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Collin County Young Artist Competition
GRAND PRIZE WINNERS 1985 - 2015
1985 - James Wester (French horn, UT Austin
French horn performance degree, played in
Air Force Band & Dallas Winds, plays tuba in
Metropolitan Winds & Christ U.M. Church,
works in the IT field)
1985 - Brian Thornton (cello, studied at SMU,
USC, Northwestern U. & Cleveland Institute, in
his 17th season with the Cleveland Symphony,
has taken part in premiering over 100 new
works of music, participates in concerts that
benefit special causes),
Keith Durington (piano, passed away in 1992)
1986 - Heidi Pankratz (cello, MM
New England Conservatory, Prin.
Cellist for Cleveland Chamber
Symphony, Asst. Prin. Cellist for
Opera Cleveland, teaches cello at
College of Wooster, founded &
performs with the cello quartet
Pizzicato4 ),
Greg Riley (saxophone, BM
Michigan State Univ., MM at
SMU, was Adjunct Assoc. Prof. of
Saxophone at SMU, played with
Dallas & Texas Wind Symphonies,
is a School Services Rep at
Music & Arts in Lewisville),
Cheryl Rubin (piano)
1987 - Michael Buckles (violin - BA
Tulane U., MM Cleveland Institute, DMA
Louisiana State U., Chair of Music Dept.
at McNeese State U., concertmaster of
Lake Charles Symphony, Dir. of Lake
Charles area youth orchestra, has taught
violin at Dillard U., Xavier U.,
& Univ. of New Orleans),
James Chan (piano)
1988 - Chris Crans (piano vocal coach at Manhattan
School of Music, has degrees in
piano, accompanying &
conducting from Brigham
Young Univ., joined music staff
of the National Theater in
Germany),
Gladys Harrington (sponsor),
Samuel Fischer (violin),
Andrea Hurt (flute)
1989 - Gregory Murray (piano –
attended TCU & Interlochen Arts
Academy, former Music Dir. at
St. Eliz. Seton Catholic Church,
Dir. of Music & Liturgy at Church
of St. Patrick, age 18 - on a TV
episode of “Barney & Friends”),
Soo Jin Kim (piano),
Nina Lee (violin - not pictured)
1990 - Cali McKasson (piano - BM &
MM in harp at Cleveland Institute of
Music, is principal harpist of Tacoma
Symphony, performs Celtic music with
her brother in a band called The
McKassons, released 2 albums),
Audrey Mei (cello - BM in cello at
New England Conservatory, Bachelor
in Biological Psychology/Pre-Med at
Tufts Univ., Fulbright scholar for cello
performance at Sibelius Academy in
Finland, is an advanced certified
Rolfer massage therapist in
San Francisco )
1991 - Eugene Hwang (piano - D.O. from Des
Moines Univ. - College of Osteopathic
Medicine, specializes in Emergency and
Internal Medicine, works in the Dallas area),
Grace Kim (violin),
Hilary Demske (piano -BM Peabody
Conservatory of Music, MM Julliard,
Doctorate of Performance - U. of Michigan,
is Asst. Prof. & Dir. of Piano Studies at Utah
Valley Univ., a Steinway Artist since 2010)
1992 - Angela Chan (piano freelance pianist in Las
Vegas, keyboardist on
national tours of Musical
Theater shows),
Dawn Hui (violin - BM Violin
Performance at Julliard,
violinist in Hong Kong
Philharmonic for 1 year, MD
at UT Southwestern Medical
School, is a cardiac surgeon
at St. Louis Univ. Hospital),
Victoria Hurt (cello - BM
Curtis School of Music, was
on the faculty of Settlement
& Nelly Music Schools)
1993 - Chris Hong (violin),
Alice Demske (piano - BM & MM
at Royal Academy of Music in
London, DMA Univ. of Missouri in
Kansas City, passed away in 2012),
Maxine Kuo (violin - BM & MM
from Julliard, 6 time full
scholarship recipient at Aspen
Music Festival & School, is
assistant concertmaster of
Louisville Orchestra)
1994 - Theresa Chung (cello),
Gennie Yi (piano - BM at
Julliard, BBA from Parsons
School of Design, Columbia U.
