Pearl Amster Competition

2010 Winners

The following are the winners of the 2010 Pearl Amster Competition: 

	Laura Andrade - age 15 Lalo - Cello Concerto in D minor "Prelude, lento - Allegro maestoso"
	Dongsoo Cha - age 14 Tchaikovsky - Violin Concerto in D Major, op. 35 "Finale: Allegro vivacissimo"
	Jessica Hwang - age 14 Grieg - Piano Concerto in A minor, op. 16 "Allegro molto moderato"

The 2010 Amster competition was held on Sunday, January 17th, 2010 at The University of Texas at Austin School of Music. To enter the competition, applicants submitted an application and a recording by mail. Recordings were judged and some selected to participate in the competition at UT.  Congratulations to these winners. If you are interested in applying for next year's competition, please visit this page in late summer for the application and registration packet.

Past Winners

Notable past winners include the following:

• Violinist Eri Lee Lam, who won the first Pearl Amster Competition in 1984 at the age of 17, is now Violin Professor and Chamber Music Director at Southwestern University in Georgetown.
• Trumpeter Bob Cannon, who won in 1988 at the age of 17, plays with the Austin Symphony.
• Pianist Angela Alonzo, who won in 1993 and 1994 at the ages of 16 and 17, respectively, was featured on NPR's From the Top series. Angela had her Carnegie Hall debut in January 2002.
• Pianist Chris Guzman, who won in 1995 at the age of 14, received his BA in performance from Julliard and is currently working on his MA. Chris also is touring and has performed in Tokyo twice and with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra.
• Violinist Carrie Rodriguez, who won in 1995 and 1996, attended Oberlin Conservatory of Music and is a graduate of the Berklee School of Music in Boston. She is currently touring and has a hit CD with Chip Taylor.
• Pianist Katie Frank, who won in 1999 at the age of 18, was accepted into the finals of the Pinault International Piano Competition in New York. Katie also performed a solo recital at Carnegie Hall.
• Violinist Warren Hood, who won in 2000 at the age of 18, is the son of guitarist Champ Hood, who toured with Lyle Lovett. Warren has performed with Charlie Robinson, the Austin Symphony, and the South Austin Jug band. Warren is also a frequent guest artist of musician Tish Hinojosa.
• Pianist Mary Elizabeth Box, who won in 2003 at the age of 18, is a student at the Eastman School of Music, majoring in piano performance.