International Concerto Competition 2026
International Concerto Competition is open to all instruments, including strings, piano, voice and winds.
Participants are required to submit video recording materials for the audition.
Musicians from 8 countries applied for this year’s Concerto Competition. They hailed from different parts of the U.S., Canada, China, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand.
Eligibility
We invite school students and adults to participate in the Competition. There is no age limit for the adult participants.
Multiple winners will be chosen in each of the following age groups:
| School Students: | Adults (19 and older): |
| 12 and under | Amateur without professional degree |
| 13 – 18 | College students and professional musicians |
Awards
Since the situation with Global Health Crisis is still uncertain, winners will be offered to receive a Winner’s Package by mail or to perform at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall on the following dates:
Saturday, May 23, 2026, 7:30 PM
Monday, May 25, 2026, 8:00PM
Sunday, May 31, 2026, 1:00PM
Saturday, June 13, 2026, 1:00 PM
Saturday, June 20, 2026, 1:00 PM
Sunday, June 21, 2026, 7:30PM
Judges’ Distinction Award will be granted based on the judges’ recommendations.
Judges
International panel of qualified judges will evaluate audition materials. All judges are independent, and their students are not allowed to apply this season. The concert pianist and teacher Ms. Irina Kaufman-Brookes (U.K./Russia) was invited as a Chairwoman of the Concerto Competition 2026. A graduate from the Gnessin Academy of Music, classes of Prof. E. Lieberman and Prof. L. Naumov, Ms. Kaufman-Brookes won a number of the International Competitions and performed as a solo and chamber ensemble pianist with the Bolshoi Theater, Stanislavskiy and Nemirovich – Danchenko Opera Theatre, and many orchestras across the Europe and USA.
American Protégé
International Concerto Competition 2026 Results
Judges Distinction Award (Plaque Trophies) Winners
Belle Chi, age 18, is an American young pianist recognized as one of the most promising talents of her generation. She gained international attention at age 9 as the youngest-ever recipient of the “Star of Yamaha” title. Since then, she has performed at renowned venues including Carnegie Hall, Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall, Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, and The Juilliard School. An internationally recognized prodigy, Belle has won over 20 First Prizes in major competitions, including the PIARA Hamamatsu, Elizabeth, Manchester, and 2025 Pacific Stars International Piano Competitions, where she got 1st place out of nearly 700 contestants. In 2025, she earned 2nd Prize and Best Chopin Concerto No. 1 at the Chopin in Cyprus International Concerto Competition, performing with orchestras such as the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra and Jakarta Sinfonietta. Belle currently studies with Alexandre Moutouzkine and previously with Grace Chung.
Leo Barrat is a violinist based in New York City and has studied for eleven years with Sarah Geller at the School for Strings. He currently serves as concertmaster of his school’s Advanced Strings Camerata. Leo has received multiple awards at national and international competitions. In 2025, he was awarded Second Prize at the Cremona International Competition for Strings and First Prize at the Musical Life Competition. In the preceding year, he received First Prize at the Musical Life Competition, Third Prize and a First Prize for Contemporary Music at the Cremona International Competition, and First Prize at the American Protégé International Piano and Strings Competition. Leo has performed at Carnegie Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, the Consulate General of France in New York, and Feinstein’s/54 Below. He also performed tango with Manhattan Chamber Music and appears regularly in outreach concerts with The Happiness Factory, bringing live music to retirement homes.
Angelica Spyrka is a student of Dr. Boris Konovalov of Canada. She is 12 and has been playing piano since she was 4. Angelica is a Grand Prize winner of the 2025 Petrof International Piano Competition, and she was awarded to play with the Petrof Fest Orchestra in Mexico in 2026. Angelica has performed with orchestra multiple times, including in Carnegie Hall (2024), and Durango, Mexico (2025), where she was the youngest soloist performing Mozart’s Concerto No. 17 in G major. For this performance, on July 31, 2025, she was awarded recognition from the State of Durango, Mexico, for her valuable contribution to strengthening of the culture and music in the State of Durango. Angelica is a Gold Medal recipient of the 2025 Steinway Piano Competition in Canada, Gold Medal Recipient of the Royal Conservatory of Music of Canada for achieving the highest mark on her RCM exam in 2024.
