2009 Johansen International Competition

Sponsored by The Friday Morning Music Club Foundation

Frank Conlon, Director

Alice Berman, Executive Administrator

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The Fifth Triennial Johansen International Competition for Young String Players (ages 13–17 years) was held at the Sumner School Museum at 17th & M Streets, NW, Washington, DC, on March 12–14, 2009. Some of the most gifted young string players in the world performed at the Semi-Finals and Finals, which were open to the public. The winners will be presented in a series of concerts during the upcoming 2009–2010 season. Click here for more details.

 

2009 Prize Winners


Violins

  • First Prize – $10,000 – Nancy Zhou, age 16, student of Jaime Laredo and Long Zhou, from San Antonio, Texas.
  • Second Prize – $7,000 – Jae-Hyeong Lee, age 16, student of Nam-yun Kim at Korean National University of Arts; from Seoul, Korea.
  • Third Prize – $5,000 – Yerang Kim, age 15, student of Aaron Rosand at Curtis Institute of Music; from Seoul, Korea.


Violas

  • First Prize – $10,000 – Matthew Lipman, age 17, student of Roland Vamos at Music Institute of Chicago; from Chicago, Illinois.
  • Second Prize – $7,000 – Yifei Deng, age 16, student of Li Sheng at Music Middle School Affiliated with the Shanghai Conservatory; from Shanghai, China.
  • No Third Prize Viola awarded.


Cellos

  • First Prize – $10,000 – Sang Eun Lee, age 15, student of Myung-Wha Chung at Korean National University of Arts; from Seoul, Korea.
  • Second Prize – $7,000 – Gabriel Cabezas, age 16, student of Hans Jensen at Music Institute of Chicago; from Chicago, Illinois.
  • Third Prize – $5,000 – Matthew Allen, age 17, student of Greg Sauer at Florida State University; from Tallahassee, Florida.


Best Performance of Commissioned Work, “Scherzo,” by Lenny Williams
Nancy Zhou, age 16, student of Jaime Laredo and Long Zhou; from San Antonio, Texas.

 

For information on the 12 Finalists, click here. For information on the 30 Semi-Finalists, click here.

Details on the competition events are available here. Also see the 2009 JIC program. Prizes included $66,000 in cash awards plus performance opportunities that may include a Winners' Recital in Washington, DC. In addition, there may be solo appearances with such orchestras as the Gettysburg Chamber Orchestra, the Prince George's Philharmonic, the FMMC Orchestra, or an appearance at the London Master Classes. Winners also receive a full-tuition scholarship to attend the Young Artist Division of the Brevard Music Center Summer Institute and Festival in North Carolina, plus five years of complimentary student membership in the Friday Morning Music Club.

 

Prizes

   First Prize
Second Prize Third Prize
Violin   $10,000
$7,000 $5,000
Viola
  $10,000
$7,000 $5,000
Cello
  $10,000
$7,000 $5,000

 

 

 

 

2009 Judges

Pamela Frank, violin; Atar Arad, viola; Ralph Kirshbaum, cello

 

2009 Official Pianists

Akira Eguchi, Eri Kang

 

Eligibility and Requirements

  • Students of violin, viola, or cello, ages 13 through 17 years: Applicants must be neither younger than 13 nor older than 17 as of March 14, 2009. A copy of the applicant's passport or birth certificate is required.
  • Applicants must not be under professional management
  • Applicants must pay a nonrefundable $75 application fee

Important Dates

  • December 1, 2008: Postmark deadline for sending application packet and audition CD
  • January 2009: CD auditions held and semi-finalists notified
  • March 2009: Competition Dates
    o Rehearsal: March 11, 2009
    o Semi-Finals: March 12-13, 2009
    o Finals: March 14, 2009

Repertoire Requirements

  1. One unaccompanied work of Johann Sebastian Bach: a sonata, partita, or suite for violin, viola (transcribed), or cello.
  2. One sonata with piano, from the time of Mozart to the present, originally written for violin, viola or cello and piano. This sonata should demonstrate ensemble skills and musicality. No continuo sonatas or transcriptions from harpsichord are permitted. For example, works by Giuseppe Valentini and Giuseppe Tartini are not acceptable for the sonata category.
  3. One concerto or major work for soloist with orchestra (such as "Rococo Variations" or "Schelomo") by a composer other than Bach and the one chosen for your sonata.
  4. One short work or a movement from a longer work that shows virtuosity.
  5. A new work commissioned for this competition must be performed by all semi-finalists. This work will be sent to semi-finalists in their notification package.

Note: The program for the 2006 Johansen International Competition includes the list of repertoire performed by the semi-finalists and finalists at the 2006 competition.

 

Application Process

For detailed instructions concerning the 2009 competition requirements, see the JIC instruction page.

Printed brochures with applications are also available. To download and print a copy of the application, click here. To request a copy of these printed materials, send an e-mail with your complete name and mailing address to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Teachers and music schools may request bulk copies of these materials for their students. Please specify where you teach and how many copies are desired.

 

Questions?

Contact: Alice Berman, Executive Administrator
email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
phone/fax: 301-946-9531

Note: If you are too old to be eligible for the 2009 Johansen International Competition, you may be eligible for the 2009 Washington International Competition (WIC) for Strings (ages 18 to 28).