Young Concert Artists has announced four first-place winners in its 2009 International Auditions: pianist Charlie Albright (21, U.S.); violinist Caroline Goulding (17, U.S.); flutist Aleksandr Haskin (26, Belarussia); and mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnson (25, U.S.). The four were selected from ten semifinalists who performed at the audition finals held on November 21 at the 92nd Street Y in New York City. Each first-prize winner will join the YCA roster and make recital debuts at the 2010-11 Young Concert Artists Series in New York City; at the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater in Washington, D.C.; and at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. Jury members for the final auditions were violinists Pamela Frank; pianists Gary Graffman and Jeffrey Swan; clarinetist Todd Palmer; cellists Fred Sherry; violist Scott Nickrenz; violinist/conductor Scott Yoo; conductor James Sinclair; soprano Irene Gubrud; baritone Christopheren Nomura; and chairman Susan Wadsworth. Previous YCA winners include soprano Dawn Upshaw, pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet, and the St. Lawrence and Borromeo string quartets. Young Concert Artists was founded in 1961 to discover and launch the careers of young musicians.
Posted December 1, 2009
Photo of Caroline Goulding by Kim Ponsky
