International Vocal Competition 2016
The American Protégé International Vocal Competition is designed for singers who would like to challenge themselves in a very competitive environment. The Competition is open to solo vocalists and vocal groups of all ages, nationalities and countries.
Participants are required to submit video recording materials for the audition.
A panel of qualified judges evaluates audition materials. All judges are independent, their students are not allowed to apply this season.
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:
| Category: | Age: |
| Young Singers | 5 - 10 |
| Junior | 11 - 14 |
| Intermediate | 15 - 17 |
| Amateur (without Professional Degree) | 18 and older |
| College students and professional singers | 18 and older |
Awards
First and Second Place Winners performed
on Saturday, December 17, 2016 at 7:30 PM at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall and
on Sunday, December 18, 2016 at 11:30 AM and 7:30 PM at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
$350 Scholarship, Judges’ Favorite Award Trophy, Judges’ Distinction Award Trophy and other Special Awards were granted based on the judges recommendations.
International Vocal Competition 2016 Results:
Jury's Favorite ($360 Scholarship and Plaque Trophy) Award Winners:
Polina Kornyushenko, 10, she was born July 5th 2005 in Ukraine. She started her Voice lessons in 2014 in Olga’s Music Studio with Olga Druzhinina. Polina participated in NFMC Auditions in 2015 and 2016 and got Superior (5) rate. She won 1st place and Cash price in Little Mozart International Competition in 2015 and performed in Carnegie Hall. In 2016, she won 3rd place, the title of Laureate and Diploma in “eMuse” Online Music Competition (Athens, Greece). Polina participated in SYM (Ukranian National Festival), NY in 2015 and 2016 as solo vocalist and won 1st places in both. She participates in community social life, events and recitals as a vocalist. Her academic awards were recognized by President Obama Certificate. Polina also enjoys taking ballet classes in the local Studio, and Piano lessons.
Daleyna Dunlap, 13, is a dramatic soprano that has been performing since the age of six. Her voice repertoire is diverse and eclectic ranging from Broadway to pop; however, classical voice is her greatest gift and passion. She will be attending the prestigious Orange County School of the Arts (OSCA) in Southern California as an eighth grader in the Classical Voice Conservatory. She fulfilled one of her lifetime dreams last year by gracing the Carnegie Hall stage as 2015 American Protégé first place winner for Broadway voice and second place winner for Classical voice. At that time, she was awarded, “Best Performance” in Broadway voice. She has collected enumerable awards in voice through various organizations such as Hal Leonard, Professional Opera Singers Association, NATS and VO CAL.
Adam Mombru is a 17-year-old from London, United Kingdom. He is a King’s Scholar and Music Scholar at Eton College, and although primarily an instrumentalist (currently at clarinettist at the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain and formerly a student at the Royal College of Music Junior Department), he has sung as an untrained vocalist in school and church choirs until 2015, when he started taking lessons for the first time. He has a passion for jazz, theatrical, and pop music, and as a baritone, has adapted a semi-falsetto to suit the demands of these genres. He also takes advantage of his grounding as a classical pianist to accompany himself as a singer.
Isabella Rachiele is 17 and from Montreal, Canada. She has been singing, dancing and playing and studying music since the age of 5. She has participated in numerous Broadway Musicals and at the age of 13 completed a two year Broadway program at Montreal’s prestigious Segal Arts Centre. At the age of 15 she was selected to take part in a jazz / blues training that culminated in a solo vocal performance to a crowd of over 3000 people at the Montreal International Jazz Festival. At 16, she won first prize at the Brome Fair singing/talent competition, co-wrote and directed her own musical, and was awarded the Musical Personality of the Year Award at her High School graduation.
Judges’ Distinction (Plaque Trophy) Award Winners
Coming from Thailand, Patrajaree Vanichvongvan or better known as Plu has studied piano and singing from the age of 7 and 8, respectively. She has appeared in several singing contests on local television such as “The trainer 5” at the age of 9; winner of the “Star Kids” and made it through the blind audition of the Voice Kids Thailand, Season 3 in 2014. For the ABRSM examination, she has passed Grade 2 singing in 2013 and Grade 4 (with distinction) in 2014. Her big break came in 2015 when she auditioned and beat out more than 200 other candidates for one of von Trapp roles (Martha) in the critically acclaimed Thai production of the Sound of Music. Earlier this year, she was selected as one among half-dozen kids to perform live in front of hundreds of spectators with the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra in its annual Concert in the Park.
