The Texas Flute Society is proud to announce the winners of the 2020 Myrna W. Brown Artist Competition.
Yi Xiang: 1st Place and Best Performance of Commissioned Work
Yi Xiang, a young flutist from China, is currently a candidate for the Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Eastman School of Music, from the studio of Prof. Bonita Boyd. As the winner of the Eastman Concerto Competition, her performance with orchestra was given in the prestigious Kodak Hall in October 2018. Ms. Xiang has also won the Rochester Flute Association Emerging Artist Competition in October 2019. Additionally, Ms. Xiang has been a finalist in numerous competitions, including the 2020 Seattle Flute Society Young Artist Competition (postponed), the 2020 Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra Instrumental Competition (postponed), the 2017 Mika Hasler Young Artist Competition, and the 2014 & 2016 New York Flute Club Competition.
In 2019, Ms. Xiang has been invited to the fellowship program at the Bowdoin International Music Festival and has been an active performer in a series of concerts. “The Pareidolia Trio” which she has co-founded in 2015 won the Fuchs Chamber Music Competition of that year. Later in December, Ms. Xiang has been selected to attend the Forum Artium Masterclass Series in Germany, under the instruction of Prof. Andrea Lieberknecht from Hochschule für Musik und Theater München. Meanwhile, she has been devoting to a career of teaching since 2016. Ms. Xiang completed her study for the Bachelor of Music degree with Ms. Linda Chesis at Manhattan School of Music in 2016. She was then awarded the Master of Music degree in 2018 from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, studying with Prof. Leone Buyse.
Hyunjee Lee: 2nd Place
Praised for her expressive, passionate, and engaging playing, flutist Hyunjee Lee has been fascinated by the idea of bringing life to written music since she was little. Her goal as a performer is to lead the audience to immerse in the inherent beauty of each piece she plays. Hyunjee made her solo debut with Yonsei Sinfonietta at age 18 performing Mozart’s Flute Concerto in G Major. Since her debut, she has performed numerous solo, chamber, and ensemble concerts. She was a flutist at Seoul Philharmonic Youth Orchestra and has appeared at Dallas Winds, KT chamber orchestra and Festival orchestra. Highlights of her competition experiences include winning the first flute prize at the Woohyun Woodwinds Competition and performing as a finalist at Myrna W. Brown Competition 2019. She was named a finalist for Byron Hester competition 2020 and will compete the final round this fall. Also, her woodwind quintet group won a chamber music audition held by the Seoul Arts Center and performed a recital in their concert hall.
As a recipient of Wind and Percussion Scholarship, Hyunjee is currently pursuing her DMA degree at the University of North Texas where she teaches flute lessons and coaches chamber groups as a teaching fellow. She is a graduate of Seoul Arts High School and holds MM from San Francisco Conservatory of Music and BM from Ewha Womans University. Her principal teachers include Timothy Day, Terri Sundberg, Dr. James Scott, MyungJooAhn, and Young-ji Song.
Denis Savelyev: 3rd Place
First-prize winner of the 2017 New York Flute Club Competition, Denis Savelyev is also member at The Orchestra Now under the direction of Leon Botstein in New York. From the Western Ukraine, Mr. Savelyev came to the USA five years ago to earn his MM and Professional Studies Diploma, both at the Mannes School of Music in New York, where he studied with Judith Mendenhall. Mr. Savelyev was born in Lviv, Ukraine and began studying the flute at age five. He was awarded a place at the Gnessin Academy of Music in Moscow, where he studied with Albert Hofmann. Orchestral positions include with the Mariinsky Theater in Vladivostok, the New York Symphony Ensemble on its Japanese tour in 2016, and Manhattan Symphonie. As a soloist, he has performed at the Ukrainian Institute of America, the Moscow Music House, with the Lviv Philharmonic, at the University of Nevada, and Carnegie Hall where he gave the world premiere of his own arrangement for the flute of Virko Baley’s Partita for Violin and Piano.
The most recent awards, Denis received by winning the second prize at the highly competitive 2019 Young Artist Competition at the National Flute Association and first prize at the New Jersey Flute Society Young Artist Competition. Mr. Savelyev is active in participation at competitions, festivals, concerts and masterclases as soloist, chamber and orchestra player in the USA, Asia, and Europe.
Previous Winners