2018 Woodwind Award Winners
First Place Award
Flutist Hae Jee (Ashley) Cho
Flutist Hae Jee (Ashley) Cho served as principal flute of the New York String Orchestral Seminar in both 2014 and 2015, performing at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium. She is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degree as five year accelerated student at The Juilliard School, studying with Carol Wincenc. She attended The Juilliard School Precollege Division from 2008-14 as a student of Bart Feller.
Ms. Cho has contributed her enthusiasm to the many ensembles at Juilliard, playing all positions in the Juilliard Orchestra, Lab Orchestra, and New Juilliard Ensemble. As a member of the New Juilliard Ensemble, Ms. Cho recently performed in the 2017 MoMA Summergarden Series and performed works by Herbert Vázques, Roberto Sierra, and Donald Crockett. A passionate soloist, she was the first prize winner at The Flute Society of Washington Collegiate Competition (2018), second prize winner at The New York Flute Young Artist Competition (2018), New York Flute Club Young Musicians Competition (2010), and was a finalist in both the 2010 and 2012 Juilliard Pre-College Open Concerto Competitions. In 2012, she won the J. S. Bach Orchestral Suite No.2 in B minor competition and performed with the Juilliard Pre-College String Ensemble.
Born in Seoul, South Korea, Hae Jee began studying the flute at the age of nine under the tutelage of Soo Kyung Park and has been pursuing this passion ever since.
Flutist Giorgio Consolati
Praised for his “full tone, exacting articulation and interpretive intelligence” (New York Classical Review) and for his “expertise with pacing and technique” (MusicalAmerica), Giorgio Consolati is completing his Bachelor of Music degree at The Juilliard School under the tutelage of Carol Wincenc, where he is the first recipient of the prestigious Kovner Fellowship ever awarded to a flutist.
As winner of the 2018 Juilliard Concerto Competition, Giorgio performed the Flute Concerto by Christopher Rouse in David Geffen Hall with Maestro Alan Gilbert. Giorgio was also heard as a soloist in the Mozart Flute and Harp Concerto with the National Repertory Orchestra conducted by Carl Topilow. In addition to his solo appearances, Giorgio is a laureate of many competitions, including the Emanuele Krakamp, Leonardo De Lorenzo and the New York Flute Club.
As a member of the Juilliard Orchestra, Giorgio has served as principal flute in major concert halls in New York City including Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall and the Peter Jay Sharp Theater under the batons of Alan Gilbert, David Robertson and David Zinman. An avid chamber musician, he has performed in Lincoln Center’s Morse and Paul Hall, and at the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival. Giorgio has been recently invited to perform at the prestigious Marlboro Music Festival for summer 2018.
Oboist Ryan Roberts
Oboist Ryan Roberts (21) recently premiered Michael Torke’s Oboe Concertino with the Albany Symphony, and recorded the work for Albany Records. As a fourth year undergraduate Kovner Fellow at The Juilliard school, Ryan studies with Elaine Douvas, performs frequently as principal oboist of the Juilliard Orchestra, and has been a substitute in the Metropolitan Opera. He was recently recognized by the New York Times for his “exquisite” performance of Sibelius’s Swan of Tuonela with Esa-Pekka Salonen. In 2016, Ryan was a member of the New York String Orchestra Seminar in Carnegie Hall, and performed Mozart’s Piano Quintet in a recital with Emanuel Ax. Ryan has spent three summers at the Aspen Music Festival and was awarded the oboe fellowship. He was also chosen as a recital soloist for the Crystal Symphony cruise line touring Portugal, Spain, France and England. Ryan has studied piano since age 5, and won third prize in the 2014 Bravura International Piano Competition; he continues to perform regularly as a collaborative pianist.
Second Place Award
Flutist Alison Fierst
Alison Fierst, an exuberant performer of solo and orchestral repertoire, has been awarded many prestigious honors. Recently, she won second place in the 2017 National Flute Association Young Artist Competition in Minneapolis, as well as first place in the 2017 Flute Society of Greater Philadelphia Young Artist Competition. Her previous achievements include being named an honorable mention in the 2014 National YoungArts Competition and titled a rising star by the Algonquin Arts Theater in Manasquan, New Jersey.
Alison has been awarded the flute fellowship at the Aspen Music Festival and School, where she performed with the Aspen Festival Orchestra under the direction of Robert Spano. While attending, she studied with Nadine Asin, Mark Sparks, and Demarre McGill. She has attended the Marina Piccinini International Masterclass and The Consummate Flutist at Carnegie Mellon University. Alison has performed in masterclasses with Emmanuel Pahud, Christina Smith, Aralee Dorough, Jeffrey Khaner, Marina Piccinini, and Brook Ferguson.
Native to Point Pleasant, New Jersey, Alison began her flute studies with Inna Leoni (née Gilmore). She was previously principal flute of the New Jersey All State Orchestra, where she had the opportunity to play Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloe in the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark as well as Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.
Alison earned her Bachelor’s in Flute Performance at Carnegie Mellon University. At CMU, she performed with the Carnegie Mellon Philharmonic under the direction of Andrés Cárdenes. Now, she is earning her Master’s in Orchestral Performance at the Manhattan School of Music. She is forever grateful to her teachers Robert Langevin, Alberto Almarza, Jeanne Baxtresser, and Lorna McGhee.
Third Place Award
Clarinetist Li-Jie Yu
Li-Jie Yu was born in 1994 in Taipei, Taiwan. She just received her Master of Music degree in clarinet performance from the Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University in April 2018, and will start her new adventure in the program, Artist Diploma (with Associated Instructorship position) in Jacobs School of Music in fall 2018.
Li-Jie began her musical lessons at the age of 5. She learned piano with her mother, and then studied both piano and clarinet in a music school in Taiwan at age of 8. During school years, Li-Jie got very solid musical training and had good performances, and was then admitted into Taipei National University of the Arts, which is the best music school in Taiwan, to study her bachelor degree under Professor Pei-Yun Lin and Jia-Yun Amy Zhang. Li-Jie won several awards in Taiwan, including second prize of Buffet Crampon Clarinet Competition in Taiwan 2012, first prize of National Student Competition of Music in Taiwan 2011, and 6-time Academic Presidential Award in TNUA.
After receiving her Bachelor of Music degree in clarinet performance in TNUA in 2016, Li-Jie got the admission from Indiana University and studied with Professor Eli Eban in JSoM. In the United States, Li-Jie pursued her musical life deeply and received many outstanding awards as well. She was the candidate of clarinet department of Woodwind Concerto Competition in 2017, got first prize of NSAL woodwind competition in 2018, and received the Performer’s Certificate for her excellent recital playing. In addition, Li-Jie was the principal clarinet in IU Philharmonic and Symphony Orchestra. In 2018 summer, Li-Jie will be going to attend Sarasota Music Festival to explore advanced musical adventure.
