Local musicians win 2021 Young Artist Auditions

COURTESY OF ROCHESTER PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
Stock photo.

The Rochester Philharmonic League, founded in 1929 to support the education and outreach programs of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, has funded its annual Young Artist Auditions for high school musicians since 1955.  

Contestants submitted video files that were viewed remotely by judge panels of professional teachers and performers.  

This year, 46 area students competed for a total of $5,500 in cash awards and scholarships. Ten cash awards, $500 for winners and $200 for runners-up, were offered for female vocalist, male vocalist, strings, piano and instrumental.  

The winners and runners-up from the five award categories then competed for the vocal and instrumental $1,000 college scholarships. The Grand Prize winner — chosen from among the winners in the award categories — has the opportunity for a solo performance with the RPO.  

 All winners will be invited to perform in a free, public recital.  

Pittsford Sutherland High School junior pianist Amy Feng won the Grand Prize, Aldridge-Tinker Scholarship for Instrumentalists, and Mildred and Julius Ness Award for Piano. The Harley School junior Maxwell Sun, who plays the marimba, was runner-up for the Ness Award.  

Wayne Central High School junior Addison Rando, who sings soprano, won the Jan DeGaetani Scholarship for Vocalists. Rando was runner-up for the Tessa Martin Award for Female Vocalists, which was won by Our Lady of Mercy School junior and soprano Emma Grace Wade. Honorable mention went to Julia Tooker, a junior soprano from Penfield High School.  

Pittsford Sutherland junior Daniel Kinney won the Helen and George Greer Instrumental Award on the marimba. Victor Senior High School junior and flutist Abigail Black was named runner-up, and Sun received honorable mention.  

The Nobel Hirsh Award for Male Vocalists went to tenor Seamus Gillis, a junior at Honeoye Falls-Lima High School. Greece Athena High School senior Joshua Schultz, who sings bass/baritone, was named runner-up.  

Hilton High School sophomore Luke Pisani, a violinist, won the Ruth and Sidney Salzman Award for Strings. The runner-up was Charles Loh, a senior violinist at Fayetteville Manlius High School.