2025 Young Artist Auditions Awards presented by Rochester Philharmonic League

Rochester, NY – Marimba player Gabriel Kulick, a senior at Brighton High School, was awarded the Grand Prize late Sunday (March 16) at the annual Young Artist Auditions (YAA) Awards held at the Eastman School of Music (ESM).

This is the 70th year the Rochester Philharmonic League (RPL) has held and funded its awards, where high-school musicians from the Greater Rochester Area compete for over $8,000 in cash and scholarships. Each award category, the three scholarships, and the Grand Prize are judged by a panel of professional performing musicians and educators who provide valuable written feedback to the young contestants on their auditions.

Among this year’s event attendees were Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) Music Director Andreas Delfs, RPO Assistant Conductor/Rochester Philharmonic Youth Orchestra Music Director Jherrard Hardeman, and RPO Vice President of Education Barbara Brown.

This year, 40 students competed for 10 cash awards — $750 for winners and $300 for runners-up — offered for female vocalist, male vocalist, strings, piano and instrumental (woodwind, brass, percussion, harp, or guitar). Winners and runners-up from the award categories then competed for the vocal and instrumental $1,000 college scholarships.

 As the Grand Prize winner, Kulick was selected from the winners in the award categories, presented with the Maria and Alberto Uy Scholarship ($1000), and earned the opportunity for a solo performance with the RPO. Kulick also was awarded an additional $300, as runner-up for the Helen and George Greer Instrumental Award.

All winners will be invited to perform in a free, public recital later this year.

Here is the complete list of the 2025 YAA award winners (name, instrument, grade, school, and private teacher):

Grand Prize (opportunity to perform with the RPO)

Maria and Alberto Uy Scholarship ($1000 college scholarship)

Winner:  Gabriel Kulick, Marimba, Grade 11, Brighton High School, Kyle Peters

Aldridge-Tinker Scholarship for Instrumentalists ($1000 college scholarship)

Winner:  Milo Anderson, Piano, Grade 11, Fairport High School, Elier Suarez

Jan DeGaetani Scholarship for Vocalists ($1000 college scholarship)

Winner:  Juliet Besch-Turner, Mezzo-Soprano, Grade 10, Homeschool, Diane Abrahamian

Helen and George Greer Instrumental Award (Winner: $750, Runner-up $300)

Winner:  Tristan Zhang, Oboe, grade 10, Pittsford Mendon High School, Erik Behr

Runner-up: Gabriel Kulick, Marimba, Grade 12, Brighton High School, Kyle Peters

Mildred and Julius Ness Award for Piano (Winner: $750)

Winner:  Milo Anderson, Grade 11, Fairport High School, Elier Suarez

Nobel Hirsh Award for Male Vocalists (Winner: $750, Runner-up $300)

Winner:  Vincent Mussumeci, Tenor, Grade 12, Greece Athena High School, Diane Abrahamian

Runner-Up: Ryan Hinks, Tenor, Grade 12, Newark High School, Judith Ranaletta

Ruth and Sidney Salzman Award for Strings (Winner: $750, Runner-up $300)

Winner:  Mia Sakonju, Violin, grade 12, Fayetteville-Manlius High School, Renée Jolles

Runner-up: Peyton Crony, Viola, Grade 12, School of the Arts, Roberta Zalkind

Honorable Mention: Abigail Feng, Cello, Grade 12, Jamesville-DeWitt High School, David Ying

Tessa Martin Award for Female Vocalists (Winner: $750, Runner-up $300)

Winner:  Juliet Besch-Turner, Mezzo-Soprano, Grade 10, Homeschool, Diane Abrahamian

Runner-Up: Aaliyah Nicholas, Soprano, Grade 12, Pittsford Sutherland High School, Judith Ranaletta

Honorable Mention: Morgan Kerr, Mezzo-Soprano, Grade 12, Greece Arcadia High School, Mami

The Rochester Philharmonic League (RPL) was founded in 1929 as a volunteer support group for the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO). For more than 80 years, the two organizations have collaborated to further their common goal of providing great music and music education in the greater Rochester community. The League’s current activities focus on educating young people about music and the RPO, and on fostering the advancement of music talent in the community’s youth.

Founded in 1922 by George Eastman, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra(RPO) is a not-for-profit, professional orchestra committed to enriching and inspiring our community through the art of music. A cultural leader in Rochester, the RPO presents approximately 150 concerts and broadcasts a year, and serves nearly 170,000 people through ticketed events, education and community engagement activities, and concerts in schools and community centers throughout the region. Andreas Delfs joins the ranks of former notable RPO music directors, including Erich Leinsdorf, David Zinman, Mark Elder, and Conductor Laureate Christopher Seaman. Principal Pops Conductor Jeff Tyzik, now in his 31st season, has earned a national reputation for excellence in pops programming during his tenure with the RPO.  Last year, Jherrard Hardeman joined the RPO as Assistant Conductor with leadership in education and community engagement, and as Music Director of the Rochester Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (RPYO). The RPO offers a wide variety of educational, outreach and engagement programs serving more than 25,000 including over 15,000 youth through its school-specific education programs. The RPO is a member of the League of American Orchestras.