FiNALISTS: Piano (solo), 2019-20

The American Prize National Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts, David Volosin Katz, founder and chief judge, is pleased to announce FINALIST pianists for 2019-20 in the SOLO division.

Congratulations!

As the contests unfold, runners-up and winners will be selected from this list. To know the exact date when winners will be announced, please like our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter #AmericanPrize, where that information will be published first.

If you are not a finalist this year, please remember that the contests are not yet over. The American Prize reserves the right to award Honorable Mentions and Citations for Special Achievement to any contestant, regardless of final placement. TAP has honored a number of semi-finalists and quarter finalists in the past--to recognize a unique talent or focus, unusual repertoire, vital programming or outreach. Citations and Honorable Mentions are usually awarded at the same time as winners and runners-up, but can be presented at any time up to the last winners' announcement of the contest year.

All contestants are reminded they are responsible for the viability of their online links to audition materials. Those links must remain active until the end of the contest year. Questions, or to make us aware of any misprints in the listings below, please email: theamericanprize@gmail.com

We invite finalists to make the most of their selection by announcing it on social media, and including a link to this announcement on their website or blog. A sample announcement may be found at the end of the post.

The American Prize National Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts is the nation's most comprehensive series of contests in the performing arts. The American Prize is unique in scope and structure, designed to recognize and reward the best performing artists, ensembles and composers in the United States at professional, college/university, community and high school levels, based on submitted recordings. Now in its tenth year, The American Prize was founded in 2010 and is awarded annually in many areas of the performing arts. Contestants hail from all fifty states, representing literally hundreds of communities and arts organizations across the nation.


NATIONAL FINALISTS: The American Prize in Piano Performance, 2019-20, professional solo division:

J. Bradley Baker  
Newton     KS

Jiyoung Jeoung 
Muncie     IN

John Kamfonas    
Devon PA

Lei Weng   
Greeley    CO

Jentao Yu 
Oakland    CA

Yuting Zhou   
New York   NY


The American Prize in Piano Performance, 2019-20, college/university solo division:

Igor Filipe Do Amaral 
New York   NY     

Eunhae Choi   
Savoy IL     

Shun-Jung Hsu    
Madison    WI     

Bogyeong   Lee    
North Liberty  IA     

Jiayun Li 
Panzhihua  Sichuan

Chenyu Wang   
Hartford   CT  


NATIONAL FINALISTS: The American Prize in Piano Performance, 2019-20, high school solo division:

Marc Soong  
Alhambra   CA     

Christopher Zhu    
West Roxbury   MA


***

Finalists are encouraged to make the most of their selection by announcing it on social media and by including a link to this announcement on your website or blog.

Here is a sample announcement:

"Great News! I've just been selected as a FINALIST in the (blank) division of The American Prize national non-profit competitions in the performing arts. Here's the link: (copy link here). The American Prize will be announcing WINNERS in my division soon. You can learn more about this prestigious national competition here: www.theamericanprize.org or follow the news on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-American-Prize-celebrating-American-excellence-in-the-arts/214320622728 or Twitter: https://twitter.com/americanprize "

Please feel free to modify or expand this announcement to suit your needs.

Congratulations to all finalists!

FINALISTS: Piano (concerto)—The Lorin Hollander Award, 2019-20

Lorin Hollander

The American Prize National Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts, David Volosin Katz, chief judge, is pleased to announce FINALIST pianists for 2019-20 in the CONCERTO division, The LORIN HOLLANDER AWARD. Congratulations! As the contests unfold, runners-up and winners will be selected from this list. To know the exact date when winners will be announced, please like our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter #AmericanPrize, where that information will be published first.

The American Prize LORIN HOLLANDER AWARD celebrates the artistry of one of the greatest pianists of his generation. Lorin Hollander has appeared as guest soloist with virtually every major symphony orchestra in the world and is a veteran of over 2,500 performances across the globe. The American Prize is delighted to share the legacy of this legendary artist through the re-naming of the award for Piano Concerto Performance in his honor. For more about the extraordinary life and career of Lorin Hollander, please visit http://lorinhollander.com/

If you are not a finalist this year, please remember that the contests are not yet over. The American Prize reserves the right to award Honorable Mentions and Citations for Special Achievement to any contestant, regardless of final placement. TAP has honored a number of semi-finalists and quarter finalists in the past--to recognize a unique talent or focus, unusual repertoire, vital programming or outreach. Citations and Honorable Mentions are usually awarded at the same time as winners and runners-up, but can be presented at any time up to the last winners' announcement of the contest year.

All contestants are reminded they are responsible for the viability of their online links to audition materials. Those links must remain active until the end of the contest year. Questions, or to make us aware of any misprints in the listings below, please email: theamericanprize@gmail.com

We invite finalists to make the most of their selection by announcing it on their facebook page, tweeting the news, and including a link to this announcement on their website or blog. A sample announcement may be found at the end of the post.

The American Prize National Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts is the nation's most comprehensive series of contests in the performing arts. The American Prize is unique in scope and structure, designed to recognize and reward the best performing artists, ensembles and composers in the United States at professional, college/university, community and high school levels, based on submitted recordings. Now in its tenth year, The American Prize was founded in 2010 and is awarded annually in many areas of the performing arts. Contestants hail from all fifty states, representing literally hundreds of communities and arts organizations across the nation.


NATIONAL FINALISTS: The American Prize in Piano Performance, concerto, The Lorin Hollander Award, 2019-20
—professional division

Hyekyeong Hanna Cho 
Lacey   WA      
Stenhammar—Concerto No. 2 in D minor

Anna Dmytrenko    
Newark DE     
Prokofiev—Concerto No. 2 in G minor

Susan Merdinger    
Highland Park IL      
Tchaikovsky—Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor

Amaury Morales  
Pittsburgh PA   
Beethoven—Choral Fantasy, op. 80  

Lei Weng
Greeley CO       
Rachmaninoff—Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
Gershwin—Concerto in F


NATIONAL FINALISTS: The American Prize in Piano Performance, concerto, The Lorin Hollander Award, 2019-20
—college/university division

Eunhae Choi
Savoy   Il     
Beethoven—Concerto No. 3  in C minor

Bogyeong  Lee 
North Liberty   IA        
Mozart—Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor




***

Finalists are encouraged to make the most of their selection by announcing it on social media and by including a link to this announcement on your website or blog.

Here is a sample announcement:

"Great News! I've just been selected as a FINALIST in the (blank) division of The American Prize national non-profit competitions in the performing arts. Here's the link: (copy link here). The American Prize will be announcing WINNERS in my division soon. You can learn more about this prestigious national competition here: www.theamericanprize.org or follow the news on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-American-Prize-celebrating-American-excellence-in-the-arts/214320622728 or Twitter: https://twitter.com/americanprize "

Please feel free to modify or expand this announcement to suit your needs.

Congratulations to all finalists!

FINALISTS: Chamber Ensembles, 2019-20

The American Prize National Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts, David Volosin Katz, founder and chief judge, is pleased to announce NATIONAL FINALIST chamber music ensembles for 2019-20. Congratulations! To know the exact date when winners and runners-up will be announced, please like our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter #AmericanPrize, where that information will be published first.