Born in Bangkok, Thailand, Umphaiporn (Lena) Atipunumphai is attending year 7 at Shrewsbury International School. Since age of five, she has been practicing music as a positive vocalist and pianist with intense interest and passion. Moreover, she loves playing the guitar and ukulele. Her achievements in music include passing grade 5 vocal exam with a merit as well as grade 3 piano exam with a distinction from The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. In 2012, she participated in The Voice Kids Blind auditions in which she was among the 100 selected from 4000 contestants nationwide. She also advanced to the semi-finals of SET Youth Musician Competition organized by the College of Music, Mahidol University and the semi-finals of The Thai Classical Music Competition. Currently, she is the only year-7 student selected into the school’s Senior Chamber Choir, making her the youngest member of the choir.
Jennea Katic was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. From age 6, Jennea won many regional competitions and in 2010 won Best Overall Performance at South African National Performing Arts Competition. She was selected to represent South Africa at World Championship of Performing Arts, in Los Angeles. At age 8, Jennea moved to USA, and performed with the Fort Lauderdale Children’s Theater. She has been invited twice to sing the National Anthem at Marlins Ball Park, has performed at numerous charity, holiday, community events, and sings in her church band. In 2011, she wrote and recorded her own song and is currently developing her skills and techniques under the tutorship of Mike Soper. Jennea is an 8th grade Honors student at Westminster Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and two-time winner of the Pinnacle Award for Excellence (Broward County School Association). She is a member of her school’s FIRST robotics team.
| First Place Winners: | ||
| Name | Age | City/State/Country |
| Young Singers Category, Age 6 to 10: | ||
| Opera Aria | ||
| Polina Kornyushenko | 10 | North Royalton, OH |
| Student of Olga Druzhinina | ||
| Classical Repertoire | ||
| Polina Kornyushenko | 10 | North Royalton, OH |
| Student of Olga Druzhinina | ||
| Broadway/Musical Theatre/Jazz | ||
| Nicolas Huff | 8 | Peachtree City, GA |
| Student of Heather Statham | ||
| Amanda Swickle | 10 | Jericho, NY |
| Student of Badiene Magaziner | ||
| Adele Wee | 10 | Singapore |
| Student of Khor Ai Ming | ||
| Neo Le Yang | 10 | Singapore |
| Student of Kuo Po | ||
| Verlene Yun Ting Chew | 10 | Singapore |
| Student of Mok Kang Wai | ||
| Junior Category, Age 11 to 14: | ||
| Opera Aria | ||
| Daleyna Dunlap | 13 | Rolling Hills, CA |
| Student of Susan Wong | ||
| Karuna Taesopapong | 13 | Bangkok, Thailand |
| Student of Nakananthinee Worakhitanan | ||
| Emma Potts | 14 | Mechanicsville, VA |
| Student of Anne O’Byrne | ||
| Larissa Culbertson | 14 | Wayne, PA |
| Student of Badiene Magaziner and Joseph A. Olson | ||
| Mary-Kaitlyn Barnes | 14 | Mount Airy, MD |
| Student of Kyung Hee Park, D.M.A. | ||
| Classical Repertoire | ||
| Daleyna Dunlap | 13 | Rolling Hills, CA |
| Student of Susan Wong | ||
| Nicholas Oita | 13 | Brunswick, OH |
| Student of Olga Druzhinina | ||
