International Woodwinds and Brass Competition 2017
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 at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York City on the following dates:
– Sunday, April 1, 2018 (Easter)
– Saturday, April 14, 2018
– Saturday, April 21, 2018
$300 Scholarship, Judges’ Favorite Award Trophy, Judges’ Distinction Award Trophy and other Special Awards were granted based on the judges recommendations.
International Woodwinds and Brass Competition 2017 Results
Judges Distinction Award (Plaque Trophy) Winners:
Sooah Hannah Jeon, born in 2007, showed great talent in musical practices and theory since the early age of 7. In 2014, she got 1st at the Korean National Music Journal Contest, 2nd at the International Estonian National Academy of Music Audition, and 1st both at the Korean Music Education News competition and at the National Sunjung Concur in 2015. She also performed at Lincoln Center, where she was recognized as 1st place and the best musician at the New York International Music Competition. She has also won 1st place in the International Grande Music competition to perform at Merkin Concert Hall, Lincoln Center in 2016. In 2017, she was officially the world’s youngest flute player to pass the ARSM performance diploma exam with distinction. Selected as the winner of the American Protege Music Talent competition, she is planned to have a recital this coming December at Carnegie Hall for the first time.
Born and raised in Thailand, Nitchan Pitayathorn was awarded by many national and international competitions such as the winner of the “18th SET Youth Musician Competition” finalist of the ” 17th Osaka International Music Competition “Semi-finalist of the “2016 Asian Saxophone Competition”, the winner of the “2017 YAMP Concerto Competition”, and was selected and given the “Yamaha Music Foundation Scholarship 2017”, the finalist of the “18th Osaka International Music Competition”, the scholarship winner for the “Best Performance in section II” of the “18th Osaka International Music Competition”, and the qualifier of the “2nd Chaingmai Ginestera International Music Competition”. As a soloist, Nitchan had his solo debut with the Mahidol Symphonic Band at the age of 16, the Mahidol Symphonic Band, YAMP Symphonic Band, the Mahidol Saxophone Ensemble, and the Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra following respectively.
A native of Southern California, Paul Cotton is an accomplished player as both performer and instructor. He has performed in many competitions, including top prizes at the regional and state rounds of the Music Teacher National Association Young Artist solo competition and 1st in state rounds of the Music Teacher National Association chamber music competition. He has been awarded Woodwind of the year award from his school and has also won the Martin Figotin Performing arts scholarship. He won the BCCM concerto competition held at California State University, Long Beach. Paul performed across the nation for numerous events, including the North American Saxophone Alliance (NASA) in Arizona and the International Saxophone Symposium hosted by the Navy Band with his quartet in Virginia. Paul received his BM at California State University, Long Beach and is currently working towards his MM in Performance at Indiana University.
Winners by Age Category
| Name | Age | Country/State |
| First Place Winners: | ||
| Young Musicians Category, Age 6 to 10 | ||
| Sooah Jeon, flute | 10 | Seoul, South Korea |
| Student of Joohee Lee | ||
| Junior Category, Age 11 to 14: | ||
| Annika Moon, flute | 12 | Edgewater, NJ |
| Student of KahYun Song | ||
| Kevin Liao , clarinet | 14 | Rockville, MD |
| Student of Arianna McFeaters | ||
| Intermediate Category, Age 15 to 17: | ||
| Nonthapat Chaiviratnukul, classical saxophone | 15 | Nonthaburi, Thailand |
| Student of Shyen lee | ||
| Sarah Choi, oboe | 15 | Langley, BC |
| Student of Marea Chernoff | ||
| Jessica Jang, flute | 16 | San Jose, CA |
| Student of Teresa Orozco | ||
| Shuangyu (Michael) Han, flute | 16 | Princeton, NJ |
| Student of Carol Wincenc and Guoliang Han | ||
| Sakdina Sirisarnsophon, saxophone | 17 | Sampran, Thailand |
| Student of Shyen Lee | ||
| Yotvaris Sukeebot, saxophone | 17 | Sampran, Thailand |
| Student of Shyen Lee | ||
| Kevin Mo, clarinet | 17 | Herndon, VA |
| Student of Albert Hunt | ||
| Advanced Category, College Students and Professionals: | ||
| Jillian Coscio, flute | 18 | Greenlawn, NY |
| Student of Alberto Almarza | ||
| Nitchan Pitayathorn, saxophone | 18 | Bangphli, Thailand |
| Student of Shyen Lee | ||
| Paul Cotton, saxophone | 22 | Bloomington, IN |
| Student of Dr. Otis Murphy | ||
| Samantha Levreault, flute | 22 | Worthington, MA |
| Student of Cobus du Toit and Alison Hale | ||
| Kai-Chien Yang, oboe | 29 | Allston, MA |
| Ju Hee Kang, flute | 31 | Boston, MA |
| Student of Linda Toote | ||
| Daewook Kim, trumpet | 39 | Arlington, TX |
| Student of John Holt and Seung-un Park | ||
| Second Place Winners: | ||
| Young Musicians Category, Age 6 to 10: | ||
| Emily (Yunqiao) Leng, flute | 9 | Skillman, NJ |
| Student of Binbin Hu and Guoliang Han | ||
| Chihiro Shitomi, clarinet | 10 | San Jose, CA |
| Student of Tina Tsai | ||
| Junior Category, Age 11 to 14: | ||
| Albert Zhou, flute | 12 | Princeton Jct., NJ |
| Student of Natasha Loomis | ||
| Chengyi Situ, trumpet | 13 | Quincy, MA |
| Student of Wendi Melnik and Xueping Wang | ||
| Lily Walters, flute | 13 | Fairfax, VA |
| Student of Jennifer Lapple | ||
| Intermediate Category, Age 15 to 17: | ||
| Allison Huang, oboe | 15 | Irvine, CA |
| Student of Dianne B. Manaster | ||
| Annie Ping, flute | 15 | San Jose, CA |
| Student of Xuemei Zou | ||
| Daniel Pai, tuba | 16 | Lakeville, CT |
| Student of Mrs. Cavagnaro and Mr. Witkowski | ||
| Seung Guhn Lee, alto saxophone | 16 | Scarsdale, NY |
| Student of Jason Noble | ||
| Michelle Jeon, flute | 17 | Irvine, CA |
| Student of Meghan Jacoby and Anna Sojung Choi | ||
| Advanced Category, College Students and Professionals: | ||
| Hanqi Wang, saxophone | 24 | Changzhou, China |
| Student of Allen Won and Xin Yu | ||
| Anne Kim, flute | 28 | Astoria, NY |
| Student of Michael Parloff and Sooyun Kim | ||
| Amateur Category: | ||
| Monica Huang, flute | 18 | Irvine, CA |
| Student of Hyesung Choe | ||
| Duo: | ||
| Kyiv Edwards, saxophone | 17 | The Valley, Anguilla |
| Kasem Thompson, trombone | 20 | The Valley, Anguilla |
| Students of Lennox Vanterpool | ||
Third Place and Honorable Mention Winners will be notified of their standing via email.
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL WINNERS!