If you are not a finalist this year, please remember that the contests are not yet over. The American Prize reserves the right to award Honorable Mentions and Citations for Special Achievement to any contestant, regardless of final placement. TAP has honored a number of semi-finalists and quarter finalists in the past--to recognize a unique talent or focus, unusual repertoire, vital programming or outreach. Citations and Honorable Mentions are usually awarded at the same time as winners and runners-up, but can be presented at any time up to the last winners' announcement of the contest year.

All contestants are reminded they are responsible for the viability of their online links to audition materials. Those links must remain active until the end of the contest year. Questions, or to make us aware of any misprints in the listings below, please email: theamericanprize@gmail.com

We invite finalists to make the most of their selection by announcing it on social media, and including a link to this announcement on their website or blog. A sample announcement may be found at the end of the post.

The American Prize National Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts is the nation's most comprehensive series of contests in the performing arts. Unique in scope and structure, The American Prize is designed to recognize and reward the best performing artists, ensembles and composers in the United States at professional, college/university, community and high school levels, based on submitted recordings. Now in its tenth year, The American Prize was founded in 2010 and is awarded annually in many areas of the performing arts. Contestants hail from all fifty states, representing literally hundreds of communities and arts organizations across the nation.  

Finalists are listed by ensemble name, contact person, city and state.


NATIONAL FINALISTS: The American Prize in Chamber Music Performance, 2019-20: professional division

Szlubowska-Belsky Duo
Svetlana Belsky
Northbrook  IL

Fidelis Quartet
Jeffrey Butler
Houston TX

Anima Vox
Carole Jean Ott Coelho
Greensboro NC

Duo MemDi
Igor Kalnin
Decorah IA

Serenade Duo
Michelle LaPorte
Saint James NY

Pure Winds
Natalie Law
Lansing MI

Pegasus Chamber Ensemble
Jonathan Lusher
Guanajuato  GTO

Eason-Seregow Duo
Michael Seregow
Muncie IN

Sophia Tegart and Michael Seregow
Michael Seregow
Muncie IN

Luna Nova
Sabrina Laney Warren
Cordova TN


NATIONAL FINALISTS: The American Prize in Chamber Music Performance, 2019-20, college/university division:

The Raritan Trio
Alexander Bui
Egg Harbor  NJ

Khroma Quartet
Michael Chapa
The Colony  TX

Tsukervanik-Liu Duo
Ming-Jui Liu
Arcadia  CA


NATIONAL FINALISTS: The American Prize in Chamber Music Performance, 2019-20, high school division:

Zeitlos Trio
Tia Chang 
Palo Alto  CA 

Trio Centauri
Lei Gui 
San Jose CA 

Vivo String Quartet 
Ya-Fei Hsu 
Pittsburgh PA

Quantum Quartet
Mark Smith 
Carrollton TX 


***

Finalists are encouraged to make the most of their selection by announcing it on social media and by including a link to this announcement on your website or blog.

Here is a sample announcement:

"Great News! I've just been selected as a FINALIST in the (blank) division of The American Prize national non-profit competitions in the performing arts. Here's the link: (copy link here). The American Prize will be announcing WINNERS in my division soon. You can learn more about this prestigious national competition here: www.theamericanprize.org or follow the news on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-American-Prize-celebrating-American-excellence-in-the-arts/214320622728 or Twitter: https://twitter.com/americanprize "

Please feel free to modify or expand this announcement to suit your needs.

Congratulations to all finalists!

FINALISTS: Instrumental Soloists, 2019-20

The American Prize National Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts, David Volosin Katz, chief judge, is pleased to announce FINALIST instrumental soloists for 2019-20. Congratulations!

To know the exact date when winners and runners-up will be announced, please like our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter #AmericanPrize, where that information will be published first.

All contestants are reminded they are responsible for the viability of their online links to audition materials. Those links must remain active until the end of the contest season. Questions, or to make us aware of any misprints in the listings below, please email: theamericanprize@gmail.com

The American Prize National Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts is the nation's most comprehensive series of contests in the performing arts. Unique in scope and structure, The American Prize is designed to recognize and reward the best performing artists, ensembles and composers in the United States at professional, college/university, community and high school levels, based on submitted recordings. Now in its tenth year, The American Prize was founded in 2010 and is awarded annually in many areas of the performing arts. Contestants hail from all fifty states, representing literally hundreds of communities and arts organizations across the nation. 

If you are not a finalist this year, please remember that the contests are not yet over. The American Prize reserves the right to award Honorable Mentions and Citations for Special Achievement to any contestant, regardless of final placement. TAP has often honored semi-finalists in the past--to recognize a unique talent or focus, unusual repertoire, vital programming or outreach. Citations and Honorable Mentions are usually awarded at the same time as winners and runners-up, but can be presented at any time up to the last winners' announcement of the contest year.

We invite finalists to make the most of their selection by announcing it on social media, and including a link to this announcement on their website or blog. A sample announcement may be found at the end of the post.


NATIONAL FINALISTS: The American Prize in Instrumental Performance, 2019-20, professional division:

Mary Elizabeth Bowden
Winston-Salem  NC 
Trumpet 

Mili Chang 
Jersey City NJ 
Flute
 
Christopher Dickey
Pullman WA 
Tuba 
 
Andrew Harrison
Riverside CA 
Alto Saxaphone 
 
Cora Swenson Lee
Rochester NY 
Cello
 
Christopher Leslie
New York NY 
Euphonium 
 
Sam Nelson
Sarasota  FL 
Organ
 
Todd Oxford
Austin TX 
Saxophone 
 
Sarah Shin  
Centreville VA 
Flute
 


NATIONAL FINALISTS: The American Prize in Instrumental Performance, 2019-20, college/university division:

Nicholas Buonanni
Lansing MI 
Flute
 
Giorgio Consolati  
Baltimore MD 
Flute
 
Logan Fox
Greenwood IN 
Percussion
 
Anita Graef 
Evanston IL 
Cello
 
Sooah Jung  
Rochester NY 
Violin  
 
Rajan Kapoor
Hebron CT 
Cello
 


NATIONAL FINALISTS: The American Prize in Instrumental Performance, 2019-20, high school division:

Aaron Hsia 
Santa Clara CA
Violin 
 
Phoebe Wang 
Englewood CO
Cello
 
Christian Wong 
Huntington NY
Violin 

Sheeline Yu
Brentwood TN
Violin  


***

Finalists are encouraged to make the most of their selection by announcing it on social media and by including a link to this announcement on your website or blog.

Here is a sample announcement:

"Great News! I've just been selected as a FINALIST in the (blank) division of The American Prize national non-profit competitions in the performing arts. Here's the link: (copy link here). The American Prize will be announcing WINNERS in my division soon. You can learn more about this prestigious national competition here: www.theamericanprize.org or follow the news on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-American-Prize-celebrating-American-excellence-in-the-arts/214320622728 or Twitter: https://twitter.com/americanprize "

Please feel free to modify or expand this announcement to suit your needs.