| May Coppler | 14 | Fostoria, OH |
| Student of Stephanie Fox | ||
| Broadway/Musical Theatre/Jazz | ||
| Alyssa Rose Marella | 11 | North Tonawanda, NY |
| Student of Zach Carr | ||
| William Huff | 11 | Peachtree City, GA |
| Student of Heather Statham | ||
| Elizabeth Scott | 12 | North Tonawanda, NY |
| Student of Kim Potfora and Zachary Carr | ||
| Horris Lam | 12 | Hong Kong |
| Patrajaree Vanichvongvan | 12 | Bangkok, Thailand |
| Student of Saran Senavinin and Zinnia Grace Zamar Du | ||
| Roy Park | 12 | Bayside, NY |
| Student of Soohyun Oh | ||
| Umphaiporn Atipunumphai | 12 | Bangkok, Thailand |
| Student of Nantana Boonlong | ||
| Allegra Miles | 13 | Palm Beach Gardens, FL |
| Student of Badiene Magaziner and Valerie Saalbach | ||
| Daleyna Dunlap | 13 | Rolling Hills, CA |
| Student of Susan Wong | ||
| Rarinsri Assakul | 13 | Bangkok, Thailand |
| Student of Yaowapa Hoisungwarn | ||
| Jennea Katic | 14 | Pompano Beach, FL |
| Student of Mike Soper | ||
| Larissa Culbertson | 14 | Wayne, PA |
| Student of Badiene Magaziner and Joseph A. Olson | ||
| Laura Granello | 14 | Stuart, FL |
| Student of Michael Soper | ||
| May Coppler | 14 | Fostoria, OH |
| Student of Stephanie Fox | ||
| Nutnicha Vongthaiwan | 14 | Pattaya, Thailand |
| Student of Koravee Soonthonvipat | ||
| Intermediate Category, Age 15 to 17: | ||
| Opera Aria | ||
| Caprice Trifiro | 15 | Brecksville, OH |
| Student of Olga Druzhnina | ||
| Adriana Ribeiro | 16 | Mamodeiro, Portugal |
| Student of Juracyara Baptista | ||
| Valery Berenshtein | 17 | River Vale, NJ |
| Student of Argine Safari and Sandra Ruggles | ||
| Classical Repertoire | ||
| Angelina Galjević | 15 | Belgrade, Serbia |
| Student of Ana Lačković | ||
| Alexis Watson | 16 | Kelowna, Canada |
| Student of Eeva-Maria Kopp | ||
| Benjamin Wenzelberg | 16 | Tenafly, NJ |
| Lisa Son | 16 | La Canada Flintridge, CA |
| Student of Sung Hei Roh | ||
| Rebecca Kuo | 16 | Little Rock, AR |
| Sarah Wang | 16 | Dallas, TX |
| Student of Jared Schwartz | ||
| Broadway/Musical Theatre/Jazz | ||
| Alexis Watson | 16 | Kelowna, Canada |
| Student of Eeva-Maria Kopp | ||
| Adam Mombru | 17 | London, UK |
| Student of James Fulton and Nicky-Jane Kemp | ||
| Arnell Nur Karina | 17 | Singapore |
| Student of Grace Ee Wern Ng | ||
| Isabella Rachiele | 17 | Montreal, Canada |
| Student of Sharada Banman | ||
| Category College Students and Professional Singers: | ||
| Opera Aria | ||
| Cipriano Mercado De Guzman, Jr. | 31 | Hiroshima City, Japan |
| Student of Hiroharu Orikawa and Park Byeong-in | ||
| Inho Eom | 36 | Cliffside Park, NJ |
| Student of Arthur Levy and Joshua Greene | ||
| Yanyan Zhou | 31 | Seattle, WA |
| Student of Thomas Harper | ||
| Classical Repertoire | ||
| Marija Gligorevic | 20 | Toronto, Canada |
| Student of Olivera Jovanovic | ||
| Folk/Traditional | ||
| Pei Khoon Lee | 34 | Johor Bahru, Malaysia |
| Student of Lim Shieh Yih | ||
| Amateur Category: | ||
| Opera Aria | ||
| Lisa Zhang | 23 | New York, NY |
| Student of Janna Baty and Kathleen Terbeek | ||
| Makuena Mohlakola | 23 | Salt Lake City , UT |
| Student of Cletus Sethunya | ||
| Artin Aharonian | 47 | Gaithersburg, MD |
| Student of Barry Alexander | ||
| Broadway/Musical Theatre/Jazz | ||
