Announcing the 2021 ICA Competition Winners

The International Clarinet Association is thrilled to announce the winners of the 2021 ICA Competitions!

The ICA is grateful to our sponsors, our coordinators, our judges and our participants for making these competitions happen despite the extraordinary circumstances. Be sure to check out the full competition reports in the December 2021 issue of The Clarinet. 

2021 ICA Young Artist Competition

A special thank you to Yamaha for donating a professional clarinet for our 1st prize winner!

Coordinator: Diane Barger (University of Nebraska-Lincoln, ICA President-Elect)

Judges

• David Cook (Millikin University)
• Cecilia Kang (Louisiana State University)
• Severine Sierens (Go! Kunstacademie Gent, Belgium)
• Lara Diaz (Clarinet and Bass Clarinet Soloist, Spain)
• Antonio Fraioli: (“Giuseppe Martucci” Conservatoire in Salerno, Italy)

The ICA Young Artist Competition generously sponsored in part by:

First Place: António Lopes (Portugal)

Prize: $2,500 USD and a Yamaha Professional B-flat Clarinet

Second Place: Tiago Gonçalves (Portugal)

Prize: $1,000 USD

Third Place: Michael Miller (Florida, USA)

Prize: $500 USD

2021 ICA High School Competition

Coordinator: Kimberly Cole-Luevano (University of North Texas)

Judges

• Barcelona Clarinet Players (Spain)
• Ricardo Freire (Brazil)
• Xiaoting Ma (China)
• Marie Ross (New Zealand)
• Stephanie Zelnick (USA)

First Place: Jorge Neves (Portugal)

Prize: $1,000 USD

Second Place: Eduardo Seabra (Portugal)

Prize: $750 USD

Third Place: Taig Egan (Connecticut, US)

Prize: $500 USD

Honorable Mention: Jaejun Kang (New Jersey, US)

2021 ICA Orchestral Audition Competition

Coordinator: Vanguel Tangarov (Texas State University)

Judges

• Michele Zukovsky (Former Principal Clarinet of the LA Philharmonic, USA)
• Mark Nuccio  (Principal Clarinet of Houston Symphony, USA)
• Kathleen Jones (Principal Clarinet of Puerto Rico Symphony, Puerto Rico/USA)
• Philippe Cuper (Principal Clarinet of Paris Opera, France)
• Gabor Varga (Principal Clarinet of the Hungarian National Radio Orchestra, Hungary)
• Mihail Zhivkov (Principal Clarinet of Sofia Philharmonic, Bulgaria)
• Manuel Hernández (Principal Clarinet of the Mexico City Philharmonic, Mexico)

The Orchestral Audition is sponsored in part by:

First Place: Randel Leung (Colorado, USA)

Prize: $1,000 USD and a Chevedille Clarinet Mouthpiece

Second Place: Claire Chung (California, USA)

Prize: $500 USD and a Chedeville Clarinet Mouthpiece

2021 ICA Composition Competition (Bass Clarinet and Piano)

Coordinator: Scott McAllister (Baylor University)

Judges

• Christy Banks (Millersville University)
• Scott McAllister (Baylor University)
• Osiris Molina (University of Alabama)

Winner: Chris Heine

Composition: June Sleet

Prize: $1,000 USD

This work will be performed at ClarinetFest® 2022.

2021 ICA Research Competition

Coordinator: Jane Ellsworth (Eastern Washington University)

Judges

• Liz Aleksander (University of Tennessee, Martin)
• Lori Baruth (Morehead State University)
• Antoine Clark (Music Director, Ohio Wesleyan University Chamber Ensemble)

First Place: Shannon McDonald (USA)

Presentation Title: “Accommodating Learning Differences in the Clarinet Studio: Private Teacher Experiences and Learning Guide”

Prize: $1,000 USD and guaranteed publication in The Clarinet

Second Place: Lacey Golaszewski (USA)

Presentation Title: “Fashioned by Irony: The Life and Clarinet Literature of Eugène Bozza”

Prize: $500 USD

Honorable Mention: Anderson César Alves (Brazil)  

Presentation Title: “Clarinet Expert Teacher: Investigation on Pedagogical Practices in Music Performance.”