Congratulations to all finalists!

Semi-finalists (ensembles): ERNST BACON MEMORIAL AWARD for the Performance of American Music, 2019-20

Ernst Bacon

The American Prize National Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts, David Volosin Katz, founder and chief judge, is pleased to announce SEMI-FINALISTS in the ERNST BACON MEMORIAL AWARD for the PERFORMANCE of AMERICAN MUSIC contest, 2019-20 in ensemble divisions. Congratulations!

As the contests unfold, finalists, runners-up and winners will be selected from this list. To know the exact date when finalists will be announced, please like our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter #AmericanPrize, where that information will be published first.

All contestants are reminded they are responsible for the viability of their online links to audition materials. Those links must remain active until the end of the contest year. Questions, or to make us aware of any misprints in the listings below, please email: theamericanprize@gmail.com

Among the many contests of The American Prize, the Ernst Bacon Memorial Award for the Performance of American Music is unique. It recognizes and rewards the best performances of American music by ensembles and individual artists worldwide, based on submitted recordings. Applications are accepted from professional, college/university, community and high school age solo artists, chamber ensembles or conducted ensembles, competing in separate divisions, and from composers with excellent recordings of their works. Beginning in 2017-18, categories were expanded to encompass performances of American music in practically any instrumentation or genre, with very few repertoire restrictions.

Focused exclusively on works by American composers from any period and in any style, the contest not only judges performances, but in the case of new or unfamiliar works, the music itself.

Ernst Bacon (1898—1990) was one of that pioneering generation of composers who, along with Thomson, Copland, Harris, and others, found a voice for American music. Winner of a Pulitzer Scholarship (for his Symphony in D minor) and no fewer than three Guggenheim Fellowships, Ernst Bacon set out to create compositions that expressed the vitality and affirmative spirit of our country. It is fitting, and with honor, that The American Prize creates an annual award in the memory of Ernst Bacon, recognizing the finest performances of American orchestral music worldwide. To learn more about the music & legacy of Ernst Bacon, please visit the website of the Ernst Bacon Society.

The American Prize is the nation's most comprehensive series of non-profit competitions in the performing arts, unique in scope and structure, designed to recognize and reward the best performing artists, ensembles and composers in the United States based on submitted recordings. The American Prize was founded in 2010 and is awarded annually in many areas of the performing arts. 

We invite semi-finalists to make the most of their selection by announcing it on their facebook page, tweeting the news, and including a link to this announcement on their website or blog. A sample announcement may be found at the end of the post.

NATIONAL SEMI-FINALISTS: The American Prize ERNST BACON MEMORIAL AWARD for the PERFORMANCE of AMERICAN MUSIC, PROFESSIONAL ensemble division, 2019-20

Oliver Caplan 
Juventas New Music Ensemble
Boston   MA
Shell & Wing (David Biedenbender)

Tyson Deaton 
US Army Soldiers' Chorus and Field Band
New York  NY
The Falling and the Rising  (Zach Redler/Jerre Dye)     

Audrey Johnson
Chicago  IL
Songs of Sac Prairie (a song cycle) (Ronald William Hill)

Jessica Koebbe 
Prairie Duo   
Prairie Village  KS
La boite `a bijoux (The Jewelry Box) (Philip Lasser)

Jason  Lim
McKinney Philharmonic
McKinney TX
Three Latin American Sketches; Music for Movies (Copland)

Dean Whiteside      
New World Symphony
Miami Beach  FL
Chamber Symphony No. 2  (Arnold Schoenberg)

 
NATIONAL SEMI-FINALISTS: The American Prize ERNST BACON MEMORIAL AWARD for the PERFORMANCE of AMERICAN MUSIC, COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY ensemble division, 2019-20

Dr. Eddie W. Airheart
The TCU Wind Symphony     
Fort Worth   TX
The Seven Deadly Sins (Robert Xavier Rodriguez)

David  Anderson
Lake Geneva Symphony Orchestra
Lake Geneva       WI
Hold fast to dreams (Dana Wilson)  

Heather C. Barclay
Palomar/YPO Percussion Ensemble
San Marcos CA
Sofapilla (Chuck Ricotta); Fidget (Nathan Daughtrey) 

Daniel Cook
Northwestern University Chamber Ensemble   
Evanston IL
Appalachian Spring   

William B. Drury  
New England Conservatory Symphonic Winds  
Boston MA
Whitman Tropes (Richard Toensing)

Tracelyn Gesteland      
University of South Dakota Opera      
Vermillion SD
The Consul

Michael Hancock
University of Oklahoma Wind Symphony
Norman OK
Urban Requiem; Labyrinth of Love  (Michael Colgrass/Michael Daugherty)

Janet Heukeshoven    
St. Mary's University of Minnesota Concert Band
Winona   MN
Nigun Prophecy; Ayshet Chayil (A Woman of Valor)  (David Ashalomov / Steven L. Rosenhaus) 

Scott Jones  
Texas A&M University Kingsville Wind Symphony  
KingsvilleTX
Innsmouth, Massachusetts—1927   (Roy D. Magnuson)

Minji Kim
University of Maryland University Chorale
College Park MD
A Jubilant Song (Norman Della Joio)

Tremon Kizer  
University of Central FL Wind Ensemble  and
Orlando  FL
(Grainger, Holst, Thomas, Reed)

Thomas Kociela
New England Conservatory Wind Ensemble
Boston MA
Double Quintet  (Gunther Schuller)

Hon Pan Benson Lee
TCU Symphony Orchestra and TCU Chamber Orchestra  
Fort Worth   TX
A Christmas Festival; Adagio for Strings  (Anderson/Barber)

Jorge  Machain
UNLV Wind Orchestra
Las Vegas  NV
Thomas G. Leslie, conductor
Festive Music (Morton Gould)

James Reddan 
Western Oregon Voices     
Monmouth  OR
(Marsh, Zegree, Morrison/Fox, Meaader, Carr)

James Reddan 
Western Oregon University Chamber Singers  
Monmouth  OR
(Rudoi, Berger, Erb, Foster/Keller, Guillaume)

Carl T. Rowles 
Kansas Wesleyan University Wind Ensemble   
Salina KS
Concerto for Flute and Wind Ensemble (Peter Senchuk)   

Ethan Stolen 
Queens College Conductors Workshop Festival
New York NY
Divertimento  (Bruce Sayon)

Margaret Vignola
SUNY Purchase Opera
Purchase NY
Confession (Raphael Lucas)

Adam Waller 
Peabody Wind Ensemble     
Baltimore MD
Requiem (David Maslanka)   

Carolyn Watson 
University of Kansas Symphony Orchestra    
Kansas City  KS
Fanfare Ritmico (Jennifer Higdon) 

Brian J. Winnie 
Western IL University Singers  
Macomb   IL
(Runestad, Dawson, Whitacre, Smith)


NATIONAL SEMI-FINALISTS: The American Prize ERNST BACON MEMORIAL AWARD for the PERFORMANCE of AMERICAN MUSIC, COMMUNITY ensemble division, 2019-20

