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2026 Final Round/Winners Concert Awards

  • 2026 Arden J. Yockey Scholarship for Performance, $2,000: TBD on May 3
  • 2026 Arden J. Yockey Scholarship for Performance, $1,000: TBD on May 3
  • 2026 John M. Ream Jr. DDS People's Choice Award, $500: TBD on May 3

2026 Winners

PIANO
Adjudicated by Alexandre Marr, owner/founder of Akron Music Institute; Laura Silverman, accompanist and teacher. 

  • 1st Place, Marilyn Fischer & Joan Marie Scherer Scholarship, $2,000: Georgios Kyriazidis, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music
  • 2nd Place, Marguerite Thomas & Gertrude Lancaster Scholarship, $1,500: HaEun Kim, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music 
  • 3rd Place, Jerry Davidson and Clarenz J. Lightfritz Scholarship, $1,000: Guoanni Qin, Cleveland Institute of Music 
  • 4th Place, William Bingham Foundation Scholarship, $750: Inhwa Lee, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music

STRINGS
Adjudicated by Emily Cornelius, concertmaster of Heights Chamber Orchestra and assistant concertmaster of the Canton Symphony Orchestra.

  • 1st Place, Drs. Frederick A. and Elizabeth M. Specht Scholarship, $2,000: Fiona Tsang, cello, Cleveland Institute of Music
  • 2nd Place, Tuesday Musical Scholarship, $1,500: Christoforos Petridis, violin, Oberlin Conservatory of Music
  • 3rd Place, Barbara Ainsworth Porter Scholarship, $1,000: Ari Peraza-Webb, cello, The Juilliard School (from Ohio)
  • 4th Place, Tuesday Musical Scholarship, $750: Kiarra Saito-Beckman, viola, Yale University (from Ohio) 
  • Howard E. Leisinger Viola Prize, $2,000: Kiarra Saito-Beckman, viola, Yale University (from Ohio)

BRASS
Adjudicated by Stephanie Blaha, principal horn, ProMusica Columbus.

  • 1st Place, Arden J. Yockey Scholarship, $2,000: Elijah Leonard, trumpet, Cleveland Institute of Music
  • 2nd Place, Tuesday Musical Scholarship, $1,500: Joseph Barnhouse, tuba, Baldwin Wallace Conservatory of Music
  • 3rd Place, Tuesday Musical Scholarship, $1,000: Benjamin Bunting, tuba, The University of Akron 

WOODWINDS
Adjudicated by Jane Berkner, artistic director of Urban Troubadour.

  • 1st Place, Arden J. Yockey Scholarship, $2,000: Kevin Hebovia, saxophone, Baldwin Wallace University 
  • 2nd Place, Ann, Emily & Jeffrey Gleason/Travis & Caitlin Rea Scholarship, $1,500: Dylan Masariego, flute, Cleveland Institute of Music
  • 3rd Place, George Pope Scholarship, $1,000: Jake McQuaid, flute, Cleveland Institute of Music 

VOICE
Adjudicated by Marla Berg, associate professor at Kent State University's Glauser School of Music; Cynthia O'Connell, associate professor emeritus at Baldwin Wallace University's Conservatory of Music.

  • 1st Place, Arden J. Yockey Scholarship, $2,000: Sarah Rosales, soprano, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music
  • 2nd Place, Tuesday Musical Scholarship, $1,500: Saige Hoffman, soprano, Oberlin Conservatory of Music
  • 3rd Place, Barbara Kingsbury Eaton Scholarship, $1,000: Yi Ching Ariel Wong, soprano, Cleveland Institute of Music
  • 4th Place, Tuesday Musical Scholarship, $750: Edward Ferran, tenor, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music

MUSIC EDUCATION
Adjudicated by Dr. Patricia Grutzmacher, professor emerita, The Hugh A. Glauser School of Music, Kent State University. 

  • Gertrude Seiberling Scholarship, sponsored by the Ohio Federation of Music Clubs, $1,400: Patrick Burse, percussion, Baldwin Wallace University
  • Winifred Collins Scholarship, sponsored by the Ohio Federation of Music Clubs, $1,400: Matthew Rutherford, tuba, Baldwin Wallace University 
  • William Bingham Foundation Scholarship, $1,000: James Allio, saxophone, Kent State University

ORGAN
Adjudicated by Dr. Kelsey Berg, assistant organist-choirmaster at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Akron, and guest lecturer in organ for the Joint Music Program of the Cleveland Institute of Music and Case Western Reserve University.

  • 1st place, Tuesday Musical Scholarship, $2,000: Chase Olson, Oberlin Conservatory of Music 
  • 2nd place, Tuesday Musical Scholarship, $1,500: Alisdair Welty, Cleveland Institute of Music

CLASSICAL GUITAR
Adjudicated by Bryan Reichert, faculty member at Baldwin Wallace University's Conservatory of Music.

  • Margaret Watts Hunter Scholarship, $2,000: Solis Dornan, Oberlin Conservatory of Music 

PERCUSSION
Adjudicated by Dr. Alexandros Fragiskatos, faculty member at Denison University.

  • Dr. Larry D. Snider Scholarship, $2,000: Dylan Catlin, The University of Akron
  • Tuesday Musical Percussion Scholarship, $1,500: Jonathan Cooley, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music