The first, second and third place winners performed in a free concert on Sunday, January 31, 2010, at 2 p.m. at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 2080 Boulevard, West Hartford.

Click on the following to find names and brief biographies of the winners

piano - vocal - strings - winds

Piano Competition Winners

First Place Piano:

Connie Zhou of Westport, CT, a sophomore at Staples High School, is a student of Edith Sullivan’s. In September, 2007 she was selected by audition CD to perform in a master class with internationally renowned pianist Yuja Wang at the Steinway Piano Gallery in Westport. In January 2007 and 2008, she was the MTNA Baldwin Junior Piano Competition Winner from Connecticut at the Eastern Division Competitions in Pittsburgh, PA.and Penn State University. In 2007 and 2008 she was selected a winner in the Winter Competition sponsored by the Fairfield Chapter of the CSMTA. She was a 2008 winner of the CSMTA High School Concerto Competition and performed the Schumann Concerto with the Farmington Valley Symphony Orchestra. She was awarded 2nd prize in the 7th and 8th grade level of the Audrey Thayer Piano Competition sponsored by the Hartford Chapter, CSMTA. In 2009 she won 1st place in that same competition. She won 1st prize in 2008 in the Special Awards Competitions sponsored by the Schubert Club of Fairfield. She has also tied for 2nd prize in the Junior French Competition; in 2009 she was awarded 1st prize in the Senior French Competition, 1st. prize in the Senior Bach Competition, and 1st prize in the Senior Chopin Competition. Last winter she performed in the Gifted Young People’s Concert and Annual Youth Concert sponsored by the Leschetizky Association in New York City. At the concert on January 31, she will perform Moment Musical in E minor, Op. 16 No. 4 by S. Rachmaninoff.

Second Place Piano

Mary Pan, a home-schooled 11th grader from Burlington. She studies with Maggie Francis. Last year, she won second prize in the Musical Club’s High School Piano Competition. She won first prize in 2009 in the Audrey Thayer Piano Competition, and received the Evelyn Bonar Storrs Full Scholarship in the Hartt Honors Auditions. She was a third place winner in the CSMTA Concerto Competition and has performed with the Connecticut Youth Symphony Orchestra. She is a second year student in the Performer’s Certificate Program at Hartt Community School. She also plays the organ and is pianist at the Chinese Baptist Church of Greater Hartford and Covenant of Grace Church in Bristol. Her concert piece will be Sonata in C Major Op. 53 No. 21, first movement Allegro con brio, by L. Beethoven.

Third Place Piano

Tzu-Yin Chi of Kent, CT, a junior at Kent School, studies with Margarita Nuller. Besides frequent performances in both solo and chamber music in the school area, she has attained several awards, including a place in the winner’s circle of the Western Connecticut MTNA competition of 2008 and first runner-up in the Danbury Concerto Competitions of 2008 and 2009. Last summer she attended both the Tanglewood Summer Session for Young Pianists and the Adamant Traditional Piano Session in Vermont. Beside the piano, she also plays flute and attended the 2009 CT All-State band. She will be performing Rigoletto Concert Paraphrase by Verdi-Liszt (transcription).

Honorable Mention Piano Tim Tsai, Unionville, CT. Grade 12, Farmington High School, teacher Maggie Francis

Honorable Mention Piano Nicholas Goldbach, Woodbury, CT, Grade 11, Chase Collegiate School, Teacher, Ann Kan.

Strings Competition Winners

First Place Strings

Jefferson Zhang, cellist, is a ninth grader at Fairfield Warde High School in Fairfield, and studies with Ole Akahoshi at the Yale School of Music. Until this past summer, Jefferson was taught by his mother, Xiaoping Zhang. In April, 2005, he was the youngest featured soloist in the 31st annual Fairfield County String Festival. In October of 2006 Jefferson received a second prize in the Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra competition and performed in the winner’s recital. He is currently the Principal Cellist in the Greater Bridgeport Youth Orchestra. He will be playing the first movement of the Boccherini Concerto in Bb Major, accompanied by Roger Thulin

Second Place Strings

Sarah H. Atwood, violinist, resides in Spofford, NH and studies violin with Katie Lansdale at the Hartt School of Music, University of Hartford. She is home schooled. Sarah placed first in New Hampshire’s All State Music Festival, the New England Music Festival, and the Windham Orchestra Concerto Competition. She has attended Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music, the Boston University Tanglewood Institute String Quartet Workshop, and the Yellow Barn Music Festival Young Artists Program. Sarah hopes to pursue a career in classical music performance. She will be playing the first movement of the Sibelius Concerto in d minor, Op. 47, with Gay Chun as accompanist.

Third Place Strings

Theodore O. Brundage, violinist, is a senior at Kingswood-Oxford School in West Hartford where he is the concertmaster of the string ensemble and principal violin with the school’s Wyvern Chamber Players.  He studies violin with Pang An of Avon, CT and piano, voice, and organ with Richard Wm. Donohue of Cromwell, CT.  He has been a featured soloist with the West Hartford Symphony Orchestra and the Sol Solis Chamber Consort,  and plays with the Connecticut Valley Chamber Orchestra and the New England Chamber Choir Orchestra.  Ted plans to study physics and violin performance in college.  He will play the Sarabanda from Partita No. 2 in d minor by J. S. Bach.

