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| Junior Division |
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Caitlin Adamson
Instrument: Viola Age: 16 Ethnicity: African-American
Teacher: Desiree Ruhstrat
Home: Evanston IL
Credits: 1st Place 2012 and 2009 DePaul Concerto Festival; 1st Place 2009 Society of American Musicians Competition; Honors 2011 Chicago Symphony Orchestra Youth Auditions; Honors 2010 Walgreen's Concerto Competition; Solo performance: Oistrach Orchestra, Junior Academy Strings; Member: Quartet Ventosso, Music Institute of Chicago Academy Chamber Strings |
 | Juan-Salvador Carrasco
Instrument: Cello Age: 17 Ethnicity: Mexican
Teacher: Ron Leonard
Home: Santa Monica CA
Credits: Grand Prize, 2012 Brentwood/Westwood Symphony Young Artists Competition; Alfred Newman Grand Prize, 2011 Palisades Symphony/The Los Angeles Philharmonic Westside Committee; 1st Place, 2010 Herbert Zipper Award; 1st Place, 2008-2009 Parness Young Artists Competition; 1st Place, 2008-2009 ASTA California State Solo Competition; Perlman Music Program |
 | Brendon Elliott
Instrument: Violin Age: 17 Ethnicity: African-American
Teacher: Vahn Armstrong
Home: Newport News VA
Credits: Grand Prize Winner First Presbyterian Performing Artists Competition; National ASTA State Finalist; Two-time First place Instrumental winner for the First Presbyterian Performing Artists Competition; Three-time First place Richmond Symphony Orchestra Competition; Two-time First place York River Orchestra Competition; 2006 First place Peninsula Youth Orchestra Competition
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 | Sterling Elliott
Instrument: Cello Age: 12 Ethnicity: African-American
Teacher: Mike Daniels
Home: Newport News VA
Credits: Principal Cellist Peninsula Youth Orchestra; Principal Cellist for District Honors Orchestra; Two-time First place winner in the Peninsula Youth Orchestra Concerto Competition; Guest Soloist with the Hampton University Orchestra
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Tristan Flores - 3rd Place Laureate
Instrument: Violin Age: 13 Ethnicity: Latino
Teacher: Peter Zazofsky
Home: Denton MA
Credits: 2010 New England Conservatory Concerto Competition, 2nd Place; Assistant Concert Master, Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra; First Violin of NEC Youth Philharmonic Orchestra; Full Scholarship Recipient from Project Step |
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Tiffany Laraia
Instrument: Viola Age: 17 Ethnicity: Puerto Rican
Teacher: Marvin Moon
Home: Washington Township NJ
Credits: Member, Settlement Music School, Advanced Study Scholarship Braverman Quartet; Principal Violist Temple Music Prep's Youth Chamber Orchestra; Violist of Temple Music Prep Honors Quartet; Featured on From the Top
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 | Lev Mamuya - 2nd Place Laureate
Instrument: Cello Age: 15 Ethnicity: African-American
Teacher: Michael Reynolds
Home: Newton Highlands MA
Credits: Soloist with Cape Cod Symphony, New Philharmonia Orchestra; 1st place- Newton Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition; solo appearances on From the Top radio and television programs
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 | Myrtil Mitanga
Instrument: Cello Age: 16 Ethnicity: African-American
Teacher: Martha Gerschefski
Home: Atlanta GA
Credits: Principal Cello, Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra, 2011-2012; Principal Cello, GMEA All-State 9-10 Orchestra, 2011; Winner, Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra Scholarship Competition, 2011
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 | Ade Williams - 1st Place Laureate
Instrument: Violin Age: 14 Ethnicity: African-American
Teacher: Almita Vamos
Home: Chicago IL
Credits: Winner: DePaul Concerto Festival (2011), Sejong—Senior (2010) and Junior (2009), Sigma Alpha Iota (2006), Walgreens (2005); Honorable mention: Chicago Symphony Orchestra Youth Auditions (2011); 2nd place, Society of American Musicians (2009); William Warfield Scholar (2008-present); Switzerland and Bermuda solo invitations (2011)
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 | Mira Williams
Instrument: Viola Age: 13 Ethnicity: African-American
