NYFC Competition 2026 Winners

The 2026 NYFC Competition was held on March 22, 2026 at the Allen-Stevenson School in NYC. We thank competition coordinator Kaoru Hinata and judges Karen Bogardus, Kim O'Hare Bonacorsa, Sheryl Henze (1st round only), Hilary Jones, Marya Martin (final round only) and Jayn Rosenfeld (final round only). Congratulations to the winners, who will appear in concert on Sunday, April 12:

1st prize: Rafael Méndez
2nd prize: Kara Ravaschieri
3rd prize: Matthew Ober

Rafael Méndez (first prize) began his flute studies with Alaima González at the Conservatorio Nacional de Música in the Dominican Republic. He earned his bachelor of music degree at the Frost School of Music in 2024, studying with Jennifer Grim, and is currently pursuing a master of music degree at the Yale School of Music under Tara O'Connor.

His honors include first prize at the Nancy Clew Ellert Artist Competition (2026), the Graduate Presser Award (2025), the Burkart Resona Piccolo Award (2022), and the Gemeinhardt Galway Crusader Silver Flute Award at the Galway Flute Festival (2019). In 2024, he was a semifinalist in the Young Concert Artist competition.

Rafael has performed with the Yale Philharmonia, Frost Symphony Orchestra, Opera Naples, Festival Orchestra Napa, and the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional of the Dominican Republic, and has appeared at Carnegie Hall's Stern Auditorium and Konzerthaus Berlin.

A member of Trio Ivy, he debuted at Weill Recital Hall after winning the Yale School of Music Chamber Music Competition. He has also performed with the Miami Bach Society Chamber Orchestra and musicians from the Palm Beach Symphony, and attended festivals including the Oxford Summer Flute School

Kara Ravaschieri (second prize) currently attends the Juilliard School, as a second year undergraduate flutist. She is also a member of the New World Symphony's substitute musician roster and recently performed with the ensemble in March. In 2022, she was a Young Arts Honorable Mention recipient in classical music and first place winner of the Florida Flute Association High School Young Artist Competition. In 2024, she won the Palm Beach Symphony Lisa Bruna B-Major Award, New World Symphony Side By Side Concerto Competition, and was the third prize winner of the National Flute Association High School Competition. Kara was the principal flute of the New World Symphony Side By Side Program from 2020-2024. She has performed in masterclasses for Robert Langevin, Jim Walker, Marianne Gedigian, Alberto Almarza, Lorna McGhee, Soo-Kyung Park, and Philippe Bernold. Her former teachers include Amanda Blaikie and Marie Jureit-Beamish. Kara currently studies with Robert Langevin at Juilliard. 

Matthew Ober (third prize) is a flutist and teacher from Silver Spring, Maryland pursuing a master of musical arts at the Yale School of Music. Matthew has performed with the Richmond Symphony Orchestra, York Symphony Orchestra, Annapolis Opera Company, at the National Gallery of Art and the Brevard Music Center, and has received prizes at the South Carolina Flute Society and the Flute Society of Washington. He is a recipient of the National Federation of Music Clubs Beth McAuley Southeast Region Award and is an Omicron Delta Kappa National Leader in the Arts. Matthew graduated with his master's from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University and earned a double degree, magna cum laude, in flute performance and information science from the University of Maryland, College Park. His primary teachers are Tara Helen O'Connor, Marina Piccinini, Sarah Frisof, and Aaron Goldman, with additional mentorship from Erica Peel. Matthew has been awarded fellowships and will be attending both the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival and New Music Seminar this summer.

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