International Music Talent Competition Fall 2016
The American Protégé International Music Talent Competition is open to all instrumentalists (piano, winds, strings, brass, traditional, etc.), vocalists and traditional folk and jazz groups of all nationalities and countries. Participants are required to submit video recording materials for the audition. American Protégé is looking for genuinely talented people, who have creativity and stage charisma.
We invite talented performers of any age and genre to participate in the Competition.
All applicants who are signed with the manager or producer must submit via email a General Representation and Release Form signed by the Manager/Producer to be eligible for the Competition.
Awards
Winners performed on
Saturday, December 24, 2016 at 1:00 PM at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Sunday, April 16, 2017 (Easter) at 3:30 PM at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Additional Spring – Summer 2017 Recital dates were offered to the Winners.
Judges
Three qualified judges evaluate audition materials. All judges are independent, their students are not allowed to apply this season.
International Music Talent Competition Fall 2016 Results:
Judges' Distinction Award and First Place Winners
Megan Zhiyan Phuan, 4 years old from Singapore, started piano lessons a year ago with Christine Gan Siew Hui. Naturally musical, she developed a keen interest in piano playing under the Ms Gan’s tutelage. She enjoys performing and her passion in music is evident at a young age. She was awarded First Prize and Exceptional Young Talent Special Prize at the Grand Prize Virtuoso International Music Competition, in which she had her debut performance at Wiener Saal Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. She was also awarded the Gold Prize at the 6th Singapore Performers’ Festival & Chamber Music Competition 2016 in Singapore. She also participated in the Bach in the Subways 2016, the 6th annual international celebration of the music of J.S. Bach to his 331st birthday held in March 2016. She performed Bach’s Music on both the piano and the violin.
Justin R. Nguyen, 16, is a junior at Irvine High School. He began learning how to play the viola in fourth grade at his local elementary school. He has been a member of the IUSD Elementary, Middle, and High School Honor Orchestras, Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra, California All-Southern High School Honor Orchestra, and California All-State High School Symphony Orchestra. As a sophomore, Justin completed both the California Certificate of Merit for Viola and Piano Level 10 Advanced. Justin won first prize in the Viola Open II Competition at the Southwestern Youth Music Festival 2016. Justin also has great interests in other activities and competitions such as the Math League, American Math Competitions, MathCounts, and National History Day.
Benjamin Luo, 7, from Apex North Carolina, began his piano study with Florence Ko when he was 5. He has since placed in various local, state and international piano competitions. At age 6 he won a second place in RPTA Young Artist Piano Audition. In 2016, he is the first place winner of The Art of Piano – International Great Composer Competition. He also won the title “Page Boy of Music” of the NC Federation of Music Clubs State Royalty Competition, first place of NC Federation of Music District Junior Scholarship Competition and first place of the RPTA Young Artist Piano Audition Senior Level. He is the youngest competition winner in history in this category.
| Music Talent Competition Fall 2016 Winners | ||
| Name | Age | Country/State |
| First Place Winners | ||
| Jair Kang Jun Chan, piano | 5 | Singapore |
| Student of Christine Gan | ||
| Weidong Ni, piano | 5 | Beijing, China |
| Student of Qingyi Zhou | ||
| Henry Manciu, piano | 6 | Canonsburg, PA |
| Student of Phyllis Kiser | ||
| Zihan Sunny Chen, piano | 6 | Vancouver, Canada |
| Student of Fafan Xiao | ||
| Alisa Lin, piano | 7 | Bangkok, Thailand |
| Student of Krit Niramittham | ||
