Free International Internet Competition 2012
American Protégé is continuously looking for genuinely talented people who have the creativity and stage charisma.
American Protégé Internet Music Competition is an online competition, in which the participants are invited to submit the Internet links to the videos of their performance, to be selected as the next American Protégé “Best Internet Performer”. All submissions of the Competition were rated by the panel of qualified judges. There is no age limit for the adult participants. The Competition is open to all instrumentalists (piano, winds, strings, brass, traditional, etc), vocalists and traditional folk and jazz groups.
This year, the competition attracted aspiring musicians from 38 countries all over the globe. We encourage those who did not win in this Internet Competition to participate in other American Protégé Competitions.
The “Best Internet Performer” received:
– A performance at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York City
– American Protégé “Best Internet Performer” trophy
– Memorable Certificate of Recognition
– Professional photos of the winners performance at Carnegie Hall
Other finalists performed at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall and the Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center in New York City and received Finalist Certificates.
Check our First Internet Competition 2011 Winners List.
American Protégé “Best Internet Performer” Nominee 2012:

Bartosz Glowacki, 19, from Poland, now lives and studies the accordion at The Royal Academy of Music in London. under Owen Murray. Bartosz is a former accordion student of the National Music School in Sanok with Professor Andrzej Smolik, and a winner of 17 competitions both in his home country of Poland and Internationally, including the Klinghental, Castelfidardo, Poprad, Przemysl and Warsaw.In 2009, he took part in the Final of Musician of The Year Competition and was awarded the title – Young Musician of The Year. After this final he received two impressive reviews from the most famous professors in Poland:“… every young musician needs to have charisma and skill to transport an audience into his world. You do everything brilliantly and expressively, maybe because your instrument is close to your heart… your virtuosity and body language made me enjoy your performance very much…” – Prof. Tadeusz Gadzina – violin.“… I was fascinated when I listened to your performance. You made an incredible impression on me, because you gave energy not only to the audience but also to the conductor and orchestra… “- Prof. Agnieszka Duczmal – director and conductor of Amadeus Orchestra.
This success gave him an opportunity to take part in the Eurovision Young Musicians Competitions in Vienna 2010. He had qualified for the Final and played in the Inaugural Concert of the famous Wiener Festwochen Music Festival. He preformed the Concerto Classico by Mikolaj Majkusiak with the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Cornelius Meister. An audience of 40 000 gathered at the City Hall of Vienna to listen. The concert broadcast live to 20 countries in Europe. Apart from competitions Bartosz had played more than 400 concerts in many Countries including Spain, Japan, Germany, France, Italy, Ukraine and Greece. He took part in world and UK premieres of compositions by Diana Burrell. In 2011 he performed the UK premiere of ‘Anamorphoses’ by Johannes Schollhorn with members of the London Philharmonic Orchestra in the Royal Festival Hall. In January 2012 he played in the Final of the Royal Academy of Music Patron’s Award in Wigmore Hall.
Free International Internet Competition 2012 Finalists:
Young Musicians Category, age 5 to 9

Sylvan Zhang, 9, from Stillwater, OK, began studying violin at the age of 5. Currently, he is a student of Dr. Laura Talbott at Oklahoma State University (OSU). At age of 6, Sylvan received the Trophy for the primary string division at the State Playoff of Oklahoma Federation of Music Club. As a first grader, Sylvan won both the violin division and overall at the Keith String Competition (through 8th graders) at the 2010 Oklahoma Music Olympics. At the age of 7, he performed his first concert solo at Oklahoma State University. Currently, Sylvan plays in the OSU String Academy Orchestra. In addition to violin, Sylvan is also interested in mathematics, reading, and football.
Junior Category, age 10 to 13

Twelve year old Nathan Le from Porter Ranch, CA, began his cello studies at the age of four and is currently studying with renowned cellist and teacher Andrew Cook. He has been participating in the California State University Northridge Youth Orchestra for the past six years and is currently a member of the Philharmonic Orchestra. Nathan was the first place winner of the VOCE branch competition in 2012, and the Memorial Award Competition in 2011; first alternate in the VOCE state competition in 2011 and the MTAC Concerto Competition in 2011. He was also a winner of the Elaine Armstrong Award for Outstanding Cellists of the Long Beach Mozart Concerto Competition in 2010. Nathan performed at Carnegie Hall with his trio chamber group in 2010. In 2011, Nathan and his brother played the Double Concerto for violin and cello in D minor that Nathan has composed. He just finished his first piano quintet and is working on his first symphony. Nathan is a seventh grader, and he enjoys ping pong, football, math, and science.

