JAZZ PROFESSIONAL:
WINNER: Bruce Stark, Seattle, Washington
Born in San Diego, California, Bruce Stark is a composer/pianist whose music reflects the varied elements of his musical upbringing: early studies in percussion, jazz piano, and classical composition. After completing a Masters degree in composition at the Juilliard School as a student of Vincent Persichetti and Roger Sessions he lived for more than 20 years in Tokyo, where he was active as composer, arranger and jazz pianist.This summer he moved to Seattle, where he will serve on the faculty of DigiPen Institute of Technology as professor of composition and music theory from this fall.
As jazz pianist he has appeared as soloist, group leader and ensemble player in major concert halls throughout Japan as well as Shanghai's Grande theatre, Kennedy Center, and on a six-country tour of South America sponsored by the Japan Foundation for cultural exchange. He was also the main pianist at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo for more than 10 years. His performances can be heard on many recordings (Victor Entertainment, Meister Music, ALM Records, MA Recordings and various independent labels).
As composer, he music, ranging from solo piano works to chamber and orchestral pieces, has been performed on concert stages of five continents and broadcast on radio programs worldwide. Awards include First Prize in the Composers Guild Contest, Second Prize in the Barlow International Competition, ASCAP composer awards and others. He compositions have been featured at the National Flute Association Convention, American Piano Festival in Maryland, Keys To The Future in New York City, Canberra International Chamber Music Festival, International Trombone Festival, and others.
HONORABLE MENTION: Claudio Vignali, Prretta Terne, Italy
HONORABLE MENTION: Manami Morita, Astoria, New York, USA
SOLO JUNIOR ARTIST:
A winner was not selected in this category this year.
SOLO YOUNG ARTIST:
A winner was not selected in this category this year.
SOLO COLLEGIATE:
A winner was not selected in this category this year.
SOLO AMATEUR ADULT:
SPECIAL CITATION: Coco Leung, St Johns, Newfoundland, Canada
Awarded "The Most Touching Performance" and third-prize winner in the Piano category at the 2013 National Music Festival (Waterloo, ON), Newfoundland-born Coco Leung graduated from Memorial University's School of Music in June 2012 with the honour of being named to the Dean's List: a
distinction reserved for those students who fall within the top 10% of all undergraduates enrolled at the
School of Music. She is also the winner of Memorial University's School of Music Concerto Competition
(Liszt Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-flat majo) and is a top prize-winner at the Canadian Music Competition's National Finals.
Having concurrently studied violin since the age of two, Coco is the recipient of seven Junior and
Senior Rose Bowls from both the St. John's and Trinity-Conception Kiwanis Music Festivals for both
piano and violin. She has also received two Performer's Associateship Diplomae in both Piano
Performance and in Violin Performance (ARCT) from the Royal Conservatory of Music (Glenn Gould
School, Toronto), as well as several Silver Medals from the Royal Conservatory of Music for both voice
and piano.Coco debuted as solo guest pianist at the age of twelve with the Newfoundland Symphony
Orchestra at the 12th Annual Hibernia Gala in 2002, and has been featured several times on television
series "Out of the Fog" and CBC Radio's Musicraft. Some recent performances of note include an
invitation-only solo concert in Ottawa, hosted by the Taiwanese ambassador for guests of other foreign
embassies, as well as both the May 2013 Kiwanis Music Festival – NCR (National Capital Region)
Highlights Concert and in October 2013, the second annual Kiwanis Music Festival – NCR Celebration
Concert.
HONORABLE MENTION: Christine Foster, Mulkiteo, Washington, USA
SOLO PROFESSIONAL:
A winner was not selected in this category this year.
DUET-DUO YOUNG ARTIST:
SPECIAL CITATION: Ng Jia Ning & Lin Xiang Ning, Singapore
HONORABLE MENTION: Samantha and Jasmine Lee, Langley, British Columbia, Canada
DUET-DUO COLLEGIATE:
A winner was not selected in this category this year.
DUET-DUO PROFESSIONAL:
SPECIAL CITATION: Pia Bose and Antonio Pastor Otero, Geneva, Switzerland
HONORABLE MENTION: Susan Merdinger and Steven Greene, Highland Park, Illinois, USA