| Leon Xiang, piano | 7 | Vancouver, Canada |
| Student of Fafan Xiao | ||
| Lucas Chang Diep, piano | 7 | Singapore |
| Student of Christine Gan Siew Hui | ||
| Cheuk Yin, Sky Pang, piano | 8 | Hong Kong |
| Student of Stella Fong and Dr. Yu Yeung | ||
| Ivan Y Chen, piano | 8 | New Hyde Park, NY |
| Student of Vivian Liu | ||
| Pui Yee Pearl Chan, harp | 8 | Hong Kong |
| Student of Michelle Abbott | ||
| Derek Chang, piano | 9 | Rockville, MD |
| Student of Vivian Kwok | ||
| Janice Lee, piano | 9 | New Hyde Park, NY |
| Student of Vivian Fang Liu | ||
| Adrienne Lee, piano | 11 | Chino Hills, CA |
| Student of Ana Maria Eckstein | ||
| Chin Hung Lin, piano | 11 | Bangkok, Thailand |
| Student of Krit Niramittham | ||
| Maya Karp, voice | 11 | Marlboro, NJ |
| Student of Badiene Magaziner | ||
| XinYi Liu, piano | 11 | Flushing, NY |
| Student of Ruby Zhou | ||
| Yifei Wang, guzheng | 11 | Dongguan, China |
| Student of Zhaolan Pan | ||
| Isaac Liu, cello | 12 | Cerritos, CA |
| Student of Laszlo Mezo and Vladimir Panteleyev | ||
| Leo Chang, cello | 12 | Bellevue, WA |
| Student of Kai Chen | ||
| Qinrui Zhou, guzheng | 12 | Dongguan, China |
| Student of Min Xu | ||
| Samantha Der, cello | 12 | Oakland, CA |
| Student of Sergei Riabtchenko | ||
| Abigail Xu, Oboe | 13 | Nunawading, Australia |
| Student of Stephen Robinson | ||
| Amanda Chao, violin | 13 | Tenafly, NJ |
| Student of Joey Corpus | ||
| Andy Dai, piano | 13 | Chapel Hill, NC |
| Student of Margarett Evans | ||
| Manou Chakravorty, cello | 13 | Chicago, IL |
| Student of Richard Hirschl | ||
| Zi Xian Loi, violin | 13 | Singapore |
| Student of Zhen Shan, Zhang | ||
| Kevin Ou, piano | 14 | Rowland Heights, CA |
| Student of Jeffrey Lavner | ||
| Nicholas Xie, piano | 14 | Athens, GA |
| Student of Anatoly Sheludyakov | ||
| Steven Zhang, cello | 14 | Redmond, WA |
| Student of Zhenlun Li | ||
| Zi Rui Zhao, piano | 14 | Oakville, Canada |
| Student of Olga Chichova | ||
| Eileen Zhu, piano | 15 | Aliso Viejo, CA |
| Student of Sheve-Hwa Su | ||
| Erica Hong, piano | 15 | Duluth, GA |
| Student of Elena Cholakova | ||
| Hannah Chan, piano | 15 | Irvine, CA |
| Student of Miranda Wu | ||
| Ingrid Huang, piano | 15 | Beijing, China |
| Student of Wang Haibo | ||
| KyungHwan (Alex) Hwang, cello | 15 | San Diego, CA |
| Student of Ruslan Biryukov | ||
| Si Xian Loi, violin | 15 | Singapore |
| Student of Zhen Shan, Zhang | ||
| Xinhong Li, guzheng | 15 | Dongguan, China |
| Student of Yuyan Xu | ||
| Arthur Dvorkin, piano | 16 | Redwood City, CA |
| Student of Natalya Borodulin | ||
| Caroline Wang, piano | 16 | Cary, NC |
| Student of Clara Yang | ||
| Qingyang Hu, guzheng | 16 | Austin, TX |
| Student of Jingqun Shao | ||
| Adam Iskrzycki, clarinet | 17 | Bielsko–Biala, Poland |
| Student of Lukasz | ||
| Clare Celine Quinn, voice | 17 | Galway, Ireland |
| Student of John Quinn | ||
| David Winograd, tenor saxophone | 17 | Morganville, NJ |
| Student of Julius Tolentino | ||
| Jessica Yan, violin | 17 | Cockeysville, MD |
| Student of Christian Tremblay | ||
| Carlos Guillén, marimba | 21 | Heredia, Costa Rica |
| Student of Carmen Maria Alfaro Mendez | ||
| Huiwen Jiang, piano | 23 | Columbus, OH |
| Student of Caroline Hong | ||
| Jingshan Cheng, piano | 24 | Huangshan, China |
| Student of Detlef Kaiser | ||
| Adelya Shagidullina, viola | 27 | Philadelphia, PA |
| Xia Xia Zhang, violin | 28 | Kingwood, TX |
| Student of Maurice Hasson and Jianheng Zhang | ||
| Ji Hye Lee, piano | 30 | Lawrence, KS |
| Student of Dr. Michael Kirkendoll | ||
| Piano Duo/Four Hands: | ||
| Megan Zhiyan Phuan | 4 | Singapore |
| Jair Kang Jun Chan | 5 | Singapore |
| Students of Christine Gan Siew Hui | ||
| 21-string Guzheng Ensemble: | ||
| Qinrui Zhou | 12 | Dongguan, China |
| Xinhong Li | 15 | Dongguan, China |
| Min Xu | 34 | Dongguan, China |
| Shufen Gao | 36 | Dongguan, China |
| Hongxia Wan | 41 | Dongguan, China |
| Students of Yuyan Xu and Min Xu | ||
| Cello Duo: | ||
| Kevin Chen | 15 | San Diego, CA |
| Edward Li | 16 | San Diego, CA |
