SEPTEMBER 10, 2026 | Eastman DMA student Huiping Cai recently received the prestigious Carles & Sofia Victory Award in the Professional Category of the 2026 Carles & Sofia International Piano Competition for her performance of Rachmaninoff. The award recognizes outstanding artistic personality and musical excellence. SEPTEMBER 23, 2025 | Huiping Cai took top prize…
SEPTEMBER 9, 2026 | Congratulations to Eastman DMA student Veniamin Blokh for winning first prize in the Artists Category of the 2026 George Gershwin International Piano Competition, receiving a monetary prize and the opportunity to perform in concerts throughout the United States and abroad. He was also recognized with a Special Prize for Outstanding Performance…
Congratulations to Eastman student Jonathan Miller for having his new brass quintet, Freedom Suite, recently published by American Brass Press. The composition, which was premiered at this year’s Black History Month Recital in Kilbourn Hall, “is a three-movement reflection on the struggles people of African descent in America have faced in pursuit of gaining their freedom,” Miller says. A…
Congratulations to Ian Larkin, from the studio of Professor Andrew McCandless, on winning a position in the trumpet section of the United States Navy Fleet Band following a competitive audition process. As a Navy musician, he will perform at official military ceremonies, public concerts, educational events, parades, and community outreach programs across the United States and around…
Music Education graduate Chenxin Han ’26E (MA), winner of the 2025 Presser Graduate Award, has unveiled her project, Chinese Children’s Songs: An Open-Web Resource. The Presser Foundation’s Graduate Music Award is a prestigious honor that supports exceptional graduate music students with the potential to make distinguished contributions to the field. As an award recipient, Han…
Congratulations to flutist Honor Hickman ’26E (MM) for winning this year’s Tallon Perkes Flute Competition that took place on May 8, 2026, in Hatch Recital Hall. Honor performed Mariposa by Valerie Coleman for her solo piece, in addition to the memorized Mozart concerto exposition and excerpts. All competitors also performed a commissioned etude by composer Evan…
MAY 27, 2026 | Congratulations to Eastman graduate Joel Hoo on being selected as one of three winners of Nova Linea Musica’s NLM Score Call 2025. His composition, This Moment, will premier May 27, 2026 at The Checkout in Chicago, performed by the NLM Piano Trio under the mentorship of Grammy-nominated composer Clarice Assad. Joel recently…
Congratulations to the winners of the 44th Annual Jessie Kneisel Lieder Competition that took place on Friday, May 8 in Kilbourn Hall: 1st place singer: Nicole Khouzami, soprano 1st place pianist (Ann Clark Fehn Memorial Prize): Derek Hamersly 2nd place singer: Marlena St. Jean, soprano 2nd place pianist: Derek Hamersly 3rd place singer: Jessica Kodsi,…
Congratulations to fourth-year Eastman student Helen Freeman for winning the Principal Flute position with the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera. She will begin her appointment in September, performing with both the orchestra and their wind quartet. In addition to performing extensively with Eastman’s large instrumental ensembles, Helen has played numerous solo recitals and appeared with her…