NYFC Competition 2017 Winners

The 2017 New York Flute Club Competition was held on March 12 at the Flute Fair. Congratulations to the winners, who were featured in recital on our concert series on Sunday, April 30 at 5:30 pm:
1st prize: Denis Savelyev 
2nd prize: James Blanchard 
3rd prize: Matthew Ross 
 
We would like to acknowledge all the talented young artists who participated and thank Kaoru Hinata, competition coordinator, and the distinguished panel of judges: Keith Bonner, Sheryl Henze, Nadine Hur, Sato Moughalian, and Andrew Rehrig. 

Special thanks to Phil Unger and the Flute Center of New York for sponsoring the first prize.

Denis Savelyev (1st prize winner) recently won a position in The Orchestra Now under the direction of Leon Botstein at Bard College. Born in Lviv, Ukraine, Mr. Savelyev came to the USA three years ago to earn his MM and Professional Studies Diploma at the Mannes School of Music, where he studied with Judith Mendenhall. He began studying the flute at age five and was awarded a place at the Gnessin Academy of Music in Moscow, where he earned a special music diploma as a student of Albert Hoffman. He has held orchestral positions with the Mariinsky Theater in Vladivostok, the Galina Vishnevskaya Opera Center and Kremlin Orchestra in Moscow, and the New York Symphonic Ensemble on its 2016 Japanese tour. As a soloist, he has performed at the Ukrainian Institute of America, the Morgan Library, the Moscow Music House, at the University of Nevada, and at Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall, where he gave the world premiere of his own arrangement for the flute of Virko Baley's Partita for violin and piano. He has also been soloist with the Lviv Philharmonic, Uzhgorod Philharmonic, and Kiev Philharmonic in Ukraine. 

Born and raised in Las Cruces, New Mexico, James Blanchard (2nd prize winner) began playing the flute at the age of 10, receiving private instruction from Katie Tomicek and from Lisa van Winkle of New Mexico State University. Following two summers at the Interlochen Arts Camp, he spent his final year of high school at the Interlochen Arts Academy, where he was a student of Nancy Stagnitta. In 2016, Mr. Blanchard received his bachelor's degree from Rice University in Houston, Texas, where he studied with Leone Buyse at the Shepherd School of Music. He has participated in masterclasses with Nadine Asin, Marianne Gedigian, Demarre McGill, Barthold Kuijken, Mark Sparks, and Carol Wincenc. He is currently pursuing his master's degree at the Juilliard School, where he studies with Robert Langevin.

New York-based flutist Matthew Ross (3rd prize winner) has won prizes in the Raleigh, Byron Hester, Mid-South, South Carolina, Myrna Brown, and Yamaha Young Artist competitions. He also has orchestral experience, performing with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Queen City Chamber Opera, Dayton Philharmonic, and The Orchestra Now (beginning in the fall). Matthew Ross was chosen as a member of the National Music Festival Orchestra for two consecutive seasons and was a faculty member at the Oyster Bay Music Festival. He was asked to premiere Glen Cortese’s work “…on further reflection” at the 2012 National Flute Association convention in Las Vegas, and he will be returning as a presenter and recitalist at this summer’s NFA convention in Minneapolis. www.rossflute.com

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