About the Competition
The Young Artist Solo Competition is open to high school and college students under the age of 25. The competition features several rounds of solo performances, the first of which is evaluated via recordings. In the final round, which takes place in Montague each spring, the remaining 10 finalists perform in a live competition for first, second, and third place awards, including monetary prizes.
Past Competitions
2019
The 2019 Young Artist Solo Competition took place on Saturday, April 20th at Ferry Memorial Church in Montague.
Competition Judges
Jenny Jones: Retired violinist, St. Louis Symphony
Bonnie Bierma: Soloist, chamber musician, Blue Lake Public Radio host
Robert Swan: Retired violist, Chicago Symphony
Top 10 Competing Finalists
Kelly Avila, viola – Interlochen Arts Academy
Kayla Cieslak, flute – Eastern Michigan University
Lauren Glomb, oboe – Grand Valley State University
Gabrielle Karel, piano – Hope College
Linus Guerra, sax – Grand Valley State University
Samuel Musser, piano – Hillsdale College
Xinyu Zhu, violin – Central Michigan University
Matteo Generani, piano – Central Michigan University
Stephanie Sowers, clarinet – Michigan State University
Samantha Kao, piano – University of Michigan
Winners
First Place: Matteo Generani, piano (Central Michigan University)
Second Place: A tie between Gabrielle Karel, piano (Hope College) and Lauren Glomb, oboe (Grand Valley State University)
Audience Favorite: Kayla Cieslak, flute (Eastern Michigan University)
From left to right back row: Judges - Jenny Jones, Bonnie Bierma, Bob Swan. Front row: Gabrielle Karel, Lauren Glomb, Matteo Generani, piano Kayla Cieslak.
2018
The 2018 Young Artist Solo Competition took place on Saturday, April 22nd at Ferry Memorial Church in Montague.
Competition Judges
Jenny Jones: Retired violinist, St. Louis Symphony
Bonnie Bierma: Soloist, chamber musician, Blue Lake Public Radio host
Robert Swan: Retired violist, Chicago Symphony
Winners
First Place: Ian Chen, cello, (Eastern Michigan University)
Second Place: Maria Guglielmina, flute (Western Michigan University)
Third Place: Eden West, piano (Ann Arbor Pioneer High School)
Audience Favorite: Yaroslav Hnezdilov, piano (Eastern Michigan University)
From left to right: Ian Chen, Maria Guglielmina, Eden West, and Yaroslav Hnezdilov.
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