2021 Double Gold Tour Starts This Week!
Don’t miss Aero Quartet in performance starting September 16. Aero Quartet will be performing throughout the Midwest. See a full listing of their tour schedule and read the press release.
Competition
Congratulations to the Winners!
Bravo to all the prize winners of the 2021 Fischoff Competition!!
(Find more info about each ensemble on our Alumni Page)
Junior String Division:
Gold – Aveta Trio
Silver – Lumière Quartet
Bronze – Chasqui Quartet
Geoffroy Award – CMG Trio
Junior Wind Division:
Gold – Aurelian Quartet
Silver – Carmesi Quartet
Bronze – Quid Nunc Saxophone Quartet
American Brass Quintet Brass Ensemble Prize – Powerhouse Brass
Geoffroy Award – Penn Brass Quintet
Senior String Division:
Gold – Risus Quartet
Silver – The Galvin Cello Quartet
Bronze – Rucheri Trio
Bronze – Trio Rai
Senior Wind Division:
Gold – Aero Quartet
Silver – Eros Quartet
Bronze – Soma Quartet
American Brass Quintet Brass Ensemble Prize – KamBrass Quintet
Grand Prize:
Risus Quartet
Announcing the Prize Winners of the 2020 Fischoff Competition
We are pleased to announce the winners of the 2020 Fischoff Competition!
Senior String Division:
Gold Medal
Balourdet String Quartet – Rice University, Shepherd School of Music, Houston, Texas
Justin DeFilippis (violin), Angela Jiye Bae (violin), Benjamin Zannoni (viola), Russell Houston (cello)
Silver Medal
Trío Rouge – University of Texas at Austin, Butler School of Music, Austin, Texas
Nick Hammel (violin), Chan Song An (cello), Sohee Kwon, (piano)
Bronze Medal
Quantum Clarinet Trio – Paris, France
Elena Veronesi (clarinet), Johannes Przygodda (cello), Bokyung Kim (piano)
Senior Wind Division:
Gold Medal
Colere Quartet – The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
John Cummins (soprano saxophone), Elissa Kana (alto saxophone), Greg Rife (tenor saxophone), Dennis Kwok (baritone saxophone)
Silver Medal
helíos_ – Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
Matt Fox (soprano saxophone), Tanner Bayles (alto saxophone), Gabe Robles (tenor saxophone), Bonson Lee (baritone saxophone)
Bronze Medal
Scio Quartet – Eastman School of Music, Rochester, New York
Uday Singh (soprano saxophone), Siobhan Plouffe (alto saxophone), Clancy Ellis (tenor saxophone), Michael Matthews (baritone saxophone)
Junior String Division:
Gold Medal
Phillips Trio – Phillips Academy, Andover, Massachusetts
Luke Henderson (violin), Evan Tsai (cello), Ariel Wang (piano)
Silver Medal
Dasani String Quartet – The Academy of the Music Institute of Chicago, Evanston, Illinois
Isabella Brown (volin), Katya Moeller (violin), Zechary Mo (viola), Brandon Cheng (cello)
Bronze Medal
Arcturus Trio – Young Chamber Musicians, San Francisco, California
Kevin Yang (piano), Ajay Mallya (violin), Catherine Choi (cello)
Junior Wind Division:
Gold Medal
Quantum Quartet – Hebron High School, Carrollton, Texas
Ekdev Rajkitkul (soprano saxophone), GianCarlo Lay (alto saxophone), Austin Dreyer (tenor saxophone), Peyton Joffre (bari and soprano saxophone)
Silver Medal
Traumerei – New York Youth Symphony, New York, New York
Christian Lee (Bb clarinet), Cadee Lee (Bb clarinet/Eb clarinet), Dongkon Lee (Bb clarinet), Seung Hee Rhew (Bb clarinet), Jacob Cho (bass clarinet)
Bronze Medal
The Purple Hippopotami Flute Quartet – Merit School of Music, Chicago, Illinois
Katherine Chen (flute), Natasha Kozintseva (flute), Emma Krause (flute), Nina Touboul (flute)
American Brass Quintet Brass Ensemble Prize:
Sponsored by the American Brass Quintet, this award honors the most outstanding brass ensemble in the Senior & Junior Wind Divisions
Elm Street Brass – Yale School of Music, New Haven, Connecticut
Melissa, Muñoz (trumpet), Kenny Chauby (trumpet), Olivia Martinez (horn), Lyman McBride (trombone), James Aidan Zimmermann (tuba)
The Bone Rangers – Merit School of Music, Chicago, Illinois
Owen Riordan (trombone), Jonah Blake (trombone), Christopher Tam (trombone), Rafael Noriega (bass trombone)
Kenneth Geoffroy Memorial Award
The Kenneth Geoffroy Memorial Prize is awarded to a local Junior Division ensemble to encourage the participation of local chamber music ensembles in the Michiana region (60 mile radius of South Bend).
