Fischoff Chamber Music Competition Announces 2023 Semifinalists

The 50th season is being held from May 12–14 on the campus of the University of Notre Dame and is streamed LIVE here on The Violin Channel

The Semi-Finalists have today been announced at the 2023 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition, in South Bend, IN, United States.

As this year's official media streaming partner, The Violin Channel is streaming all rounds of the competition from May 12-14.

The 2023 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition semifinalists are as follows:

Junior String Division

• Evie Quartet, Ed and Mari Edelman Chamber Music Institute of the Colburn Community School of Performing Arts, Los Angeles, CA
• FaMa Quartet, Colchester, VT
• Emerald Trio, North Carolina Chamber Music Institute, Raleigh, NC
• Pelios String Quartet, The Academy of the Music Institute of Chicago, Evanston, IL
• The Griscerda String Quartet, Blair School of Music, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
• Luminos Piano Trio, Academy of the Music Institute of Chicago, Lake Forest, IL
• Pika Trio, Seattle Chamber Music Society Academy, Seattle, WA
• Meraki Trio, Cleveland Institute of Music, Cleveland, OH
• Nth Trio, Ed and Mari Edelman Chamber Music Institute of the Colburn Community School of Performing Arts, Los Angeles, CA
• Gloria String Quartet, Gifted Music School Conservatory, Salt Lake City, UT

Senior String Division

• Vinola Trio, Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, Bloomington, IN
• Katarina String Quartet, McGill University’s Schulich School of Music, Montréal, Canada
• Amnis Piano Quartet, Yale School of Music, New Haven, CT
• Stelios Quartet, McGill University’s Schulich School of Music, Montréal, Canada
• Poiesis Quartet, Oberlin Conservatory, Oberlin, OH
• Quartet Luminera, New England Conservatory, Boston, MA

Junior Wind Division

• Quid Nunc Saxophone Quartet, Ronald Reagan High School, San Antonio, TX
• LT Brass 5, Lake Travis High School, Austin, Texas
• Incendio Saxophone Trio, Victor J. Andrew High School and Carl Sandburg High School, Tinley Park, IL
• dc2, Chamber Music Connection, Inc., Worthington, OH
• Halcyon Saxophone Quartet, Andy Dekaney High School, Houston, TX
• The Bone Rangers, Merit School of Music, Chicago, IL
• Tango Quartet, Grand Oaks High School, Spring, TX

Senior Wind Division

• Amity Winds, The Juilliard School, New York, NY
• Cerus Quartet, University of Michigan – School of Music, Theatre, and Dance, Ann Arbor, MI
• IGNIS, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
• Amo Brass, Yale University, New Haven, CT
• Kodachrome, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
• Quartet Moraga, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI

Founded in 1973 by Joseph Fischoff and members of the South Bend Chamber Music Society, the national Fischoff Chamber Music Competition has since seen over 7,800 musicians compete, representing many states and nationalities.

In both the strings and winds categories, the Junior Division is open to those 18 and under, while the Senior Division is open to those 35 or under.

In each Senior Division category, the first prize will receive $5,000, second prize $4,000, and third prize $3,000. Senior Division Gold Medalists will be additionally awarded the Grand Prize of $15,000, or the Double Gold Tour Prize worth $5,000.

The Grand Prize Winner will have the chance to perform all concerts on the tour, including a trip to Italy in Summer 2024 for concerts at the Emilia Romagna Festival. In the Junior Strings Division, first prize will be $2,500, second prize $2,000, and third prize $1,500. 

The jury for the Senior String category comprises Ann Elliott-Goldschmid, Anne Epperson, Honggang Li, and Keith Robinson, while the Junior String category jury includes Rieko Aizawa, Michael Cameron, and Rebecca Henry.

The jurors for the Wind divisions are Susan Cook, Richard Killmer, Carrie Koffman, William Purvis, John Rojak, Jeff Scott, Tasha Warren.

Additionally, this year marks the second edition in the Senior division of the competition’s “Lift Every Voice Prize.” With an award of $1,500, the prize was created to amplify and celebrate outstanding works by historically underrepresented artists in chamber music.

This year's winner of the "Life Every Voice Prize" went to Poiesis Quartet in the Senior String Division and Sound Session in the Senior Wind Division.

The jurors for this category are Lisa Kaplan, Karla Donehew Perez, and Gabriel Campos Zamora.