International Woodwinds and Brass Competition 2015
American Protégé International Woodwinds and Brass Competition is designed for solo performers and ensembles of all ages, nationalities and countries, who would like to challenge themselves in a very competitive environment. The Competition is open for Flute, Clarinet, Saxophone, Oboe, Bass Clarinet, Bassoon, Piccolo, Trumpet, Trombone, French Horn, Flugel, Tuba and other woodwinds and brass instruments. Participants are required to submit video recording of recent performance for the audition.
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 musicians | 5 - 9 |
| Junior | 10 - 13 |
| Intermediate | 14 - 17 |
| Amateur (without Professional Degree) | 18 and older |
| College students and professionals | 18 and older |
Awards
Winners performed on Sunday, May 1, 2016 at 1:00 PM at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
Judges’ Distinction Awards (Plaque Trophy) were granted based on the judges recommendations.
International Woodwinds and Brass Competition 2015 Results
Judges Distinction Awards (Plaque Trophies) Winners:
Jana Ilic, 10, lives in Serbia. She is playing a flute for only two years in the class of Prof. Biljana Prica and so far she had won 12 first prizes at international competitions. In Italy, two times she was the absolute 1st prize winner of 12 Concorso Internazionale per Giovani Musicisti “Luigi Zanuccoli” and VII Concorso musicale di Filadelfia Citta` “Paolo Serrao”. At the “Ohrid Pearls” (a member of European Union of Music Competition for Youth – EMCY) she won laureate. At National competition (a highest level in Serbia) she won the maximum points. Jana performs often at public concerts and other cultural events. She is also a double champion of Serbia in a modern ballet.
Minwu Hu was born in 2005 Melbourne, Australia in a musical family. She began studying piano at 5 years old with her mum and later on, when she was 7 and a half years old, she started to learn the flute. In 2014, Minwu attended her first competition (New Century Music competition for woodwind and brass, Melbourne) and she won the first prize in a group 14 years old and under. She also passed the grade 7 on flute and grade 6 on piano. Later in the same year she passed the audition and joined in the Melbourne youth wind symphony as the youngest performer in the history of an admitted. Minwu enjoys it very much and is proud improving her early orchestra experience.
Regarded as one of the catalan flutists with most international projection of her generation, Elisabet Franch outstands for her talent and subtle musical interpretation. Since 2008 she was flutist of the Academy Orchestra of Gran Teatre del Liceu and in 2010 became flutist of the Orchestra dell’Accademia del Teatro Alla Scala, working with conductors Gustavo Dudamel, Fabio Luisi, David Coleman, Gianandrea Noseda playing at Teatro Alla Scala, Teatro Luciano Pavarotti, Bolshoi Theatre, Philharmonie of St. Petersburg and The Royal Opera House of Oman. She has been recognized in several competitions: Concours International du Jeune Flûtiste, Sony Classical Talent Scout, Flute Competition Domenico Cimarosa, Music Competition Ofman, Music Competition L’Arjau, International Music Competition of Les Corts.
The German flutist Silvia Denk was born and actually lives in Passau (Bavaria). She studied flute and cello at the Musikhochschule Nuremberg. After the pedagogical diplom she got the concert-diplom in flute in the year 2000. She absolved different masterclasses and played in a variety of concerts, projects and festivals. After a time as musician and teacher she realised her long dream from a special shop with fragrances combined with music and concertevents in this shop and also in other locations. From 2003 until end of 2012 Silvia Denk organised in her hometown Passau this shop/concept called „ La Vie en Rose“ – the rose as a symbol for love, fragrance, beauty, harmony, enjoyment and fullness… Then she finished her shop, because she wished to have all her time for music… American Protégé is her first time in life taking part in a music competition.
