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Announcing Naptown Philharmonic Orchestra’s
2027 Young Artists Competition

 

The competition is open to Maryland students in grades 9-12 and gives the winners the opportunity to learn from and perform as soloists with established and acclaimed members of the Naptown Philharmonic Orchestra.

Prizes: Winners will be featured during the 2026-2027 season at the Naptown Philharmonic Orchestra’s April 11 concert. A cash prize of $250 will be awarded to each winner.

Date: Auditions will be held on Sunday, January 10, 2027, beginning at 2 p.m., at Anne Arundel Community College, 101 College Parkway, Arnold, Cade Fine Arts Center, Room 224. Warm-up rooms will be available on the lower level.

Snow date: Sunday, January 17, 2027

Performance date: Sunday, April 11, 2027, 3 p.m. (sound-check time, 1:30 p.m.) at Maryland Hall, 801 Chase Street, Annapolis.

Required rehearsals with orchestra:

  • Tuesday, April 6, 7 – 9:15 p.m., Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church, 611 Baltimore Annapolis Boulevard, Severna Park
  • Friday, April 9, 7 – 9:45 p.m., Anne Arundel Community College, 101 College Parkway, Cade Fine Arts Center, Room 224, Arnold

 

Eligibility Requirements: Must be a Maryland resident; grades 9-12; not over the age of 19 as of the competition date.

Application Deadline: December 1, 2026

Application Fee: $60

Repertoire Requirements: All works must be in the standard repertoire for solo instrument and orchestra. Concertos are limited to a single movement. All proposed selections are subject to approval by the NPO Music Director. Applicants must provide their own accompanist. One original copy of the music must be provided for the panel of judges. Pieces must be performed from memory.

Panel of Judges: A panel of four judges, including NPO Music Director Anna Binneweg, will choose the winners from three categories: 1. Piano 2. Strings 3. Brass, Winds, Percussion. The panel reserves the right not to select a winner from each category.

Application Information, Fees and Submission Instructions

 

The application form may be submitted by mail or electronically to Dr. Bill Bloomquist, competition director, at drbill88@comcast.net. The mailing address is:

NPO Young Artists Competition
Naptown Philharmonic Orchestra
PO Box 926
Edgewater, MD 21037

Late applications will not be accepted.

Application Form

All applications require a non-refundable $60 entry fee. Please enclose a check payable to Naptown Philharmonic Orchestra with your application.

Electronic payment may be made on the NPO website at this link: https://naptownphil.org/#support. When filling out the donation form at that site, indicate that payment is for the Competition.

Applicants will be notified of the receipt of their application packet, audition time and location by email.

If you have questions or need more information, please contact Dr. Bill Bloomquist, competition director, at 443-623-8699 or drbill88@comcast.net.

The Buzz Stillinger Prize, sponsored by the Annapolis Cellovision Workshop

Annapolis Cellovision WorkshopBuzz Stillinger
The Annapolis Cellovision Workshop is proud to sponsor the Buzz Stillinger Prize as part of the Naptown Philharmonic Orchestra’s Young Artist Competition. This prize includes a $250 cash prize for the ‘Best Performance by a Cellist’ and free tuition at one session of the Annapolis Cello Festival Youth Institute. Additionally, this prize includes offers of free tuition to all the finalists for one session at the Chambervision Music Festival. This prize honors the legacy of cellist Buzz Stillinger, whose support and dedication to the Naptown Philharmonic have helped it grow into the incredible organization it is today.

 

2026 Young Artists Concerto Competition Winners

Juniper Brinegar 

Juniper Brinegar is a junior at Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, Maryland. She has played clarinet for seven years and is currently studying with Paul Cigan. She is a rotating principal clarinetist for Maryland Classic Youth Orchestra’s Philharmonic and has participated in MCYO for three years. In the summer of 2025, she performed with Boston University’s Tanglewood Institute Young Artists Orchestra and participated in the BUTI Clarinet Intensive, which included masterclasses with Boston Symphony Orchestra members. In the summer of 2024, she participated in Interlochen’s Clarinet intensive. She has been a top chair in both Junior and Senior Maryland All-State bands, and this year placed second in the Senior Orchestra. Juniper has also been a member of Levine School of Music’s Honors Program for the past two years, and as part of that, performed with the Levine Showcase Orchestra and chamber ensembles.

