Honors Competitions

The bi-annual Honors Competition offers students the opportunity to perform in a recital of the highest caliber. Held at the end of the Fall and Spring semesters, these events are reserved for the most advanced students performing advanced repertoire. Judges select 6-8 winners based on overall performance and the need to create a well-balanced recital program.

Honors Recitals, held in Leith Symington Griswold Hall, are two of the Preparatory’s more public events. In addition to our faculty and administration, friends and supporters of the Peabody Institute are invited to listen as the Preparatory presents its “best of the best”. 

Spring 2024 Winners

Mallory Lerch, cello (teacher: Alicia Ward)
Ryan Li, violin (teacher: Judith Ingolfsson)
Miya Mese-Jones, violin (teacher: Andréa Picard Boecker)
Elyse Sohn, cello (teacher: Bai-Chi Chen)
Elisabeth Stevens, voice (teacher: Madeleine Gray)
Alan Stoupel, violin (teacher: Christian Tremblay)
Alexander Yang, cello (teacher: Alicia Ward)

Congratulations to all of the participants! The judges were very impressed with the high level of performance.

Shared Recital Competition

Encompassing three age categories (age 12 and under, age 13-18, and age 19 and older), the Shared Recital Competition (previously named the Part Recital Competition) invites accomplished musicians to audition for a recital that is different from any of the Preparatory’s other recitals. Interested and qualified students who have prepared 15 to 20 minutes of music are entered by their teacher to audition for a panel of noted musicians and educators from the Baltimore/Washington area. Three or four winners are selected to perform on a recital which is scheduled on a Sunday evening in late April or early May.

Spring 2024 Winners

Amelia Baisden, cello (teacher: Daniel Levitov)
Jacqi Fan, violin (teacher: Rebecca Henry)
Julie Lee, violin (teacher: Christian Tremblay)
Jaeman Shin, piano (teacher: Hyun-Sook Park)

Congratulations to all of the participants! The judges were very impressed with the high level of performance.

Preparatory String Ensemble Competition

The Preparatory String Ensemble hosts an annual competition to feature a young string student in a solo performance with the ensemble. Students are nominated by their teachers for the competition which takes place in February for a panel of adjudicators. The winner performs with the Preparatory String Ensemble during its Spring Concert.

February 2024 Winners

Winner: Amaia Fainmesser-Ong, violin (teacher: Rebecca Henry)
Runner Up: Eli Gorby, violin (teacher: Heather Haughn)

Congratulations to all of the participants! The judges were very impressed with the high level of performance.

Advanced Concerto Competition (18 and under)

Held in the fall semester as part of the Preparatory’s Concerto Competition Day, this event offers advanced students, aged 18 and under, the opportunity to compete for a solo performance with one of the large ensembles of the Peabody Preparatory. Students will compete in three divisions: strings; wind, brass, and percussion; and piano, guitar, and harp. The competition is judged by local professional musicians and all students receive feedback about their audition. One grand winner will be chosen to play an entire concerto and one winner from the remaining divisions will be chosen to perform one movement. Winners will perform with the Peabody Youth Orchestra, Peabody Wind Orchestra, or Young Artists Orchestra on the Peabody Preparatory Concerto Concert held in February of that academic year.

November 2024 Winners

Strings Division and Grand Prize Winner: Amelia Baisden, cello (teacher: Daniel Levitov)
Piano Division Winner: Sanjeev Belle Trichur, piano (teacher: Hyun-Sook Park)
Winds/Brass Division Winner: Jabari Woodson, tuba (teacher: Jasmine Pigott)
Honorable Mention: Angel Luniw, violin (teacher: Judith Ingolfsson)

Congratulations to all of the participants! The judges were very impressed with the high level of performance.

Intermediate/Advanced Concerto Competition (14 and under)

Held in the fall semester as part of the Preparatory’s Concerto Competition Day, this event provides intermediate and advanced students, aged 14 and under, the opportunity to compete for a solo performance with one of the large ensembles of the Peabody Preparatory. Students will compete in two divisions: wind, brass, and percussion; and strings, piano, guitar, and harp. The competition is judged by local professional musicians and all students receive feedback about their audition. One winner will be chosen from each division to perform a movement of a concerto with the Young Artists Orchestra or Peabody Wind Orchestra on the Peabody Preparatory Concerto Concert held in February of that academic year.

November 2024 Winners

Winner: Julie Lee, violin (teacher: Christian Tremblay)
Honorable Mentions: Immy and Ara Levitov, violin and cello (teachers: Renate Falkner and Daniel Levitov); Alexander Woolf, piano (teacher: Soyoung Ryoo)

Congratulations to all of the participants! The judges were very impressed with the high level of performance.