We thank Jane and Bob Loeffler for their visionary leadership and generous support in founding our Loeffler Alumni Series ten years ago. What started as an inspired idea has blossomed into a vibrant tradition. Over the years, we have welcomed back more than 30 accomplished alumni to perform at the place where their musical journeys began.
This flourishing series stands as a testament to the Loeffler family’s unwavering commitment to music education and to Levine. Time and again, participating alumni have expressed how meaningful it is to return to their first musical home. It is a tremendous gift — to Levine and to these talented young artists — that we can support and celebrate their careers with justifiable pride.
This series has not only elevated the trajectories of our alumni but also inspired our current students to imagine a future in music for themselves. For this, we are profoundly grateful.
Program
Fratres | Arvo Pärt
Luke Ratcliffe, piano; Jonathan Velsey, cello
Ballade No. 2 in F Major, Opus 38 | Frédéric Chopin
Rachel Yu Chen, piano
Waltz-Scherzo | Sam Post
Sam Post, piano
Barcarolle in F-sharp Major, Opus 60 | Frédéric Chopin
Luke Ratcliffe, piano
Trio for Oboe, Bassoon, and Piano, FP 43 | Francis Poulenc II. Andante
Kenneth Stilwell, oboe; Jonathan Velsey, cello; Jamila Tekalli Hanner, piano
The Bells | Gabriel Ruiz-Bernal I. Silver Bells III. Brazen Bells
Gabriel Ruiz-Bernal, piano; Colleen Daly, soprano
Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009 | Johann Sebastian Bach Sarabande
Jonathan Velsey, cello
Hungarian Dances Nos. 1-5 | Johannes Brahms
Luke Ratcliffe, piano; Rachel Yu Chen, piano
Meet the Artists
Rachel Yu Chen
Levine Teacher: Mikhail Volchok
Rachel Yu Chen received her BM in Piano Performance and MM in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Michigan and a DM in Piano Performance with minors in Music Education and a Certificate in Preparing Educators of Students with Autism from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music. In addition to Levine Music, Rachel is also an alumna of the Colburn Community School of Performing Arts in Los Angeles. Throughout her career, she has taught at Indiana University, the University of Michigan, Stafford Music Academy, and the P.A.L.S. Program with the Aspen Music Festival and School. Rachel has also been a private studio instructor since 2012 and teaches weekly private lessons to students of all levels. Rachel joined the Levine faculty in 2022.
Rachel’s other notable achievements include being the Vice President/Co-Founder and President of the Music Teacher National Association (MTNA) at Indiana University in 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 respectively, and she also co-founded two community-focused performance series: Keys to the Future and Musical Time.
Sam Post
Levine Teacher: Irena Orlov
Following his time at Levine Music, pianist Sam Post received his BS in Physics from Yale University and MM in Piano from Northwestern University. He has spent summers performing at Pianofest in the Hamptons, the Bowdoin International Music Festival, at the Bard Conductor’s Institute as a fellow, and as a resident at Avaloch Farms Music Institute.
Sam made his recital debut when he was 14 with an all-Bach program at Levine and has since gone on to compose and perform throughout the United States. He has performed with Reneé Fleming and Yo-Yo Ma, written a chamber symphony for the San Francisco Symphony, and his most recent solo album of ragtime was featured in No Depression and The Syncopated Times. Prior to returning to Levine as a teacher in 2013, Sam was on faculty with the Connecticut School of Music and the Westport School of Music. He also serves as the music director and pianist for the Kassia Music Collective.
Luke Ratcliffe
Levine Teacher: Ralitza Patcheva
Dr. Luke Alexander Ratcliffe received both his BM and MM in Piano Performance from George Mason University. Subsequently, he received his DMA in Piano Performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM), where he earned a concentration in Piano Pedagogy. He also served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant for Music Theory, Aural Skills, Keyboard Skills, and Piano Pedagogy, both in Cleveland and at George Mason University. Luke joined the Levine faculty in 2023.
Luke was a Judson Artist-in-Residence from 2021 to 2023 and received the Arthur Loesser Memorial Prize in Piano upon graduating from CIM. Through the Judson Artist-in-Residence program, Luke performed extensively, offering celebrated solo recitals and chamber music collaborations during his residency. More recently, he was a concerto soloist with the Lakeside Symphony Orchestra.
He has taken a particular interest in composer Einojuhani Rautavaara and is the first person to perform his complete works for solo piano.
Gabriel Ruiz-Bernal
Levine Teacher: Eva Pierrou (classical), Jean Butler (jazz)
Gabriel Ruiz-Bernal received his PhD in Aesthetics and Philosophy of Art from the Universidad de Sevilla and his MM in Piano Performance from Shenandoah Conservatory. He has held many professorships, including piano, French horn, music theory, and a title of superior professor in piano, all from the Conservatorio Superior de Málaga in Spain. He completed summer courses in Interpretation of Music and Music History and Analysis at Yale University and in Composition and Film Scoring at New York University’s Steinhardt School.
Gabriel has given solo piano, chamber music, and collaborative piano recitals throughout the United States, Europe, and Latin America, where he has also performed as a concerto soloist with orchestras. He has released two recordings, Live at Armstrong Concert Hall and Piano Favorites.
