Four 1st Prizes Awarded at New York Young Concert Artists Auditions

Four 1st prizes have been awarded at the 2016 Young Concert Artists International Auditions – including violinist Benjamin Baker and bassist Xavier Foley

Four 1st prizes have been awarded at the 2016 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, in New York – including the New Zealand-born violinist Benjamin Baker and American double bassist Xavier Foley.

The 2016 1st prize winners are:

• 26 year old violinist Benjamin Baker from New Zealand
• 22 year old double bassist Xavier Foley from the United States
• 15 year old pianist Nathan Lee from the United States
• 21 year old Anthony Trionfo from the United States.

2016 YOUNG CONCERT ARTISTS INTERNATIONAL AUDITIONS 1ST PRIZE WINNERS: BENJAMIN BAKER, NATHAN LEE, XAVIER FOLEY & ANTHONY TRIONFO

All four winners will be invited to join the Young Concert Artists’ roster – granting access to a minimum of 3 years management services, career engagements, publicity and career guidance – plus coveted recital debuts at Merkin Concert Hall in New York, the Kennedy Centre in Washington DC and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston.

This year’s jury comprised: Susan Wadsworth (Chair), violinists Daniel Philips and Pamela Frank, flautist Marya Martin, cellist Carter Brey, harpist Barbara Allen, conductor James Sinclair, and pianists Gary Graffman, Ilana Vered and Jerome Lowenthal.

The Young Concert Artists International Auditions differ from a competition, as there are no rankings, and any number of winners can be selected – with each candidate competing against a standard of excellence, not each other.

Previous Young Concert Artists alumni include: Pinchas Zukerman, Ida Kavafian, Emanuel Ax and Murray Perahia – and VC ‘Young Artists’ Paul Huang, Bella Hristova, Benjamin Beilman, Ray Chen, Stephen Waarts and Soo-Been Lee.