The First Triennial Johansen International Competition for Young String Players took place on March 15–16, 1997, at the Sumner School Museum and at Lisner Auditorium, George Washington University, in Washington, DC.

Prize Winners

Violins

  • First Prize – $7,000 – Mikhail Ovrutsky, violin, age 16; student of Yumi Ninomiya-Scott; from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
  • Second Prize – $5,000 – Julie Albers, cello, age 16; student of Richard Aaron; from Longmont, Colorado.
  • Third Prize – $3,000 – Denise Djokic, cello, age 16; student of Richard Aaron; from Halifax, Nova Scotia/Cleveland, Ohio.
  • Judges’ Prize – $500 – Hayley Wolfe, violin, age 16; student of Donald Weilerstein; from Westerville, Ohio.
  • Judges’ Prize – $500 – Mandy Dennis, cello, age 16; student of Hans Jorgen Jensen; from Evanston, Illinois.
  • Judges’ Prize – $500 – Nelson Lee, violin, age 17; student of Roland and Almita Vamos; from Okemos, Michigan.
  • Judges’ Prize – $500 – Yue Deng, violin, age 17; student of Taras Gabora; from Oberlin, Ohio.
  • Judges’ Prize – $500 – Chrissy Kim, cello, age 16; student of Hans Jorgen Jensen; from LaCrosse, Wisconsin.
  • Honorable Mention – $200 – Joel Noyes, cello, age 17; from Portland, Maine.
  • Honorable Mention – $200 – Jinyeong Jessica Lee, violin, age 14; from Richmond, Virginia.
  • Judges’ Commendations – Yumi Kendall, cello, age 16; from Silver Spring, Maryland.
  • Judges’ Commendations – Stephan Fang, cello, age 15; from Bridgewater, New Jersey.

Performance and Other Opportunities

Individual winners performed at the Sumner School Museum and the Corcoran Museum of Art in Washington, DC.

Judges

George Neikrug, Peter Oundjian, and Sylvia Rosenberg

Collaborative Pianist

Composer