2005 Winners of Prestigious National Young Performing Artist Awards

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (July 29, 2005) — Talented young artists from across the country were honored recently as Yamaha Corporation of America, Band & Orchestral Division, announced the winners of the 2005 Yamaha Young Performing Artist (YYPA) program. The program goes hand in hand with the Bands of America (BOA) Summer Symposium, and served as its kick-off concert. Both BOA and Yamaha’s Education Department maintain corporate offices in Indianapolis.

2005 Yamaha Young Performing Artists: (Back, L-R) John Plucker, Alex Han, Enrique Trinidad, Daniel Cathey (Front, L-R) Ruby Chou, Michelle Duskey, Alia Sabur.

This year’s national awards concert was held on Monday, June 27 at 8:00 p.m. at Braden Auditorium on the campus of Illinois State University in Normal, Ill. Yamaha artist Bil Jackson, Colorado Symphony Principal Clarinet, was the featured guest. The winners were guests of Yamaha for a weekend of rehearsals, master classes, special awards concerts and social events.

The YYPA program is designed to provide early career recognition for outstanding young musicians in the United States. Hundreds of applicants, ages 16-21, apply annually and undergo a rigorous taped audition process for a panel of national celebrity musicians. The 2005 winners join a total of more than 150 others who have earned the distinction since the program’s inception in 1989. Many have received scholarships to prestigious universities and conservatories, or are playing professionally with major jazz groups and top symphony orchestras.

Saxophonist Otis Murphy, a 1994 YYPA winner, is currently a faculty member at Indiana University. Kenneth Tse, also a saxophonist and 1994 winner, is on faculty at the University of Iowa. Even before his planned 2005 graduation from the prestigious Juilliard School of Music, 1999 YYPA winner Dominick Farinacci is planning an album release and tours in Japan and the United States. Jazz pianist Aaron Parks, a 2000 YYPA winner, is signed to Keynote Records and has several albums to his credit; he has been a member of the Terence Blanchard Quintet and currently leads his own ensembles. Walter Blanding, Jr., a 1990 YYPA winner, is a member of the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, and is a former member of the Wynton Marsalis Quintet.

The 2005 winners are:

Winner	Hometown	Instrument
Daniel Cathey	Wichita, Kan.	Percussion
Ruby Chou	Sandy, UT	Piano
Michelle Duskey	Monroeville, Pa.	Oboe
Alex Han	Scottsdale, Ariz.	Saxophone
Carolyn Jantsch	Ann Arbor, Mich.	Tuba
Stephanie Jeong	Philadelphia, Pa.	Violin
John Plucker	Fairbanks, AK	Horn
Alia Sabur	Philadelphia, Pa.	Clarinet
Enrique Trinidad	Carolina, Puerto Rico	Flute

“Yamaha has customarily supported talented young musicians,” states John Wittmann, Manager, Education, Yamaha’s Band & Orchestral Division, “and YYPA is our way of helping to boost their careers. We’re excited for the soon-to-be-launched interactive YYPA website, which will feature photos, music clips and musician testimonials. And we look forward to growing the YYPA program and taking it to the next level, including performances at Yamaha Artist Services, Inc., to expand the overall experience.”

For more information about the Yamaha Young Performing Artists Program, write Yamaha Corporation of America, Band & Orchestral Division, 39 West Jackson Place, Suite 150, Indianapolis, IN 46225; call (317) 524-6270; e-mail infostation@yamaha.com; or visit www.yamaha.com/band.