Business School, is Assoc. Buyer
at Saks Fifth Ave.),
Lolly Boyd (violin - is a music
teacher and performed as a PSO
musician, entered a student in
the 2001 CCYAC who
won a 1st Place)
1995 - Daniel Hui (violin - studied violin
& computer science at Amherst College,
international affairs at John Hopkins,
works at JP Morgan in Singapore),
Genevieve Briggs (BM at UNT, MM Yale
Univ., in the Army Band for 4 years, is 2nd
flutist with the Columbus Symphony),
Lauren Highsmith (piano - BM at Univ. of
Colorado, has a Culinary Arts degree)
1996 - Kristen Hargett (piano BS Chemistry at Boston Univ.),
Michael Mirbaba (viola) - Harvard College AB
magna cum laude in Romance Languages &
Literature, MA from Universite de Paris VIII in
French Literature & Psychoanalysis, MD/PhD
from Harvard Medical School; is currently a
psychiatrist in Los Angeles; played viola in
college/medical school in the Harvard-Radcliffe
Orchestra, Lowell House Opera, Dunster House
Opera Society, & the Longwood Symphony;
Andrea Tomas (piano - graduate of Texas
Tech, is a realtor in Portland, OR.);
with Gladys Harrington (sponsor)
1997 - David McDonald (piano –
full scholarship to TCU for Piano
Performance, UTD accounting degree,
is a CPA & lives in Richardson),
Maestro Hector Guzman,
Anil Iyengar (alto sax),
Jun Iwasaki (violin - BM & MM
Cleveland Institute of Music, has been
concertmaster of Canton, Oregon, &
Nashville Symphonies, is adjunct Prof.
of Violin at Vanderbilt University.
1998 - Gene Lee (violin),
Gladys Chan (Competition Chair),
Patrick Chen (oboe),
Gladys Harrington (sponsor),
Carol Larson (piano)
1999 - Lauren Hanson (cello - majored
in cello, was a former PSO musician),
Jeffery King (violin - violinist in Omaha
Symphony, attended SMU, Manhattan
School of Music, & Creighton Univ., in
the Air Force for 5 yrs., is a founding
member of the Kronberg Ensemble),
Joey Zhou (piano - MIT Masters in
Engineering & Emerson Fellow in
piano, active pianist in the MIT
Chamber Music Society, is a consultant
at Exeter Group in Boston area)
with Gladys Harrington (sponsor)
2000 - Melanie Chan (marimba Communications degree from
UT Austin, is a business
development manager in an oil
consulting business),
Carol Li (piano),
Cherry Kim (cello - attended Royal
Conservatory of Music, Rice Univ.,
& Boston Univ., was a cellist in the
Atlantic Symphony & Boston
Philharmonic, is now in the
Vermont Symphony).
2001 - Chloe Trevor (violin - BM
Cleveland Institute of Music, MM
Rice Univ., won many competitions,
performed with many orchestras),
Thomas Saadeh (alto sax - Baylor U.
College of Medicine, is a Diagnostic
Radiologist in Houston),
Vincent Kuo (piano - UT Austin
School of Music, UT Southwestern
Med. School, is an internal medicine
doctor at Baylor Univ. Medical
Center in Dallas),
Michael Viscardi (piano - graduated
summa cum laude in math in a 5 yr.
Harvard/New England Conservatory
AB/MM joint program in violin
performance, working on PhD in
math at MIT )
2002 - Anna Kyung Mi Lee (cello - BM
New England Conservatory of Music,
working on an MM at Yale Univ.),
Maestro Hector Guzman,
Maud Laforest (guitar - BM & MM
in guitar performance at Peabody
Conservatory, has won prizes in
many international competitions,
performs in US & Europe,
has recorded several CDs),
Anna Zhang (piano)
2003 - Michael Li (violin, age 12),
Robert Klieger (marimba - BM from
SMU, graduate work at Cleveland
Institute, percussionist with Milwaukee
Symphony (Asst. Principal), Santa Fe
Opera (Principal), formerly with West
Virginia & Canton Symphonies),
Miyoun Jang (piano, BM & MM New
England Conservatory, Artist certificate
at SMU, working on DMA at UNT)
with Gladys Harrington (sponsor)
2004 - Eric Yang (piano - attended
UT Austin, Co-founder of Topaz Labs
in 2008, is General Manager of
Topaz Labs in Austin),
Journey Son (cello - MM at Univ. of
Cincinnati, is a professional cellist),
Eric & Journey were 2004 GPWs at
the Vernell Gregg Lewisville Lake
