Shenandoah Conservatory announces the winners of the 2019/20 Student Soloists Competition (SSC) on behalf of the SSC committee. The final round of the competition was held at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 8, in Armstrong Concert Hall.

Pictured left to right: Brendan McCoy, tenor (Category II); Franchesca Henry, soprano (Category I); Jeremiah Hines, piano (Category I); Caeley Niess, trumpet (Category I ); Kurt Cox, saxophone (Category I), Bo-Kyung Hwang, piano (Honorable Mention Category II) and Aaron Chow, piano( Category II)

Category I – Undergraduate

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Instrumental Division Winners

Kurt Cox, saxophone

Caeley Niess, trumpet

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Keyboard Division Winner

Jeremiah Hines, piano

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Vocal/Choral Division Winner

Franchesca Henry, soprano

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Category II – Graduate

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Keyboard Division Winner

 Aaron Chow, piano

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Vocal/Choral Division Winner

Brendan McCoy, tenor

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Honorable Mention

Bo-Kyung Hwang, piano (Category II)

Winners of this year’s competition will be featured in performance with the Shenandoah Conservatory Symphony Orchestra at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020.

Participants performed in preliminary and semifinal rounds judged by the 2019/20 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 Qing Jiang (Keyboard Division representative), Corey Rotz (Vocal/Choral Division representative) and Dana Brian Booher (Instrumental Division representative).

2019/20 Student Soloists Competition Committee

Jan Wagner, SSC Chair

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

Timothy Roberts, SSC Instrumental Division Representative

Chair of Instrumental Division; Coordinator for Conservatory in the Community; Professor, Saxophone

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, Piano

2019/20 Guest Final Jury

Qing Jiang, Keyboard Division Representative

Corey Rotz, Vocal/Choral Division Representative

Dana Brian Booher, Instrumental Division Representative

About the Winners

Aaron Chow ’18, ’20 earned a Master of Music in Performance (Piano) and is currently pursuing an Artist Diploma while studying with Distinguished Artist-in-Residence, Chair of Keyboard Division and Professor of Piano John O’Conor, Mus.D.

Kurt Cox ’21 is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Performance (Saxophone) and studies with Chair of Instrumental Division, Coordinator for Conservatory in the Community and Professor of Saxophone Timothy Roberts, D.M.A.

Franchesca Henry ’20 is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Performance (Voice) and studies with Adjunct Associate Professor of Voice (Soprano) Dawn Kotoski-Shicoff, M.M.

Jeremiah Hines ’22 is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Performance (Piano) and studies with Assistant Professor of Piano Ieva Jokubaviciute, M.M.

Bo-Kyung Hwang ’20 is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts in Performance (Piano) and studies with Assistant Professor of Piano Ieva Jokubaviciute, M.M.

Brendan McCoy ’21 is currently pursuing a Master of Music in Pedagogy (Classical Voice) and studies with Associate Professor of Voice (Tenor) Byron Jones ’04, D.M.A.

Caeley Niess ’22 is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Performance (Trumpet) and studies with Assistant Professor of Trumpet Mary Elizabeth Bowden, M.A.