Winners by Age Category
| NAME | AGE | CITY, STATE/COUNTRY |
| Age Group 12 and under: | ||
| FIRST PLACE WINNERS | ||
| Grace Li, piano | 9 | Madison, WI |
| Student of Lina Yoo Min Lee | ||
| Mozart, Piano concerto No. 9 in E Flat Major, III Mvt. | ||
| Muyang Liu, piano | 10 | Eureka, MO |
| Student of Thomas Pandolfi | ||
| Mozart, Piano Concerto No. 13, K. 415 | ||
| Rachel Jimenez, cello | 10 | Columbia, MD |
| Student of Dr. Frances Borowsky and Deborah Kay Zagorin | ||
| Jean-Baptiste Bréval/Louis Fueillard, Rondo from Concerto No. 2 in D Major | ||
| Angelica Spyrka, piano | 12 | North Vancouver, Canada |
| Student of Dr Boris Konovalov | ||
| Mozart, Concerto No. 17 in G Major | ||
| Christopher Xu, piano | 12 | Scarsdale, NY |
| Student of Delana Thomsen | ||
| Kabalevsky, Concerto No. 3 Op. 50, III Mvt. | ||
| David Jeong, cello | 12 | Suwanee, GA |
| Student of James Kim | ||
| Elgar, Cello Concerto in E Minor, Op. 85, I Mvt. | ||
| and Haydn, Cello Concerto No.1 in C Major, I Mvt. | ||
| SECOND PLACE WINNERS | ||
| Selina Liu, cello | 10 | San Diego, CA |
| Student of Yao Zhao | ||
| J. C. Bach, Cello Concerto in C Minor, I Mvt. | ||
| Yvette Chen, cello | 10 | Irvine, CA |
| Student of Dr. Carter Dewberry | ||
| Haydn, Concerto In C Major | ||
| Colette Doh, cello | 11 | Demarest, NJ |
| Student of Hyun Sarah Sohn and Deborah Park | ||
| J. C. Bach, Cello Concerto in C Minor, I Mvt. | ||
| Jayden Kang, alto saxophone | 12 | Vancouver, Canada |
| Student of Ivan Zhou | ||
| Ibert, Concertino Da Camera | ||
| Mira Hu, violin | 12 | Wilmington, NC |
| Student of Teri Einfeldt and Danijela Zezelj-Gualdi | ||
| Bériot, Violin Concerto No. 9, Op. 104: Allegro maestoso | ||
| THIRD PLACE WINNERS | ||
| Emilia Wong, violin | 9 | New York, NY |
| Student of Elizabeth Faidley | ||
| Beriot, Concerto No. 9 in A Minor, I Mvt. | ||
| Lucas Yeh, piano | 9 | Taipei, Taiwan |
| Student of Mary Ko | ||
| Haydn, Piano Concerto in F Major, Hob. XVIII: F2, III Mvt. | ||
| Jensen Chang, piano | 11 | Fox Point, WI |
| Student of Heinrich Kunsmann | ||
| Mozart, Piano Concerto No. 12 in A Major K. 414, I Mvt. | ||
| Ron Maymin-Tzur, cello | 11 | Stamford, CT |
| Student of Chungsun Kim | ||
| Stamitz, Concerto No.1 in G, I Mvt. | ||
| HONORABLE MENTION | ||
| Madeline Hsu, piano | 9 | Taipei, Taiwan |
| Student of Mary Ko | ||
| Haydn, Piano Concerto in G Major Hob XVIII: 9, III Mvt. | ||
| Anna Levy, piano | 10 | Northridge, CA |
| Student of Yulia Ayrapetyan | ||
| Haydn, Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in D major, Hob. XVIII: 11, 1st mvmt. | ||
| Preston Liu, piano | 10 | Taipei, Taiwan |
| Student of Mary Ko | ||
| Haydn, Concerto in C Major, Hob. XIV:8, III Mvt. | ||
| Eloise Winter Webb, piano | 11 | Dobbs Ferry, NY |
| Haydn, Piano Concerto in C Major Hob. XIV: 4, I Mvt. | ||
| Leah Xie, violin | 12 | Clarksville, MD |
| Student of Nina Li | ||
| Seitz, First Pupil’s Concerto, I Mvt. | ||
| FINALIST | ||
| Yu Chi Chen, piano | 7 | Taipei, Taiwan |
| Student of Mary Ko | ||
| Haydn, Piano Concerto in F Major, Hob. XVIII: F2, I Mvt. | ||
| Age Group 13 to 18: | ||
| NAME | AGE | CITY, STATE/COUNTRY |
| FIRST PLACE WINNERS | ||
| Euna Jung, violin | 13 | San Jose, CA |
| Student of Davis Law | ||
| Bruch, Violin Concerto No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 26 | ||
| Sejin Cho, cello | 13 | San Jose, CA |
| Student of Jonathan Koh | ||
