20th Anniversary Competition Events
Junior Division - April 12, 2025
Senior Division - April 26, 2025
2024 Prizewinners
Senior Division
QUARTET (TBD)
FIRST PRIZE
violin (City. State)
violin (City. State)
viola (City. State)
cello (City. State)
The Emerson String Quartet has maintained its status as one of the world’s premier chamber music ensembles for more than four decades. The Quartet has made more than 30 acclaimed recordings, and has been honored with nine GRAMMYs® (including two for Best Classical Album), three Gramophone Awards, the Avery Fisher Prize, and Musical America’s “Ensemble of the Year” award. They have worked with some of today’s most esteemed composers to premiere new works, and have partnered with soloists such as Renée Fleming, Barbara Hannigan, Evgeny Kissin, Emanuel Ax, and Yefim Bronfman, to name a few.
QUARTET (TBD)
SECOND PRIZE
violin (City. State)
violin (City. State)
viols (City. State)
cello (City. State)
The Emerson String Quartet has maintained its status as one of the world’s premier chamber music ensembles for more than four decades. The Quartet has made more than 30 acclaimed recordings, and has been honored with nine GRAMMYs® (including two for Best Classical Album), three Gramophone Awards, the Avery Fisher Prize, and Musical America’s “Ensemble of the Year” award. They have worked with some of today’s most esteemed composers to premiere new works, and have partnered with soloists such as Renée Fleming, Barbara Hannigan, Evgeny Kissin, Emanuel Ax, and Yefim Bronfman, to name a few.
Junior Division
ELYSIAN QUARTET
GOLD MEDALISTS, BIPOC PRIZE
Nolan Chang, violin (Chicago, IL)
Kai Isoke Ali-Landing, violin (Melbourne, FL)
Vivian Isabella Van de Sype Cucu, viola (Milwaukee, WI)
Katarina Kenney, cello (Madison, WI)
The Elysian Quartet is comprised of violinists Nolan Chang and
Kai Isoke Ali-Landing, violist Vivian Van de Sype-Cucu, and cellist Katarina Kenney. The quartet is coached by faculty member Claudia Lasareff-Mironoff. “Elysian” is a Greek word that symbolizes beauty, creativity, and divine inspiration. They chose this name with the hope of portraying the celestial and transcendent qualities this name represents in their performances.
QUARTET MERAVIGILA
SILVER MEDALISTS
Elle Cho, violin (Parkridge, IL)
Lauren Kim, violin (Hoffman Estates, IL)
Emily Kim, viola (Arlington Heights, IL)
Lucy Wu, cello (Milwaukee, WI)
Quartet Meraviglia is composed of violinists Lauren Kim, Elle Cho, and Emily Chen, and cellist Lucy Wu. All 4 students are Merit Scholarship fellows at the Music Institute of Chicago’s Academy, a training center for advanced pre-college musicians. Quartet Meraviglia is the overall winner of the 2024 Chicago National Chamber Music Competition in the Open Division and received honorable mention at 2024 A. N. & Pearl G. Barnett Chamber Competition.
ADEL STRING QUARTET
BRONZE MEDALISTS, HAYDN PRIZE
Lerchen Zhong, violin (Austin, TX)
Evelyn Liu, violin (Austin, TX)
Alexander Zhong, viola (Austin, TX)
Adriana Cheng, cello (Austin, TX)
Founded in 2020, the ADEL String Quartet came together as a group of close friends who attend Westwood High School in Austin, TX. ADEL are founding members of the local music organization, Project Melody, where they coordinate bringing ensembles and soloists into senior homes, hospitals and other public spaces, providing free concerts. ADEL members are leaders in their school symphony orchestra and have won positions in both region and all-state orchestras. They were recently featured on From the Top as members of the Westwood Orchestra program, and won best high school orchestra in the State of Texas under the direction of Joshua Thompson. In May of 2023, ADEL won first place for chamber music at the 10th Annual Young Musicians Festival in Austin, and were finalists in UIL chamber music competition 2024, first place in string & piano category. Coached by William Fedkenheuer and Leah Nelson, the ADEL quartet continues to evolve their group dynamic and personal strengths while creating more musical opportunities for the future.