Philadelphia Orchestra Announces Winners of the 2010 Greenfield Student Competition

Three young musicians have won the annual Philadelphia Orchestra Albert M. Greenfield Student Competition and will appear as soloists with the Orchestra during the 2010-11 season. Final judging was held in Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts on Monday, March 1, 2010. Students performed during the final round of the Competition before an open audience.

The winners of the 2010 Greenfield Competition are Hannah Lam (violin, age 12), who competed in the Children's Division; Mary Yong (viola, age 21), who competed in the Senior Division; and Jonathan Beyer (baritone, age 28), who competed in the Vocal Division. The winners received monetary awards in addition to their engagements with the Orchestra. 

"The Alfred M. Greenfield Student Competition has nurtured and showcased new talent for more than 75 years," said Philadelphia Orchestra President and CEO Allison Vulgamore. "The competition continues to inspire young people to reach for their dreams. The Philadelphia Orchestra is proud that so many of these young artists have gone on to illustrious careers, both in our Orchestra and on stages around the world."

Music Director Leopold Stokowski first initiated The Philadelphia Orchestra's Student Competition in 1933. The Competition was named in 1992 in recognition of a generous endowment gift from the Albert M. Greenfield Foundation. Since its inception, more than 400 winners of the Competition have appeared with The Philadelphia Orchestra, and many have gone on to establish international careers. Over the years, The Philadelphia Orchestra has developed relationships with several Greenfield Student Competition winners who have been invited to return as acclaimed guest soloists.

The annual Philadelphia Orchestra Albert M. Greenfield Student Competition is open to all accomplished young instrumentalists, pianists, and vocalists, who must reside in, or study regularly with a teacher who resides in the Greater Philadelphia Area. Entrants are divided into four categories by age (Children's Division, ages 12 and under; Junior Division, ages 13 to 16; Senior Division, ages 17 to 21; Vocal Division, ages 17 to 29). The young musicians compete against a standard of excellence, not each other, and are evaluated on the following merits: exceptional talent, virtuosity, artistic individuality, and projection as a performer.

Previous winners of the Competition who have gone on to develop international solo careers include sopranos Judith Blegen and Benita Valente, pianists Richard Goode, Eugene Istomin and André Watts, and violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg. Current Philadelphia Orchestra musicians who are former winners of the Competition include violinists Richard Amoroso, Yayoi Numazawa, and Yumi Ninomiya Scott; violist Burchard Tang; bassoonist Mark Gigliotti (co-principal); bass trombone Blair Bollinger; and pianist Kiyoko Takeuti.

The Philadelphia Orchestra has a long tradition of bringing classical music into the lives of young people, dating back to 1921 when Leopold Stokowski initiated a series of concerts exclusively for children. Today the Orchestra reaches Philadelphia area residents, teachers, students, and children with its numerous education and community partnership programs. The Philadelphia Orchestra presents a variety of programs for young people, including Sound All Around (for children ages 3 to 5), Family Concerts (for children ages 6 to 12 and their families), and School Concerts (for students in grades 2 through 8). The Orchestra also offers learning programs for adults, including free PreConcert Conversations before every subscription concert.

The Philadelphia Orchestra Albert M. Greenfield Student Competition is made possible by a generous endowment gift from the Albert M. Greenfield Foundation.

Biographies of 2010 Greenfield Student Competition winners

Children's Division

Currently a student of Ellen DePasquale at Temple University Music Preparatory, violinist Hannah Lam began her musical studies six years ago in Boston. At age eight, Ms. Lam was selected to be first violinist in the Suzuki Youth Orchestra of the Americas during the SAA's 12th Conference. A member of the Youth Chamber Orchestra at Temple University's Center for Gifted Young Musicians, she has been a recipient of the Dorothy Richard Starling Scholarship since 2008. As a soloist, she has appeared with the Ambler Symphony and the Philharmonic of Southern New Jersey. Ms. Lam is a winner of the 2008 Menges Scholarship Competition. She attends Henry C. Beck Middle School in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, where she participates in the orchestra as well as the Science Olympiad Team.

Senior Division

Violist Mary Yong was the winner of the 2009 Brahms International Music Competition. She has won numerous competitions in Korea, including the Seoul Young Musicians Chamber Music, the Hankook-ilbo Music, and the Segye-ilbo Music competitions. She has appeared as soloist with the Korea National University of Arts Symphony, the Yewon Symphony, and the Great Mountain Music Festival Orchestra.

Currently in her final year at the Curtis Institute of Music, Ms. Yong is a student of Roberto Díaz and Misha Amory. Her future engagements include concert appearances in the United States and Korea, where she performs as a Sejong and Kumho soloist.

Vocal Division

A national finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Competition, baritone Jonathan Beyer has appeared with the Pittsburgh Opera, Austin Lyric Opera, Chicago Opera Theater, and Fort Worth Opera, among others. He has also performed with the Chicago Symphony, the Pittsburgh Symphony, the Indianapolis Symphony, the Chatam Baroque, the Baton Rouge Symphony, the Vermont Symphony, the Erie Philharmonic, and at festivals including Tanglewood and Aix-en-Provence. He is the recipient of numerous awards, most notably the Marian Anderson Prize for Emerging Classical Artists. Mr. Beyer is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University.

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