Gabriel has been on faculty at the Pablo Ruiz-Picasso Conservatory in Malaga, Spain, Shenandoah Conservatory, and Universidad de Sevilla, and he has been on the Levine faculty since 1996.
Kenneth Stilwell
Levine Teacher: Richard White
Kenneth has a BM and BA from Oberlin Conservatory and an MM in Oboe Performance from the Peabody Conservatory. He was a student of acclaimed oboists James Caldwell, Joseph Turner, and Alex Klein. Kenneth has performed with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Delaware, Annapolis, Maryland, and Lancaster Symphony Orchestras.
A recipient of the Irving Lowens Award for research in Musicology and the Ruth Blaustein Memorial Scholarship at Peabody, Kenneth has published a chapter in monograph on Jesuits and Music (St. Joseph’s University Press), with reviews in Nineteenth Century Music Review and Ars Lyrica. He is also a member of the American Musicological Society.
He is a former Adjunct Faculty at Towson University, University of Alaska Fine Arts Festival, and Baltimore School for the Arts. Kenneth has been a member of Levine’s faculty for 23 years and currently teaches oboe and music theory.
Jonathan Velsey
Levine Teacher: Judith Shiffers
Jonathan began his cello studies with Judith Shiffers, first at the DC Youth Orchestra Program, and later, as a Levine student during his high school years. He was a member of the Levine Chamber Orchestra during its first year and went on to receive his BA from Bard College, where he studied cello with Luis Garcia Renart. He then earned an MM in Performance at Northwestern University, studying with Hans Jørgen Jensen.
Jonathan has been a freelance cellist in the greater Washington area since 1996. From 1996 to 2003, Jonathan was a section cellist, Associate, and Acting Principal Cello in the Maryland Symphony Orchestra. He has performed with the Fairfax Symphony, Arlington Symphony, Natal Philharmonic Orchestra in South Africa, Memphis Symphony Orchestra, and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, and he has given numerous solo and chamber recital appearances both at home and abroad. Jonathan began teaching individual and group classes at Levine in the spring of 2017.
Guest Artists
Colleen Daly
Hailed for her “mezzo-tinted lower register rising to a wonderful warm top,” (The Washington Post) American soprano Colleen Daly skillfully balances engagements on both the concert and opera stages. Recent and upcoming engagements include the Governess in Britten’s Turn of the Screw with Opera Tampa, Older Alyce in Greensboro Opera’s Glory Denied, and joining the Washington Chorus and the National Symphony for Beethoven’s Mass in C Major at the Kennedy Center.
Equally at home on the operatic stage, her engagements have included a wide repertoire of roles ranging from Mozart to contemporary opera and musical theater, with a special affinity for Romantic repertoire. Career highlights thus far include the title roles in Floyd’s Susannah, Massenet’s Thaïs, and Janáček’s Kát’a Kabanová, Violetta in Verdi’s La Traviata, Musetta in Puccini’s La bohème, Micaëla in Bizet’s Carmen, and Countess in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro.
Jamila Tekalli Hanner
Pianist Dr. Jamila Tekalli Hanner is a member of the piano faculty at Levine and the Artistic Director of the Washington Musical Pathways Initiative. She has performed as a soloist and collaborative musician in concerts, festivals, and competitions throughout the United States, Canada, and Central and South America, including performances at the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, the Adrienne Arsht Center, and the New World Center.
Jamila holds a DMA in Piano Performance from the University of Miami, an MA from the University of Central Florida, and a BM from Indiana University. She served as Lecturer in Music at Barry University in Miami, Florida.
The Loeffler Alumni Series is sponsored by Robert and Jane Loeffler.
In Celebration of AANHPI Composers
As we honor Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month, we celebrate the powerful contributions of composers whose musical voices resonate across cultures and generations. From sovereign queens to contemporary film composers, the artists highlighted below have made a profound impact on both traditional and contemporary music landscapes.
Queen Liliʻuokalani (1838–1917)
Liliʻuokalani was the last reigning monarch of the Kingdom of Hawai‘i, remembered not only for her political leadership but also for her enduring contributions to Hawaiian music. A trained musician, she composed over 150 mele — songs and chants that reflect the rich oral traditions of her people. Her work embraced a diverse array of musical forms, ranging from sacred hymns to folk ballads, showcasing her deep cultural pride and musical skill. Even after the US-backed coup that overthrew her reign, Liliʻuokalani continued to serve her people through advocacy and art.
Her most famous composition, “Aloha ʻOe,” written during a time of political upheaval, has become a symbol of farewell, longing, and love for the Hawaiian homeland. The song’s lyrical beauty and heartfelt melody continue to be cherished around the world.
An internationally acclaimed Chinese American composer and conductor, Tan Dun is best known for his genre-defying works that blend Eastern musical traditions with Western classical forms. His work spans concert halls, opera stages, and Hollywood soundtracks, most notably the Oscar-winning score for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Tan has also held prestigious conducting posts and currently serves as the dean of Bard College Conservatory of Music.
With his sweeping orchestral palette and poetic use of traditional Chinese instruments, Tan’s music transports listeners to transcendent sound worlds.
Japanese composer Karen Tanaka is known for her evocative soundscapes and sensitive integration of acoustic and electronic elements. Trained in both Japan and France, where she studied with spectralist composer Tristan Murail and worked at the renowned IRCAM institute, Tanaka has forged a distinctive voice that resonates across contemporary classical, film, and multimedia platforms. Her compositions are often inspired by nature and human emotion, offering listeners both technical finesse and poignant expressivity.
