Harpist Rachel Lee Hall Wins 2019 Houston Symphony Ima Hogg Competition

Performing Ginastera's Harp Concerto, Opus 25, Rachel Lee Hall won the 44th annual Houston Symphony Ima Hogg Competition, which earned her a gold medal, a $25,000 prize and a solo performance at Jones Hall with the Houston Symphony at the Donor and Subscriber Appreciation Concert on Wednesday, July 11 at 7:30 p.m. under the direction of Associate Conductor Robert Franz.

The Grace Woodson Memorial Award was presented to Hall on Saturday, June 1, in Stude Hall at Rice University's Shepherd School of Music by competition chair Vicki West. In addition to the cash prize and solo performance with the Houston Symphony, Hall will participate in a week-long Education and Community Engagement Residency that will provide her with essential training to help her succeed in their field and contribute to the communities in which she lives and works.

Hall has performed with the Cleveland Orchestra, the Akron Symphony Orchestra, and appeared as a soloist with members of The Philadelphia Orchestra. She currently serves on the faculty at Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia and earned both her bachelor and master of music degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music.

The Houston Symphony Ima Hogg Competition a partnership between the Houston Symphony League and the Houston Symphony is one of the world's greatest multi-instrument competitions and was named to honor the memory of Ima Hogg, a co-founder of the Houston Symphony. The prestigious competition is designed to identify outstanding young instrumentalists and support their pursuit of careers in music. Chaired by Vicki West, this year's finals competition featured four outstanding finalists selected from a pool of candidates ranging from a wide variety of instruments and nationalities.

The Second Prize was awarded to cellist Coleman Itzkoff, who received a $10,000 prize, a silver medal and a solo appearance with the Houston Symphony led by guest conductor Roderick Cox at Miller Theatre Outdoor Theatre during the ExxonMobil Summer Symphony Nights concert series on Saturday, June 29. In addition, Itzoff was awarded the Nancy and Robert Peiser Award for Artistic Encouragement. The third and fourth-place prizes were awarded to Chloe Tula and Katherine Audas, who won $5,000 and $1,000 cash prizes respectively. The Herman Shoss Audience Choice Award was awarded to Audas.

The Houston Symphony's 44th annual Ima Hogg competition was broadcast live on Houston Public Media News 88.7.

2019 HOUSTON SYMPHONY IMA HOGG COMPETITION WINNERS

First Prize, The Grace Woodson Memorial Award Rachel Lee Hall (harp) $25,000 and solo performance with the Houston Symphony at the Donor and Subscriber Appreciation Concert at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 10, 2019 in Jones Hall.

Second Prize, The Houston Symphony League Award: Coleman Itzkoff (cello) $10,000 and solo performance with the Houston Symphony at Miller Outdoor Theatre at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 29, 2019

Third Prize, The Selma Neumann Memorial Award
Chloe Tula (harp)
$5,000

Fourth Prize, The Jean Whitbread Kucera Award Katherine Audas (cello) $1,000