Donald L.  Appert 
Clark College Orchestra   
Vancouver WA
Symphony No. 2  (David Diamond)

Patricia Brown  
Texas Medical Center Orchestra
Houston  TX
Libi Lebel, conductor
New Beginnings (Peter Boyer)  

Ronald Demkee 
The Allentown Band
Allentown PA       
(Reed, Hanson, Daughtery, Williams, Meij)

Michael Driscoll
Andover Choral Society    
Andover  MA
Abraham Lincoln Walks at Midnight (Florence Price)   

Jessica Koebbe 
Midwest Chamber Ensemble  
Prairie Village   KS
Ballade  (Philip Lasser)

Nancy  Magee  
Harmonium Choral Society  
Morristown   NJ
Song of the Open Road (Mark Miller)    

Matthew Melendez
Great Bend Chorale & Youth Chorale    
Union   WA
Borders  (John Muehleisen)  

John J. Palatucci      
Orpheus Club Men's Chorus 
Ridgewood NJ
(Benz, Martin, Lane, Van Heusen)

Erik Peregrine      
Ensemble Companio 
Northeastern US    
Wonderous Glow; The New Colossus; Hard Times  (Valverde; Choi; Foster)      

Martha Stoddard
Oakland Civic Orchestra   
Oakland  CA
(Reiprich, Johnson, Stoddard)

Ethan Stolen 
Queens College Conductors Workshop Festival
New York NY
Divertimento  (Bruce Sayon)


NATIONAL SEMI-FINALISTS: The American Prize ERNST BACON MEMORIAL AWARD for the PERFORMANCE of AMERICAN MUSIC, YOUTH division, 2019-20

Michael Isadore
John Foster Dulles HS Honors Orchestra
Sugar Land  TX
Supermaximum (Kenji Bunch)  

Dr. Michael G. Martin 
Hilliard Darby Symphonic Choir
Hilliard OH
Great God Almighty; Angelus Ad Virginem; Peace Like a River   (Stacey G. Gibbs/ Carol Barnett/ Mack Wilberg)

Kelly Waltrip
Denver Young Artists Orchestra
Denver CO
Wes Kenney, conductor
Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman #4 (Joan Tower)



***

We invite semi-finalists to make the most of their selection by announcing it on their facebook page, tweeting the news, and including a link to this announcement on their website or blog.

Here is a sample announcement:

"Great News! I've just been selected as a semi-finalist in the (blank) division of The American Prize ERNST BACON MEMORIAL AWARD for the PERFORMANCE of AMERICAN MUSIC, 2018-19. Here's the link: (copy link here). The American Prize will be announcing finalists in my division soon. You can learn more about this prestigious national competition here: www.theamericanprize.org or follow the news on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-American-Prize-celebrating-American-excellence-in-the-arts/214320622728 or Twitter: https://twitter.com/americanprize "

Please feel free to modify or expand this announcement to suit your needs.

Congratulations to all semi-finalists.

Semi-finalists (soloists): ERNST BACON Memorial Award for the Performance of American Music, 2019-20

Ernst Bacon

The American Prize National Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts, David Volosin Katz, founder and chief judge, is pleased to announce SEMI-FINALISTS for the ERNST BACON MEMORIAL AWARD for the PERFORMANCE of AMERICAN MUSIC, 2019-20, in the solo division. Congratulations! (A separate announcement will be made in the ensemble division tomorrow afternoon, February 7, 2019.)

Among the many contests of The American Prize, the Ernst Bacon Memorial Award for the Performance of American Music is unique. It recognizes and rewards the best performances of American music by ensembles and individual artists worldwide, based on submitted recordings. Applications are accepted from professional, college/university, community and high school age solo artists, chamber ensembles or conducted ensembles, competing in separate divisions, and from composers with excellent recordings of their works. Beginning in 2017-18, categories were expanded to encompass performances of American music in practically any instrumentation or genre, with very few repertoire restrictions.

Focused exclusively on works by American composers from any period and in any style, the contest not only judges performances, but in the case of new or unfamiliar works, the music itself.

Ernst Bacon (1898—1990) was one of that pioneering generation of composers who, along with Thomson, Copland, Harris, and others, found a voice for American music. Winner of a Pulitzer Scholarship (for his Symphony in D minor) and no fewer than three Guggenheim Fellowships, Ernst Bacon set out to create compositions that expressed the vitality and affirmative spirit of our country. It is fitting, and with honor, that The American Prize creates an annual award in the memory of Ernst Bacon, recognizing the finest performances of American orchestral music worldwide. To learn more about the music & legacy of Ernst Bacon, please visit the website of the Ernst Bacon Society.

As the contests unfold, finalists, runners-up and winners will be selected from this list. To know the exact date when finalists will be announced, please like our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter #AmericanPrize, where that information will be published first.

All contestants are reminded they are responsible for the viability of their online links to audition materials. Those links must remain active until the end of the contest year. Questions, or to make us aware of any misprints in the listings below, please email: theamericanprize@gmail.com

We invite semi-finalists to make the most of their selection by announcing it on social media, and including a link to this announcement on their website or blog. A sample announcement may be found at the end of the post.


NATIONAL SEMI-FINALISTS: The American Prize ERNST BACON MEMORIAL AWARD for the PERFORMANCE of AMERICAN MUSIC, semi-finalists, PROFESSIONAL soloists or composers, 2019-20

Aaron Alter
NM Performing Arts Society and The Santa Fe Women's Ensemble    
Santa Fe  NM       
Lo Lanu Ha-Shem

Cayla Bellamy
Cedar Falls  IA       
Jazz Variations, Elegy and Dance, Deep           

Lisa  Bryce
Brooklyn  NY       
Kiss Me Not Goodbye Po'moner, Litany, Compensation

Luke  Carlson
Aether Eos            
New York  NY      
Last Light

Hyunjung Rachel Chung
Roswell  GA       
My Cherished Garden       

Alice Anne Light
Lubbock  TX       
Abide with Me: 5 Songs of Love (Price Walden)      

Susan Merdinger            
Highland Park  IL       
Pieces of China; Ballade in F-sharp minor; Piano Sonata; Toccata (Gould/Vazquez/Copland)    

Robert G. Patterson            
Rhodes College Mastersingers, Coro Rio, Memphis Symphony      
MemphisTN       
Requiem

Megan Roth
Boston MA       
Another Reason Why I Don't Keep a Gun in the House

Kurt Sander  PaTRAM Institute Singers 
Chicago IL       
The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom           

Jackie Schiffer
New York  NY    
The Great American Songbook

Neil  Stipp
Glendora  CA       
Sonata for Clarinet and Organ       

Nolan Stolz
Brno Philharmonic     
Brno   Czechoslovakia    
Lincoln Highway Suite      

Shiwei Wan 
APEX 
Boston MA       
Chemical Emotions      

Ann Marie Wilcox-Daehn            
Springfield  MO       
Songs to the Moon (Heggie)          

