Maggie Miao, Precollege piano student of Golda Tatz performed on April 27 with the New York Chamber Players Orchestra, as a winner of their annual competition.
The concert featured four young performers aged 10 to 16 and took place at the The DiMenna Center for Classical Music, located at 450 West 37th Street: Orchestra of St. Luke’s first permanent home and New York City’s first space dedicated to classical music rehearsal, recording, and education.
The New York Chamber Players is one of New York City’s finest chamber orchestra.
Information about the competition here.
Madison Lee, a 14-year-old Precollege violin student of Lucie Robert has been awarded first place as the Gold Winner of the 2023 Bravura Young Artists Concerto Competition. Madison performed Violin Concerto No.5, Opus 37, movement 1 (Henri Vieuxtemps) in the competition.
Madison will be performing her winning piece with the Bravura Philharmonic Orchestra (in photo above) on June 4th, 2023 at the Princeton Alliance Church in Plainsboro, NJ.
More information here.
MSM Precollege faculty member Judith Insell has been awarded an advocacy award of “Jazz Hero” from the Jazz Journalist Association, the jazz industry’s most respected association. She earned this honor for her work leading the Bronx Arts Ensemble. Judith has been executive director of the Bronx Arts Ensemble since March 2021, and was formerly its artistic director.
Learn more here.
Yuqing Li, a violin Precollege student at MSM of Lucie Robert, and Meagan Lee, a Precollege piano student of Jeffrey Cohen, have been chosen to perform on April 18 in the Young People’s Concert Series of the Greenwich Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Stuart Malina (shown in photo conducting the GSO Orchestra).Yuqing will perform the first movement of Lalo Symphony Espagnole, and Meagan the second movement of Saint-Saëns Concerto no 2.
Learn more about the Greenwich Symphony Orchestra here.
Christopher Ramos, 14, a student of Carmel Lowenthal at MSM, was awarded second prize in his age group for the Honors Competition offered by Piano Teacher’s Congress. He received a cash prize and will perform the Mendelssohn Opus 14 at the Winner’s Recital at Weil Recital Hall on Monday, March 27, 2023. Information about the award here.
Claire Chang, 16, also a student of Carmel Lowenthal, was a winner in her age group of the virtual division of the Young Maestro International Competition. Her recording of Chopin Ballade No. 2 will be presented in the virtual winner’s concert on March 25. Information on the competition here.
The New York Times featured former MSM Precollege student pianist Chloe Flower this month in an article entitled “A Pianist Who Changes Key From Liberace to Cardi B.”
“Chloe Flower has performed at the Grammys, and went viral during the Golden Globes. Naturally, a Christmas album is on the way,” writes Alex Vadulkul. The article mentions that Chloe got her first “big break” after studying at Manhattan School of Music.
Read NYTimes article here.
MSM Precollege student Zachary Guo will perform the first movement of the piano concerto No. 5 by Camille Saint-Saëns with the Precollege Symphony Orchestra on February 11 at MSM. He is playing this solo after winning in the 2021 MSM Symphony concerto competition.
Zachary is also the winner of the 2022 MTNA (The Music Teachers National Association) New York State Competition in October 2022, and the recipient of “The Most Creative Programming Award” at the 2022 7th Annual Claudette Sorel Piano Competition (November 2022).
Zachary studies piano at MSM with Jiayin Li. He also studies conducting.
Watch the livestream of the Feb 11 concert here.
Precollege alumnus Michael Davidman, who was a student of Efrem Briskin for 10 years, recently won 3rd prize at the prestigious Long-Thibaud International competition in Paris, which took place November 6 to 13.
The Long-Thibaud Competition was created nearly 80 years ago by renowned pianist Marguerite Long, to whom Maurice Ravel dedicated his concerto in G, and violinist Jacques Thibaud.
Learn more about the competition here. Learn more about Michael here.
In his new recording out on Albany Records, MSM Precollege faculty member and pianist Adam Kent performs music for piano by 2021 Pulitzer Prize-winner Tania Léon, which she composed over a span of almost 50 years.