| Barbora Bowser | 36 | Fairfax, VA |
| Student of Jane Tavernier | ||
| Folk/Traditional | ||
| Anna Makar-Limanov | 18 | Belmont, MA |
| Student of Victoria Avetisyan | ||
| Mok Kang Wai | 24 | Johor Bahru, Malaysia |
| Student of Momo | ||
| Second Place Winners: | ||
| Young Singers Category, Age 6 to 10: | ||
| Opera Aria | ||
| Keiko Kiyashka | 9 | Forest Hills, NY |
| Student of Samantha Friedman | ||
| Classical Repertoire | ||
| Bernice Tan | 8 | Singapore |
| Student of Khor Ai Ming | ||
| Ka Ing Yeo | 8 | Singapore |
| Student of Lee Pei Khoon | ||
| Finja Reinhardt | 9 | Singapore |
| Student of Grace Ng Ee Wern | ||
| Adele Wee | 10 | Singapore |
| Student of Khor Ai Ming | ||
| Ethan Dingrong Lew | 10 | Singapore |
| Student of Shelly Chong Choy Har | ||
| Rocco Ambrosini | 10 | Bangkok, Thailand |
| Student of Yaowapa Hoisungwarn | ||
| Tanya Choothanya | 10 | Bangkok, Thailand |
| Student of Koravee Soonthonvipat | ||
| Broadway/Musical Theatre/Jazz | ||
| Bernice Tan | 8 | Singapore |
| Student of Khor Ai Ming | ||
| Ka Ing Yeo | 8 | Singapore |
| Student of Lee Pei Khoon | ||
| Nicole Wong | 8 | Singapore |
| Student of Grace Ng Ee Wern | ||
| Jun Yi Wong | 9 | Singapore |
| Student of Grace Ng Ee Wern | ||
| Devin Shattuck | 10 | Parkland, FL |
| Student of Ben Solmor and Andrew Schultz | ||
| Ethan Dingrong Lew | 10 | Singapore |
| Student of Shelly Chong Choy Har | ||
| Rebecca Lee | 10 | North Haven, CT |
| Student of Cynthia Eggers | ||
| Sasha Suhandinata | 10 | Singapore |
| Student of Kuo Po | ||
| Tanya Choothanya | 10 | Bangkok, Thailand |
| Student of Koravee Soonthonvipat | ||
| Junior Category, Age 11 to 14: | ||
| Opera Aria | ||
| Aurora Badia | 12 | Fort Myers, FL |
| Rena Maduro | 13 | Riverside, CA |
| Student of Anette Guldhammer and Eric Carampatan | ||
| Nicole Isabel Xinyen Oo | 13 | Singapore |
| Student of Kuo Po and Angela Hodgins | ||
| Alina Dong | 14 | Houston, TX |
| Student of Summer Song | ||
| Justine Wang | 14 | San Marino, CA |
| Student of Xin Xin Sun and Richard Seymour | ||
| Pablo Rubin-Jurado | 14 | New York, NY |
| Student of Cynthia Sanner | ||
| Classical Repertoire | ||
| Elliot Rui En Koh | 11 | Singapore |
| Student of Khor Ai Ming | ||
| Kiyota Yuki | 11 | Singapore |
| Melissa Hecker | 11 | Singapore |
| Student of Kuo Po | ||
| Nicole Jia Mei Tan | 11 | Singapore |
| Student of Shelly Chong Choy Har | ||
| Dawn Yap | 12 | Singapore |
| Student of Leslie Tay and Mok Kang Wai | ||
| Valerie Lee | 13 | Singapore |
| Student of Grace Ee Wern Ng | ||
| Nutnicha Vongthaiwan | 14 | Pattaya, Thailand |
| Student of Koravee Soonthonvipat | ||
| Ratanon Damrongwattanapokin | 14 | Bangkok, Thailand |
| Student of Nakananthinee Worakhitanan | ||
| Broadway/Musical Theatre/Jazz | ||
| Chotiga Nawarat Na Ayudhaya | 11 | Muang, Thailand |
| Student of Nakananthinee Worakhitanan | ||
| Elliot, Rui En Koh | 11 | Singapore |
| Student of Khor Ai Ming | ||
| Margaret Parrino | 11 | Richmond, VA |
| Student of Jennifer Piazza-Pick and Lynnelle Ediger | ||
| Melissa Hecker | 11 | Singapore |
| Student of Kuo Po | ||
| Nicole Jia Mei Tan | 11 | Singapore |
| Student of Shelly Chong Choy Har | ||
| Sofia Zaros | 11 | Singapore |
