Music Institute Students Excel in Fall Competitions

The Music Institute of Chicago's Academy for gifted pre-college pianists and string players and Community Music School students have started the school year with several noteworthy virtual competition achievements.

Academy students swept the Lisker Music Foundation (LMF) 2020 Young Artists Scholarship Competition, with each winner earning a scholarship and an opportunity to perform on the LMF series:

Violin: Abigail Park, 16, Flossmoor, Illinois

Piano: Zachary Guo, 14, Deerfield, Illinois

Cello: Jan Nedvetsky, 14, Wilmette, Illinois

In the 2020-21 Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) state competitions, Illinois winners included the following students, who advance to the East Central Division competition (* indicates Academy):

Senior strings

First place: Isabella Brown*, violin, 18, Gurnee, Illinois

Alternate: Esme Arias-Kim*, violin, 15, Hoffman Estates, Illinois

Honorable mention: Sidney Lee*, viola, 16, Arlington Heights, Illinois

Honorable mention: Mia Wimbiscus*, cello, 17, Wilmette, Illinois

NOTE: Katya Moeller*, violin, 16, Coralville, Iowa, took first place in the Iowa state competition.

Senior piano

First place: Ashley Kim*, 17, Wilmette, Illinois

Honorable mention: Kimiko Darcy*, 15, Chicago, Illinois

Honorable mention: Harry Zhang, 16, Highland Park, Illinois

Junior piano

Alternate: Matthew Hahn, 13, Lake Forest, Illinois

Honorable mention: Zachary Guo*, 14, Deerfield, Illinois

Junior composition

Zarin Mehta, 13, Chicago, Illinois

In the Illinois State Music Teachers Association (ISMTA) Piano Competition (North), Music Institute students placed in each division (* indicates Academy):

Primary Piano Solo Division: Grades 1-3

First: Helena Sprajcer, 9, Wheeling, Illinois

Elementary Piano Solo Division: Grades 4-6

Second (tie): Emily Hu, 11, Kenilworth, Illinois

Honorable Mention: Eric Wang, 10, Wilmette, Illinois

Junior Piano Solo Division: Grades 7-9

Second: Shixun Song, age 13, Buffalo Grove, Illinois

Third: Zachary Guo*, age 14, Deerfield, Illinois

Honorable Mention: Matthew Hahn, 13, Lake Forest, Illinois

Senior Piano Solo Division: Grades 10-12

First: Harry Zhang, 16, Highland Park, Illinois

Second: Kimiko Darcy, 15, Chicago, Illinois

Third: Daniel Mies Nass, 17, Glenview, Illinois

Honorable Mention: Madeline Hammett, 15, Winnetka, Illinois

In the Steinway Virtual Piano Competition's Chicago regional segment, the following Music Institute students placed (* indicates Academy):

Division I

First: Karnik Prasad, 9, Lake Bluff, Illinois

Second: Eric Wang, 10, Wilmette, Illinois

Division II

Third: Micah Chan, 12, Skokie, Illinois

Division III

First: Zachary Guo*, 14, Deerfield, Illinois

Division IV

First: Harry Zhang, 16, Highland Park, Illinois

Third: Alexis Boe, 17, Winnetka, Illinois

The Great Composers Competition is a series of international music competitions for young instrumentalists, singers, and chamber groups. Organizers announce award winners annually on the composers' birthdays. Congratulations to oboist Zachary Allen (16, Skokie, Illinois), who won first prize in his age group in the International Great Composers Competition Best Saint-SaÃ"ns Performance category.

In the 2020 Sejong Virtual Music Competition, Academy and Community Music School students represented the Music Institute admirably (* indicates Academy):

Violin Senior Division

First: Esme Arias-Kim*, 15, Hoffman Estates, Illinois

Second: Abigail Park*, 16, Northbrook, Illinois

Finalist: Sonya Jones*, 16, Chicago, Illinois

Finalist: Kelly Kim*, 16, Northbrook, Illinois

Violin Junior Division

Honorable Mention: Lauren Kim, 12, Hoffman Estates, Illinois

Finalist: Aiden Yu, 11, Chicago, Illinois

Violin Elementary Division

Third: Xiruo Wang, 8, Chicago, Illinois

Honorable Mention: Claire Moon, 10, Palatine, Illinois

Finalist: Sylvia Pine, 9, Chicago, Illinois

Piano Senior Division

First place and Best Interpretation of Korean piece: Noah Kim, 14, Indian Creek, Illinois

Honorable Mention: Zachary Guo*, 14, Deerfield, Illinois

Finalist: Elliot Kim, 14, Westmont, Illinois

Finalist: Tyler Wang, 15, Wilmette, Illinois

Piano Junior Division

First: Matthew Hahn, 13, Lake Forest, Illinois

Second Place and Best Interpretation of Korean piece: Shixun Song, 13, Buffalo Grove, Illinois

Finalist and Best Interpretation of Korean piece: Jayden Kim, 13, Chicago, Illinois

Piano Elementary Division

Finalist: Alina Liu, 10, Winnetka, Illinois

Finalist: Helena Sprajcer, 9, Wheeling, Illinois

Finalist: Eric Wang, 10, Wilmette, Illinois

The Academy of the Music Institute of Chicago, led by Director James Setapen, is a nationally recognized training center for gifted pre-college pianists and string players that provides a comprehensive music education for students who aspire to be professional musicians. Faculty, staff, and students come together for an intensive 30-week program that includes private lessons with Academy artist faculty, a rigorous chamber music component, a stimulating chamber orchestra experience, and accelerated music theory classes. Pianists additionally study keyboard history and literature, improvisation, and keyboard skills in an intimate group setting. A hallmark of the Academy is the weekly master class when students perform for and observe acclaimed musicians and educators who share their knowledge. The Academy faculty, who teach at some of the country's most prestigious conservatories and music schools, have a passion for developing young talent and an established track record of student achievement.

The 2020-21 Academy roster includes 33 students from Illinois and other Midwest states, a 32% increase from the previous year, selected from the highest number of auditioning students in the past five years. This fall's program has combined remote and in-person instruction, as have lessons and classes in the Community Music School.

Music Institute of Chicago

Founded in 1931, the Music Institute of Chicago leads people toward a lifelong engagement with music by providing widely accessible resources for high-quality music teaching, performing, and service activities-and harnessing the power of music to educate, inspire, and bring comfort to the communities it serves. Each year, the Music Institute provides personalized music instruction to more than 2,000 students, regardless of age, level of experience, or financial means, across eight Community Music School locations in Chicago, Downers Grove, Evanston, Lake Forest, Lincolnshire, and Winnetka. In addition, the Music Institute brings music education, arts curriculum integration, and professional development as well as music performance and engagement opportunities to thousands; offers scholarship opportunities to students in the Academy, a nationally recognized training center for highly gifted pre-college pianists and string players; and inspires more than 15,000 visitors annually at Nichols Concert Hall through performances, master classes, and special events.