Recently, Juniper was named the alternate for the Eastern Division of the Music Teachers National Association’s Senior Woodwinds competition. Earlier in 2025, she placed first in the Northern Virginia Music Teacher’s Intermediate Woodwind Concerto Competition as well as the Intermediate Division Woodwind Achievement Competition. Juniper was a finalist in both the 2024 Sidney Forrest Clarinet Competition at the University of Maryland and the 2025 Levine Ruth P. Cogen Concerto Competition. In her spare time, Juniper enjoys baking, learning biology, playing piano, and petting her cat, Solar.

Christopher Chung

Christopher Chung started learning cello at the age of seven and joined the school orchestra in third grade. He was a member of the Gifted and Talented Program at Howard County Schools in 2017-2025 where he served as assistant principal in 2018-2020 and 2021-2022. Christopher is currently a principal cellist in Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestra (BSYO) which he joined in 2022. With BSYO, he went on a European tour in the summer of 2023 and performed in several venues in Europe. He also performed with Yo-Yo Ma in a Baltimore Symphony Orchestra side-by-side concert in 2024. He has been a Maryland All State Orchestra member every year since 2021 where he was a principal in 2022 and played solo.

Christopher was awarded first place in the Maryland State Music Teachers Association’s Unaccompanied Bach Competition in 2018, first and third prizes in the Young Musicians Inspiriting Change competitions in 2019 and 2022, first place in the Golden Classical Music Award International Competition in 2023, third place in the OPUS competition in 2023, third place in string division in the Asian American Music Society International music competition in 2023, honorable mention in the BSYO Concerto Competition and US Army Young Artist Competition in 2024 and 2025, third Place in the National Chamber Ensemble Competition in 2025, and the Buzz Stillinger Prize in the Naptown Philharmonic Concerto Competition in 2025.

Christopher has performed at numerous venues including Peabody Conservatory, University of Maryland College Park, Schlesinger Concert Hall, Morgan State University, Bowie State University, Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, and Carnegie Hall as well as internationally in Milan, Venice, Slovenia, and Prague. He studies with Hyunji Choi. Besides music, Christopher loves ice hockey.

Yuto Shimomura 

Yuto is a 15-year-old sophomore at Walter Johnson High School. Born and raised in Japan, he began studying the violin at the age of three, developing a musical foundation before moving to the United States in 2024. He currently studies under the guidance of Dr. James Stern and is a member of the Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestra, where he continues to refine his musicianship.

Yuto has built a record of musical excellence in both Japan and the United States. In 2026, he served as Concertmaster of the Senior All-County Orchestra and principal of the Maryland All-State Senior Orchestra. That same year, he received an honorable mention at the 2026 U.S. Army Orchestra Young Artist Competition and was awarded second prize at the 2026 Gaithersburg Young Artist Award Competition. He had previously earned an honorable mention at the 2025 U.S. Army Orchestra Young Artist Competition, won first prize at the Best Tchaikovsky Performance Competition, and was nominated for the grand prize at the American Soloist International Music Competition.

In Japan, he won first place at the 14th Cecilia International Music Competition and received the Jury’s Special Prize, which led to an invitation to perform at Carnegie Hall. He also earned the Gold Medal and the Jury’s Special Prize in the Junior Division of the Fourth Romanian International Music Competition, along with multiple awards from the Japan Classical Music Competition and the Junior Classical Music Competition.