| Haydn, Cello Concerto No. 1 in C Major, Hob VII: 1 | ||
| Cindy Chen, violin | 14 | Phoenix, AZ |
| Student of Susanne Rothaar | ||
| Saint-Saëns, Concerto No. 3 in B Minor, Op.61, I Mvt. | ||
| Erika Song, flute | 14 | San Jose, CA |
| Student of Junghwa Kim | ||
| Mozart, Flute Concerto No. 1 in G Major K. 313 | ||
| Isaac (keonwoo) Kil, bb clarinet | 14 | San Jose, CA |
| Student of Katie Ryu | ||
| Stamitz, Clarinet Concerto No. 3 in Bb Major | ||
| Yuhwan Shin, trumpet | 14 | Irvine, CA |
| Student of Matthew Kim | ||
| Hummel, Trumpet Concerto in E-flat Major, III Mvt. | ||
| Andrew Lampert, piano | 15 | Frisco, TX |
| Student of Dr. Louise Liu | ||
| Saint Saens, Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 22, I Mvt. | ||
| Andy Li, violin | 15 | Mason, OH |
| Student of Hong Cheng | ||
| Lalo, Symphonie Espanole Op. 21, I Mvt. | ||
| Eden Lily Scott, piano | 15 | Charlotte, NC |
| Student of Dr. Paul Nitsch | ||
| Grieg, Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 16 | ||
| Grace Cho, violin | 15 | Auburn, GA |
| Student of Sungsin Kim | ||
| Bruch, Concerto No. 1 in G Minor | ||
| Jintian Cai, violin | 15 | New York, N.Y. |
| Student of Nanae Iwata | ||
| Kabalevsky, Violin Concerto in C Major, III Mvt. | ||
| Leo Barrat, violin | 15 | New York, NY |
| Student of Sarah Geller | ||
| Lalo, Symphonie Espagnole in D Minor, I Mvt. | ||
| Noah Liao, violin | 15 | Torrance, CA |
| Student of Joan Kwuon | ||
| Mendelssohn, Violin Concerto in E Minor, Op. 64, MWV O 14, I Mvt. | ||
| Shonna Foo, violin | 15 | Burlingame, CA |
| Student of Angeline Branson | ||
| Dvorak, Violin Concerto in A Minor | ||
| Sophia Zhou, violin | 15 | Dallas, TX |
| Student of Malcolm Lowe and Eunsong Koh | ||
| Saint-Saëns, Violin Concerto in B Minor, I Mvt. | ||
| Steven Chen, alto saxophone | 15 | San Diego, CA |
| Student of Vladimir Goltsman | ||
| Creston, Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Orchestra, I Mvt. | ||
| Yawen Duan, piano | 15 | Bangkok, Thailand |
| Ravel, Piano Concerto in G Major, I Mvt. | ||
| Andrew Jun, clarinet | 16 | Cupertino, CA |
| Student of Hye Min Yun | ||
| Weber, Clarinet Concerto in F Minor, Op. 73, I Mvt. | ||
| Alexander Wang, violin | 16 | Mason, OH |
| Student of Kurt Sassmannshaus | ||
| Saint-Saëns, Concerto No. 3 in B Minor, Op. 61, I Mvt. | ||
| Elaine Wang, cello | 16 | San Diego, CA |
| Elgar, Cello Concerto | ||
| James Yan, piano | 16 | Champaign, IL |
| Student of Michael Berkovsky and Jiafeng Yan | ||
| Gershwin, Rhapsody in Blue | ||
| Jonathan Law, cello | 16 | Palo Alto, CA |
| Student of Kyeong-Hwa Kim | ||
| Saint-Saëns, Concerto No. 1 in A Minor, Op.33 | ||
| Philip Jeong, cello | 16 | Suwanee, GA |
| Student of Jiyoung Lee | ||
| Dvořák, Cello Concerto in B Minor, Op. 104, I Mvt. | ||
| Shaelyn Wu, violin | 16 | Chicago, IL |
| Student of Addison Teng | ||
| Wieniawski, Violin Concerto No. 1, I Mvt. | ||
| Sophia Kim, violin | 16 | Seongnam-Si, South Korea |
| Student of Yura Hyun | ||
| Mendelssohn, Violin Concerto in E Minor, Op 64, III Mvt. | ||
| Angela Ouyang, piano | 17 | American Fork, UT |
| Student of Ya Liu | ||
| Rubinstein, Piano Concerto No. 4 in D Minor Op. 70 | ||
| Beomjun Kim, violin | 17 | Closter, NJ |
| Student of Jungwon Yoon | ||
| Lalo, Symphony Espagnole, I Mvt. | ||
| Cary Wang, piano | 17 | New Canaan, CT |
| Student of Prof. Jeffrey Cohen | ||
| Gershwin, Piano Concerto in F | ||