| Student of Satsuki Nagatome | ||
| Aleesha Haq | 12 | Singapore |
| Student of Grace Ee Wern Ng | ||
| Amolika Vishal Thapliyal | 12 | Singapore |
| Student of Mr Lee Pei Khoon | ||
| Dawn Yap | 12 | Singapore |
| Student of Leslie Tay and Mok Kang Wai | ||
| Ethan Han Hao Zhang | 12 | Singapore |
| Student of Leslie Tay | ||
| Sirinat Srichonlatarn | 12 | Bangkok, Thailand |
| Student of Koravee Soonthonvipat | ||
| Thunchanok Jutartreeraparp | 12 | Bangkok, Thailand |
| Student of Nakananthinee Worakhitanan | ||
| Archana Kulkarni | 13 | West Chester , PA |
| Student of Lyndsey Baker | ||
| Nicole Isabel Xinyen Oo | 13 | Singapore |
| Student of Kuo Po and Angela Hodgins | ||
| Mark Russ | 14 | Roslyn, NY |
| Student of Mason G. Senft and Allison Hungate Wood | ||
| Neha Sharon Jacob | 14 | Bangalore, India |
| Student of Sandra Oberoi | ||
| Folk/Traditional | ||
| Elliot, Rui En Koh | 11 | Singapore |
| Student of Khor Ai Ming | ||
| Aurora Badia | 12 | Fort Myers, FL |
| Natalie Hahn | 12 | New York, NY |
| Student of Sun Young Chang | ||
| Intermediate Category, Age 15 to 17: | ||
| Opera Aria | ||
| Brittany Roy | 16 | Buffalo, NY |
| Student of Zachary Carr | ||
| Matija Tomas | 16 | Glen Allen, VA |
| Student of Anna Tuckwiller | ||
| Priscilla Fong | 16 | Singapore |
| Student of Elena Ng | ||
| Stephanie Tan | 16 | Singapore |
| Student of Elena Ng and Corinna Chang | ||
| Classical Repertoire | ||
| Anita Garg | 15 | Irvine, CA |
| Student of Kathleen Martin | ||
| Sabiha Haque | 15 | Glastonbury, CT |
| Student of Nadia Aguilar | ||
| Kasey Park | 16 | Bayside, NY |
| Student of Soohyun Oh | ||
| Neha Gupta | 16 | Bethesda, MD |
| Student of Dr. Nakia Verner | ||
| Aaditi Pradeep | 17 | Bangalore, India |
| Student of Tanisha Herbert | ||
| Broadway/Musical Theatre/Jazz | ||
| Priscilla Fong | 16 | Singapore |
| Student of Elena | ||
| Serena Tang | 16 | Singapore |
| Student of Grace Ee Wern Ng | ||
| Stephanie Tan | 16 | Singapore |
| Student of Elena Ng and Corinna Chang | ||
| Austin Krulewecki | 18 | Arroyo Grande, CA |
| Student of Deanna Delore | ||
| Category College Students and Professional Singers: | ||
| Opera Aria | ||
| Pei Khoon Lee | 34 | Johor Bahru, Malaysia |
| Student of Lim Shieh Yih | ||
| Shelly Choy Har Chong | 28 | Ulu Tiram, Malaysia |
| Stefan Djokovic | 25 | Belgrade, Serbia |
| Amateur Category: | ||
| Opera Aria | ||
| Ying He | 31 | Naperville, IL |
| Student of Tao Tong and Hui Liu | ||
| Nancie Grossman | 68 | Mission Viejo, CA |
| Student of Dubravka Zubovic | ||
| Classical Repertoire | ||
| Wannaporn Sukhasapha | 18 | Bangkok, Thailand |
| Student of Koravee Soonthonvipat | ||
| Victoria Sethunya | 48 | Salt Lake City , UT |
| Broadway/Musical Theatre/Jazz | ||
| Wannaporn Sukhasapha | 18 | Bangkok, Thailand |
| Student of Koravee Soonthonvipat | ||
| Yong Hong Tan | 54 | Singapore |
| Student of Lee Pei Khoon | ||
| Folk/Traditional | ||
| Yong Hong Tan | 54 | Singapore |
| Student of Lee Pei Khoon | ||
| LeahAliza Lee | 56 | Walled Lake, MI |
| Student of Curt Peters and Aida Al-Adawi | ||
Third Place and Honorable Mention Winners will be notified of their standing via email.
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL WINNERS!