On July 28, The New York Times featured the recording as its top pick in its choice of “Five Classical Albums You Can Listen to Right Now.”
Adam Kent has performed in recital, as soloist with orchestra, and as a chamber musician throughout the United States, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and Latin America. A winner of the American Pianists Association Fellowship and Simone Belsky Music Awards, Dr. Kent has also received top prizes in many prestigious competitions.
Learn more about the CD here. Learn more about Adam Kent here.
Recognized internationally as a pianist and pedagogue, MSM alumnus and Precollege faculty member Sondra Tammam (BM ’73) has performed throughout the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia and presented master classes, lectures, and workshops in the U.S., Austria, Italy, France, Montenegro, Israel, Taiwan, and Brazil.
Gavin English, President of Steinway & Sons, told Ms. Tammam she is being awarded “for your hard work and dedication to music education throughout 2021. Steinway & Sons is a name synonymous with artistry, quality, and exquisite musical expression. The Steinway Top Teacher Award demonstrates your commitment to the same ideals.”
Learn more about Sondra Tammam here.
MSM Precollege alumna Simone Dinnerstein (PC ’89), a former student of Solomon Mikowsky in MSM’s Precollege program, performed on January 23, 2022 in Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall in Penelope, a concert that also featured actress Uma Thurman as narrator.
Penelope is a collaboration from composer André Previn and playwright Tom Stoppard focusing on one of literature’s great heroines, retelling the story of the woman who stood strong awaiting the return of her wandering husband, Odysseus.
Music included works by Barber, Phillip Glass, and Fauré.
Learn about Simone here.
To celebrate his 10 years as artistic director with different orchestras in the United States, Felipe Tristán has commissioned two works from the composers Arturo O’Farrill (who studied at MSM Precollege, and has been a MSM faculty member) and José Gurría. Felipe is also preparing to record two albums along with a series of concerts that will close at Carnegie Hall on May 28, 2022, where he will perform the reorchestration of Canto a la Música by the Mexican composer Samuel Zyman, among other works.
For this, and for next year’s concert at Carnegie Hall, Felipe will visit Mexico to search for at least thirty voices.
The symphonic piece commissioned from Mexican-Cuban composer Arturo O’Farrill, an Afro-Latin jazz specialist, will premiere February 2022 with the New Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra at Symphony Space in Manhattan.
Felipe is the founder and music director of the Symphony Orchestra of the Americas, an organization that promotes Latin American concert music as well as intercontinental dialogue and collaboration. He teaches conducting at the MSM Precollege program.
The online publication Influencive founded by Inc. 500 Entrepreneur Brian D. Evans and Clinton Senkow calls MSM Precollege violin faculty member Elizabeth Faidley “one of the finest violin pedagogues in the world.”
“The world of music is one such that has welcomed innumerable talented beings so far, but a few rare gems have gone ahead in totally astounding the world with their expertise and genius in music. One such name that has been buzzing high in the American music scene is Elizabeth Faidley with her ‘The Elizabeth Faidley Violin Studio,'” writes Umesh Agarwal in the article.
A faculty member in MSM’s Precollege program since 2007, Elizabeth has also been called “amazing and inspiring teacher” by the New York Times.
Read the Influencive article on Elizabeth here. Read Elizabeth’s biography on MSM’s website here.
Congratulations to our winners of DownBeat’s 44th Annual Student Music Awards!