| Students of Lu-Yan Guo | ||
| Balaban and Piano Duo: | ||
| Nijat Masimov, balaban | 19 | Baku, Azerbaijan |
| Minira Najafzada, piano | 19 | Baku, Azerbaijan |
| Students of Ilham Najafov | ||
| Marimba Duo/Four Hands: | ||
| Cristián Valverde | 19 | San Jose, Costa Rica |
| Gabriel Valverde | 21 | San Jose, Costa Rica |
| Students of Carmen Maria Alfaro Mendez | ||
| Voice and Piano Duo: | ||
| Valerie Gay, voice | 51 | Philadelphia, PA |
| Iris Blanco-Urgelles, piano | 36 | Chester Springs, PA |
| Students of Margaret Baroody | ||
| Second Place Winners | ||
| Ivy Shang, piano | 7 | Clarksburg, MD |
| Student of Vivian Kwok | ||
| Kai Yi, piano | 7 | San Diego, CA |
| Student of Irina Bendetsky | ||
| Catherine Yang, piano | 8 | Rockville, MD |
| Student of Vivian Kwok | ||
| Rosanna Foss, piano | 8 | Manhattan Beach, CA |
| Student of Gayane Sahakyan | ||
| Kieran Chong Chee Toh, piano | 10 | Singapore |
| Student of Alan Chin Zhijiang and Rosy Chua | ||
| Mingwei Jiang, piano | 10 | Chester Springs, PA |
| Student of Iris Blanco | ||
| Nigar Huseynli, piano | 10 | Baku, Azerbaijan |
| Student of Nigar Najafova | ||
| Abigail Dawn Baobaoen, piano | 11 | Tawau, Malaysia |
| Student of Linda Koh Fui Tze | ||
| Emma Tio, piano | 11 | San Gabriel, CA |
| Student of Yin Yin Huang | ||
| Helen Yin, piano | 11 | Potomac, MD |
| Student of Vivian Kwok | ||
| Ivette Chen, cello | 12 | Yorba Linda, CA |
| Student of Sarah Koo | ||
| Miranda Lemoine, piano | 12 | Santa Catarina, México |
| Student of Dr. Antonina Dragan | ||
| Nathan Mu, piano | 12 | Solon, OH |
| Student of Ella Karasik | ||
| Samantha Randall, piano | 12 | Shelton, CT |
| Student of Andrew Armstrong | ||
| Ethan Jiang, piano | 13 | Gates Mills, OH |
| Student of Ella Karasik | ||
| Kevin Yin, piano | 13 | Potomac, MD |
| Student of Vivian Kwok | ||
| Andre Canubas, piano | 14 | Rockville, MD |
| Student of Vivian Kwok | ||
| Christine Zhu, piano | 14 | Gaithersburg, MD |
| Student of Vivian Kwok | ||
| Emma Xu, cello | 14 | Gaithersburg, MD |
| Student of Ning Wang | ||
| Joseph Dong, cello | 14 | Diamond Bar, CA |
| Student of Vahe Hayrikyan | ||
| Lina Zhu, piano | 14 | Chadds Ford, PA |
| Student of Iris Blanco | ||
| Thaddeus Lim Yu Han, piano | 14 | Singapore |
| Student of Alan Chin Zhijiang and Rosy Chua | ||
| Angela Pham, piano | 15 | Newport Coast, CA |
| Student of Ana Maria Eckstein | ||
| Angelina Oh, piano | 15 | San Diego, CA |
| Student of Eunice Ahn | ||
| Austin Pham, piano | 15 | Newport Coast, CA |
| Student of Ana Maria Eckstein | ||
| Jane Kim, piano | 15 | Buena Park, CA |
| Student of Dr. Hye Kyung Lee | ||
| Jereme Corbin, piano | 15 | Bethesda, MD |
| Student of Vivian Kwok | ||
| Yun Ru Fong, piano | 15 | Tawau, Malaysia |
| Student of Linda Koh Fui Tze | ||
| Benjamin Firester, piano | 16 | New York, NY |
| Student of Li-Chen Hwang | ||
| Mihyun Jang, piano | 16 | Fullerton, CA |
| Student of Hye Kyung Lee | ||
| Yenah Kim, piano | 16 | Fullerton, CA |
| Student of Hye Kyung Lee | ||
| Sarrah Asokumar, voice | 17 | Pelham, NY |
| Student of Natalia Budyonny | ||
| William Kyle Moraga, piano | 17 | Shoreham, NY |
| Student of Rowena Arrieta | ||
| Piano Duo/Four Hands: | ||
| Trista Siew | 11 | Singapore |
| Student of Winny Kusmin and Rosy Chua | ||
| Chloe Siew | 13 | Singapore |
| Student of Fiona Chin and Rosy Chua | ||
| Third Place Winners | ||
| Gabriel Khoo Ken Jin, piano | 8 | Singapore |
| Student of Shannon Mok and Rosy Chua | ||
| Hoong Yit Ng, piano | 9 | Singapore |
| Student of Amelia Jek and Rosy Chua | ||
| Iris Duan, piano | 9 | Germantown, MD |
| Student of Vivian Kwok | ||
| Mehek Bhatnagar, piano | 11 | Fremont, CA |
| Student of Helen Lee | ||
| Ian Hsu, piano | 15 | Fremont, CA |
| Student of Fonny Chandra | ||
| Hyunji Shim, voice | 14 | Irvine, CA |
| Student of Sookhyun Hong | ||
| Lily Smith, piano | 16 | Alexandria, VA |
| Student of Nina Kozin | ||
Honorable Mention Winners and other participants will be notified of their standing via email.
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL WINNERS!