Congratulations to the 2026 Fischoff Competition winners!
Grand Prize Winner ($15,000)
ZaRiah – New Haven, Connecticut
Benjamin Smith (flute), Jamison Hillian (oboe), Katelyn Poetker (clarinet), AJ Neubert (bassoon), Oved Rico (horn)
Senior String Division
Gold Medal ($5,000 & Double Gold Tour) – Trio Caspar – The Colburn School, Los Angeles, California
Jason Moon (violin/viola), Andrea Caputo (clarinet), Bogang Hwang (piano)
Silver Medal ($4,000) –Trio Timia – Montreal, Canada
June Lee (violin), François Lamontagne (cello), Itamar Prag (piano)
Bronze Medal ($3,000)– Setas Trio – Peabody Conservatory, Baltimore, Maryland
Amir Kadamani-Gonzalez (violin), Adrian Bostian (cello), David Lecuyer (piano)
Senior Wind Division
Gold Medal ($5,000 & Double Gold Tour) – ZaRiah – New Haven, Connecticut
Benjamin Smith (flute), Jamison Hillian (oboe), Katelyn Poetker (clarinet), AJ Neubert (bassoon), Oved Rico (horn)
Silver Medal ($4,000) – 4116 – University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
Ethan Ashley (soprano saxophone), Ben Kaplan (alto saxophone), Joseph Lowry (tenor saxophone), Inbo Shim (baritone saxophone)
Bronze Medal ($3,000) – Citrine Quartet – University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Alex Procajlo (soprano saxophone), Jonah Kulick (alto saxophone), Zachary Solomon (tenor saxophone), Rimas Stapusaitis (baritone saxophone)
Lift Every Voice Prize ($1,500)
Best performance of a piece by a historically underrepresented composer in the chamber music world.
Senior String –Trio Caspar – The Colburn School, Los Angeles, California
Jason Moon (violin/viola), Andrea Caputo (clarinet), Bogang Hwang (piano)
Senior Wind -Citrine Quartet – University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Alex Procajlo (soprano saxophone), Jonah Kulick (alto saxophone), Zachary Solomon (tenor saxophone), Rimas Stapusaitis (baritone saxophone)
Junior String Division
Gold Medal ($2,500) – Alpaca Quartet – Colburn Music Academy, Los Angeles, California
Dominic An (violin), Minji Choi (violin), Henry Woodruff (viola), Starla Breshears (cello)
Silver Medal ($2,000) – Trio Veritas – Seattle Chamber Music Society Academy for Chamber Music, Seattle, Washington
Hana Gottesman (violin), Jesse Krentz (cello), David Gatien (piano)
Bronze Medal ($1,500) – Quartetto Tornando – The Royal Conservatory of Music: Taylor Academy, Toronto, Canada
Edward Wu (violin), Sora Sato-Mound (violin), Harrison Yang Meng (viola), Emma Tian (cello)
Junior Wind Division
Gold Medal ($2,500) – Congredi Quartet – Chamber Music Connection, Worthington, Ohio
Charles Cheng (flute), Jacob Meland (flute), Prateek Kunchala (oboe), Lake Weeks (viola)
Silver Medal ($2,000) – Clutch City Brass – Houston, Texas
Cade Brown (trumpet), Diego Palacios (trumpet), Connor Powers (horn), Will Cranston (trombone), Alan Zhang (tuba)
Bronze Medal ($1,500) – Quid Nunc – Ronald Reagan High School, San Antonio, Texas
Nicholas Roman (soprano saxophone), Aiden Fogle (alto saxophone), Ethan Ingalls (tenor saxophone), Noah Vu (baritone saxophone)
American Brass Quintet Brass Ensemble Prize ($500)
Sponsored by the American Brass Quintet, this award honors the most outstanding brass ensemble in the Junior Wind Division. The American Brass Quintet (ABQ) is dedicated to supporting and encouraging the growing number of young brass ensembles in the U.S.
Senior Wind – Stamps Brass Quintet – Frost School of Music, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida
Ian Laufer (trumpet), Sei Denning (trumpet), Taylor Bowen-Longino (French horn), Colin Mendenhall (trombone), Zachary Larakers (tuba)
Junior Wind – Clutch City Brass – Houston, Texas
Cade Brown (trumpet), Diego Palacios (trumpet), Connor Powers (horn), Will Cranston (trombone), Alan Zhang (tuba)
Horszowski Trio Prize for Piano Ensemble
Awarded to the highest-ranking Strings Division piano ensembles. In addition to the cash prize, the winner will be invited to the Mimir Festival to work with the Horszowski Trio and other distinguished faculty members.
Senior String ($1,000) – Trio Caspar – The Colburn School, Los Angeles, California
Jason Moon (violin/viola), Andrea Caputo (clarinet), Bogang Hwang (piano)
Junior String ($500) – Trio Veritas – Seattle Chamber Music Society Academy for Chamber Music, Seattle, Washington
Hana Gottesman (violin), Jesse Krentz (cello), David Gatien (piano)
Kenneth Geoffroy Memorial Award ($1,000)
To encourage the participation of local chamber music ensembles in the Fischoff Competition, a special prize is awarded to the highest ranking junior ensemble from the Michiana region (60 mile radius of South Bend).
The Yimmy Quartet – Penn High School, Mishawaka, IN
Sejune Kang (volin), Artyom Ryzhkov (violin), Joshua Jong (viola), Sonya Cheng (cello)