THE ROBERT AVALON INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION FOR COMPOSERS
The 2020 finalists concert was cancelled due to COVID-19. Compositions will be presented when public safety allows.
FINALISTS: 2020-21
JR HIGH:
1st – Chia Ren Cher – String Quartet No. 2
2nd – Alejandro Belgique – Split Phrygian for string trio and percussion
HIGH SCHOOL:
1st – Jonah Coehn – the ground develops a taste for it for low brass trio
2nd – Zixuan Chen – Ink Splashing for piano trio
Distinctive Mention – Aaron Nichols – Solitudine for wind quintet
UNIVERSITY/EMERGING ARTIST:
1st – Sami Seif – Orientalism for string quartet
2nd – Gabriel Stossel– Four Fractals for solo violin
Distinctive Mention
Ryne Siesky – Art Miniatures for solo piano
PROFESSIONAL:
1st – Stephen Ferre – String Quartet No. 5
2nd – Ted Moore – triangle for string quartet and tape
Distinctive Mention
Arsentiy Kharitonov – Four Vignettes, Op. 49 for four violins
2019-20
JR HIGH:
1st – Chia Ren Cher – String Quartet no. 1: Colour
2nd – Abby Harris – Theme and Disagreements for string quartet
HIGH SCHOOL:
1st – Carolina Bragg – Disquiet for string quintet
2nd – Madeline Clara Cheng – Where Before was Gray for string quartet
3rd – Aaron Nichols – Seven Ages for trumpets, horn, trombone, and bass trombone
UNIVERSITY/EMERGING ARTIST:
1st – Kai-Young Chen – In a Bamboo Grove for string quartet
2nd – José Hernandez – Naves de estrellas for guitar, bass clarinet, cello, and piano
3rd – Yi-Ning Lo – Intertwined for string quartet
Honorable Mention
Ryne Siesky – lips evaporate for double bass and piano
PROFESSIONAL:
1st – Bryan Stanley – Three Sandburg Songs for tenor and piano
2nd – Jacob Dalager – Suite Analogique for brass quintet
3rd – Jee Seo – On Fever II for solo violin
Honorable Mentions
Amy Stephens Chen – Becoming Suite, solo piano
Charles Corey – Courtship Dance of the Jungftak for clarinet, violin, guitar, percussion, and piano
FILM SCORE:
University, 1st – José Luis Hernandez – Foxy’s Style for voice, clarinet, virtual instruments
JUDGES:
Daniel Binelli
Dr. Mary Carol Warwick
2018-19
HIGH SCHOOL:
1st – Charles Meehaghan, fantasia on rain for flute, viola, and percussion
UNIVERSITY/EMERGING ARTIST:
1st (Arthur Gottschalk Award) – Wesley Richmond, Suite for String Quartet
2nd – Max Friedman, Dress British, Think Yiddish for viola, harp, and percussion
PROFESSIONAL:
1st (Berry Bowen Award) – Charles Peck, Sunburst for string quartet
2nd – David Colson, The wind is rising, the Earth lets itself be inhaled for bassoon and percussion
JUDGES:
Brian Herrington
Michael Remson
2017-18
JR HIGH:
1st – Anika Fuloria, Nature’s Dance for piano
HIGH SCHOOL:
1st (tie) – Caroline Bragg, Melting Glaciers for cello and piano
Sammy Sussman – Eyrie for string quartet and tape
UNIVERSITY/EMERGING ARTIST:
1st (Arthur Gottschalk Award) – Julián Fueyo, Zafiro for piano and violin
2nd – Neal Warner, El Amor de la Madre for flute and guitar
PROFESSIONAL:
