NEWS RELEASE
Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information contact:
Zachary Pfau
1705 Ridge Ave. #105
Evanston, IL 60201
917.597.1759
z-pfau@northwestern.edu
Northwestern University saxophonists Johnny Salinas, Sean Hurlburt, Luke Gay, and Zachary Pfau, members of the award-winning Amethyst Quartet, are Gold Medal Winners of the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, which was held May 9-11, 2008, on the campus of the University of Notre Dame, in South Bend, IN.
EVANSTON, IL (May 12, 2008): The members of the Northwestern University’s Amethyst Quartet have been named national Gold Medal Winners of the 35th Annual Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. The Quartet received Gold Medals and a cash prize sponsored by John and Jeny Sejdinaj for winning the Senior Wind Division of the competition. They were featured on the Grand Prize Winner’s Concert as well on the evening of May 11.
73 chamber ensembles applied to the Fischoff Competition in the senior winds and strings categories. 12 string ensembles and 12 wind ensembles were invited to compete at South Bend, where, over three rounds of competition, all but three groups were eliminated in each division. The Final round of competition determined the gold, silver, and bronze medal winners of each division. The N-E-W trio, from the Juilliard School, captured the Gold Medal of the Strings Category as well as Fischoff’s Grand Prize, which includes a tour of Italy during the summer of 2009.
The Amethyst Quartet was recently named the national winner of the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Collegiate Chamber Music Competition, which was held in conjunction with the MTNA National Conference in Denver, CO in April. Additionally, the quartet received the Coleman-Saunderson Prize for Woodwinds and Brass from the Coleman Chamber Ensemble Competition, held on April 12th, 2008, in Pasadena, CA.
The jurors of the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition included Kevin Cobb (trumpet), Laurie Smukler (violin), Massimo Mercelli (flute), Jeff Nelson (horn), Ann Epperson (piano), and Marc Johnson (cello). Fischoff’s mission, to inspire lives through breathtaking performances, was fully realized at this event – performances in all divisions and categories represented some of America’s finest chamber music players. The Fischoff is America’s largest and one of the most prestigious chamber music competitions of its kind, and has been the launching point for many of today’s professional chamber musicians.
To receive more information about the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, see www.fischoff.org or contact the office at fischoff@fischoff.org