Tanaka’s “Wind Whisperer,” performed by the Left Coast Chamber Ensemble, exemplifies her delicate orchestration and imaginative timbral language.
An Emmy Award-winning composer and singer-songwriter, Siddhartha Khosla has brought emotional depth and melodic sophistication to some of television’s most beloved series, including This Is Us and Only Murders in the Building. A founding member of the band Goldspot, Khosla’s work spans both popular and orchestral music, infusing South Asian influences into mainstream American media. In 2024, he became the first Asian person to win a Primetime Emmy for original score.
Khosla’s “Rush to Sazz,” featured in Only Murders in the Building, highlights his nuanced fusion of traditional instruments and cinematic storytelling.
A Filipino-American composer of extraordinary range and sensitivity, Nilo Alcala bridges traditional Filipino instruments and Western musical idioms in compelling and often spiritually resonant works. He is the first Philippine-born composer awarded the Copland House Residency and has collaborated with renowned groups like the Los Angeles Master Chorale and the Philippine Madrigal Singers. Alcala’s accolades span continents, and his compositions reflect a deep engagement with both cultural identity and global musical languages.
“I Am Here With You Always,” performed by the Philippine Madrigal Singers, offers a heartfelt testament to Alcala’s lyrical and communicative power.
As we honor the contributions of AANHPI composers and musicians around the world, we also take pride in celebrating the artistry within our own Levine community.
In this video from last year, faculty members Yeonjung Ellie Kim (voice) and Minji Kim (piano) perform the beloved Korean art song “강 건너 봄이 오듯” (“Like Spring Coming Across the River”). Composed by Im Geung-soo with lyrics by poet Song Kil-ja, the song evokes the quiet hope that love, like spring after a long winter, will one day arrive.
This poignant performance reflects not only the beauty of Korean musical traditions but also the deep cultural and emotional resonance music can carry across borders and generations.
2025 Marlin-Engel Solo Competition Results
The Marlin-Engel Solo Competition was established by the Board of Trustees of Levine Music in 1980 to honor Jackie Marlin and Diana Engel, two of the school’s founders and co-directors from 1976 to 1980. Originally offering a single “Marlin-Engel prize,” the competition today offers awards in both piano, strings, and instrumental categories and three age divisions: Junior (up to age 9), Intermediate (ages 10-13), and Senior (ages 14-18). The first-place prize for piano is the Ida Canter Prize, established by Dr. Jane Loeffler and her family as a tribute to her grandmother.
The 2025 Competition took place on Sunday, April 27, 2025. Each participant performed two solo works or movements that contrast in style and period.
Congratulations to all the participants, their teachers, and their families!
Awards
Congratulations to all the finalists and their extraordinary teachers!
Strings Intermediate
1st Place: Philip Thankachan, student of Susan Katsarelis 2nd Place: Chloe Chu, student of Virgilo Joven Honorable mention: Akira Inoue, student of Maxfield Wollam-Fisher
Strings Senior
1st Place: Benjamin Whiting-Eisemann, student of Patrick LeStrange 2nd Place: Bright Wang, student of Peter Sirotin Honorable mention: Jasper Frelinghuysen, student of Leo Sushansky Honorable mention: Abby Reid, student of Henry Stubbs
Winds, Brass, Guitar Intermediate
1st Place: Felix Karacson-Major, student of Claire Eichhorn 2nd Place: Ryan Li, student of Jorge Amaral Honorable mention: Ari Carare, student of Mia Pomerantz
Winds, Brass, Guitar Senior
1st Place: Chloe Robertson, student of Jimmy Ren 2nd Place: Caroline Keefe, student of Philippe Brunet Honorable mention: Owen Sung, student of Jorge Amaral
Piano Junior
1st Place: Kantaro Araki, student of Sayaka Jordan 2nd Place: Faith Reyes, student of Amanda Halstead Honorable mention: Riley Ding, student of Dasha Gabay
Piano Intermediate
1st Place: Minjae Jeon, student of Jinha Park 1st Place: Neel Perdue, student of Martin Labazevitch 2nd Place: Jason Ding, student of Dasha Gabayabay
Piano Senior
1st Place: Pamina Burton, student of Cecilia Cho 1st Place: Anastasia Fitenko, student of Martin Labazevitch 2nd Place: Azael Araya, student of Gina Hong Honorable mention: Sam Brose, student of Jamila Tekalli Hanner
*Grand Prize Winners
Special thanks to: Aaron Percy, Recording Engineer; Maxfield Wollam-Fisher and Jinha Park, competition organizers; and Darya Gabay and Irina Kats, collaborative pianists.
This program has been made possible through the generous support of the Marinus and Minna B. Koster Foundation, Inc.
Remembering Bill Reeder (1949–2025)
Levine Music mourns the passing of Bill Reeder, who served as Executive Director from 1993 to 1996. Bill guided Levine through a pivotal period of growth and transformation, overseeing the expansion of our reach with the opening of new campuses in Southeast DC, Maryland, and Virginia. His tenure marked a significant chapter in Levine’s evolution into the DC area’s home for music education.