Teacher: Marko Dreher
Home: Chicago IL
Credits: Member of nationally recognized trio SugarStrings and The Okemo String Quartet, winners of the 2011 Society of American Musicians chamber competition and Fischoff finalists; principal violist for The Academy of the Music Institute of Chicago
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| Senior Division |
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Gabriel Cabezas - 1st Place Laureate
Instrument: Cello Age: 18 Ethnicity: Costa Rican
Teacher: Carter Brey
Home: Philadelphia PA
Credits: Second Prize, Young Concert Artists International Auditions- 2008 and 2009; First Prize, Chicago Symphony Youth Auditions- 2008; First Prize, Aspen Music Festival Low Strings Competition- 2008; 2011-12 Co-Principal Cello, Curtis Symphony Orchestra; Winner, 2008 Chicago Symphony Youth Auditions |
 | Scott Jackson
Instrument: Violin Age: 25 Ethnicity: African-American
Teacher: Won Bin Yim
Home: Cincinnati OH
Credits: DMA Candidate at Cincinnati Conservatory; Undergraduate work with Brian Lewis at the University of Texas in Austin; Soloist, Las Vegas Philharmonic; Concertmaster, CCM Philharmonic
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 | Rainel Joubert - 4th Place Laureate
Instrument: Violin Age: 25 Ethnicity: Cuban
Teacher: Dr. Shannon Thomas
Home: Hattiesburg MS
Credits: University of Southern Mississippi, MM in Violin; Concertmaster, University of Southern Mississippi Orchestra; member, Havana Quartet; member, Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra of Havana; studied at the High Institute of Art, Havana, Cuba; teachers include Gidon Kremer and Evelio Tieles
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Steven Laraia
Instrument: Viola Age: 20 Ethnicity: Puerto Rican
Teacher: Kim Kashkashian
Home: Washington Township NJ
Credits: Student, New England Conservatory; Recipient of Abraham Skernick Memorial Presidential Scholarship at NEC; Member of Boston Philharmonic Orchestra; 2011 Yellow Barn Musician
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Omar Shelly
Instrument: Viola Age: 20 Ethnicity: African-American
Teacher: Jodi Levitz
Home: San Francisco CA
Credits: Bachelor's Student, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Margoes Foundation Scholar; Co-Principal Violist, San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra; Member, 2011 YouTube Symphony Orchestra; Winner, Golden Era of Romantic Music International Competition, 2011 American Fine Arts Festival; Winner, 2008 Nevada All-State Command Performance, Chamber Music |
 | Josue Valdepenas
Instrument: Cello Age: 20 Ethnicity: Mexican-Korean
Teacher: Eric Kim
Home: Bloomington IN
Credits: Student at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music; Gold medals at Kiwanis Festival; Grand prize Toronto Music Competition 2005; Soloist with the Toronto Symphony; Participant in 2011 New York String Orchestra Seminar
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 | Francisco Vila - 2nd Place Laureate
Instrument: Cello Age: 24 Ethnicity: Ecuadorian-Spanish
Teacher: Gary Hoffman
Home: Melbourne FL
Credits: Prize-winner FLAME Competition (Paris) 2011; First-prize at Indiana University Concerto Competitio; Soloist with iPalpiti Artists International; Soloist in Residence – Artist Diploma at the Queen Elizabeth Music Chapel, Belgium; Vila plays a 1790 Vincenzo Panormo cello on loan from the Saul B. and Naomi R. Cohen Foundation
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 | Danielle Wiebe - 3rd Place Laureate
Instrument: Viola Age: 19 Ethnicity: Mexican-Canadian
Teacher: Kim Kashkashian
Home: Boston MA
Credits: Student, New England Conservatory; Finalist, Music Academy of the West Concerto Competition; Winner, Calgary Concerto Competition; Winner, Calgary Youth Orchestra Concerto Competition; Finalist, Canadian Music Competition; Winner, Alberta Provincial Music Festival
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Luke Witchger
Instrument: Violin Age: 19 Ethnicity: Cuban-American
Teacher: Carolyn Huebl
Home: Nashville TN
Credits: Student, Blair School of Music; Soloist, Omaha Symphony, Orchestra Omaha, Omaha Area Youth Orchestras; Concertmaster, Vanderbilt Orchestra |
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