Heidi Louise Williams
Tallahassee  FL       
Sonata for Piano, Op. 26 (Barber)     



NATIONAL SEMI-FINALISTS: The American Prize ERNST BACON MEMORIAL AWARD for the PERFORMANCE of AMERICAN MUSIC, semi-finalists, COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY soloists or composers, 2019-20

Lindsay Bronnenkant
Ann Arbor MI       
Prayer of the Burdened   

Cassidy Dixon
Newark DE       
Knoxville: Summer of 1915 (Barber)      

Martin Hebel
CCM Wind Ensemble     
CincinnatiOH       
Tides Within 
Dr. Terence G. Milligan, conductor        

Annika Huprikar
Deerfield IL       
Ballade in F minor; Arabesque; Olympus

Young Jun Lee 
New Threat Saxophone Quartet
New York  NY       
Tsunami  

Zachary Ploeger
Tempe  AZ       
Sonata for Trumpet and Piano 

Matt  Ridge
Bloomington  IN       
Small Talk (A Portrait of Social Skepticism) 


***

We invite semi-finalists to make the most of their selection by announcing it on their facebook page, tweeting the news, and including a link to this announcement on their website or blog.

Here is a sample announcement:

"Great News! I've just been selected as a semi-finalist in the (blank) division of The American Prize ERNST BACON MEMORIAL AWARD for the PERFORMANCE of AMERICAN MUSIC, 2018-19. Here's the link: (copy link here). The American Prize will be announcing finalists in my division soon. You can learn more about this prestigious national competition here: www.theamericanprize.org or follow the news on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-American-Prize-celebrating-American-excellence-in-the-arts/214320622728 or Twitter: https://twitter.com/americanprize "

Please feel free to modify or expand this announcement to suit your needs.

Congratulations to all semi-finalists.

Semi-finalists: MUSICAL THEATER COMPANIES, 2019-20

Marilyn Miller, 1920s Broadway star

The American Prize National Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts, David Volosin Katz, founder and chief judge, is pleased to announce NATIONAL SEMI-FINALIST musical theater companies for 2019-20. Congratulations!

As the contests unfold, finalists, runners-up and winners will be selected from this list. To know the exact date when finalists will be announced, please like our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter #AmericanPrize, where that information will be published first.

All contestants are reminded they are responsible for the viability of their online links to audition materials. Those links must remain active until the end of the contest year. Questions, or to make us aware of any misprints in the listings below, please email: theamericanprize@gmail.com

The American Prize National Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts is the nation's most comprehensive series of contests in the performing arts, unique in scope and structure. Founded in 2010, contestants hail from all fifty states, representing literally hundreds of communities and arts organizations across the nation. 

We invite semi-finalists to make the most of their selection by announcing it social media, and including a link to this announcement on their website or blog. A sample announcement may be found at the end of the post.

NATIONAL SEMI-FINALISTS: The American Prize in Musical Theater Performance, 2019-20

Belmont University
School of Music       
Nancy Allen                
Nashville  TN 
Side Show
                                   
Denison University                   
Belinda Andrews-Smith        
Granville  OH   
Chicago                                 

Bob Jones University                 
Dr. Darren P. Lawson               
Greenville  SC       
Titanic     

Schwob School of Music
Columbus State University
Joshua May  
Columbus   GA     
Speed Dating Tonight                       

University of Wisconsin—Madison          
David Ronis                
Madison  WI  
Into the Woods
 
***

We invite semi-finalists to make the most of their selection by announcing it on social media, and including a link to this announcement on their website or blog.

Here is a sample announcement:

"Great News! I've just been selected as a semi-finalist in the (blank) division of The American Prize national non-profit competitions in the performing arts. Here's the link: (copy link here). The American Prize will be announcing finalists in my division soon. You can learn more about this prestigious national competition here: www.theamericanprize.org or follow the news on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-American-Prize-celebrating-American-excellence-in-the-arts/214320622728 or Twitter: https://twitter.com/americanprize "

Please feel free to modify or expand this announcement to suit your needs.

Congratulations to all semi-finalists.

Semi-finalists: OPERA COMPANIES, 2019-20

Enrico Caruso at Canio in I Pagliacci

The American Prize National Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts, David Volosin Katz, chief judge, is pleased to announce NATIONAL SEMI-FINALIST opera ensembles for 2019-20. Congratulations!

As the contests unfold, finalists, runners-up and winners will be selected from this list. To know the exact date when finalists will be announced, please like our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter #AmericanPrize, where that information will be published first.

All contestants are reminded they are responsible for the viability of their online links to audition materials. Those links must remain active until the end of the contest year. Questions, or to make us aware of any misprints in the listings below, please email: theamericanprize@gmail.com

The American Prize National Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts is the nation's most comprehensive series of contests in the performing arts, unique in scope and structure. Founded in 2010, contestants hail from all fifty states, representing literally hundreds of communities and arts organizations across the nation.    

We invite semi-finalists to make the most of their selection by announcing it on social media, and including a link to this announcement on their website or blog. A sample announcement may be found at the end of the post.


NATIONAL SEMI-FINALISTS: The American Prize in Opera Performance—professional division, 2019-20

Heartland Opera      
Rachel M. Harris
Joplin  MO      
La Boheme           

Queen City Opera     
Isaac Selya
Cincinnati OH
Iolanta    
          
Pacific Opera Project
Josh Shaw 
Los Angeles  CA
Madame Butterfly / Magic Flute 

 
NATIONAL SEMI-FINALISTS: The American Prize in Opera Performance—college/university division,  2019-20

Arizona State University Music Theatre    
Brian DeMaris              
Tempe    AZ 
Mass (Bernstein)
                   
University of South Dakota Opera     
Tracelyn Gesteland            
Vermillion  SD     
The Consul               

Stony Brook University    
Brenda Harris
Stony Brook  NY   
Dido and Aeneas                 

University of Missouri
Rachel M. Harris
Kansas City  MO         
La Finta Giardiniera           

Michigan State University Opera Theatre   
Melanie Helton
East Lansing  MI  
Die Fledermaus                  

Michigan State University Opera Theatre   
Melanie Helton
East Lansing   MI     
La Scala di Seta / Gianni Schicchi               

University of NC at Greensboro
David Holley
Greensboro  NC        
Falstaff            

Eklund Opera
University of Colorado       
Leigh Holman
Boulder  CO        
Eugene Onegin            

Schwob School of Music
Columbus State University   
Joshua May  
Columbus   GA        
Cendrillon              

Turner-Fischer Center for Opera at
Louisiana State University   
Dugg McDonough            
Baton Rouge  LA      
Elizabeth Cree (Puts)              

University of Wisconsin—Madison           
David Ronis
Madison    WI      
L’incoronazione di Poppea

Moores Opera Center
University of Houston       
Buck Ross 
Houston    TX    
School for Scandal (Nelson / Ross)               

The Crane School of Music   
SUNY Potsdam        
Kirk Severtson            
Potsdam    NY
MAYO (Cipullo)                     

Purchase Opera
SUNY Purchase      
Margaret Vignola              
Purchase   NY   
Confession / Suor Angelica / Gianni Schicchi                 

Lawrence University  
Copeland Woodruff             
Appleton   WI   
Mass (Bernstein)   


***

We invite semi-finalists to make the most of their selection by announcing it on social media, and including a link to this announcement on their website or blog.