Beyond Levine, Bill was a celebrated tenor with a distinguished international career, including eight seasons as a leading artist with the Zurich Opera and performances in major tenor roles across many prominent European opera houses. He brought this same passion and dedication to arts leadership, serving in key roles such as the founding Dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts at George Mason University and Vice President and General Manager of Washington Performing Arts.
Bill Reeder (left) pictured with Levine supporters.
Bill also held leadership posts at the Saint Louis Conservatory of Music and Opera Music Theatre International and contributed to the founding of the Sallie Mae Trust for Education. His academic contributions included teaching appointments at Indiana University and Illinois State University.
Bill Reeder’s impact on the arts was profound, and his legacy at Levine endures in the campuses and programs he helped bring to life. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, colleagues, and the countless students and artists whom he supported through his leadership.
2025 Misbin Family Memorial Chamber Music Competition Winners
Designed to support the development of young artists and celebrate the lifelong creativity of DC-area performers, the Misbin Family Memorial Chamber Music Competition is open to instrumental chamber music students and adult amateur musicians. Participants are adjudicated by a panel of judges made up of distinguished performers, teachers, and other recognized members of the greater Washington music community.
The competition is open to the public free of charge—a great opportunity to hear promising young artists in a varied program. Winners receive cash awards and opportunities to perform in prestigious venues across the Washington, DC metro region.
The 2025 competition took place on Sunday, April 6, 2025. Special thanks to this year’s judges, Lisa Cella, Cleveland Chandler Jr., and Jon Goldberg.
Levine Music and Washington Performing Arts gratefully acknowledge Dr. Robert Misbin as well as the support of the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities and the Dallas Morse Coors Foundation for the Performing Arts.
Awards
Congratulations to all the finalists and their extraordinary teachers!
Junior Division
First Place: Bellissima Duo (Chloe Robertson, violin; Addison Ellis-Otovo, viola; coached by Mahoko Eguchi) Second Place: Harmonics Quintet (Daniel Sungun Won, violin; Christopher Yun, violin; Jonathan Y. Chi, viola; Jules Amyot, cello; Minjae Jeon, piano; coached by Jinha Park) Honorable Mention: The Clefhangers Trio (Philip Thankachan, violin; Momo Sasaki, violin; Akira Inoue, cello; coached by Virgilio Joven)
Senior Division
First Place: Quintessence Quintet (Enzo Baldanza, violin; Esther Bonney, violin; Chloe Lee, viola; Elisa Swift, cello; Jessica Chen, piano; coached by Loewi Lin) Second Place (ex aequo): Reinecke Trio (Evelin Kleczek, piano; Donovan Holt-Harrington, clarinet; Ian Lander, French horn; coached by Lin Ma) & Caravan Quartet (Noelle Fiegl, violin; Jingjing Wu, violin; Katie Hwang, viola; Elena Kim, cello; coached by Claudia Chudacoff) Honorable Mentions: Ayr Hill Trio (Eileen Maloney Cunningham, violin; Valerie Lai, cello; Felix Xu, piano; coached by Nancy O’Neill Breth) & Del Frutal (Noah Wilkins, alto saxophone; Isaac Seiken, piano; coached by Kenneth Stilwell)
Adult Amateur Division
First Place: Q Street Trio (Felicia Weiss, piano; Ginger Anders, violin; Jenny Petrow, cello) Second Place: Duo for Democracy (Corby Johnson, viola; Thomas Carter, viola)
Misbin Family Memorial Award
On the Other Hand (Uma Das, piano; Sam Brose, piano; coached by Natalia Efremova)
2023 Advanced Piano Student Recital
Daniel Young-Hwan Kim, Student of Wen-Yin Chan
Daniel Young-Hwan Kim
By Mark Irchai, Levine Piano Faculty
On June 2nd, 2023, myself and other audience members were treated to a brilliant piano recital of the young pianist and composer Daniel Young-Hwan Kim. It was an electric atmosphere in the audience, as many members of the Levine community, including several of his fellow students at Levine, came to support this bright star. (The concert even had a late start due to needing to add more chairs for audience members!)
The program offered a compelling, chronologically motivated journey through various styles and periods of piano music, showcasing pianist Daniel Young-Hwan Kim’s versatility and expressive range. The performance began with Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in B Minor from The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2. Kim’s playing was marked by clarity and a seamless dialogue between the hands, clearly showcasing an intelligent, thoughtful, and musical ear. Though some issues with rushing in chromatic sections of the fugue occurred, his recoveries were impressive, and displayed a keen understanding of the musical score.
He then took a brief moment to speak about the next piece, Mozart’s Piano Sonata in C minor, K. 457, offering some eloquent, well-thought-out comments on the intellectual side of the compositional process. I would love to hear him talk more about this in future, especially as he continues his musical studies at the University of Michigan! Kim’s sparkling sound and brisk tempo lent a sense of urgency to the first movement, while his interpretation in the second movement demonstrated fine pedal control and a pure, present voicing. The third movement was a highlight, characterized by thoughtfully paced phrasing and a beautifully “stormy” atmosphere that captured the sonata’s dramatic essence.
The selections from Chopin’s Preludes Op. 28 revealed Kim’s nuanced touch and interpretive depth. The 17th Prelude had a natural bel canto quality that was delightful, hardly marred by some occasional left-hand inconsistencies. In contrast, the 18th was a virtuosic tour de force, driving the audience into the intensity of Chopin’s soundscape with vivid energy. Each subsequent piece brought a different mood, from the dark sweep of the 21st to the glittering brilliance of the 23rd, with Kim handling the textural shifts and register changes effortlessly.
