Ten musicians have been named winners of the national 2017 Yamaha Young Performing Artists Competition, open to classical, jazz, and contemporary musicians between 18 and 22 years old. They are Victor Hernandez Ramirez (flute, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic), He Zhang (clarinet, Harbin, China), Hannah Hickman (saxophone, Sheldon, Iowa), Howard Dietz (saxophone, Morgan Hill, Calif.), Michelle Hembree (horn, Boise, Idaho), Altin Sencalar (trombone, Temple, Texas), Cameron Leach (percussion, Hilliard, Ohio), Stephen Morris (drum set, Aliso Viejo, Calif.), Derek Louie (cello, New York, New York), and Nathan Ben-Yehuda (piano, Los Angeles, Calif.). The ten will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana from June 24 to 27, where they will participate in workshops designed to launch a professional music career. They will perform on June 26 and receive a professional recording, as well as photography, of their live performance. Previous winners of the competition include Ricardo Morales, principal clarinet, Philadelphia Orchestra; Carol Jantsch, principal tuba, Philadelphia Orchestra; Leelanee Sterrett, horn, New York Philharmonic; and Conrad Jones, principal trumpet, Indianapolis Symphony. The competition is operated by Yamaha Artist Services Indianapolis in conjunction with the band and orchestral division of Yamaha Corporation of America.
Posted April 25, 2017