| Esther Moon, bb clarinet | 17 | San Jose, CA |
| Student of Janet Averett | ||
| Stamitz, Clarinet Concerto in B Flat Major | ||
| Huanran Yu, violin | 17 | Fulshear, TX |
| Student of Tong Yan | ||
| Mendelssohn, Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64 | ||
| Kyla Son, flute | 17 | Dublin, CA |
| Student of Teresa Orozco | ||
| Mozart, Andante in C Major K. 315 | ||
| Maria Neal, piano | 17 | Crozier, VA |
| Student of Maria Yefimova | ||
| Chopin, Concerto No. 1 | ||
| Belle Chi, piano | 18 | New York, NY |
| Student of Alexandre Moutouzkine | ||
| Grieg, Piano Concerto No. 1 in A Minor | ||
| Piano Trio: | ||
| Aurora Vasefi, piano | 13 | Lehi, UT |
| Eve Vasefi, piano | 16 | Lehi, UT |
| Students of Christie Sowby | ||
| Christie Sowby, piano | 39 | American Fork, UT |
| Poulenc, Double Piano Concerto in D Minor | ||
| SECOND PLACE WINNERS | ||
| Annie Xu, violin | 13 | Laurel, MD |
| Student of Nina Li | ||
| Bach, Concerto No. 2 in E Major, S. 1042 | ||
| Emilie Deng, violin | 13 | San Ramon, CA |
| Student of Heghine Boloyan | ||
| Rieding, Violin Concertino in D Major, Op. 5 | ||
| Haryeong Choi, cello | 13 | Brookline, MA |
| Student of Youngsook Lee | ||
| Haydn, Haydn Concerto No. 1 in C Major, I Mvt. | ||
| John Foo, violin | 13 | Singapore |
| Student of Ang Chek Meng | ||
| Mozart, Concerto No. 3 in G, K216, I Mvt. | ||
| and Kabalevsky, Concerto in C, Op. 48, I Mvt. | ||
| Valerie Combs, violin | 13 | San Diego, CA |
| Student of Michael Tseitlin | ||
| Bruch, Concerto No.1 | ||
| Isaac Tsai, violin | 14 | San Diego, CA |
| Student of Fei-Fei Soong | ||
| Mendelssohn, Violin Concerto in E Minor Op. 64, I Mvt. | ||
| Gowri Vinay, viola | 15 | Chandler, AZ |
| Student of Susanne Rothaar | ||
| Walton, Concerto for Viola, III Mvt. | ||
| Michelle Kang, flute | 15 | Closter, NJ |
| Student of Caroline Sonett-Assor | ||
| George Hue, Hue Fantasie | ||
| Yoav Ovrutsky, piano | 15 | Charlotte, NC |
| Student of Irena Hramenkova | ||
| Kabalevsky, Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Major, Op. 50, III Mvt. | ||
| Akhilesh Kuppili, cello | 16 | Irvine, CA |
| Student of Lila Yang | ||
| Saint-Saëns, Cello Concerto No. 1, Op. 33 | ||
| Claire Yuan, violin | 16 | Irvine, CA |
| Student of Mori & Park Violin Studio | ||
| Saint Saens, Concerto No. 3 in B minor | ||
| Hannah Lee, violin | 16 | Bloomfld Hls, MI |
| Student of Eugenia Song | ||
| Beriot, Concerto No. 9 in Minor, I Mvt. | ||
| Mia Ji, piano | 16 | Arcadia, CA |
| Student of Daniel Lessner | ||
| Mendelssohn, Concerto No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 25, I Mvt. | ||
| Jordan Gwon, viola | 17 | Cambridge, MA |
| Student of Min Choi | ||
| Walton, Viola Concerto, 1st Movement | ||
| Felicia Abbass, voice | 18 | Newark, NJ |
| Student of Lorraine Nubar and Joshua Mauldin | ||
| Verdi, Saper Vorreste | ||
| THIRD PLACE WINNERS | ||
| Christiaan Wilkes, bassoon | 13 | New York, NY |
| Student of Dr. Rick Barrantes and Dr. Leonard Hindell | ||
| Vivaldi, Bassoon Concerto in C Major, RV 478 | ||
| Atticus Lin, piano | 15 | San Francisco, CA |
| Student of Vivian Chen | ||
| Grieg, Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 16, I Mvt. | ||
| Ronnie Wang, cello | 15 | Thousand Oaks, CA |
| Student of Henry Chen | ||
| Haydn, Cello Concerto No.1 in C major, Hob.VIIb:1 | ||
| Danica Xiong, voice | 17 | Westborough, MA |
| Student of Victoria Avetisyan | ||