The program continued after a brief intermission with Scriabin’s Polonaise in B-flat Minor, Op. 21, where Kim’s affinities for the dance-like rhythm and Chopin-inspired passages were unmistakable. In particular, the octaves were executed brilliantly, showing a confident grasp of the piece’s technical demands.
Debussy’s La Plus Que Lente allowed Kim to explore a different palette and a new depth to his artistry. Here, he embraced a hazy, impressionistic tone. His sense of jazz-inspired rhythms, stemming from his intimate knowledge of jazz improvisation, added a unique, extremely compelling dimension to his playing. Occasionally, some of the larger moments leaned towards a brightness that slightly exceeded the textural expectations normally associated with Debussy’s writing.
Concluding the concert was Kim’s own composition, Piano Trio No. 1, Op. 1 in C Minor, written in November 2020. This piece displayed beautiful influences from Tchaikovsky, particularly in its rich understanding of instrumental color. Its rhythmic drive and dark, dramatic character stood out, with a particularly lyrical B-flat major section offering a poignant contrast. I would love to hear more of his compositional work, and would even be eager to explore opportunities to perform some of them myself!
Overall, the performance was a testament to Daniel Young-Hwan Kim’s artistic versatility, deftly navigating different styles while imprinting his unique voice on each piece. Daniel is clearly a thoughtful, deep, and nuanced musician, and I was deeply impressed by his ability to tackle such a breadth of repertoire, and even include his own composition that absolutely deserved a place on the program next to the masterworks presented earlier in the concert. I look forward to future performances of this young, budding artist!
In Celebration of Women Composers
Heidi Schuller
In honor of Women’s History Month, Levine flute faculty member Heidi Schuller curated a playlist of music by leading women composers, past and present. The featured composers present a unique musical vision and have influenced the global performing arts landscape. These composers have also contributed to the betterment of music education, demonstrating the critical role composers play in developing music students, performers, and future creators.The selected works showcase a broad range of musical expression and a diverse offering of instrumentation, genres, and styles. The performers include international soloists and performing ensembles, and musicians and performing arts organizations from the Washington, DC, and Mid-Atlantic region, including Levine Music faculty. We encourage you to explore their work and perhaps learn to play one of their pieces for yourself.
Cécile Chaminade (1857-1944)
French pianist and composer Cécile Chaminade’s recognition during her lifetime was rare for a woman composer in the 19th-early 20th century. As a child, Chaminade had to turn down an invitation to study at the Paris Conservatory due to her family’s concern over social status and norms. She was allowed to study piano and composition privately, and with determination, she embarked on a performance career of playing her own pieces in salon recitals. Chaminade toured the United States in 1908 and was wildly successful and popular with American audiences. She received many awards and distinctions during her career, including being the first female composer elected a Chevalier of the National Order of the Legion of Honour in 1913.
Her compositions primarily consist of vocal and piano works, plus several larger orchestral and choral compositions. Chaminade described her compositional style as being from the Romantic school, and most of her works feature tuneful melodies with some chromaticism. Unfortunately, Chaminade’s compositions are not as well known to current audiences with the exception of her Concertino, Opus 107 for flute. The Concertino was composed for the 1902 Paris Conservatory Concours and is considered a standard work for flutists. It remains a frequently programmed piece, in its original version for flute and piano, on advanced student recitals and professional concert programs.
Florence Beatrice Price was born in 1887 in Arkansas to a music teacher mother and a dentist father. Her mother nurtured her musical talent, encouraging her studies in music and leading her to attend the New England Conservatory of Music. In 1932, the Rodman Wanamaker Foundation held composition competitions in Chicago, and Price won awards for her works: Symphony No. 1 in e minor and Piano Sonata in e minor. On June 15, 1933, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra performed Symphony No. 1 in e minor, making her the first African American woman composer to have a symphony premiered by a major American orchestra.
Price’s music integrates the European classical tradition in which she was trained with melodies from African American spirituals and folk tunes. Despite her talent and innovative contributions as a composer, much of her later work was overlooked or ignored by classical music performers and institutions of her time. A discovery in 2009 of unpublished scores and manuscripts by Price has sparked renewed interest in her work.
French composer, pianist, conductor, and educator Nadia Boulanger began music studies at an early age at the Paris Conservatory. She won the first prize in harmony in 1903 and additional prizes in counterpoint, fugue, and organ. She was among the first women to enter the prestigious Prix de Rome competition, which began accepting submissions from women in 1903. Although her initial instrumental fugue entry created a scandal by going against the requirement of submitting a vocal work, she was subsequently awarded a second prize in 1908.
She undertook numerous tours to the United States and conducted the Boston Symphony in 1938. In 1940, Boulanger emigrated to the US, where she secured teaching positions at the Longy School of Music and the Peabody Institue, instructing students in composition, harmony, orchestration, counterpoint, and music history. She returned to France in 1946 and took a position at the Paris Conservatory. Throughout her lengthy teaching career, Boulanger mentored hundreds of developing composers, including Quincy Jones, Burt Bacharach, Leonard Bernstein, and Aaron Copland. Her compositional output includes songs for piano, chamber and orchestral works, an opera, and a cantata. It’s worth noting that Nadia’s younger sister, Lili Boulanger, was a highly regarded composer and was the first female winner of the Prix de Rome composition prize in 1913. Lili’s untimely death in 1918 at the age of 24 profoundly impacted her sister’s life, prompting Nadia to concentrate on promoting her sister’s compositions over her own. From 1921 to the end of her life, Nadia Boulanger turned her attention to conducting and teaching, becoming one of the most prominent composition teachers of the 20th century.
