Our Winners

First Prize: Youjin Lee, violin; Muriel Razavi, viola; Tony Rymer, cello

Second Prize: Maya Buchanan, violin; Zhanbo Zheng, viola

Third Prize: Felicitas Schiffner, violin; Zhihao Wu, cello

Audience Prize: Youjin Lee

Our Semifinalists

Joachim Angster, France, viola
Sophia Bacelar, USA, cello
Maya Anjali Buchanan, USA, violin
Heejin Chang, South Korea, viola
Jung Min Choi, South Korea, violin
Thomas Cooper, USA, violin
Yulu Gong, China, violin
Jean Kim, USA, cello
Min Ji Kim, South Korea, cello
Sunrise Kim, South Korea, cello

 

Haeni Lee, South Korea, violin
Hae Sue Lee, South Korea, viola
Youjin Lee, South Korea, violin
Hyun Jae Lim, South Korea, violin
Derek Louie, USA, cello
Wei Lu, China, violin
Ashley Park, USA, violin
Justin Park, USA, cello
Ao Peng, China, viola
Muriel Garnet Razavi, USA, viola

 

Tony Rymer, USA, cello
Chris Roger-Beadle, USA, viola
Felicitas Schiffner, Germany, violin
Zhihao Wu, China, cello
Tianlu Xu, China, cello
Hua Zhang, China, violin
Weilu Zhang, China, violin
Qiyun Zhao, China, viola
Zhanbo Zheng, China, viola

Dates and Information

  • Semifinals took place at George Washington University in the Benjamin T. Rome Music Hall at 801 22nd Street, NW, Washington, DC, in Room B-120, on both Friday, June 22, and Saturday, June 23, 2018, from 9 AM to 5 PM.
  • Finals took place at the Terrace Theater of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, on June 24, 2018, at 2 PM.

Prizes

  • First prize for violin, viola, cello—$10,000 each
  • Second prize—$5,000
  • Third prize—$3,000
  • Finalist award—$1,000
  • Audience award—$1,000

Performance Awards

  • Solo performance opportunities in Washington, DC including an appearance with the Avanti Orchestra.

Judges

Dmitri Berlinsky

Rita Porfiris

Paul Katz

Eligibility

  • Applicants must not be under professional management.
  • Applicants must be between the ages of 18 and 28 (as of the date of the competition). Proof of age will be required.
  • Previous first-prize winners of the competition and current students of the judges may not apply.

Housing and Transportation

The WIC provides local housing for participants, with local transportation and meals offered at the convenience of hosts. Housing is for all semifinalists only.

Required Repertoire

All repertoire must be performed from memory except accompanied sonatas and the work in Category 5. Contestants must be prepared to perform works in their entirety. The required repertoire follows:

  1. One unaccompanied sonata, partita, or suite for violin, viola (transcribed), or cello by J.S. Bach
  2. One sonata with piano from the classical, romantic, impressionist, or contemporary period
  3. One concerto or major piece with orchestra by a composer other than the ones chosen for category 1 or 2
  4. One short work or movement from a longer work which shows virtuosity
  5. One unaccompanied solo work by a 20th- or 21st-century composer

Application Video

Submit a maximum of 30 minutes, chosen from your required repertoire, for the audition video. The video must contain:

  • 5 minutes or less from the Bach selection.
  • 12 minutes or less from the sonata selection.
  • 13 minutes or less from the concerto selection (include cadenza if applicable but no extensive tutti).

List of format and video instructions can be found at www.getacceptd.com/WIC.

Regulations & Instructions

  • No changes in repertoire permitted past the deadline date on March 1, 2018.
  • A jury will review submissions and select approximately 30 semifinalists.
  • All applicants will be notified of the results by mid-April.
  • Semifinalists will be sent further instructions as needed.

Additional Information

  • FMMC Foundation assumes no responsibility for actions of or injuries sustained by applicants or their escorts during their course of stay in the Washington, DC area.
  • All contestants are responsible for transportation to and from Washington, DC.
  • The decision of the judges is final and not to be disputed. No contact with the judges is permitted until after the results have been announced.
  • The WIC reserves the right to use any recordings or photographs originated during the competitions, or any photographs or recordings provided by the contestants.