Winners Announced in the 22nd Annual Walgreens National Concerto Competition
Over 250 exceptional young musicians from all corners of the country, competed in Midwest Young Artists Conservatory's 22nd Annual Walgreens National Concerto Competition from December 27 to 29 at Ravinia's Bennett Gordon Hall and the MYAC Center in Highwood, IL.
Students from elementary through 12th grades competed for more than $20,000 in scholarships and cash prizes in the MYAC Division and the Open Division, which were both further divided into the Junior Level (up to 8th grade) and the Senior Level (9th through 12th graders).
A panel of distinguished judges selected the winners and delivered individual comments on each performance. Most exciting of all, the prize for these young musicians is the chance to perform their winning pieces with MYAC's full orchestras, and on the prestigious "From the Top" radio program. Walgreens Corporation's annual sponsorship enables MYAC to provide students with preeminent artist-educator judges, a video recording of their performance, written performance evaluations, and an inviting and nurturing environment in which to participate.
Overall winners will perform at the February 24th MYAC concert at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall at Northwestern University. Category winners are chosen to perform at a Winners Recital at Bennett-Gordon Hall on the Ravinia Campus in Highland Park on March 10, 2019. Winning soloists may also be selected for performance opportunities with Midwest professional and community orchestras.
2018 Walgreens National Concerto Competition Winners:
OVERALL OPEN DIVISION GRAND WINNER: James Baik, cello
*The Overall Open Division Grand Winner is chosen from the Open Junior and Open Senior Division winners.
JUNIOR OPEN DIVISION
OVERALL DIVISION WINNER: Kimiko Darcy, piano
VOCAL CATEGORY:
Honorable Mention:
Miriam Faybysh
WINDS CATEGORY:
Winner: Louis Auxenfans, clarinet
Honorable Mention:
Grace Choi, flute
EARLY MUSIC CATEGORY:
Winner: Ella Wimbiscus, cello
Honorable Mention:
Eric Wang, piano
STRINGS CATEGORY:
Honorable Mention:
Madeline Cha, violin
Bianca Ciubancan, violin
Karim Al Zahabi, violin
Sameer Agrawal, violin
PIANO CATEGORY:
Winner: Kimiko Darcy
Honorable Mention:
Rosabelle Shi
Emmie Guo
Caleb D. Kim
Clara Zhang
SENIOR OPEN DIVISION
OVERALL DIVISION WINNER: James Baik, cello
WINDS / OTHER CATEGORY:
Winner: David Lee, clarinet
Honorable Mention:
Taylor Akin, bassoon
Robert Black, tuba
Nicolas Quero, flute
EARLY MUSIC CATEGORY:
Winner: Rabia Brooke, violin
STRINGS CATEGORY:
Winner: James Baik, cello
2nd Place: Rabia Brooke, violin
Honorable Mention:
Zechariah Mo, viola
Nicholas Boettcher, double bass
Claire Metcalf, violin
PIANO CATEGORY:
Winner: Ben Hoang
Honorable Mention:
Sakurako Eriksen
Justin Chang
Ashley Kim
SENIOR MYAC ORCHESTRA DIVISION
OVERALL DIVISION GRAND WINNER: Ezra Burca, viola
WINDS CATEGORY:
Winner: Nick Nocita, bassoon
Honorable Mention:
Sebastian Ingino, clarinet
Joanna Choe, flute
EARLY MUSIC CATEGORY:
Winner: Liam Diethrich, violin
STRINGS CATEGORY:
Winner: Ezra Burca, viola
Honorable Mention:
Christopher Gottardi-Littell, violin
Daria Chudnovsky, violin
Bella Kim, viola
Haoming Song, cello
PIANO CATEGORY:
Winner: Sebastian Ingino
JUNIOR MYAC ORCHESTRA DIVISION
OVERALL DIVISION GRAND WINNER: Ruth Kim, violin
STRINGS CATEGORY:
Winner: Ruth Kim, violin
Honorable Mention:
Jacob Fisher, bass
Momo Frederickson, violin
Nick Ingino, violin
John Lee, violin
David Wu, cello
OTHER CATEGORY:
Winner: Sophia Katsuma
Honorable Mention:
Richelle Shi
PIANO CATEGORY:
Winner: Elizabeth Romanyuk
Honorable Mention:
Jocelyn Gao
EARLY MUSIC CATEGORY:
Winner: Jacob Fisher, bass
Honorable Mention:
Sofia Radovic, viola
Gabriella Radovic, violin
MYAC's classical, jazz, and choral programs serve students from grade school beginners through advanced pre-collegiate performers. For tickets to any of our future concerts and events, or more information about MYAC's programs visit mya.org or call (847) 926-9898.