Groundbreaking composer and educator Ruth Crawford Seeger, born in East Liverpool, Ohio, began piano studies at age 6. She later moved to Chicago to study at the American Conservatory of Music, where she intended to complete only a teaching certificate but started composing in her second year of studies, beginning a lifelong commitment to composing. Seeger earned many awards, including being the first female composer to win the Guggenheim Fellowship. Crawford Seeger used the fellowship prize money to travel to Europe to continue her composing career, where she met resistance to having her works performed and published. She continued to press for performances of her music. Finally, she received recognition in 1933 when her composition, Three Voices for voice, oboe, percussion, and strings, was selected to represent the US at the International Society for Contemporary Music in Amsterdam.
Crawford Seeger moved to Washington, DC in 1933 when her musicologist husband, Charles Seeger, was appointed to the music division of the Resettlement Administration. During her years in the Washington, DC area, she developed an interest in American folk music and devoted more time to creating acclaimed arrangements of folk songs before returning to her earlier modern compositional style with the 1953 Suite for Wind Quintet. While living in Silver Spring, MD, she created an early version of a book of folk songs designed to educate children. She is credited with making music accessible for parents to learn and share with their young children.
Born in New Rochelle, New York, Joan Tower studied composition at Bennington College and earned a doctorate in composition from Columbia University. She made her compositional mark early as a founding member of the New York City-based Da Capo Chamber Players, serving as the pianist and composing many popular works for the group from 1969 to 1984. While in New York City, she worked as a jazz pianist, and many of her works include influences from jazz harmony.
Tower joined the Bard College Conservatory of Music faculty in 1972, where she currently teaches composition and conducting. Her expansive career includes commissions from countless major orchestras, soloists, and ensembles. She was the first woman to win the Grawemeyer Award for her composition Silver Ladders in 1990, and her orchestral work, Made In America, recorded by the Nashville Symphony, won 3 Grammy Awards in 2008. While her early compositional style is rooted in the serialist tradition, she frequently composes for specific ensembles and soloists, and over time, her music has transitioned to a more impressionistic style.
Fanfare for an Uncommon Woman, written between 1987 and 1992, features six parts. Tower dedicated each part to a woman who is adventurous and takes risks. Part 6 is dedicated to Cuban American composer Tania León. Watch Fanfare for an Uncommon Woman part 6 performed by the Baltimore Symphony.
Jennifer Higdon, born in Brooklyn, NY, developed an interest in flute at age 15 and started formal studies on the instrument at age 18 and composition studies at age 21. She earned degrees at Bowling Green University, the Curtis Institute, and a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania. The League of American Orchestras lists Higdon as one of the most frequently performed contemporary composers, with over 200 performances each year of her compositions. Her orchestral work Blue Cathedral has received over 600 performances since its premiere in 2000.
Higdon’s vast catalog includes works for orchestra, choral, wind band, chamber ensemble, opera, and solo instruments. Her commissions from major orchestras include the Chicago Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony, and prominent chamber groups such as the Tokyo String Quartet. She is a three-time Grammy winner and was awarded the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for her Violin Concerto.
Fanfare Magazine describes her music as having “the distinction of being at once complex, sophisticated but readily accessible emotionally.” The Times of London cites it as “…traditionally rooted yet imbued with integrity and freshness.”
Valerie Coleman has a multi-faceted career as a Grammy-nominated flutist, composer, educator, and entrepreneur. She was a founding member and flutist of Imani Winds, an acclaimed chamber ensemble featured in an exhibit at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. She co-founded and performs as a flutist with the trio Umama Womana. As a solo performer and chamber musician, she has appeared with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Hartford Symphony, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Miami String Quartet, Harlem String Quartet and Quarteto Latinoamericano, and prominent soloists such as Yo-Yo Ma, David Shifrin, and Paquito D’Riveria.
Major arts organizations have commissioned her music, including the Baltimore Symphony, Louisville Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and the Library of Congress. She was appointed professor of composition at the Juilliard School and frequently conducts masterclasses and chamber workshops throughout the US and abroad. She created the Imani Winds Chamber Music Festival to serve as a summer mentorship program for 100 leaders worldwide.
Born in Berkeley, CA, Latin Grammy winner and Grammy-nominated composer and pianist Gabriela Lena Frank is the composer in residence at the Philadelphia Orchestra. She is quoted, “I think often about that time in my youth when I began to call myself a composer: Slipping over from being of a casually creative mind to a fully intentional one and no longer feeling like an imposter as I embraced a daily habit of piano practice and composing. Such industry! And over these many years, music has become the most potent form of self-knowledge I have at my disposal: I learn how graceful I am, how disciplined I am, how imaginative I am, how willing I am to take a risk and try something scary new. I put these endeavors in the context of previous work, and I look down a long humbling vista of where I need to go in the future.”