Dunamis Quartet – Penn High School, Mishawaka, IN
Maya Kvaratskhelia (violin), Evan Li (violin), Joey Krachenfeis (viola), Darbie Kwon (cello)
Fischoff Moves To Virtual Competition for 2020
Competition to be held in a new format
The Fischoff National Chamber Music Association is pleased to announce that its 47th Annual Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition will take place virtually utilizing its full panel of jurors for Junior and Senior Strings and Winds Divisions. The results will be announced online May 7-9, 2020, the original dates of the competition, which is typically held on the campus of the University of Notre Dame.
This year there were entries from 130 ensembles representing 16 nationalities. Under the leadership of Fischoff Artistic Director, Tom Rosenberg, Fischoff’s world-class jurors will follow competition guidelines remotely utilizing the performance videos of entrants to determine finalists. They will collaborate to ultimately award the competition’s prestigious Gold, Silver and Bronze medals in each division.
Rosenberg noted that Fischoff’s jurors are highly experienced at virtual judging through their work in selecting musicians to participate in competitions, festivals and music schools. Jurors will continue to provide their highly valued feedback and guidance to finalists to continue the educational component of the “Fischoff experience”. Rosenberg gave several reasons for continuing the competition including that for Senior Division medalists, a Fischoff medal often launches careers and is life-changing because of the prestige of the competition.
The competition will culminate in the awarding of annual prizes totaling $39,000 along with future performance and educational outreach opportunities for winners in both the Junior and Senior Divisions.
The Fischoff is the largest and longest running chamber music competition in the nation and is typically livestreamed to 6,000 viewers in 50 countries. This year the finalists’ performances will be posted online to continue to share the music of some of the most talented young musicians in the world.
Artistic Director Tom Rosenberg reflected on the importance of the Fischoff Competition as he celebrates his 40th anniversary in this role, “Creative people will not stop creating during this or any other emergency. In times of distress or joy, the Arts are called upon to bring us together. In that spirit, the Fischoff will come together to celebrate the work of all the people involved – be they an ensemble member, juror, or staff member – and to continue our focus on education.”
Additionally, Fischoff is piloting an online music experience with a local South Bend elementary school utilizing Fischoff musicians that will feature a creative approach to bringing chamber music to that age group. Once piloted, the online program will be made widely available.
“At a time when young musicians can use our support more than ever, Fischoff is working to make sure our groups will be poised to inspire lives through breathtaking performances when it will be safe to do so,” commented their new Executive Director, Kara Kane.
More details and an updated schedule of events for the competition will be coming in the coming weeks.
Merz Trio returns for the Double Gold Tour
Don’t miss your chance to hear Gold Medal Winner, Merz Trio, October 10-16! They’ll be performing in Culver, Valparaiso, Notre Dame, and Chicago! Full details on their tour can be found on our website.
Aruna Quartet kicks off the 2019 Double Gold Tour
Fischoff is pleased to announce the commencement of its annual Gold Medal Tour, featuring the Aruna Quartet, winners of the 2019 Fischoff Competition Grand Prize and the Senior Wind Division Gold Medal.
Don’t miss their performances! Tour info is available on our website here.
