The Briggs Competition is made possible by support from the Dale & Nancy Briggs Chamber Music Endowed Enrichment Fund. The annual competition was launched in 2014, with guest judges selecting winners from groups representing the breadth of SMTD’s chamber music offerings.
April 9th, 2022
Stamps Recital Hall
Matt Albert, Director
Congratulations to the 2022 Competition Winners
First Prize
Trio Matisse
Nickolas Hamblin, clarinet
Benjamin Penzner, viola
Ariya Laothitipang, piano
Second Prize
Trio Amabile
Jordan Bartel, violin
Emma Cary, cello
Tzu Kuang Tan, piano
Third Prize
Eros Quartet
Philip Kleutgens, soprano saxophone
Jordan Savage, alto saxophone
Roberto Campa, tenor saxophone
Jason Frazier, baritone saxophone
Michigan Prize
Tekhenu Quartet
for Griffin Candey God Forbid
Honorable Mentions
Tekhenu Quartet
Maria Torres-Melgares, soprano saxophone
Andrew MacRossie, alto saxophone
Andrew Hosler, tenor saxophone
Alex Toth, baritone saxophone
Novus Reed Quintet
Nadia Para, oboe
Triniti Rives, clarinet
Haruka Taguchi, alto saxophone
Benjamin Richard, bassoon
Benjamin Taylor, bass clarinet
Eligibility
Open to any instrumentation/voice types in unconducted groups of 3-10 members. Every member of an entering group must be enrolled at the University of Michigan in winter semester 2022.
Judges
Mariam Adam, clarinet, Vanderbilt University (formerly Imani Winds)
Rebecca Fischer, violin, Mannes School of Music (formerly Chiara Quartet)
Jonathan Hulting-Cohen, saxophone, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Sophie Shao, cello, University of Connecticut
Yevgeny Yontov, piano, Bowling Green State University
Repertoire
As part of their application, groups must submit a repertoire list with at least 40 minutes of music and at least two complete works. The remainder of the list may be individual movements or shorter works. Every repertoire list will be evaluated for rigor before applications are accepted, and programming choices will factor into adjudication.
Prizes
- First prize: $5,000
- Second prize: $3,000
- Third Prize: $2,000
- Michigan Composition Prize: $2,000 for best performance of a piece written by a University of Michigan composer (either a current student or a graduate from the classes of 2018-2022)
- Honorable mentions $500 each
For questions, please contact Matt Albert at ganzmatt@umich.edu
2021
Judges
Chris Anderson, trombone, (Oberlin Conservatory)
Steven Banks, saxophone, (Ithaca College)
Souren Bagratuni, cello, (Michigan State University)
Sang Mee Lee, violin, (Music Institute of Chicago)
Natalie Zhu, piano, (Kingston Chamber Music Festival
First Prize
Aero Quartet
Salvador Flores, soprano saxophone
Walt Puyear, alto saxophone
Matthew Koester, tenor saxophone
Brian Kachur, baritone saxophone
Second Prize
Eros Quartet
Philip Kleutgens, soprano saxophone
Jordan Savage, alto saxophone
Roberto Campa, tenor saxophone
Jason Frazier, baritone saxophone
Third Prize
Brahms Trio
Everett Rutledge, clarinet
Andres Ayerbe, cello
Peter Smith, piano
Michigan Prize
Aero Quartet
for Corey Dundee Shifting Gears
2020
Canceled due to COVID-19
2019
Judges
Steven Beck, piano (New York Philharmonic)
Sibbi Bernhardsson, violin (Oberlin Conservatory)
Vincent Chandler, jazz trombone (Wayne State University)
Monica Ellis, bassoon (Imani Winds)
Aiyun Huang, percussion (University of Toronto)
First prize
Westbound Situation Trio
Grant Flick, violin
Matthew Davis, banjo
Jacob Warren, double bass
Second prize
Sapphirus Quartet
Chad Lilley, soprano saxophone
Andrew Hasher, alto saxophone
Connor O’Toole, tenor saxophone
Matthew Koester, baritone saxophone
Third prize (tie)
Cerulean Quartet
Salvador Flores, soprano saxophone
Mitchell Luttermoser, alto saxophone
Alex Gurchinoff, tenor saxophone
Brian Kachur, baritone saxophone
Heriya Trio
Heewon Uhm, violin
Mary Fortino, clarinet
Xiaoya Liu, piano
Michigan Prize
Cerulean Quartet
for Jules Pegram: Hell or High Water
2018
Judges
Kirsten Docter, viola (Oberlin Conservatory)
Nathalie Joachim, flute (Eighth Blackbird)
Peter Miyamoto, piano (University of Missouri)
First Prize
Ivalas Quartet
Reuben Kebede, vioin
Anita Dumar, violin
Caleb Georges, viola
Pedro Sánchez, cello
Second Prize
Saros Trio
Mickayla Chapman, clarinet
Chase Ward, violin
Shane McFadden, piano
Third Prize
Tie:
Vayu Quintet