Josephine Carr-Harris, 12, has lived in both Canada and Russia. She started studying music and voice in Moscow when she was eight. The following year, she won her first voice awards at the World Championships of Performing Arts in Los Angeles. Studying voice with Ludmila Podlesnaya, she has won numerous awards at singing competitions, and performed in concert in New York, Paris, and Moscow. She has acted in a number of musical theater productions, including a professional role, and over 100 performances, in the Russian staging of the British musical, “Zorro.” She has also played the leading role in Mussorgsky’s “The Nursery.” Josie has performed on TV, including singing Rimsky-Korsakov for Heidi Klum on her “Seriously Funny Kids” program, and is starring in a major Russian feature film.
Intermediate Category, age 14 – 17

Daniel Giebisch, 14, from Woodbridge, CT, is a ninth grader at Amity Regional High School. He has studied the cello for nine years with his current teacher, Minhye Clara Kim, at the Juilliard School of Music in New York and Miriam Eckelhoefer at the Neighborhood Music School (NMS) in New Haven. He has been principal cellist of the Juilliard Pre-College Symphony Orchestra for two semesters. In May 2007, he won first prize in the Performance Competition at NMS as well as the 2007 Greater New Haven Youth Orchestra Concerto Competition. In January 2009, he won the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra Prodigy Competition. In May 2011, he won first prize in the JC Yale Music Competition. Recently, he has won the Hamden Symphony Orchestra Young Musicians Competition. He has attended the Elm City Music Festival and Chamber Music Central summer camps. Daniel has played in piano trios and quartets coached by Victoria Muschkatkol, Renee Jolles, and Lara Lev.

Sophia Ilana Bernitz, 17, from Lexington, MA, is a violin student of Peter Zazofsky and attends Lexington High School and New England Conservatory Prep. Her former teachers include Carlough Faulkner-Carroll and Deborah Buck. She participated in the 2011 Massachusetts All State Festival as a first violin, performing at Boston’s Symphony Hall. In 2011, Sophia was a violin soloist with NEC’s String Chamber Orchestra in a concert at Jordan Hall. In 2010 at Kinhaven, Sophia was concertmaster for Britten’s Young People’s Guide to the Orchestra. She has performed as a featured violin soloist with Community Youth Orchestras of Boston (CYO), and is a two-time winner of the CYO Concerto Competition. She was an invited featured soloist in 2009 at a Massachusetts birthday celebration for Dr. Shinichi Suzuki. In addition to her violin studies with Peter Zazofsky,
Advanced Category, age 18 and up

Pianist Saori Haji was born in Sendai, Japan, and performs as a soloist and a chamber musician widely in Japan and Europe. She started playing the piano at the age of 4. At the age of 15 she began studying piano at the Musashino Academica Musica in Tokyo, where she was given several scholarships. She won a prize in the All-Japan Soloist Competition (1992) and held the Winners’ concert in Casals Hall, Tokyo. She was invited to perform the 1993 concert tour of Musashino Academica Musica Wind Ensemble Orchestra. She moved to Germany to study and received a Master’s degree in 1994. She studied with Prof. Arnulf von Arnim at the state collage of Dortmund for music. Saori moved to the State University of Music of Robert Shumann in Dusseldorf to study with Roberto Szidon, where she received one of the highest qualifications. She participated in masterclasses of Eduardo Delgado, Ilana Vered and Michael Lewin, and performed in the IBLA Music Competition, in Italy (1998), as well as a concert at the Martha Argerich Music Festival in Beppu, Japan (2001). She won a special prize at the Japan-Italy Association MusicArte Competition in Tokyo in January of 2012. She was invited to a music academy in Kwangiu-city/Korea, where she will teach a masterclass and perform in concert.

Soomin Trio:
Pianist Minkyung Kang, 31, from Seoul, Korea, received her Bachelor of Music in 2001 and Master of Music (Piano performing) in 2003 from Seoul National Masters of Music from Eastman School of Music (Accompanying and chamber music major) in 2005. Ms. Kang won second prize in Italy at Padova International Competition and second prize in a Korean piano duo associate competition. She received a Graduate Award in Eastman School of music (2003-2005). Ms. Kang is now a part time professor of Daejin University, Kangnam University, and Sunwha art high school.
Violinist SooJin Kim, 31 from Seoul, Korea, received her Bachelor of Music in 2002 from Yonsei University and studied at Eastman School of Music (MM), University of Maryland (study of DMA), and Yonsei University (course of DMA). Ms. Kim has won first prize at Chosun newspaper competition, second prize at Korean newspaper competition and Graduate Award from Eastman School of music (2002-2004). She is now part time professor of Yonsei University and a member of Seoul Sinfonietta.
Cellist Soojung Lee, 28, from Seoul, Korea, received her Bachelor of Music from Seoul National University and a Diploma from Hochschule für Musik Nurnberg. She won first prize at Chamber Music Society Mozart Competition of Yehudi Menuhin “Live Music Now”, grand prize at Korea/USA Music Competition (cello) and third prize at Nürnberger Nachrichten Musikwettbewerb (cello-1st Prize). Ms. Lee is now Praktikantin at Nürnberger Symphoniker , and a student at the Hochschule für Musik in Nurnberg.
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL FINALISTS!