Honorable Mention Strings
Ariel Patkin, violist, is a senior at Hamden High School.

Honorable Mention Strings
Lindsay Thompson, violinist, is a sophomore at Cheshire High School.

Voice Competition Winners

First Place Voice

Miao (Betty) Cui, soprano, is currently a junior at Kent School, in Kent, CT. She studies voice with Margaret O’Brien. Betty is a member of the Kent School Chapter of the Tri-M Music Society, an active member of several vocal ensembles including Chapel Choir, Chamber Choir, and the Kentettes. She has also participated in the 2009 CMEA Northern Regional Choir. Last summer, Betty attended the Walnut Hill School Opera Program in Massachusetts and Italy, an enrichment study of the art of opera. Before coming to Kent, Betty was a member of one of the most selective youth singing groups of Shanghai TV (China), the “Little Star Chorus.”  She made many appearances in various city events and television galas with the chorus. At the concert she will sing “Sure on this Shining Night” by Samuel Barber.
 
Second Place, Voice
 
Nigel Rowe, a tenor studying with Lisabeth Miller, is a senior at Conard High School in West Hartford and at the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts. This year, he played Prince Dimmly in the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts production of Meanwhile Back at Cinderella’s. This past summer, he participated in the National High School Music Institute at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. He has participated in both CMEA Regional and All-State Choirs. He hopes to continue to study music next year at the college level.  Nigel was the Third Place Voice winner in the Musical Club Competition in 2009. At the Winners Concert  he will perform “Go Lovely Rose” by   Roger Quilter.

Third Place, Voice
 
Beth Noble, a soprano from  Storrs, CT, studies with Meredith Ziegler. She attended Boston University Tanglewood Institute’s vocal program in 2009 and performed twice at Tanglewood. As a member of Connecticut Children’s Chorus she performed in Paris, France and Hartford, CT. In 2008 and 2009 she performed with the New England Music Festival Choir and in 2009 with the Connecticut Eastern Region and All-State Choirs.  She has been in many local performances as a member of E.O. Smith High School’s auditioned choir and women’s choir. At the concert on January 31, she will sing “Vá godendo” by G.F. Handel.
   
Honorable Mention, Voice:  Sarah Welden, soprano, studying with Meredith Ziegler, is a junior at E.O Smith high School in Storrs, CT and lives in Mansfield, CT

Winds Competition Winners

First Place Winds

Lidiya Selikhov, flute, Storrs, CT. Lidiya is a senior at E.O Smith High School, where she is an active member of her school's Concert Band, orchestra and Chorus. Lidiya is co-principal of the Connecticut Youth Symphony, and a graduate of the Hartt Performer's Certificate Program. For the past 4 years, Lidiya has been chosen for the Hartt Honors Recital, and was the winner of the Honors Departmental Award in 2009. She has won first place, and the Ed Gerry Wind Prize at the Windham Arts Council Competition for the past 3 years, and was selected to perform as a soloist with the Willimantic Orchestra in 2009. Lidiya received 2nd place in the Musical Club of Hartford's Competition in 2008, as well as 3rd place in 2009. She has attended New England Music Camp, Interlochen Arts Camp, and the Julius Baker Flute Master Class. Lidiya plans to pursue a degree in flute performance. Her teacher is Greig Shearer. At the concert on January 31 she will perform Sonatine by Henri Dutilleux, accompanied by Gay Chun.

Second Place Winds:

Thomas Kelly, alto saxophone, Canton, CT. Thomas is a sophomore at Canton High School, where he performs with the Concert Band, Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Combo, and Saxophone Quartet. He has been accepted by audition to the CT Music Educators Northern Regional Festival for the past 5 years. Thomas was principal chair at the CT All-State Festival last year, for both Band and Jazz Band. Last year, at the Berklee Jazz Festival in Boston, he was awarded Outstanding Musicianship Award. Also, at the Enrico Fermi Jazz Festival, he was given the Outstanding Soloist award. He performed with the ASBDA Honors Wind Ensemble this year, as well. Thomas attended the Skidmore College Summer Jazz Institute last summer. He studies jazz saxophone with John Mills, and classical saxophone with Bruce Haynes. Performance piece: Caprice en Forme de Valse by Paul Bonneau, accompanied by Barbara Mills.

Third Place Winds

Ryan Griffin, flute, Wethersfield, CT. Ryan is a senior at Wethersfield High School, where he participates in the Concert Band, Orchestra, Honors Band, Jazz Band, Marching Band, and Pit Orchestra. He also attends the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts as a Classical Music major. He has performed with the Connecticut Youth Symphony for one year, and the Greater Hartford Youth Wind Ensemble for three years, and enjoyed the directors, Dr. Danial D'Addio and Glen Adsit. Ryan has been accepted by audition to the CT. Music Educators Northern Regional Festival for the past six years. He also has been accepted to the CT All-State Festival for the past three years. Ryan has attended the Center for Creative Youth Summer program at Weslyan University. He hopes to attend The Hartt School of Music next year. His teacher is Greig Shearer. His Performance piece will be Sonata in D Major, opus 94, mvt 4, Adagio ma non troppo by Sergei Prokofiev, accompanied by Melanie Guerin.

Honorable Mention: Molly Gibson, flute, is a senior at the Hopkins School in New Haven, where she also resides.  Her teacher is Adrianne Greenbaum.