Here is a sample announcement:

"Great News! Our ensemble has just been selected as a semi-finalist in the (blank) division of The American Prize national non-profit competitions in the performing arts. Here's the link: (copy link here). The American Prize will be announcing finalists in the division soon. You can learn more about this prestigious national competition here: www.theamericanprize.org or follow the news on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-American-Prize-celebrating-American-excellence-in-the-arts/214320622728 or Twitter: https://twitter.com/americanprize "

Please feel free to modify or expand this announcement to suit your needs.

Congratulations to all semi-finalists.


  

Semi-finalists: ORCHESTRAS, 2019-20

(This listing was revised 2/21/20 to correct a clerical error.—DK)

The American Prize National Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts, David Volosin Katz, founder and chief judge, is pleased to announce NATIONAL SEMI-FINALIST orchestras for 2019-20 in all categories. Congratulations!

As the contests unfold, finalists, runners-up and winners will be selected from this list. To know the exact date when finalists will be announced, please like our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter #AmericanPrize, where that information will be published first.

All contestants are reminded they are responsible for the viability of their online links to audition materials. Those links must remain active until the end of the contest year. Questions, or to make us aware of any misprints in the listings below, please email: theamericanprize@gmail.com

The American Prize National Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts is the nation's most comprehensive series of contests in the performing arts, unique in scope and structure. Founded in 2010, contestants hail from all fifty states, representing literally hundreds of communities and arts organizations across the nation.  

We invite semi-finalists to make the most of their selection by announcing it on their facebook page, tweeting the news, and including a link to this announcement on their website or blog. A sample announcement may be found at the end of the post.


NATIONAL SEMI-FINALISTS: The American Prize in Orchestral Performance—professional division, 2019-20

Jason  Lim
McKinney Philharmonic
McKinney TX

Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra         
Matthew Scinto 
Harwich Port  MA     

Missouri Symphony Orchestra        
Ji Hyun Yim, guest conductor
Columbia  MO     
Kirk Trevor, music director

 
NATIONAL SEMI-FINALISTS: The American Prize in Orchestral Performance—college/university division,  2019-20

Miami University Symphony Orchestra     
Ricardo Averbach
Oxford   OH      University

OSU Symphony Orchestra 
Dr. Thomas  Dickey 
Stillwater   OK     

William & Mary Symphony Orchestra  
David Grandis
Williamsburg VA    

Baylor University Symphony Orchestra        
Stephen Heyde  
Waco    TX     

Davidson College Symphony Orchestra
Tara Villa Keith  
Davidson NC     

Sacramento State Symphony Orchestra
Ryan Murray 
Sacramento   CA    

University of Washington Symphony Orchestra  
David A. Rahbee 
Seattle  WA     

University of Kansas Symphony Orchestra 
Carolyn Watson 
Lawrence KS 



NATIONAL SEMI-FINALISTS: The American Prize in Orchestral Performance—community orchestra division, 2019-20

Lake Geneva Symphony Orchestra     
David Anderson
Lake Geneva  WI     

Clark College Orchestra
Donald L. Appert 
Vancouver WA     

Texas Medical Center Orchestra     
Patricia Brown  
Houston  TX    
Libi Lebel, conductor      

Arlington Philharmonic Orchestra   
Orlando Cela
ArlingtonMA     

Carlisle Chamber Orchestra         
Kathleen Chick  
Carlisle MA     
Alan Yost, conductor        

Seattle Collaborative Orchestra    
Anna Edwards
Seattle  WA     

Williamson County Symphony Orchestra
John B. Gordon 
Round Rock   TX     
Dr. Thomas Rainey, conductor      

Los Angeles Doctors Symphony       
Andrew  Hasel  
Los Angeles  CA     
Ivan Shulman, conductor    

Midwest Philharmonic Orchestra     
Taka Matsunaga          
Schaumburg   IL     

Poway Symphonette  
Ulli Reiner 
Poway  CA

Waynesboro Symphony
Charles Salembier          
Waynesboro   VA     
Peter Wilson, conductor

Parthenon Chamber Orchestra        
David P. Sartor 
NashvilleTN     

South Texas Symphonic Orchestra    
Nancy Scarsdale          
San Antonio  TX     
Dr. Ronnie Sanders, conductor       

Detroit Medical Orchestra          
Sydney  Schaaf 
Detroit  MI     
Zeljko Milicevic, conductor 



NATIONAL SEMI-FINALISTS: The American Prize in Orchestral Performance—youth orchestra division, 2019-20

All About Music San Diego          
Mary Gerard 
San Diego  CA     

Houston Youth Symphony 
Sarah D. Loudermilk         
Houston  TX     
Michael Webster, conductor  

Denver Young Artists Orchestra     
Kelly   Waltrip
Denver   CO     
Wes Kenney, conductor

Elite Academy for Strings Chamber  
Michael Shane Wittenburg         
Engelwood Cliffs  NJ    



NATIONAL SEMI-FINALISTS: The American Prize in Orchestral Performance—high school orchestra division, 2019-20

Sartartia HS Symphony Orchestra    
Sophia  Hsien  
Sugar Land   TX     

Beckman HS String Orchestra        
Jim Kollias
Irvine   CA     

Denver School of the Arts Orchestra
Enrique Lasansky
Denver   CO     

Seven Lakes HS Symphony Orchestra  
Desiree Overree
Katy  TX     

Seven Lakes HS Sinfonia Orchestra  
Desiree Overree
Katy  TX     

Stephen F. Austin Camerata         
Ann Victor 
Sugar Land  TX     



***

We invite semi-finalists to make the most of their selection by announcing it on social media, and including a link to this announcement on their website or blog.

Here is a sample announcement:

"Great News! Our ensemble has just been selected as a semi-finalist in the (blank) division of The American Prize national non-profit competitions in the performing arts. Here's the link: (copy link here). The American Prize will be announcing finalists in the division soon. You can learn more about this prestigious national competition here: www.theamericanprize.org or follow the news on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-American-Prize-celebrating-American-excellence-in-the-arts/214320622728 or Twitter: https://twitter.com/americanprize "

Please feel free to modify or expand this announcement to suit your needs.

Congratulations to all semi-finalists.


  

Semi-finalists: CHORUSES. 2019-20

The American Prize National Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts, David Volosin Katz, founder and chief judge, is pleased to announce NATIONAL SEMI-FINALIST choruses for 2019-20 in all categories. Congratulations!

As the contests unfold, finalists, runners-up and winners will be selected from this list. To know the exact date when finalists will be announced, please like our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter #AmericanPrize, where that information will be published first.

All contestants are reminded they are responsible for the viability of their online links to audition materials. Those links must remain active until the end of the contest year. Questions, or to make us aware of any misprints in the listings below, please email: theamericanprize@gmail.com

We invite semi-finalists to make the most of their selection by announcing it on social media, and including a link to this announcement on their website or blog. A sample announcement may be found at the end of the post.


