Twelve finalists and a record 22 Fellows were selected from the largest pool of applicants – and one of the most talented – in the Claudette Sorel Piano Competition and Piano Fellows Program hosted by the Fredonia School of Music.
The event’s fifth year attracted 69 submissions from young pianists, 15 to 18 years of age, who represented 17 U.S. states, as well as a record six foreign countries – Canada, China, Indonesia, South Korea, Spain and Ukraine.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, this year’s competition transitioned to an online format.
Finalists who will advance to the virtual final round, to be held on Nov. 8, include: Colin Chang, 16 (Toronto, Ontario); Eric Guo, 18 (Toronto, Ontario); Ariel Gurevich, 16 (New York, N.Y.); Marco Jimenez, 17 (St. Petersburg, Fla.); Tanner Jorden, 18 (Billings, Mont); James Kim, 17 (Lexington, Mass.); KangHyun Kim, 16 (Seoul, South Korea); Adrian King, 17 (Silverdale, Wash.); Tiffany Koo, 18 (San Marino, Calif.); Katherine Liu, 15 (Wellesley, Mass.); Alyssa Xu, 15 (Plainsboro, N.J.) and Elizabeth Zhang, 16 (Andover, Mass.).
Due to COVID-19, this year's final round will be a stream of submitted videos from the 12 finalists. First prize is a $2,500 cash award and copy of judges’ written notes. Additional $1,250 cash awards and recognitions may also be given at the discretion of the judges.
More details on the streaming of the final round will be announced soon by the School of Music.
Fellows who have been invited to participate in an intensive weekend of virtual piano events on Nov. 7 and 8 include: Daniel Benedetti, 18 (Quebec, Canada); Ayushman Choudhury, 17 (Ellington, Conn.); Amy Feng, 16 (Pittsford, N.Y.); Abigail Froyshteter, 16 (Deerfield, Ill.); Nelyam Gutierrez Mustelier, 16 (Canarias, Spain); Anna Hsu, 15 (Bellerose, N.Y.); Nathan Jiang, 15 (Downingtown, Pa.); Giorgi Kharchilava, 17 (Getzville, N.Y.); Tony Kim, 15 (Phoenix, Ariz.); Joseph Lee, 16 (Carlsbad, Calif.); Jade Lu, 15 (Los Altos, Calif.); Roni Mikhaylov, 17 (Jamaica, N.Y.);
Also, Angela Suet Kee Ng, 16 (Manitoba, Canada); Bryden Reeves, 15 (Tallahassee, Fla.); Owen Reyda, 15 (Westfield, N.Y.); Madison Sheffield, 15 (Youngstown, Ohio); Sebastian Stern, 16 (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.); Meghan Tan, 17 (Westford, Mass.); Angela Tsang, 17 (San Jose, Calif.); Christine Watts, 16 (Sunnyvale, Calif.); Marie Wurtz, 16 (New York, N.Y.); Megan Yim, 17 (San Ramon, Calif.) and Vanessa Yu, 18 (Ontario, Canada).
The online format enabled the School of Music to substantially increase the number of invited fellows. There were four fellows last year, the first year the program was offered. Finalists and Fellows are selected from the same pool of candidates.
Fredonia piano faculty members Assistant Professor Eliran Avni (competition director), Professor Fr. Sean Duggan, Lecturer Anne Kissel and Assistant Professor Nick Weiser will serve as final round judges.
The competition is made possible thanks to generous support from The Sorel Organization, Inc., through the Fredonia College Foundation.
