Hudson Valley Symphony Orchestra
String Competition
Saturday, March 13, 2027
FIRST ROUND AUDITIONS | 9 am - 5 pm
Sunday, March 14, 2027
SEMI-FINALS | 10 am - 12:30 pm
Sunday, March 14, 2027
THREE FINALISTS PERFORM | 3 pm
Skinner Hall, Vassar College
5 Skinner Lane, Poughkeepsie, NY
Free Admission
All rounds open to public audiences
DONATIONS WELCOME
This annual competition honors the top young violin, viola, and cello players, ages 18-26, from major national and international conservatories. The former Hudson Valley Philharmonic has reorganized as the Hudson Valley Symphony Orchestra. The HVSO is pleased to resume the renowned String Competition and welcome applicants once again.
Instituted in 1966 under Claude Monteux, former director of the Orchestra, the Competition has added to the diversity of cultural offerings in the Hudson Valley and provided serious-minded, young classical musicians an opportunity to further their careers. Winners from past years have continued in their careers with performances at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and with symphony orchestras in the US and abroad, as faculty members at conservatories worldwide, in winning international prizes, and as members of esteemed chamber music ensembles.
The first prize winner is awarded a $5,000 cash prize, a solo performance with their winning concerto with the Hudson Valley Symphony Orchestra, and an invitation to perform a recital at the Cacciaconti Music Festival in Tuscany, Italy on Saturday, June 26, 2027 (all travel expenses, accommodation, and a $1,000 honorarium to be paid by the Festival).
2023 WINNERS
First place: William Suh, cello
Second Place: Isaac Park, violin
Third Place: Tien-Lin Yang, violin
Randall Craig Fleischer Prize: Davis You, cello
HVSO String Competition Winners
2023 William Suh – cello
2022 Hana Mundiya – violin
2021 Leland Ko – cello
2019 Ashley Jeehyun Park – violin
2018 Ania Filochowska – violin
2018 Max Tan – violin
2018 Choi Tung Yeung – violin
2017 Kwan Yeung (Brian) Choi – violin
2016 I-Jung Huang – violin
2015 Robert Anenome – violin
2014 Su Jin Lee – cello
2013 Michael Casimir – viola
2012 Jiyoung Lee – cello
2011 Yoshihiko Nakano – viola
2010 Dahae Kim – violoncello
2009 Li Lao – violin
2008 Tao Ni – cello
2007 Arnaud Sussmann – violin
2006 Ahrim Kim – cello
2005 David Kim – viola
2004 Liana Gourdjia – violin
2003 Rupei Yeh – cello
2002 Ming-Ji Kim – cello
2001 Na-Young Baek – cello
2000 Mickey Katz – cello
1999 Jesse Mills – violin
1998 Karen Johnson – violin
1997 Erica Wise – cello
1996 Judith Ingolfsson – violin
1996 Elizabeth Ann Larson – violin
1989 Aaron Stolow – violin
1988 Paul Marleyn – cello
1987 Ursula Smith – cello
1986 Gregory Sauer – cello
1985 Adela Pena – violin
1984 Steven Thomas – cello
1983 Mark Tanner – cello
1982 Claudio Jaffe – cello
1981 Felicia Moye – violin
1980 Jodi Levitz – viola
1979 Joseph Genualdi – violin
1978 Karen Dreyfus – viola
1977 Laurie Smukler – violin
1976 Selma Gokcen – cello
1975 Geraldine Lamboley – cello
1974 Ronald Thomas – cello
1973 Ani Kavafian – violin
1973 Nisanne Graf – viola
1972 Steve Doane – cello
1971 Gerardo Ribeiro – violin
1969 James Kreger – cello
1968 Fred Sherry – cello
1967 Marcus Thompson – viola
1967 Hiroko Yajima – violin
1966 Nobuko Imai – viola