NATIONAL SEMI-FINALISTS: The American Prize in Choral Performance—professional division, 2019-20

mirabai  
Sandra Snow, conductor
East Lansing MI 

Dallas Chamber Choir  
Jon L. Culpepper    
Dallas TX   

Madison Choral Project 
Albert Pinsonneault 
Madison  WI   


NATIONAL SEMI-FINALISTS: The American Prize in Choral Performance—college/university division,  2019-20

East Carolina University Chamber Singers  
James Franklin     
Greenville   NC   

USD Chamber Singers
David Holdhusen    
Vermillion   SD   

Western Oregon Voices  
James Reddan 
Monmouth  OR   

Western Oregon University Chamber Singers 
James Reddan 
Monmouth  OR   

Baylor A Cappella Choir
Dr. Brian A. Schmidt
Waco  TX   

U Mass Chamber Choir   
Tony Thornton     
Amherst  MA   

Western IL University Singers     
Brian J. Winnie 
Macomb IL   


NATIONAL SEMI-FINALISTS: The American Prize in Choral Performance—community division, 2019-20

Manassas Chorale 
Eileen M. Daniels
Manassas VA 
Rebecca D. Verner, conductor

The Helios Ensemble
Benjamin Hansen 
Tucson AZ   

San Francisco Choral Artists 
Michael Kaulkin
San Francisco  CA 
Meagen Solomon, conductor

Baltimore Choral Arts Society   
Julia D. Malecki
Baltimore   MD  A
nthony Blake Clark, conductor  

Una Voce—The Michael Martin Chorale 
Dr. Michael G. Martin 
Hilliard OH   

Orpheus Club Men's Chorus    
John J. Palatucci    
Ridgewood    NJ   

Ensemble Companio
Erik Peregrine    
Northeastern US   

Opus 7 Vocal Ensemble  
Loren W. Ponten 
Seattle  WA   

AD HOC BACH  
Nadya Potemkina    
Middletown   CT   

Susquehanna Chorale
Mitchell Sensenig     
Mechanicsburg PA 
Linda Tedford, conductor

Te Deum  
Matthew Shepard
Kansas City  MO   

Illuminati Vocal Arts Ensemble   
Tony Thornton     
Amherst  MA   


NATIONAL SEMI-FINALISTS: The American Prize in Choral Performance—youth division, 2019-20

Angelica Cantanti Treble Singers
Philip Brown  
Bloomington  MN   

Notre Dame Children's Choir  
Dr. Mark Doerries     
Notre Dame   IN   

Parker Elementary School Chorus  
Marianna Parnas-Simpson   
Houston  TX   

South Lebanon Elementary Chorus  
Shawn M. Small  
Lebanon  PA   

Fifth Avenue Falcons   
Shawn M. Small  
Lebanon  PA


NATIONAL SEMI-FINALISTS: The American Prize in Choral Performance—high school division, 2019-20

Goose Creek HS Chamber Choir 
Jordan D. Boyd   
Goose Creek  SC   

Urbandale Singers
Ted Brimeyer     
Urbandale    IA   

Connetquot HS Concert Choir  
Brad Drinkwater   
Bohemia  NY   

Brearley B-Naturals
Karyn Joaquino     
New York NY   

Willard HS Chamber Choir     
Mark Lawley 
Willard  MO   

Hicksville HS Concert Choir  
Michelle Shmuel 
Hicksville   NY   

Hicksville HS Chamber Singers   
Michelle Shmuel 
Hicksville   NY   

Hilliard Darby Symphonic Choir   
Hannah Sterman-Wilson   
Hilliard OH 
Dr. Michael G. Martin, conductor

Centennial HS A Cappella Choir   
Francis Vu 
Frisco TX   
 

***

We invite semi-finalists to make the most of their selection by announcing it on social media, and including a link to this announcement on their website or blog.

Here is a sample announcement:

"Great News! Our ensemble has just been selected as a semi-finalist in the (blank) division of The American Prize national non-profit competitions in the performing arts. Here's the link: (copy link here). The American Prize will be announcing finalists in the division soon. You can learn more about this prestigious national competition here: www.theamericanprize.org or follow the news on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-American-Prize-celebrating-American-excellence-in-the-arts/214320622728 or Twitter: https://twitter.com/americanprize "

Please feel free to modify or expand this announcement to suit your needs.

Congratulations to all semi-finalists.


  

Semi-finalists: BANDS / WIND ENSEMBLES, 2019-20

The American Prize National Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts, David Volosin Katz, founder and chief judge, is pleased to announce SEMI-FINALIST bands/wind ensembles for 2019-20. Congratulations!

As the contests unfold, finalists, runners-up and winners will be selected from this list. To know the exact date when finalists will be announced, please like our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter #AmericanPrize, where that information will be published first.

All contestants are reminded they are responsible for the viability of their online links to audition materials. Those links must remain active until the end of the contest year. Questions, or to make us aware of any misprints in the listings below, please email: theamericanprize@gmail.com

We invite semi-finalists to make the most of their selection by announcing it on their facebook page, tweeting the news, and including a link to this announcement on their website or blog. A sample announcement may be found at the end of the post.


SEMI-FINALISTS: The American Prize in Band/Wind Ensemble Performance—college/university division,  2019-20

NEC Symphonic Winds
William Drury                
Boston   MA                  

Texas A&M Kingsville Wind Symphony  
Scott Jones               
Kingsville  TX                  

Liberty University Wind Symphony     
Dr. Stephen Kerr
Lynchburg  VA                  

UNLV Wind Orchestra
Thomas G. Leslie
Las Vegas  NV                  

William & Mary Wind Ensemble         
Richard Marcus               
Williamsburg VA                  

University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Wind Orchestra     
Devin Otto
Oshkosh  WI                  

University of Delaware Wind Ensemble      
Lauren Reynolds             
Newark   DE                  


SEMI-FINALISTS: The American Prize in Band/Wind Ensemble Performance—community division, 2019-20

The Allentown Band 
Ronald Demkee      
Allentown  PA

Boulder Concert Band
Marilyn R. Kroner               
Boulder  CO

Connecticut Flute Orchestra          
Nadya Potemkina            
Middletown  CT



SEMI-FINALISTS: The American Prize in Band/Wind Ensemble Performance—high school division, 2019-20

Cuthbertson Blue Note Winds         
Todd Ebert                
Waxhaw   NC                   

James Bowie Wind Symphony            
Rumaldo Solis                
Arlington TX                   

Rivera Wind Ensemble
Alex R. Torres               
Brownsville  TX                 


***

We invite semi-finalists to make the most of their selection by announcing it on social media, and including a link to this announcement on their website or blog.