1st (Berry Bowen Award) – Brooke Joyce, Rubha Hunish for alto flute
2nd – Ingrid Stölzel, The Gorgeous Nothings for soprano, flute, oboe, and piano
FILM SCORE:
High School – Sammy Sussman, Chain Reaction
University – Timothy Gargiulo, Warm Winter
JUDGES:
Colin Eatock
Barbara White
2016
JR HIGH:
1st – Caroline Bragg, The Lake for two cellos
2nd – Caroline Bragg, Iredescent Storm for two cellos, vibraphone, and gong
HIGH SCHOOL:
1st – Avik Sarkar, A Separate Unity for clarinet, viola, and piano
2nd – Valerie Narumi, Requiems for two cellos and piano
Honorable Mentions:
William Zhang, Nebula for solo piano
UNIVERSITY/EMERGING ARTIST:
1st (Arthur Gottschalk Award) – Paolo do Nascimento Brito, 10 Episodes from the Legend of the White Snake for solo piano
2nd – Jung Yoon Wie, Whimsical Sketches for two clarinets, two percussionists, and piano
Honorable Mentions:
Julian Fueyo, Zafiro for violin and piano
PROFESSIONAL:
1st (Berry Bowen Award) – Lansing McLoskey, Discipline for oboe and piano
2nd – Alejandro Basulto-Martínez, Migraciones Nocturnas for clarinet and piano
JUDGES:
Edmund Cionek
Arthur Gottschalk
2015
JR HIGH:
1st – Sydney Wang, A Storm at Sea for Solo Piano
2nd – Michelle Zhu, Habanera for Oboe, Cello, and Piano
HIGH SCHOOL:
1st – Sharon Hurvitz, Caprice for Clarinet and Piano
2nd – SiHyun Uhm, Stirring of a Sparkle for Violin and Piano
Honorable Mentions:
Antonia Bentel, Anamnesis for Solo Piano
Bosbapan “Bosba” Panhm, They Say it’s Spring for String Quartet
UNIVERSITY/EMERGING ARTIST:
1st (Arthur Gottschalk Award) – Colin Kemper, Stream for Flute, Violin, Soprano, Cello, and Piano
2nd – Jean-Patrick Besingrand, Mimétisme for Violin and Vibraphone
Honorable Mentions:
Andrew Baldwin, Dawn: May 11, 1915 for Baritone, Violin, and Piano
Neal Warner, Day at the Bazaar for Violin and Piano
PROFESSIONAL:
1st (Berry Bowen Award) – Roger Briggs, Friction for String Quartet
2nd – YoungWoo Yoo, Nivārana for String Quartet
Honorable Mentions:
Christian Alberto Restrepo Sanchez, Poema Nocturno for Alto Saxophone and Piano
JUDGES:
Gabriela Frank
Laura Jackson
2014
JR HIGH:
1st – Avik Sarkar, Polarity for String Quartet
2nd – William Zhang, Legend of the Sea for Solo Piano
3rd – Julian Falco, Winter Skies for Saxophone Quartet
Honorable Mentions:
Berit Doolittle, One for Solo Piano
Leonard Gao, The Night Hunt for String Quartet or Orchestra
HIGH SCHOOL:
1st – Michael Cheng, The Four Elements for Piano Trio
2nd – Logan Nelson, Collaborative Intrustion for Clarinet, Cello, and Piano
3rd – Antonia Rhys Bentel, Alluvion for Clarinet in A, Violin, and Double Bass
Honorable Mentions:
Lev Roshal, Viola Fantasy for Viola and Piano
Gareth Haynes, Serenade for Solo Piano
UNIVERSITY/EMERGING ARTIST:
1st – Inae Lee, String Quartet
2nd – Daniel Tacke, musica ricercata/musica poetica for Clarinet, Viola, and Vibraphone
3rd – Matthew Ricketts, Women Well Met for Vocal Ensemble
Honorable Mentions:
Jean-Patrick Besingrand, Et le vent murmura le nom de Sarah for Saxophone Quartet
