TOM BAKER YOUNG ARTISTS COMPETITION
2021 Competition Information
Congratulations to pianist Daniel Colaner, winner of the 2021-2022 competition!
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Daniel Colaner, 16, from Akron, Ohio, captured international media attention at the age of 12 with his performance on piano at Carnegie Hall and on organ at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on the same day. Since then, his talents have been showcased on ABC World News Tonight, Good Morning America, The Harry (Connick Jr.) Show, and the BBC World Service Newsday. As a pianist, Daniel has been the winner of numerous competitions and awards including the American Protégé Piano Competition, the OhioMTA Buckeye Piano Competition, the Steinway Junior Piano Competition, and the Cleveland Institute of Music Preparatory Concerto Competition.
As an organist, Daniel has been featured on the NPR radio show From the Top (Show #377), performing “Jupiter” from Gustav Holst’s The Planets, and on PBS, performing Doxology Variations with the American Pops Orchestra in One Voice: The Songs We Share – The Sacred. He was the recipient of the prestigious Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award in 2020 and named a 2021 National Young Arts Winner in Classical Music. He was also the 1st Prize and Audience Prize Winner in the Sursa American Organ Competition (HS Division) in 2019. Most recently The Diapason magazine named him among their “20 Under 30” Class of 2021, a select group of young adults at the forefront of the organ field. Diagnosed with stage IV cancer as an infant, exposure to music as cognitive therapy combined with his love of sound, unleashed his passion for the piano at age 5 and organ at age 10. Daniel continues to actively promote the study of classical music on television and radio and has helped raise thousands of dollars for music education and music therapy for a variety of non-profit organizations. Daniel studies piano with Sean Schulze at the Cleveland Institute of Music and organ with David Higgs of the Eastman School of Music. In addition to being an avid chamber musician, Daniel currently serves as Organ Scholar at Cleveland’s Trinity Episcopal Cathedral under Todd Wilson and as an auxiliary organist at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Canton, OH. Outside of music, Daniel’s passions include computer programming, repairing electronics, jazz improvisation, playing tennis, and spending time with his calico cat, Imogene. |
About the competition
In the 2019-2020 season, the Euclid Symphony Orchestra held its inaugural Young Artists Competition, named after long-time friend, donor and board member of the ESO Tom Baker.
The competition is open to students age 18 and younger who are advanced musicians (instrumental or vocal) capable of playing appropriate level repertoire, including concerto-level (or equivalent) virtuosic works.
The competition winner will receive a $500 cash prize and a performance with the Euclid Symphony Orchestra.
The competition is open to students age 18 and younger who are advanced musicians (instrumental or vocal) capable of playing appropriate level repertoire, including concerto-level (or equivalent) virtuosic works.
The competition winner will receive a $500 cash prize and a performance with the Euclid Symphony Orchestra.
Congratulations to saxophonist Samuel Dishon, winner of the 2020-2021 competition!
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Hailing from Irvine, California, Samuel Dishon is currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Saxophone Performance at the University of Michigan, where he is studying under internationally-acclaimed saxophonist, Dr. Timothy McAllister. Samuel has earned musical recognition both locally and nationally, including being recognized as a national finalist and two time California winner of the Music Teachers National Association Competition senior performance division. During his high school career, Samuel served as co-principal saxophonist of the Pacific Symphony Youth Wind Ensemble.
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Previous Competition Winner
2019 Katarina Davies, Cello: Tchaikovsky's Rococo Variations
2019 Katarina Davies, Cello: Tchaikovsky's Rococo Variations
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Katarina Davies is a student in the Young Artist Program at the Cleveland Institute of Music studying under Richard Weiss. Before moving to Cleveland at the age of 14, she was raised in London, England where she attended the Royal Academy of Music. Since moving to Cleveland Katarina has served as principal cellist of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra, was awarded first prize in the Cleveland Cello Society's Scholarship Competition senior division, and was selected to play in an octet under the direction of Franz Welser-Most which performed in Linz, Austria. A keen chamber musician, she was a member of the award winning Alendo Quartet which performed and competed across the US. She also studies the piano under Joela Jones. In her spare time, Katarina enjoys traveling, photography, and spending time with her family and two dogs.
She joined the Euclid Symphony on their March 1, 2020 concert playing Tchaikovsky's Rococo Variations. |
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