Here is a sample announcement:

"Great News! Our ensemble has just been selected as a semi-finalist in the (blank) division of The American Prize national non-profit competitions in the performing arts. Here's the link: (copy link here). The American Prize will be announcing finalists in the division soon. You can learn more about this prestigious national competition here: www.theamericanprize.org or follow the news on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-American-Prize-celebrating-American-excellence-in-the-arts/214320622728 or Twitter: https://twitter.com/americanprize "

Please feel free to modify or expand this announcement to suit your needs.

Congratulations to all semi-finalists.


  

Semi-finalists STAGE DIRECTORS (The Charles Nelson Reilly Prize), 2019-20

CNR in "The Life of Reilly"

The American Prize National Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts, David Volosin Katz, chief judge, is pleased to announce NATIONAL SEMI-FINALIST stage directors for 2019-20—The Charles Nelson Reilly Prize. Congratulations!

There are two divisions this year—one for opera directors, a second for theater and music theater directors. 

As the contests unfold, finalists, runners-up and winners will be selected from these lists. To know the exact date when finalists will be announced, please like our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter #AmericanPrize, where that information will be published first.

Charles Nelson Reilly was a Tony Award-winning actor and Broadway stage director, and an acclaimed opera director and teacher. Far more than the zany television personality by which he was most often identified, Reilly nurtured the creation of a whole series of unique one-person stage plays. Most famously, he directed Julie Harris in her Tony Award-winning star turn in "The Belle of Amherst", on the life and poetry of Emily Dickinson. Among Reilly's many Broadway directing credits were Ira Levinʼs "Break a Leg", Larry Shueʼs "The Nerd", and the revival of "The Gin Game", starring Julie Harris and Charles Durning, for which Mr. Reilly was the sole American director to be nominated for a Tony in 1997. Mr. Reillyʼs career as an opera director included productions for Chicago Opera Theater, Dallas Opera, San Diego Opera, Palm Beach Opera, Toledo Opera, Milwaukee Opera and Opera Pacific. Charles Nelson Reilly and The American Prize chief judge David Katz were friends for three decades, first meeting through their mutual Hartford voice teacher, Mrs. Friedrich Schorr. Mr. Reilly served as honorary chairperson of the Friedrich Schorr Memorial Performance Prize in Voice from the competition's founding in 1990, until his death. To read more about the career of Charles Nelson Reilly, please click here.

All contestants are reminded they are responsible for the viability of their online links to audition materials. Those links must remain active until the end of the contest year. Questions, or to make us aware of any misprints in the listings below, please email: theamericanprize@gmail.com

Please make us aware of any misprints in the listings below by emailing: theamericanprize@gmail.com

We invite semi-finalists to make the most of their selection by announcing it on social media, and including a link to this announcement on their website or blog. A sample announcement may be found at the end of the post.
 

NATIONAL SEMI-FINALISTS: The American Prize in Directing—The Charles Nelson Reilly Prize, 2019-20, theater/musical theater division

Belinda Andrews-Smith        
Denison University 
Granville OH         
Chicago        

Geoffrey Arndt
Saint Patrick Summer Theatre           
Chicago  IL       
Sweeney Todd

Geoffrey Arndt
Saint Patrick High School      
Chicago  IL       
We All Rise Above

Katharine Clarke
Endicott College   
Beverly  MA                    
Shrek the Musical     

Ellen Denham
Texas A&M University—Corpus Christi Opera 
Corpus Christi  TX    
Pinstripe Harry's Tearoom Cabaret        

Lori Lane
Artios Academies of Greenville       
Greenville SC       
Jane Eyre the Musical      

Dr Darren P. Lawson
Bob Jones University
Greenville SC         
Titanic: The Musical  

Joshua May
Schwob School of Music—Columbus State University    
Columbus GA                    
Speed Dating Tonight!

David Ronis
University of Wisconsin—Madison          
Madison  WI         
Into The Woods             

David Schwingle            
Bob Jones University
Greenville SC    
King Lear



NATIONAL SEMI-FINALISTS: The American Prize in Directing—The Charles Nelson Reilly Prize, 2019-20, opera division 

Dean Anthony              
SUNY Potsdam—Crane School of Music   
Potsdam  NY                
MAYO (Cipullo)

Melinda Brou
Texas A&M University—Kingsville          
Kingsville TX                    
The Merry Widow       

Marc Callahan             
Wingate University 
Chapel Hill  NC                    
Help, Help, the Globolinks!  (Menotti)           

Marc Callahan             
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill  NC         
One Who Says Yes (Der Jasager) (Weill)         

Marc Callahan             
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill  NC         
Alcina (Handel)

Ellen Denham
Texas A&M University—Corpus Christi  
Corpus Christi             TX                    
Pinocchio  (Mozart/Collodi/Caraher)           

Tracelyn Gesteland            
University of South Dakota Opera     
Vermillion  SD         
The Consul            

Brenda  Harris
Stony Brook University—Stony Brook Opera  
Stony Brook  NY        
Il Re Pastore (Mozart)         

Rachel M. Harris
Heartland Opera    
Joplin   MO                    
La Boheme   

Rachel M. Harris
University of Missouri
Kansas City  MO         
La Finta Giardiniera (Mozart)

Rachel M. Harris
Loyola University
New Orleans  LA    
New Orleans  LA         
Cendrillon  (Massenet)        

Melanie Helton
Michigan State University Opera Theatre   
East Lansing  MI                    
Die Fledermaus        

Melanie Helton
Michigan State University Opera Theatre   
East Lansing  MI                    
La Scala di Seta (Rossini)

David Holley
University of NC—Greensboro
Greensboro NC                    
Falstaff              

Dr. Leigh Holman
University of Colorado Boulder       
Boulder  CO         
Eugene Onegin         

Joshua  May
Schwob School of Music—Columbus State University  
Columbus GA         
Cendrillon (Viradot) 

Dugg McDonough            
Turner-Fischer Center for Opera at Louisiana State University  
Baton Rouge LA         
Elizabeth Cree (Puts)       

Brandon McShaffrey           
Temple University  
Philadelphia  PA                    
Il ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria  (Monteverdi)         

David Ronis
University of Wisconsin—Madison          
Madison  WI         
L'incoronazione di Poppea (Monteverdi)

Josh Shaw
Pacific Opera Project
Los Angeles CA         
Madama Butterfly     

Margaret Vignola              
Purchase Opera, Conservatory of  Music—SUNY    
Purchase NY         
Jacque Trussel director     
Confession, Suor Angelica, Gianni Schicchi       

Copland Woodruff             
Lawrence University
Appleton WI         
Mass (Bernstein)


***

We invite semi-finalists to make the most of their selection by announcing it on social media, and including a link to this announcement on their website or blog.

Here is a sample announcement:

"Great News! I've just been selected as a semi-finalist in the (blank) division of The American Prize national non-profit competitions in the performing arts. Here's the link: (copy link here). The American Prize will be announcing finalists in my division soon. You can learn more about this prestigious national competition here: www.theamericanprize.org or follow the news on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-American-Prize-celebrating-American-excellence-in-the-arts/214320622728 or Twitter: https://twitter.com/americanprize "

Please feel free to modify or expand this announcement to suit your needs.

Congratulations to all semi-finalists.