Chin Ting Chan, re[sou]nding for Marimba (+Crotales) and Piano
Jonathan Booker, Slow Movement for String Quartet
PROFESSIONAL:
1st – José Beviá Cantó, Cenizas y fuego for Electronics, Percussion and Harp
2nd – Andrew Sigler, finding the air up there for Violin and Piano
3rd – Greg A. Steinke, Random Blackouts I (Image Music XXXIII) for Baritone Voice and Piano
Honorable Mentions:
Young Woo Yoo, Piece for Solo Violin
James C. Danly, Fantasia for Saxophones (Quartet)
Ed Neumeister, Seven Vignettes for Violin and Piano
Alberto E. Colla, Abaculi for String Quartet
JUDGES:
Anne LeBaron
Carman Moore
2013
JR HIGH:
1st – Christina Xiao, Winter for Violin and Cello
HIGH SCHOOL:
1st – Michael Cheng, Eka for String Quartet
2nd – Max Friedman, Mnemiopsis for Bass Clarinet, Horn, and Piano
3rd – Dylan Hunn, Color of the Sky for Solo Piano
UNIVERSITY/EMERGING ARTIST:
1st – Matthew Entwistle, Return to Venezia for Viola and Piano
2nd – Roydon Tse, Rondo for Piano Trio and Flute
3rd – Shuying Li, More Than Five for Six-hand Piano and Backstage Piano
PROFESSIONAL:
1st (tie) – Forrest Pierce, Bison Circles for Flute and Piano
1st (tie) – Greg Danner, Suite for Brass Quintet
2nd – Stephen Yip, Yugen for Flute/Piccolo, Bass Clarinet, Violin, Cello, and Piano
3rd – Andrew Sigler, Imaginary Choreography for Violin, Cello, and Piano
JUDGES:
Tania Léon
Juan Trigos
2012
JR HIGH:
1st – Zachery Detrick, Pulsations – A Rondo in F
2nd – Dara Li, Le Voyage
HIGH SCHOOL:
1st – Miles Friday, Call to Mind
2nd – Daniel Karcher, Gift for the Darkness
3rd – Christopher Poovey, Μοιχεία
UNIVERSITY/EMERGING ARTIST:
1st – Ka Chun Ng, Grand Jeté on a Violin
2nd – Alexander Winkler, That Which Was Not There Before
3rd – Youn-Jae Ok, Anticipation
PROFESSIONAL:
1st – Matthew Tommasini, Awaken This Feeling
2nd – Greg A. Steinke, Expressions III, Image Music XXIX
3rd – Geoffrey Gordon, Immanuel (from Reliquary)
JUDGES:
Daron Hagen
Kyong Mee Choi
2011
HIGH SCHOOL:
1st – Daniel Karcher, Sonata for Flute and Oboe
2nd – Emily Elizabeth Brown, Nocturne
UNIVERSITY/EMERGING ARTIST:
1st – Bret Bohman, String Quartet No. 1
2nd – Charles Halka, Fantasy
PROFESSIONAL:
1st – Jin Nam, There is Someone in the Woods
2nd – Christopher Walczak, Night Spiral
JUDGES:
William Bolcom
Christopher Theofanidis
2010
HIGH SCHOOL:
Andrew Hsu, Piano Trio
Jeremiah Klarman, Three Love Songs Without Words
COLLEGIATE:
Alexandra T. Bryant, The Still Point, for String Quartet
Wenhui Xie, Sonnetti a Orfeo I, No. IX
PROFESSIONAL:
Takuma Tanikawa, Midair, for Clarinet Quintet
JUDGES:
Carlisle Floyd
Ted Hearne
2009
Matthew O’Neill, Despedida and While She’s Sleeping Soundly
Felix Peña, Ecco Dite
Alexandra T. Bryant, The Still Point, for String Quartet
Christopher Goddard, Piano Trio
JUDGES:
Mary Carol Warwick
Robert Nelson
2007
1st – Jordan Kuspa, String Quartet No. 2
2nd – Matthew Kline, Quartet for Strings
Rebecca Jensen, Misty Castle
Jonathan Kraft, Dreams, Yearning
2006
1st – Elliot Cole, Birds