The Los Angeles Opera, Philadelphia Orchestra, and San Francisco Symphony have recently premiered her works in addition to commissions by the Boston Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, The Cleveland Orchestra, Yo-Yo Ma, the King’s Singers, and Cuarteto Latinoamericano with guitarist Manuel Barrueco. Frank founded the Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy for the Arts to support and mentor developing composers. She currently works in her home state to enhance the Anderson Valley Unified School District’s music program supporting a large Latino population. She holds degrees in music composition from Rice University and a doctorate from the University of Michigan.
Amanda Harberg’s compositions cover a wide range of instruments, weaving classical traditions with contemporary music influences. Noted composer John Corigliano said of her music, “She invigorates the brain and touches the soul.” The Cleveland Classical describes her music as “conveying a thoroughly original sense of happiness in music.” Harberg’s music has been performed by major orchestras, including the 2021 premiere of her Piccolo Concerto by soloist Erica Peel, with Maestro Yannick Nezet-Seguin conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra. Her robust catalog of music for wind instruments is frequently performed at conventions and professional recitals. The Chicago Symphony notes that Harberg is a “hero to the flute and piccolo community.” Her commercial work includes writing scores for The Abominable Crime, an award-winning feature documentary, Beyond Borders: Undocumented Mexican Americans, which aired over 2,000 times on PBS, as well as scores for shorter files for Common Good Productions.
In addition to composing, Harberg is a concert-level pianist appearing with many soloists and leading orchestral players in recitals and collaborative projects. A dedicated educator, Harberg has taught composition, piano, music theory, aural skills, and music history for over 20 years. She is an Associate Professor at the Berklee College of Music, an instructor at Interlochen Arts Camp, and a frequent guest artist at schools and universities where she works with young composers and performers.
Clarice Assad’s music invites audiences to engage with various contemporary topics, including climate change, equality, social justice, and empowering younger voices through performances, commissions, and educational programs. As an entrepreneur, Assad created the innovative Voxploration music education program in 2015, which teaches young students from around the world to use their voices and bodies as musical instruments.
Her Voxploration podcast explores hip hop, improvisational jazz, beatbox, art song, maqam, and more topics related to contemporary music. Assad’s compositions have been commissioned and performed by major orchestras and prominent soloists such as Yo-Yo Ma. She is also a popular recording artist with seven solo album releases
Grammy-winning pianist and composer Hiromi Uehara was born in Hamamatsu, Japan, and began her music studies on the piano at age 6. She came to the United States as a collegiate student at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, before embarking on a global career as a composer, recording, and touring artist. She has released 12 full-length albums and frequently appears in Downbeat’s Annual Critics and Readers Poll. She headlines at top jazz festivals worldwide, including Montreaux, Umbrina, Newport, and Monterey. She was a featured soloist at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony.
Known professionally as Hiromi, her music is described as erasing the lines between jazz, classical, and improvisation. She states that her new release, Sonicwonderland, is “a new journey of adventure.”
Watch ‘A Conversation with Hiromi Uehara,’ an interview with Library of Congress Music Specialist and Concert Producer Claudia Morales followed by a special performance on George Gershwin’s piano.
Angélica Negrón (b. 1981)
Angélica Negrón is a Puerto Rican-born composer and multi-instrumentalist who writes for orchestra, voice, film, toys, and electronic music. Based in Brooklyn, NY, upcoming premieres of her works include a cello concerto with soloist Yo-Yo Ma and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and a new requiem for the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Other prominent organizations have commissioned her works, including the New York Philharmonic, Seattle Symphony, Danish National Symphony Orchestra, and the Kronos Quartet.
As a guest curator for the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Green Umbrella series (2025), under the creative direction of John Adams, Negrón brings together collaborators Lido Pimienta and Darian Donovan Thomas. As the recipient of the 2022 Hermitage Greenfield Prize, Negrón composed a new work synchronized to the setting sun for EnsembleNewSRQ.
Negrón’s original scores include the HBO docuseries Menudo: Forever Young and You Were My First Boyfriend directed by Cecilia Aldarondo. She regularly performs solo shows and is a founding member of the tropical electronic band Balún. As an educator, she has been a teaching artist with NY Philharmonic’s Very Young Composers program and with Lincoln Center Education.
Indian American composer Reena Esmail, based in Los Angeles, CA, has written commissions for prominent ensembles, including the Seattle Symphony, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Kronos Quartet, and the Los Angeles Master Chorale. Her music has been featured on Grammy-nominated albums by the ensembles Imani Winds, Conspirare, and Brooklyn Rider. Esmail earned degrees in composition at the Julliard School and the Yale School of Music. Esmail is the Los Angeles Master Chorale’s 2020-2025 Swan Family Artist in Residence and was the Seattle Symphony’s 2020-21 Composer-in-Residence. She also holds awards/fellowships from United States Artists, the S&R Foundation, the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and the Kennedy Center.
Her music brings together Western classical and Indian traditional music. She also seeks to bring together people for equitable music spaces and is the Artistic Director of Shasta, a non-profit that promotes cross-cultural music connections. With respect to her teaching work, she states, “my favorite thing to teach is Music Theory 101. I really thought I was going to grow up to be a music theory teacher – and even though I’ve taught almost every theory course up through the top levels of the theory core sequence at Yale University, I still have a special love for teaching beginning theory.”