Congratulations to the Winners of the 2019 Fischoff Competition
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNERS OF THE 46TH FISCHOFF NATIONAL CHAMBER MUSIC COMPETITION
Grand Prize
Aruna Quartet
Senior Division Strings/Piano
Gold Medal Winner
Merz Trio
Silver Medal Winner
Abeo Quartet
Bronze Medal Winner
Dior Quartet
Senior Division Winds/Brass
Gold Medal Winner
Aruna Quartet
Silver Medal Winner
Khroma Quartet
Bronze Medal Winner
Catharsis Winds
Junior Division Strings/Piano
Gold Medal Winner
Fervida Trio
Silver Medal Winner
Éclatante String Quartet
Bronze Medal Winner
Meraki Quartet
Junior Division Winds/Brass
Gold Medal Winner
Golden Melody Saxophone Quartet
Silver Medal Winner
Quantum Quartet
Bronze Medal Winner
The Bone Rangers
American Brass Quintet Brass Prize
Junior Division
The Bone Rangers
Senior Division
Volker Brass Quintet
Winner’s Tour Schedule Announced for the Callisto Quartet
Callisto Quartet, Grand Prize Winner & Gold Medal Winner, Senior String Division
Paul Aguilar, violin; Rachel Stenzel, violin; Eva Kennedy, viola; Hannah Moses, cello
Public Performances
| Sunday, October 21 | Howard Center Presents, Howard Performing Arts Center, Andrews University, Berrien Springs, MI | Concert 7:00 pm (Eastern) |
| Wednesday, October 24 | The Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts, Preston Bradley Hall, Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago, IL. Broadcast live on WFMT 98.7FM and streamed live at www.facebook.com/WFMTClassical | Concert 12:15 pm (Central) |
| Thursday, October 25 | Culver Academies, Heritage Room of Legion Memorial Building (1300 Academy Road, Culver, IN). For info, contact Cathy Duke 574.842.8254 | Concert 7:30 pm (Eastern) |
| Saturday, October 27 | Music at the Fort Concert Series, Midwest Young Artists Conservatory, MYAC Center, Highwood, IL | Concert 7:00 pm (Central) |
| Sunday, October 28 | DeBartolo Performing Arts Center Presenting Series, Leighton Concert Hall, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN | Concert 2:00 pm (Eastern) |
Masterclasses & Workshops
| Culver Acadmies, Culver, IN |
| LaSalle Intermediate Academy, South Bend, IN |
| Midwest Young Artists Conservatory, Highwood, IL |
| Penn High School, Mishawaka, IN |
| Upton Middle School, St. Joseph, MI |
Winner’s Tour Schedule Announced for the Donald Sinta Quartet
Don’t miss their outstanding performances!
DOUBLE GOLD TOUR
2018 TOURS
SPONSORED IN PART BY THE FLORENCE V. CARROLL CHARITABLE TRUST
Donald Sinta Quartet, Gold Medal Winner, Senior Wind Division
Dan Gaser, soprano saxophone; Joe Girard, tenor saxophone; Zach Stern, alto saxophone; Danny Hawthorne-Foss, baritone saxophone
Public Performances
| Thursday, September 20 | Con Spirito Concert Series, David Johnson Memorial Chapel Thiel College, Greenville, PA | Concert 7:00 pm |
| Saturday, September 23 | Guest Artist Concert, Duesenbeg Recital Hall, Valparaiso University Center for the Arts, Valparaiso, IN | Concert 5:00 pm (central) |
| Sunday, September 23 | Visiting Artist Series, Salter Concert Hall, Wabash College Fine Arts Center, Crawfordsville, IN | Concert 4:00 pm |
| Wednesday, September 26 | The Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts, Preston Bradley Hall, Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago, IL. Broadcast live on WFMT 98.7FM and streamed live at www.wfmt.com | Concert 12:15 pm (central) |
| Friday, September 28 | Rieth Chamber Series, Rieth Recital Hall, Goshen College Music Center, Goshen, IN | Concert 7:30 pm |
Masterclasses & Workshops
| LaSalle Intermediate Academy, South Bend, IN | ||
| Penn High School, Mishawaka, IN | ||
| Upton Middle School, St. Joseph, MI |
Congratulations to the Winners of the 2018 Fischoff Competition
WINNERS OF THE 45TH ANNUAL FISCHOFF COMPETITION HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED!
Grand Prize & Senior String Division Gold Medal Winner
Callisto Quartet
Silver Medal Winner
Viano String Quartet
Bronze Medal Winner
Thalea String Quartet
Senior Wind Division Gold Medal Winner
Donald Sinta Quartet
Silver Medal Winner
Vanguard Reed Quintet
Bronze Medal Winner
Tangent Winds
Junior Division Gold Medal Winner
Kairos String Quartet
Silver Medal Winner
Razumovsky Quartet
Bronze Medal Winner
Geneva String Quartet
ABQ Wind Prize
Quid Nunc Saxophone Quartet