Through his performances at nursing homes and hospitals, Yuto has come to view music as a powerful form of communication—one that can comfort, energize, and connect people—and he hopes to continue sharing music in ways that strengthen his community and genuinely touch the hearts of those around him.

2025 Young Artists Concerto Competition Winners


Zack LamZack Lam

From Bethesda, Maryland, Zack is a 17 year-old junior at the International Baccalaureate® (IB) Magnet Program of Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville, Maryland. He studies the piano with Dr. Marjorie Lee. He was recently the first prize winner of the 2023 Virginia Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Senior Piano Competition, representing Virginia in the MTNA Southern Division Piano Competition, and the second-prize winner of the 2024 Enkor International Piano Competition. Zack has won prizes at over 44 regional, national, and international competitions, performing at Van Cliburn Hall, the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, and the George Mason University Center for the Arts. In June of 2024, he attended the 44th PianoTexas International Festival in Fort Worth. He was also recently featured in National Public Radio’s From The Top, performing Ornstein’s Waltz No. 7. In the past few years, he has taken masterclasses with Arie Vardi, Robert McDonald, Stephen Spooner, Angela Chang, and Enrico Elisi, among others. Additionally, Zack is a strong proponent of venturing outside the standard repertoire. In the next few years, he plans on including several underappreciated composers for the piano in his programs. This year, he has performed works by Leo Ornstein and Hermann Goetz, but later plans on including works composed by, but not limited to, Georges Enescu, Percy Grainger, Samuil Feinberg, Nikolai Roslavets, Charles-Valentin Alkan, Sigfrid Karg-Elert, and Kaikhosru Sorabji. Outside of piano, Zack enjoys writing poetry and essays, studying history and economics, and debating current events and philosophy.

Oliver WuOliver Wu

A 16 year-old junior at Friends School of Baltimore, first fell under the spell of the violin at age 10, when he spotted the high school’s concertmaster rise to tune the players. He started private lessons with Megan Bradshaw, and a year later, he earned a place in the Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestra’s String Orchestra, where he played for two years and performed with a chamber group. At age 13, he began playing with the BSYO Concert Orchestra, and in the summer of 2023, Oliver found a new level of inspiration on a European tour with the BSYO Youth Orchestra. He began studying with Vitaly Briskin and won a first prize in the 2023 Charleston International Romantic Music Competition (15-year-old group). He also earned a third prize in the 2023 Opus Music Competition, Maryland Strings, Category IV and an honorable mention for the BSYO Concert Orchestra’s Concerto Competition. His repertoire includes the first movement of the Sibelius Violin Concerto in D Minor, Max Bruch’s Violin Concerto in G Minor, the Wieniawski Polonaise No. 1 in D major, and the first movement of Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E Minor. In 2024, he was selected to play with other BSYO musicians and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra with Yo-Yo Ma. Along with other selected BSYO musicians, he also performed with BSO musicians for their season launch and with Grammy-winning group Time for Three. Over the summer, Oliver attended Interlochen Arts Camp’s Violin Intensive and the Philadelphia International Music Festival’s Solo Performance Program. At Friends School, Oliver is a concertmaster of the orchestra, a longtime member of the Fiddle Club, and a singer and violin soloist for the school’s Concert Chorale. He is also a development director for Music United, a non-profit that seeks to unite people through music.

Luke ZegowitzLuke Zegowitz

A junior at Crofton High School in Crofton, Maryland, Luke has been playing the oboe for over six years, beginning in fifth grade. Starting lessons at 11, he has studied with Heidi Schultz, Noelle Drewes, Fatma Daglar, and Kerry Willingham. An active member of The Bay Winds Band of Annapolis and Orion Youth Orchestra (affiliated with the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra), Luke has also played as Second Oboe/English Horn with the Naptown Philharmonic Orchestra, Category 5 Wind Ensemble, and the Anne Arundel Community College Orchestra. Luke has currently participated in All State Maryland Music Educators Association (MMEA) ensembles for the previous four years and has been selected twice for Carnegie’s Halls National Youth Orchestra, NYO2, for the 2023 and 2024 programs. As a member of NYO2, Luke has performed in World Orchestra Week under Gustavo Dudamel. He has also been a music ambassador of Carnegie Hall, traveling and performing in places such as Carnegie Hall, the Teatro Nacional Eduardo Brito in the Dominican Republic and the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas, Texas. Outside of music, Luke also enjoys visiting amusement parks and riding roller coasters, exploring the beach or mountains, and spending time with friends and family.