Watch Jhula Jhule for flute and piano a work based on two Indian folk songs performed by Levine faculty members Heidi Schuller, flute and Dana Smith, piano. The program, Levine Presents: Journey Across the World and Back, also features music by female composers Jean Ahn, Allison Loggins-Hull, Teresa Carreno, Eleanor Alberga, and Undine Smith Moore.
Watch the Seraph Brass performance of Tuttarana. The title is based on a combination of the Italian music term, Tutti, meaning ‘all’ or ‘everyone’ and the Indian term ‘tarana’ which designates a specific Hindustani musical form, whose closet Western counterpart is the ‘scat’ in jazz.
2025 Charles and Ruth Williams Voice Competition Winners
Named in memory of longtime Levine voice faculty member Charles Williams and his wife, Ruth Williams, this competition is open to Levine students ages 13 and up. The 2025 competition took place on Sunday, March 9, 2025. Contestants in the Youth and Adult divisions perform two pieces that contrast in style and period.
Charles Williams began his teaching career at Levine in 1983 and continued to be a force in the department until his passing in December 2022. Charles hailed performances from the world’s greatest stages, including Broadway and the Metropolitan Opera. A consummate artist and educator, Charles inspired the highest work ethic in each of his students, many of whom have become esteemed performers and instructors.
Charles and Ruth were married for sixty years. They lived in West Berlin for two decades before moving to Virginia and joining the Levine community. As a poet and artist, Ruth’s artwork adorned Levine’s walls on many occasions throughout the years, and her poetry was set to music and performed by Charles.
Awards
Congratulations to all the finalists and their extraordinary teachers!
Adult Division
First place: Tess Troha-Thompson, student of Nakia Verner Second place: Shannon Kellman, student of Marilyn Moore Honorable mentions: Alexander Adams, student of Sonia Yon, and Cherrie Van Hook, student of Ellie Kim
Youth Division
First place: Zhaohong Zhang, student of Sonia Yon Second place: Diandra Mayo, student of Sonia Yon, and Ava Spera, student of Keith Edward Honorable mention: Liam Wang, student of Sonia Yon
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Special thanks to: Maxfield Wollam-Fisher, competition organizer; Darya Gabay, collaborative pianist; Celine Mogielnicki and Caitlin Wood, competition judges; and Levine campus staff.
Levine Music gratefully acknowledges the support of Rosemary George for underwriting this competition, as well as the support of the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities and the Dallas Morse Coors Foundation for the Performing Arts.
2025 Cogen Concerto Competition Winners
The Ruth P. Cogen Competition was established by the Board of Trustees of Levine Music in 1983 to honor Ruth Cogen, one of the school’s founders and its first chair of the Board of Trustees.
The 2025 Competition took place on Sunday, February 9, 2025. Each participant prepared one movement from a concerto or solo piece intended for performance with an orchestra for the preliminary round. Students in the final round performed with piano accompaniment. One grand prize winner was chosen from all the first-place division winners to play in an upcoming performance accompanied by an orchestra.
Awards
Congratulations to all the finalists and their extraordinary teachers!
Combined Junior Division
First place: Chloe Chu (violin student of Virgilio Joven) Second place: Faith Reyes (piano student of Amanda Halstead) Honorable Mention: Tenley Fitzsimmons (piano student of Melinda Baird) Honorable Mention: Ronin Wong with Vienne Wong (cello students of Henry Stubbs)
Piano Intermediate Division
First place: Minjae Jeon (piano student of Jinha Park) Second place: Kasra Tavakoli (piano student of Kim Yi) Honorable mention: Shivaj Raman (piano student of Cecilia Cho)
Instrumental Intermediate Division
First place: Philip Thankachan, (violin student of Susan Katsarelis) Second place: Felix Karacsony-Major (clarinet student of Claire Eichhorn) Honorable mention: Chloe Robertson (bassoon student of Jimmy Ren) Honorable mention: Aden Garland (violin student of Leo Sushansky)
Piano Senior Division
First place: Anne Valerie Ter* (piano student of Darya Gabay) Second place: Davanee Li (student of Wen-Yin Chan)
Instrumental Senior Division
First place: Andrew Chi* (cello student of Vasily Popov) First place: Noah Wilkins (saxophone student of Dimitrios Kostaras) Second place: Benjamin Whiting-Eisemann (viola student of Patrick LeStrange) Honorable mention: Philip Weeks (viola student of William Hurd)
Congratulations to all the participants, their teachers, and their families!
Special thanks to: Aaron Percy, Recording Engineer; Maxfield Wollam-Fisher, competition organizer; Darya Gabay and Irina Kats, collaborative pianists; Marian Hahn, Nikita Fitenko, Julietta Curenton, and June Huang, competition judges; and Levine campus staff.
This program has been made possible through the generous support of the Marinus and Minna B. Koster Foundation, Inc.
Liliʻuokalani was the last reigning monarch of the Kingdom of Hawai‘i, remembered not only for her political leadership but also for her enduring contributions to Hawaiian music. A trained musician, she composed over 150 mele — songs and chants that reflect the rich oral traditions of her people. Her work embraced a diverse array of musical forms, ranging from sacred hymns to folk ballads, showcasing her deep cultural pride and musical skill. Even after the US-backed coup that overthrew her reign, Liliʻuokalani continued to serve her people through advocacy and art.