Jazz Soloist (Undergraduate College Outstanding Performances) • Varun Das (BM ’22), drums • Vittorio Stropoli (BM ’23), piano
Jazz Soloist (Graduate College Winner) • Rico Jones (BM ’20, MM ’22), tenor saxophone
Blues/Pop/Rock Soloist (High School Honors Winner) • Meghna Das (Precollege), vocalist
Small Jazz Combo (Undergraduate College Winners) • The Ritual directed by Marc Cary — Philippe Clément (BM ’22), songwriter/guitarist — Stéphane Clément (BM ’23), trumpet — Nolan Nwachukwu (BM ’23), bass — Miguel Russell (BM ’24), drums — Vittorio Stropoli (BM ’23), piano/keyboard/synth
Original Composition—Small Ensemble (Undergraduate College Outstanding Compositions) • Matanda Keyes (BM ’21), “Contra”
Jazz Arrangement (Graduate College Outstanding—Small Ensemble) • Rico Jones (BM ’20, MM ’22), “Central Park West”
The MSM Precollege student award winners are:
Lower High School Music Theater Treble Voice
Honorable Mentioned – Lauren Marchand – Student of Giuseppe Spoletini
Upper High School Musical Theater Treble Voice
2nd Place – Meghna Das – Student of Jeanai La Vita
Upper High School Tenor Bass Baritone – Classical
3rd Place – Henry Hsiao – Student of Jeanai La Vita
Precollege student Alex Cha (top left in photo), Precollege student of Jo-Ann Sternberg, won second place in the annual NJ Youth Symphony Concerto Competition.
The annual competition for members of the NJYS Youth Symphony was held virtually this year, with 19 entrants performing for guest adjudicators Ilmar Gavilan, violinist of Harlem Quartet, and Mark Laycock, professor of orchestral studies at Wichita State University.
Dr. Nancy Mezey, the Dean of the Honors School at Monmouth University, has been appointed as the President of the Board of The Garden State Philharmonic, the critically acclaimed professional orchestra that is “Orchestra in Residence” at Ocean County College in Tom’s River.
In addition to the professional orchestra, the GSP sponsors a three-tiered Youth Orchestra program comprised of more than 100 students between the ages of eight and 21, and an auditioned Community Chorus.
Learn more about Dr. Mezey’s appointment here.
Two students of pianist Robin Freund-Epstein were named winners in the New York Young Virtuoso Competition, which took place virtually this year. Jeffrey Li, age twelve, won first prize in his age category, and Aaron Liu won second prize in the category.
Due to the ongoing global health crisis, winners recitals have been postponed indefinitely. You can view the full list of winners here.
Five Precollege students have been selected as winners by the National YoungArts Foundation, one of the most comprehensive programs for emerging artists in the United States. Meghna Das was named a Finalist in the Popular Voice, Oliver D’Avolio received a Merit Award in Jazz Piano, Eugene Hong earned a Merit Award in Classical Piano, Olivia Park won a Merit Award in the Singer-Songwriter division, and Jack Towse acquired a Finalist spot in Jazz Trumpet.
Winners are chosen for their caliber of artistic achievement by esteemed discipline-specific panels of artists through a rigorous blind adjudication process and are awarded in three categories: Finalist, Honorable Mention and Merit. You can view the full list of winners here.
Kariné Poghosyan, a member of the Music History (College) and Piano (Precollege) faculty, will perform works by Beethoven during her weekly virtual concerts throughout the month of December.
Armenian Weekly writes, “In honor of Beethoven’s 250th anniversary, Ms. Poghosyan had originally scheduled her annual Beethoven’s Birthday Concert for Carnegie Hall. But, when that was cancelled due to the pandemic she was determined that the show must go online.”
The concerts are free with the option of sending voluntary contributions to the artist. You can watch them live each Friday at 8pm EST on Ms. Poghosyan’s Facebook page.
Precollege student Lauren Marchand received the “Most Promising Sophomore” award during the Schmidt Vocal Arts Competition, an honor given to the highest scoring participant in the sophomore group.
The Schmidt Vocal Competition reaches more than 400 students each year and takes place in 17 locations throughout the U.S. The day-long competition affords singers an opportunity to perform live in front of an audience for the chance to win cash awards and scholarships, and offers coaching and master class training with premier artists. Learn more about the competition here.
Last month, the New York-based Horszowski Trio announced the appointment of MSM Precollege faculty member Ole Akahoshi to the ensemble. Akahoshi will replace cellist Raman Ramakrishnan, who performed with the ensemble for the past nine years.