Honorable Mentions

Aria McCloskey (piano), 15, is a sophomore at the Bryn Mawr School in Baltimore, Maryland. She began studying piano at the age of five with Dr. Seungmin Chung, and music has since become a central part of her life. In addition to piano, Aria has developed a passion for other musical activities. She has enjoyed playing the double tenor pan in a steel pan ensemble, performing as a cellist in various orchestras, including the Maryland All-State Orchestra, and serving as a pianist in a jazz ensemble. She is currently a pianist in the Peabody Preparatory Chamber Music Program. Aria’s achievements include first prizes at the Maryland State Music Teachers Association (MSMTA) Brown Memorial Piano Concerto Competition, the Young Musicians Inspiring Change (YMIC) Metropolitan Piano Concerto Festival, the MSMTA Spring Piano Solo Festival, the Gottlieb Memorial Competition, and the International Young Artist Piano Competition. She has also had the honor of performing a solo on the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage and playing a piano concerto with the New England Youth Ensemble.

Lawrence Du (violin), 15, is a ninth grader who began playing violin at age five. He studied with Mrs. Irina Briskin, Mr. Vitaly Briskin, and now trains under Mr. Ronald Mutchnick. Lawrence has had solo performances, including the Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival’s Emerging Artist Concerts (2024) and as a winner of the Asian American Music Society Competition (Junior Division, 2023). He was also a featured soloist after winning the Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestra (BSYO) Concerto Competition (2022). In chamber music, he performed at the Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival (2024). As an orchestral musician, Lawrence was Co-Concertmaster of the BSYO (Concert Orchestra) from 2021 to 2023 and currently serves as Co-Principal Violin II for the BSYO (Youth Orchestra, 2024–2025). Highlights include performing internationally during BSYO’s 2023 European Tour and side-by-side with Yo-Yo Ma and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra at the BSO 2024 Gala. Lawrence’s competition achievements include first place in the Music Teachers National Association Maryland Senior Division (2024), first in the Asian American Music Society Competition (2023), and third in the National OPUS Competition (2023). He has been a member of the Maryland All-State Orchestra (2022, 2023) and BSYO since 2019.

The Buzz Stillinger Prize, sponsored by the Annapolis Cellovision Workshop

Annapolis Cellovision Workshop2025 Stillinger Award Winner Christopher Chung

Christopher Chung started his musical journey with piano at the age of four. Along with piano, Christopher started learning cello at the age of seven and joined the school orchestra in third grade.

He has been a member of Howard County Gifted and Talented Program since 2017 where he served as assistant principal in 2018-2020 and 2021-2022. With the love of playing in orchestra, he joined Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in 2022 and is the current assistant principal.

Christopher was a Maryland All State Orchestra member 2021-2024 where he was a principal in 2022 and played solo. He was awarded first place in the Maryland State Music Teachers Association Unaccompanied Bach Competition (2018), first and third prizes in Young Musicians Inspiring Change competitions (2019 and 2022), first place in Golden Classical Music Award International Competition (2023), third place in the OPUS competition (2023), Honorable Mention in the Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestra Concerto Competition and US Army Young Artist Competition (2024). Christopher performed at numerous places including Peabody Conservatory, University of Maryland College Park, Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, and Carnegie Hall as well as internationally in Milan, Venice, Slovenia, and Prague. He studies with Hyunji Choi. Besides music, Christopher loves ice hockey.