Winners by Age Category
| Name | Age | City/Country/State |
| First Place Winners: | ||
| Young Musicians Category, Age 6 to 10: | ||
| Felix Shen, Flute | 10 | Scottsdale, AZ |
| Student of Christina Reedis | ||
| Jana Ilic, Flute | 10 | Sabac, Serbia |
| Student of Biljana Prica and Milos Milutinovic | ||
| Minwu Hu, Flute | 10 | Melbourne, Australia |
| Student of Qing Hu | ||
| Junior Category, Age 11 to 14: | ||
| Simona Guler, Flute | 12 | Stockholm, Sweden |
| Student of Stig Bengtson | ||
| Olivia Yun, Flute | 13 | Closter, NJ |
| Student of Min Park | ||
| Peyton Chen, Oboe | 14 | Cupertino, CA |
| Student of Yu-Ting Wang | ||
| Intermediate Category, Age 15 to 17: | ||
| Linhao Li, Oboe | 15 | Beijing, China |
| Student of Weidong Wei | ||
| Lirui Zheng, Clarinet | 15 | Beijing, China |
| Erica Nagase, Flute | 16 | Sunnyvale, CA |
| Rebecca Park, Flute | 16 | Colo Springs, CO |
| Yeama Ho, Flute | 16 | Potomac, MD |
| Student of David Lonkevich | ||
| Alexa Levy, Oboe | 17 | Atlanta, GA |
| Student of Elizabeth Koch Tiscione and Barbara Cook | ||
| Advanced Category, College Students and Professionals: | ||
| Sarah Thompson, Flute | 22 | Tahlequah, OK |
| Student of Dr. Kristyn Son | ||
| Joanna Wu, Flute | 23 | New Haven, CT |
| Student of Ransom Wilson | ||
| Mary Matthews, Flute | 29 | Boulder, CO |
| Elisabet Franch, Flute | 32 | Sant Cugat del Valles, Spain |
| Student of Sir James Galway | ||
| Woojung Kim, Oboe | 34 | Lansing, MI |
| Student of Jan Eberle and YunJung Lee | ||
| Silvia Denk, Flute | 42 | Passau, Bavaria |
| Student of .Peter Thalheimer and Gunther Pohl | ||
| Second Place Winners: | ||
| Young Musicians Category, Age 6 to 10: | ||
| Ekaterina Smolina, Flute | 9 | Moscow, Russia |
| Student of Svetlana Ivanova | ||
| Grace Chen, Flute | 10 | Los Angeles, CA |
| Student of Cindy Wu | ||
| Joshua Liu, Clarinet | 10 | New York, NY |
| Student of Angela Liu | ||
| Junior Category, Age 11 to 14: | ||
| Carter Stark, Oboe | 13 | Colorado Springs, CO |
| Student of Nancy Brown | ||
| Jeremy Chen, Oboe | 13 | Great Neck, NY |
| Student of Yousun Chung | ||
| Monica Jeon, Oboe | 13 | Palo Alto, CA |
| Student of Yu-Ting Wang | ||
| Angela Scates, Oboe | 14 | Traverse City, MI |
| Student of Daniel Stolper | ||
| Joshua Yu, Tuba | 14 | Frederick, MD |
| Student of Brian Hinkley | ||
| Intermediate Category, Age 15 to 17: | ||
| Dillan Yoon, Clarinet | 16 | Los Angeles, CA |
| Student of Suh Bo-Yuen | ||
| Issac Chyun, Oboe | 17 | La Palma, CA |
| Student of Maralynne Mann | ||
| Jiwon Kim, Flute | 17 | Saratoga, CA |
| Student of Teresa Orozco | ||
| Wendy Chen, Flute | 17 | San Jose, CA |
| Student of Chin-Fei Chan | ||
| Advanced Category, College Students and Professionals: | ||
| Megan Bauman, Alto Saxophone | 21 | Saskatoon, Canada |
| Student of Glen Gillis | ||
| Ramya Ramesh, Clarinet | 32 | Bombay, India |
Third Place and Honorable Mention Winners will be notified of their standing via email.
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL WINNERS!