Shenandoah Conservatory is proud to announce the winners of the 2017/18 Student Soloists Competition (SSC) on behalf of the SSC committee. The final round of the competition was held at 7 p.m. on Nov. 21, in Armstrong Concert Hall.

Pictured left to right: Katherine Bell, soprano; Catalin Dima, piano; Daniel Fleming, tenor; Drake Stoughton, saxophone and Emily Konkle, violin

Category I – Undergraduate

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Instrumental Division Winner

Drake Stoughton, saxophone

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Voice Division Winner

Katherine Bell, soprano

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Category II – Graduate

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Instrumental Division Winner

Emily Konkle, violin

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Keyboard Division Winner

Catalin Dima, piano

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Voice Division Winner

Daniel Fleming, tenor

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Honorable Mention

Aaron Chow, piano

Winners of this year’s competition will be featured in performance with the Shenandoah Conservatory Symphony Orchestra later this semester.

Participants performed in preliminary and semifinal rounds judged by the 2017/18 SSC Committee, which featured Shenandoah Conservatory faculty representatives from the Instrumental, Keyboard and Vocal/Choral divisions, as well as Director of Orchestral Studies, Conductor, Chair of Instrumental Division and Professor of Conducting Jan Wagner, who also serves as SCC Committee chair. The final round was adjudicated by an all-external jury comprising José Ramos Santana (piano), Neil Shicoff (tenor) and Ian Zook (horn, James Madison University).

2017/18 Student Soloists Competition Committee

Jan Wagner, SSC Chair

Director of Orchestral Studies; Conductor; Chair of Instrumental Division; Professor of Conducting

Doris Lederer, SSC Instrumental Division Representative

Director of Instrumental Chamber Music; Professor of Viola and Chamber Music

Michael Forest, SSC Vocal/Choral Division Representative

Associate Professor of Voice (Tenor)

John O’Conor, SSC Keyboard Division Representative

Distinguished Artist-in-Residence; Chair of Keyboard Division; Professor of Piano

2017/18 Guest Final Jury

José Ramos Santana, piano

Neil Shicoff, tenor

Ian Zook, horn

James Madison University

About the Winners

Katherine Bell ’19 is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Performance (Voice) under the tutelage of Chair of Vocal/Choral Division and Associate Professor of Voice (Tenor) Byron Jones ’04, D.M.A.

Aaron Chow ’18 is currently pursuing a Master of Music in Performance (Piano) under the tutelage of Distinguished Artist-in-Residence, Chair of Keyboard Division and Professor of Piano John O’Conor, Mus.D.

Catalin Dima ’18 is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts in Performance (Piano) under the tutelage of Distinguished Artist-in-Residence, Chair of Keyboard Division and Professor of Piano John O’Conor, Mus.D.

Daniel Fleming ’18 is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Performance (Voice) under the tutelage of Artist-in-Residence of Voice (Soprano) Nancy Gustafson, M.M.

Emily Konkle ’20 is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts in Performance (Violin) under the tutelage of Victor Brown Chair in Violin and Associate Professor of Strings Akemi Takayama, M.M.

Drake Stoughton ’18 is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Music Education under the tutelage of Professor of Saxophone Timothy Roberts, D.M.A.