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Jefferson Symphony competition winners
On 1/14/2006

Contributed by: Frani Bickart on 1/24/2006


The Jefferson Symphony  announced the winners of its 2006 Young Artists Competition, which took place on January 14 at The King Center, Auraria Campus, Denver.

Twelve finalists, who had been chosen in October based on their submitted recordings, competed live that day before three professional musicians who served as judges. Winners performed in a public recital that evening.

First-place winner is 21-year-old Alexey Gorokholinskiy, a junior at the Juilliard School (New York), who played Aaron Copland’s Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra. His first prize in the 2004 Juilliard School Concerto Competition led to his debut in Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center (NYC). He has toured throughout his native Russia as a featured artist of the innovative “New Names” rising stars series, often broadcast on national TV and radio shows. In the US, he has been heard nationally several times on public radio’s “From the Top.” In 2003, Gorokholinskiy recorded his debut disc Time Pieces with Classical Records, and in 2005 made his first recording, Sagesse, on the NAXOS label.

Gorokholinskiy, who studies with renowned clarinetist Charles Neidich at Juilliard, plays both chamber music and orchestral music. He credits his parents with instilling a love for music in him. His mother is a pianist and music professor, his father a clarinetist. For the Jefferson Symphony competition, Gorokholinskiy was accompanied on piano by fellow Juilliard student Tomoko Nakayama of Japan.

“What fabulous musicians!” exclaimed Jefferson Symphony Association board chair Peggy Halderman. “The Copland piece includes both classical and jazz elements, and Alexey’s expressive style made both shine. The piece is dedicated to Benny Goodman, and Alexey certainly did it justice. I can’t wait to hear him perform with the full orchestra on March 26.”

Second place winner is Travis Knapp, 19, who played Concertino for Marimba by Paul Creston. Knapp is currently a sophomore at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign pursuing a bachelor’s degree in percussion performance under the tutelage of marimba virtuoso William Moersch.

Third place winner Patrick Laird, 20, of Midland Park, NJ, is currently in his third year of study at the Eastman School of Music (Rochester, NY) with cellist Steven Doane. He performed Ernest Bloch’s Schelomo--Rhapsodie Hebraïque.

The judges awarded Honorable Mention to Cheryl Losey, a 21-year-old senior at the Cleveland Institute of Music. Losey, a student of famed harpist Yolanda Kondonassis, played Harp Concerto, Opus 25 by Ginastera.

Monika Vischer of Colorado Public Radio’s classical music station KVOD introduced the winners at the evening recital. She commented, “These young musicians show both extraordinary technical ability and outstanding musicality. I look forward to playing their recordings on the air someday.” She also noted that the NAXOS label, on which Gorokholinskiy has already recorded, was named label-of-the-year for 2005 by Gramophone Magazine.

The first place winner receives $2,000 cash, a scholarship worth $2,000 to attend a summer Young Artists Seminar at the Rocky Ridge Music Center in Estes Park, a $5,000 scholarship provided he or she becomes a college senior or graduate student within eight years of winning the competition, and an appearance as soloist with the Jefferson Symphony. Second place winner receives $1,500 in cash. Third place winner receives $1,000.

Barbara Jackson, a cellist with the Jefferson Symphony Orchestra, established an endowment six years ago for the $5,000 winner’s scholarship. Her purpose was to encourage and support young musicians in their careers and also to attract contestants of outstanding caliber to the competition. She considers her endeavors a success: The formerly regional competition has become national and even international in scope. “As a member of the orchestra, I find that these incredibly gifted young musicians inspire me and my colleagues to improve our performance,” she said. “And the community gets to hear outstanding soloists, so I feel I am ‘paying back’ my debt to society.”

Jefferson Symphony principal percussionist Sandra Fauth, who chairs the Young Artists Committee that organizes the annual event, was most excited that word-of-mouth attracted some of this year’s contestants to enter the competition. “Our reputation as a well-organized, top-quality competition is spreading across the nation,” she commented.

Finalists said they especially appreciated being able to choose their selection (which must be of at least 15 minutes’ duration and must have orchestral parts generally available), to play a different piece in the second (live) round than in the first (recorded) round if they want, and to stay with host families.

Stephen Page, 21, a finalist from the University of Minnesota, said, “I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to come to Colorado and play for the judges, audience and my peers. It is sometimes very hard as a young musician (especially as a young Classical Saxophonist) to find rewarding venues to play for. It is so nice to play in a place where the music is so obviously treasured by the listeners and participants alike. If I have touched one person through my playing, that is the greatest reward of all. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share my playing with so many wonderful people. I could not have hoped for a better weekend.”

Judges for the recorded round last October were Colorado Symphony Orchestra musicians David Brussel (horn), Ann Marie Hoffman (violin) and Abby Raymond (clarinet). Judges for the live round on January 14 were Peter Cooper, percussionist with the Colorado Springs Symphony, Bil Jackson, principal clarinetist with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra and artist faculty at the Aspen Music Festival, and Richard von Foerster, cellist with the Cheyenne Symphony and Central City Opera.

The judges noted the remarkably high quality of all the finalists. “They are all winners,” reported Jackson. “It was a very exciting event to judge. It was revitalizing to be able to listen to such high quality performances, which reflect the musicians’ dedication to their art. It made me want to go home and practice.”

Other finalists were: Amanda Blaikie, 22, flute, Principia College, Elsah, IL; Neena Deb-Sen, 18, cello, Horace Mann High School, Riverdale, NY; Patrick Estvold, 22, marimba, Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant, MI; Nanae Iwata, 22, violin, The Juilliard School, New York, NY; Jennifer Johnson, 21, oboe, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO; Joanna Martin, 22, flute, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL; and Aaron Tindall, 22, euphonium, Penn State University, State College, PA.

First-place winner Gorokholinskiy will perform with the Jefferson Symphony Orchestra at its March 26th concert in Golden. The 90-member volunteer orchestra, whose winter home is in Bunker Auditorium, Green Center, on the Colorado School of Mines campus in Golden, was founded in 1953. Dr. William Morse conducts. For ticket information, call the JSO office at 303.278.4237 or check the website, http://www.jeffersonsymphony.com.

The Jefferson Symphony Young Artists Competition alternates yearly between piano and all other orchestral instruments. The 2007 Jefferson Symphony Young Artists Competition will be for pianists born after December 31, 1983. Applications will be available in April. Further information about the competition, including photos and biographies of all the 2006 finalists, is available online.

For further information, please call the Jefferson Symphony office at 303.278.4237 or check the website at http://www.jeffersonsymphony.com.


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