Anna Thompson, flute
Sagar Anupindi, oboe
Taylor Isberg, clarinet
Michaela Clague, horn
Daniel Fendrick, bassoon
Front Porch
Benjamin Jackson, violin
Maddy Wildman, bassoon
Jacob Rogers, percussion
Karalyn Schubring, piano
Michigan Prize
Saros Trio
for Corey Dundee: sb3
2017
Judges
Philip Bush, piano (University of South Carolina)
Scott Hartman, trombone (Yale University)
Minghuan Xu, violin (Roosevelt University)
First Prize
Koinonia Trio
Christine Harada Li, violin
Nathaniel Pierce, cello
Hyejin Cho, piano
Second Prize
Vanguard Reed Quintet
Sagar Anupindi, oboe
Joseph Velez, clarinet
Sean Meyers, saxophone
Joseph Swift, bassoon
Danny Mui, bass clarinet
Third Prize
Sapphirus Quartet
Charles Lilley, soprano saxophone
Emmett Rapaport, alto saxophone
Connor O’Toole, tenor saxophone
Liam Dilenschneider, baritone saxophone
Michigan Prize
Vanguard Reed Quintet
for David Biedenbender: Refraction
2016
Judges
David Bowlin, violin (Oberlin Conservatory)
Jonathan Gunn, clarinet (Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra)
James Howsmon, piano (Oberlin Conservatory)
First Prize
Adamas Quartet
Russell Kerns, soprano saxophone
Connor Mikula, alto saxophone
Jonathan Hostottle, tenor saxophone
Jeffrey Leung, baritone saxophone
Second Prize
Clarinet Quintet
Joey Valez, Daniel Martinec, Stephen Chow, Jakob Lenhardt, and Mathieu Girardet, clarinets
Third Prize
String Quartet
Nicole Yue Fan, violin
Jecoliah Wang, violin
Abigail Choi, viola
Isabel Kwon, cello
2015
Judges
Donald Baker, oboe (Detroit Symphony Orchestra)
Jean-Louis Haguenauer, piano (Indiana University)
Peter Salaff, violin (Cincinnati Institute of Music)
First Prize
Eero Saxophone Quartet
David Foley, soprano saxophone
Andrea Voulgaris, alto saxophone
Lisa Keeney, tenor saxophone
Brendan Kelly, baritone saxophone
Second Prize
String Trio
Grace Kim, violin
Omar Shelley, viola
Chris Young, cello
The School of Music, Theatre & Dance lost one of its dearest friends and supporters with the passing of Dale Edward Briggs on March 17, 2016. Dale, with his wife Nancy, was responsible for launching the Briggs Chamber Music Competition, funded by the Dale and Nancy Briggs Chamber Music Endowed Enrichment Fund, which Dale and Nancy created in 2004. The fund provides incentive for our students to form long-standing, high-caliber chamber groups and to prepare significant repertoire. The impact this fund has had on the School’s chamber music offerings and activities is immeasurable and growing deeper every day.
In February 2016, the School of Music, Theatre & Dance Alumni Society honored Dale by awarding him the 2016 Hall of Fame award. Dale was an integral part of the University of Michigan since 1957 when he first started his graduate work here. After completing his PhD in chemical engineering, he joined the faculty and taught in the College of Engineering for 38 years. Upon retiring in 1999, he began serving as an external member for Doctor of Musical Arts oral exam committees. He sat on over 100 doctoral committees, supporting the work of a wide range of performers, composers, and conducting DMA graduates.
Dale and Nancy have encouraged SMTD students at every level of study by being stalwart supporters of the performance activity at the School. Over their many years of involvement, they have rarely missed a performance in Hill Auditorium, Britton Recital Hall, McIntosh Theatre, Rackham Auditorium, Lydia Mendelssohn, and the Power Center, attending the many large ensemble, small ensemble, fully staged productions, student recitals and faculty recitals given each year by the School. Their presence in the audience and their thoughtful comments and encouragement afterward have had a profound impact on our community of students, faculty, and staff.
In addition to the amazing time and effort they have shared with SMTD students, Dale and Nancy have also supported the success of students through their generous philanthropy. In addition to creating the Dale and Nancy Briggs Chamber Music Endowed Enrichment Fund, they have given to a variety of programs and scholarships at the School, especially in the areas of opera, voice, and chamber music.
Dale was an incredibly caring, compassionate and generous human being, and his lovely spirit and positive outlook brought much joy to our days.
