Sorel Piano Competition winners announced
Lucas Amory (third from left), winner of the Sorel competition, with other prize winners, in Rosch Recital Hall.
Winners of the 2019 Claudette Sorel Piano Competition were announced following the Nov. 3 competition in Rosch Recital Hall.
Lucas Amory, 17, of New York City, was winner of the First Prize, receiving a $2,500 cash award. He is attending the Juilliard School of Music’s Pre-College program, under the tutelage of Professor Julian Martin. Winner of the 2019 Lyra Music Young Artists Competition, Lucas has also received prizes from the 92nd St. Y Concerto Competition, the Stony Brook International Competition and the Bravura Philharmonic Concerto Competition. He has performed at the 92nd St. Y, Weill Recital Hall, and multiple times at Alice Tully Hall, and has collaborated with artists such as Bruce Adolphe and the Escher Quartet. He also co-directs the Back to BACH Project in New York, and enjoys conducting, chess and ping-pong.
Special Prizes of $250 each were also presented by judges to the following young pianists:
Madison Yan, 15, of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., received a Special Prize as Audience Favorite, and is a student of Irena Kofman.
Bekzat Rakymov, 17, of Almaty, Khakhstan, received a Special Prize for his Rachmaninov performance, and is a student of Gulzhan Kaipbekovna Kazybekova.
Ben Kim, 16, of Milton, Mass., received a Special Prize for his Liszt performance, and is a student of Julian Martin.
Katie Liu, 16, of Pittsburgh, Pa., received a Special Prize for her Chopin performance, and is a student of Natasha Snitkovsky.
Stephanie Draughon, 16, of Ashburn, Va., received a Special Prize for her Chopin performance, and is a student of Jean Saulnier.
Judges for the competition were School of Music faculty and faculty emeritus Eliran Avni, Sean Duggan, Dr. Nick Weiser, Mary Marden Cobb, Dr. Anne Kissel, and Fredonia alumnus Tony Caramia.
Also welcomed for the first year were four outstanding young Piano Fellows including Giorgi Kharchilava of Getzville, Aaron Dorf of Augusta, Wis.; Nathan Napier of Amherst, N.Y.; and Sophia Cornicello of West Hartford, Conn.
Funding for the competition was received from The Sorel Charitable Organization, Inc.