Of his new position, Ole write: “I have been admiring the Horszowski Trio for many years and being on stage with them has always been a tremendously invigorating, inspiring, and highly gratifying experience for me.”
Read the full press release from The Violin Channel here.
Precollege faculty members Jane Olian and Donna Gill were interviewed by Margo Garrett of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Journal about creative collaboration and technology in the time of COVID-19. In the interview, Jane and Donna talk about how their work as teachers and coaches has changed in the wake of the pandemic.
Garret writes, “Donna and Jane both feel sustained by the fact that they are teaching in these days, that the students are ever hungry to learn, and that they themselves are doing OK—because they are teaching. Teachers and students need each other in these difficult days, it seems.” Read the full story here.
Precollege alumnus Benjamin Rossen, piano student of Jeffrey Cohen, has been named a 2020 Presidential Scholar by the US Department of Education. The 56th class of U.S. Presidential Scholars was announced today, recognizing 161 high school seniors for their accomplishments in academics, the arts, and career and technical education fields.
The White House Commission on Presidential Scholars selects scholars annually based on their academic success, artistic and technical excellence, essays, school evaluations, and transcripts, as well as evidence of community service, leadership, and demonstrated commitment to high ideals.
Read the full press release here.
Precollege violin student SoHyun Ko will be performing today, May 2 from 11:00am to 12:00pm on UNITE in support of efforts in the Global Pandemic. Ko currently studies with Pinchas Zukerman and Patinka Kopec at MSM Precollege. SoHyun is also the Adelphi Orchestra Sixteenth Annual Young Artist Competition Winner, and is scheduled to with them in the upcoming year.
Read the New Jersey Stage press release here.
Precollege students Oren Tirschwell, violin and Marie Wurtz, piano will be showcased in their high school piano trio on the Chamber Music Society’s 37th Young Musician Concert. The trio is coached by MSM Precollege faculty member Carmel Lowenthal.
CMS will be streaming the recorded performances from the second round of their competition on Thursday, April 30 at 11am EST. You can watch the stream here.
Three Precollege voice students placed in the final and semi-final rounds in the 2020 Hal Leonard Vocal Competition in the High School Musical Theatre Category. Olivia Park, student of Jeanai La Vita, advanced to the final round of the competition. Meghna Das (student of Jeanai La Vita) and Ashley Schlusselberg (student of Kelly Sawatsky) made it to the semi-final round.
Over 1100 singers enter from all over the US and Canada in the eight categories of competition. Over 150 singers entered the High School Musical Theatre category. You can listen to the winning performances from Olivia, Meghna, and Ashley here.
Earlier this month, the National Association of Teachers Singing (NATS) announced the winners of their Eastern region competition. Among the winners are three MSM Precollege voice students of Jeanai La Vita. Henry Hsiao won 1st place in Lower High School Classical TBB Voice, Kate Vandermel won 2nd place in Upper High School Classical Treble Voice and Meghna Das was a top 5 finalist in Upper High School Musical Theater Treble Voice. All of them qualified to move onto the NATS National Student Auditions (NSA) competition in late June in Knoxville.
Learn more about NATS competitions here.
MSM Precollege alumnus Charlie Puth performed a concert live on Instagram as part of Global Citizen and World Health Organization’s #TogetherAtHome series. You can watch the mini-concert on his Charlie’s Instagram profile.
“Together, At Home” was designed to promote unity amid the COVID-19 pandemic’s social distancing protocols. Previous performers include John Legend and Chris Martin of Coldplay. Learn more about the series and future performers here.
Former Precollege Director and Alumni Advisory Council Member Director Dianne Flagello (BM ’52, MM ’52, HonDMA ’99) received the Distinguished Music Educator Award from JCC Thurnauer School of Music last month at their 30th Gift of Music Gala Benefit Concert. Read more about the event here.
During her time as a student at Manhattan School of Music, Dianne studied Percussion and Music Education. She returned to her alma mater in 1974 as director of MSM Precollege, known then as MSM’s Preparatory Division, until 1999. Dianne is currently an active member of the Alumni Advisory Council.
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