She performed in a (Hall HS) choral tour of Ireland in 2017. Sarah also was the second place winner in West Hartford's Town Wide Talent Show in 2015 and in 2014, when she placed first for singing and playing the ukule. While participating in Midfest 2014 she has a solo at the Bushnell. In addition to all of her choral activities Sarah has acted and sung in several school theater productions.

Rebecca Clark, Soprano

Concert Performance Pieces: O Del Mio Amato Ben by Stefano Donaudy (time 4:10)

Art is Calling for Me by Victor Herbert (time 3:58)

Accompanist: Letitia Clark

Rebecca is a junior and studies with Rachel Morris at the Hartt Community Division. Music has always been an important part of Rebecca's life and the life of her family, where she and her siblings have all been home schooled. Her first important performance was singing for her brother's baptism at age 4. Her confidence received a big boost when she placed first in the Virtuosi Competition. She plans to pursue her music studies in the years ahead, as did her sister and teacher, soprano Rachel Morris, and her brother, who is pursuing a degree in violin performance.

There were 2 Vocal Honorable Mention winners:

Samantha Scheidel, Soprano: Samantha is a junior at Farmington High School and studies with Joanne Scattergood-Reeves.

Brian Farrell III, Tenor: Brian is a senior at Xavier High School in Middletown who studies with Matthew Campisi.

Piano Competition Winners

The judges for the piano competition were: Estela Olevsky and Deborah Gilwood. Both come from the Amherst/Umass area.

1st Place winner: Prairwaa Madden
Concert performance piece: Hungarian Rhapsody in E Major - Franz Liszt (6:10)

This young 9th grade student at Kingswood Oxford school in West Hartford has an already extensive musical bio. A piano student of Tamila Azadaliyeva, Prairwaa began her piano studies at the age of six at the Hartt Community Division in Hartford, CT. At age nine she won first place in the Crescendo Piano Competition and performed at Carnegie Hall, Weill Recital Hall. In the summer of 2016 she was chosen by audition to perform with Orchestra Giovanile Napolinova in Italy. She was invited to participate in master classes and perform in concert at the XXI International Chopin Festival, Poland, in summer of 2015.

At 13 years of age, Prairwaa won the first place in the Danbury 15th Concerto Competition and performed with the Danbury Symphony in January 2017. She also won the CT Youth Symphony (CYS) Concerto Competition 2016, playing with the orchestra in March 2017.

Recently, she received a Watson Morrison Scholarship (2017-2018) from the Hartt School Community division Piano Honors Program, and the 2016 Music Scholarship award sponsored by the First Church of Christ in Glastonbury for talented young students.

Both scholarships apply towards private piano lessons at the Hartt School Community Division.

Other honors include CT state winner of the 2015 MTNA Junior Piano Competition, 2nd prize in the 2015 Chopin International Competition, and four-time First Place winner of the all-CT Audrey Thayer competition.

Prairwaa has already received master-classes from renowned teachers: Antonio Pompa-Baldi, Alexander Korsantia, Eduardo Delgado, Younjie Chen, Margarita Nuller, and others.

2nd Place winner: En-Hua Holtz
Concert performance piece: Sonata No. 13 in B flat Major, K.333. Mov.I. Allegro - Mozart (5:26)

En-Hua is a student at East Lyme High School. She has been playing piano since she was 7, having studied with John Metz, Vicki Reeve and, currently, Maggie Francis. She has performed in many recitals, both as a soloist as well as accompanist for her brother, a cellist.

En-Hua placed 2nd in the 2016 Jumy Festival and was a finalist in the 2016 Fischer competition. She also performed a 4-hand piece at the 2017 Elm City Music Festival, and performed at the first CT Bach Festival in 2017. She is also the accompanist for her HS orchestra and performed in a recital a the 2017 Pipe Organ Encounter in Hartford.

3rd Place winner: Kelly Zheng

Concert performance piece: Sonata No. 30 in E Major, op.109. Mov.I: Vivace ma non troppo - Adagio espressivo - Beethoven

Starting classical piano at the age of 4, Kelly Zheng currently studies with Sima Brodsky at the Hartt School of Music. Her recent awards include second place in the Connecticut Bach Competition, first place in the Virtuoso Piano Competition, and the Evelyn Bonar Storrs Scholarship. She also received First Prize and the Judges'Distinction Award in the American Protégé International Piano and Strings Competition, and performed at Carnegie Hall. Besides competing, Kelly enjoys performing with her quintet and in the Hartford Symphony pre-concert series. As a senior, Kelly plans to double major in biochemistry and music in college.

An Honorable Mention was awarded to: Tristan Wong, who is a junior at Farmington High School, and is currently studying piano with Malgosia Lis at the Hartt School Community Division.

Strings Competition Winners

1st place winner: Sofia Gilchenok, viola
La Campanella (1952) - Niccolo Paganini
Accompanist: Ruriko Wheeler

Violist Sofia Gilchenok is a student of Hsin-Yun Huang, Molly Carr, and Yi-Fang Huang in the Juilliard School’s Pre-college Program, which she has attended since 2013, and where she serves as co-principal of the Pre-college Symphony. In 2016, Sofia was chosen as the winner of the American Viola Society’s Solo Competition, Junior Division, and in 2015 she was the recipient of the NFMC’s National Wendell Irish Viola Award, Northeastern Division. Sofia has performed Paganini’s La Campanella with the Ocala Symphony and has also appeared as soloist with the Willimantic Symphony. Sofia, of Columbia, CT, is in the tenth grade and is home-schooled. She is passionate about chamber music and considers her participation in Music@Menlo among her favorite musical experiences.

2nd place winner: Lillian Yim, cello
Hungarian Rhapsody, Op. 68 (1956) - David Popper
Accompanist: Cihan Yücel

Lillian Yim, a current sophomore at Farmington High School, has been studying cello with Katie Kennedy for six years. Yim has been principal cellist of the Connecticut Youth Symphony for two consecutive years, as well as being principal cellist of the Tanglewood Young Artists Orchestra, which she attended this summer. She was also principal cellist of the Northern Regional High School orchestra last year and a member of the All State Orchestra. Yim has participated in masterclasses with Rick Mooney, Jonathan Spitz, members of the Juilliard String Quartet, West End String Quartet, Norman Fisher, and Lynn Harrell.

3rd place winner: Matthew Hill, violin
Zigeunerweisen, Op. 20 (1878) - Pablo de Sarasate
Accompanist: Elizabeth Tomczyk

Matthew Hill is a sophomore at Conard High School in West Hartford. He studies violin with Kyoko Horowitz in Boston, MA, and has also studied at the Hartt School Community Division with Teri Einfeldt. This summer he participated in a masterclass given by Kyu Young Kim (Principal Violin and Artistic Director of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra), and was featured as a soloist in the University of Hartford’s Annual Hartt Gala (2016), performing Kreisler’s Praeludium
and Allegro. He is co-principal second violin of I Giovani Solisti (an internationally-touring chamber orchestra made up of the most advanced high school string players from West Hartford high schools) and is also a member of the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra.

Honorable Mention went to Jisoo Kim, violinist, of Avon, CT, who is a junior at the Walnut Hill School for the Arts in Natick, MA.