| Richard Walters, Shenandoah | ||
| HONORABLE MENTION | ||
| Isabella Xu, piano | 16 | Winchester, MA |
| Student of Yu Wang | ||
| Bach, Concerto in D Minor, Mvt. 1, BWV 1052 | ||
| College students and professional musicians | ||
| NAME | AGE | CITY, STATE/COUNTRY |
| FIRST PLACE WINNER | ||
| Siana Wong, violin | 23 | Summerfield, NC |
| Student of Fabian Lopez | ||
| Sibelius, Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op. 47, I Mvt. | ||
| Yi Zhang, piano | 26 | Denton, TX |
| Student of Adam Wodnicki | ||
| Rachmaninoff, Concerto No. 2 in C Minor | ||
| Amateur Category: | ||
| NAME | AGE | CITY, STATE/COUNTRY |
| FIRST PLACE WINNER | ||
| Akiko Gomez, violin | Rockville, MD | |
| Khachaturian, Violin Concerto | ||
Other applicants received Diploma of Participation
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL WINNERS!
1. Winners will be selected from each of the four instrument categories (piano, strings, voice, winds) and in each age group. Multiple winners will be chosen. Special prizes may be awarded based on judges’ recommendations.
2. Winners of the Competition will perform one solo piece from the audition repertoire with the following performance time limit:
School students 6 to 12 years old – 5 minutes;
School students 13 to 18 years old – 6 minutes;
Amateur without professional degree – 6 minutes;
College students and professionals – 6 minutes.
3. Extra performance time up to 1 minute can be accepted for the Winners Recital with $100 additional fee.
4. Concertos with full orchestra can’t be performed at the Winners Recital. For vocalists, strings and wind instruments, performance at the Weill Recital Hall will be with piano accompaniment. Only one grand piano will be available at the Weill Recital Hall. In case of any doubt as to selection, please contact the American Protégé Organizational Committee.
5. Each Winner will perform at one Recital. Recital date and time will be offered to the Winner based on the Competition results. Each participant will be notified about the Competition results after the Chairwoman releases the Competition placements.
6. Participants must bring their own piano accompanist. American Protégé does not provide piano accompanist, but can recommend one after enrollment into the program.
7. Photo or video recording during the recital is strictly prohibited per the Carnegie Hall policy. A professional photographer will be taking pictures of the performers.
8. Organizational Committee collects short biographies to introduce the performers at the Winners Recitals. American Protégé reserves the rights to edit, reduce and re-format any submitted biographies as it seems appropriate and fit into the Recital Brochure.
9. During the World Health Crisis, U.S. participants, who are unable to or unwilling to travel to NYC for the safety reasons or due to the restrictions, may request a Competition Winner’s Package with a non-refundable $300 fee. The Package includes online recognition, Winner’s Certificate, Teacher’s Diploma and participation Plaque Trophy. International participants may arrange a shipment of the Winner’s Package to the friends or relatives residing in the U.S. We do not mail packages internationally.
10. All fees are not refundable.
11. All participants are responsible for their own expenses (travel, housing accommodations, etc.).
12. Detailed Winners Recital Guidelines will be emailed to the participants.