Competition,
Gladys Chan (Competition Chair),
Dariel Dato-On (piano - UTD
BS & MBA in accounting, works
at Ernst & Young in Dallas)
with Gladys Harrington (sponsor)
2005 - Suyun Lee (violin - won the
2012 Brandeis-Wellesley Orchestra
Concerto Competition),
Edward Song (cello - 2006 GPW at the
Vernell Gregg Lewisville Lake
Competition, attended Indiana Univ. of
Bloomington, has performed in several
local orchestras, teaches cello privately,
is chamber conductor for the Dallas
Asian American Youth Orchestra),
Jack Sun (piano - valedictorian of Plano
Sr. High, graduated from Harvard,
works in NYC in the financial district)
2006 - Wyndham Tsai (cello - at
Northwestern Univ. studying cello),
Jimmye Ahn (clarinet – 2006 GPW at
the Vernell Gregg Lewisville Lake
Competition, Northwestern Univ. dual degree BA English Literature,
BM clarinet performance, is a
marketing associate in Chicago),
Kyle Orth (piano - BM Piano
Performance at TCU, has performed
with several orchestras, is working
on a graduate degree at New
England Conservatory)
2007 - Alina Cho (piano),
Evan Ritter (piano, age 10, won
several local piano competitions
and scholarships, was chosen to
study at Centre d’Arts Orford
in Quebec),
Sophia Tsai (flute - played flute at
Stanford Univ. , BA in East Asian
Studies, works in San Francisco
for Dropbox as a Program Ops
Coordinator/Program Specialist)
2008 - Jorge Olivero (alto sax USC Business Entrepreneur,
Accounting, Saxophone
Performance, classical saxophone
recording artist),
Jason Wang (piano, Univ. of
Chicago - BA in Economics &
Political Science, is a public finance
analyst at Citi in Chicago),
Shira Beder (cello - working on a
degree in Finance & Economics at
Indiana Univ. Bloomington Kelley
School of Business)
2009 - Laura Liu (violin, 2009 GPW
Vernell Gregg Lewisville Lake
Competition, working on a BM in violin
at New England Conservatory, has
performed with numerous orchestras),
Austin Taylor (alto sax, BM in
saxophone performance at
Northwestern Univ., is a Research Asst.
at Sonic Laboratory at Northwestern U.),
Alison Chiang (piano, 2008 GPW Vernell
Gregg Lewisville Lake Competition, at
Eastman College - BM, working on an
MM in piano)
2010 - Derek Hawkes (trombone, at
SMU for BM in Trombone Performance
& BA in Orchestral Management),
Russell Houston (cello - 2010 GPW at
Vernell Gregg Lewisville Lake
Competition, is at Northwestern Univ.
Bienan School of Music),
Charles Jin (piano - at Yale Univ. for
computer science & math)
2011 - Gloria Leticia Herrera
(marimba),
Jason Lin (piano, age 10,
tenor in All-Region Choir,
accompanies middle school
choir on piano, won some
local competitions)
Brian Zhao (cello – 2011 GPW
at Vernell Gregg Lewisville
Lake Competition, 3rd Place at
2014 DSO Lynn Harrell
Competition)
2012 - Jonathan Gentry (oboe, 2012 GPW
at TASO Juanita Miller Competition, has won
numerous awards, is at New England
Conservatory of Music studying oboe),
Claire Luan Wells ( violin - 2012 GPW of
Vernell Gregg Lewisville Lake Competition, has
performed internationally, also plays piano),
William Chiang (piano - 2013 GPW at Vernell
Gregg Lewisville Lake Competition and has
won awards in several other competitions, is
in the 2014 Young Masters Program of the
Texas Cultural Trust)
2013 - Isabella Markham (viola,
recipient of Jack Kent Cooke Young
Artist Award, attends Julliard),
Reid Staples (piano, age 11),
Franklin Jia (clarinet, 2013 National
Youth Orchestra, Winds winner at 2014
TASO Juanita Miller Competition)
2014 - Claire Druffner (cello, age 11,
won the 2014 MTNA state competition,
her ensemble group won 1st Place at
the 2014 Coltman Chamber Music
Competition in the Jr. Div.),
Sooyong Lee (clarinet, age 13),
Jessica Zhang (piano, age 12)
2015 - Sai Sai Ding (cello, age 13,
2015 GPW at Vernell Gregg Lewisville
Lake Competition),
Ridgeway Garner (clarinet, age 16,
2015 Winds Winner at Juanita Miller
Competition)
Hannah Rosen (piano, age 15)