Three Finalists Named in the 2017 Cooper Competition

July 19, 2017, 11:37 PM · Three finalists were announced Wednesday, as well as 4th, 5th and 6th place laureates, in the 2017 Cooper Competition, sponsored by Oberlin Conservatory of Music and The Cleveland Orchestra. They are:

Qing Yu Chen, 17, of the U.S.
Johan Dalene, 16, of Sweden
Christina Jihee Nam, 14, of the U.S.

Each of the three finalists will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Cleveland's Severance Hall with the Cleveland Orchestra, with Jahja Ling conducting. The concert will be broadcast live on Cleveland's WCLV 104.9 FM and streamed live on the Internet.

Following the Recital Final Round on Wednesday, fourth, fifth and sixth prizes were awarded to violinists Zachary Brandon, 18, of the U.S.; Maya Anjali Buchanan, 17, of the U.S; and Kiarra Saito-Beckman, 18, of the U.S., respectively, who each received an award of $1,500. An Audience Favorite Prize of $500 also was awarded to Dalene.

The finalists were narrowed down from a group of 23 violinists from eight countries who came to Oberlin to compete in the competition, which began July 15. Jury members include Gregory Fulkerson, Sibbi Bernhardsson, David Bowlin, Chenxing Huang, Haik Kazazyan, Marilyn McDonald, Mark Messenger, Jan Mark Sloman, Naoko Tanaka and Milan Vitek. Prizes to be awarded Friday include a $20,000 first prize; $10,000 second prize and $5,000 third prize.

The Thomas and Evon Cooper International Competition, founded in 2010 and held at Oberlin, alternates annually between piano and violin. The competition is for musicians between the ages of 13 and 18.