2010 Winners

Clément takes Gold!

Agnès Clément, 20, of Lyon, France earned First Place honored on the evening of Saturday, July 17, 2010
She began studying the harp at the age of seven at the Conservatoire of Clermont-Ferrand (France) in Liliane Thalamas's Class. A few years later, she began studying the bassoon in the same Conservatoire, in Olivier Buisson's class.

She continued her musical studies at the Conservatoire of Boulogne-Billancourt (France) in Daniel Douay's and Pascale Schmitt's harp class, and in Geneviève Grisenti's bassoon class. She brilliantly completed her studies by getting unanimously a DEM (Diploma of End of Musical studies, highest degree delivered by a French Conservatoire) with honors for both instruments in 2007.

In 2008, she was admitted to the Superior Music Conservatoire (CNSMD) of Lyon (France), in the harp class of Fabrice Pierre, Park Stikney and Sylvain Blassel. She also continued her bassoon studies at the Conservatoire of Lyon in Jean Pignoly's class.

At 20, she has already won numerous national and international prizes: Second Prize of the International Harp Competition Valentino Bucchi (“L'Arpa nel 20 e 21° Seccolo”) in Rome (Italy) in 2009, Third “Grand Prix” of the International Harp Competition Lily Laskine in Paris (France) in 2008, Raynaud-Zurfluh Prize and a French scholarship from “Royaume de la Musique” in 2007, and a Second Prize of the Young Bassoonist Competition (“Concours des Jeunes Bassonistes” in Aulnay-sous-Bois (France) in 2001.

Those different awards have earned her regular invitations to play recitals: by the French Association “Les Amis de Lily Laskine” (Lily Laskine's Friends), the International Association of Harpists and Friends of the Harp, the “Harpe en Avesnois” (Harp in Avesnois) festival of Maubeuge (France), in Four (France), the festival “Harpe en ciel” in Nancy (France), the festival “J’arts com”(France)…

Agnès created with the flutist Julie Moulin a very appreciated duet. They are invited for the radio programme “Dans la Cour des Grands”, presented by Gaëlle LeGallic on France Musiques; for the festival “Les Journées de la Harpe” in Arles (France); for the festival “Déclic” of Radio France.

She played a solo performance of the Concerto by Zabel with the French orchestra “Orchestre de la Garde Republicaine,” and the concertos by Boeldieu and Händel with her five brother and sisters, all high-level musicians, during a summer 38 concerts tour in 2006 and a 11 concerts tour in 2010. The success of those projects has lead them to record two CDs entitled “Musique en Famille” (Music in Family).

Ms. Clément‘s first place finish has earned her an array of prizes including:

A Commemorative Lyon & Healy Gold Concert Grand Harp
Two Debut Recitals sponsored by Lyon & Healy Harps
Artistic Management sponsored by the Victor Salvi Foundation
The David and Linda Rollo Award in memory of Mindee Rollo - a $5,000 cash prize

Rino Kageyama, 20,  of Japan, won the Second Place, silver medal.
Rino Kageyama was born in Toyko, Japan and began playing harp at the age of 8.  Over the past twelve years Rino has studied harp with Kaya Watanabe, Ayako Shinozaki, Risako Hayakawa and Isabelle Perrin.

In 2000, she won First Prize at the 12^th Japan Harp Competition Junior Division.  Rino placed third in the 4^th Lily Laskine International Harp Competition Junior division.  In 2006 Rino took first prize at the 18^th Japan Harp Competition Advanced division.  She appeared at the 2007 Women Composer’s Festival.  In 2008 Rino was awarded second prize and a special prize at the 6^th Lily Laskine International Harp Competition Senior Division (no first prize was awarded).  She appeared at the 2009 “Estivales musique medoc” and “Beethoven Festival Bonn”.  In September 2009 Rino entered the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris.  She has been a member of the Junior Philharmonic Orchestra – Toyko since 2001.

Ms. Kageyama's second place finish earned her the $5,000 Dick Johnson Memorial Prize.

Vasilisa Lushchevskaya, 20, of Moscow, Russia took the bronze medal for Third Place.
In 2007 she finished the Moscow Gnesin’s College with honors by class professor, Milda Agazarian. Vasilisa has taken part in numerous competitions and festivals in Russia, France and Spain. Now she is studying at the Russian Gnesin’s Academy of Music.

Vasilisa is a laureate of the 1^st Russian Young Harpist Competition (1997),dedicated to the 850 years of Moscow where she won 1^st Prize. She won 4^th Prize at the 3^rd International Young Harpist Competition named after Lily Laskine (1999). In 2005, she won the 1^st Prize at the Open International Competition “The Teacher and the Pupil” in Moscow.

Vasilisa has regularly participated in the Moscow International Harp Festivals from 2000 to 2010.  She performed as a soloist and with symphony orchestras in Moscow, Nizhniy, Novgorod and Lipetsk. She is a recipient of the International Charitable Foundation of Russian Culture Fund and the Spivakov International Charitable Foundation.

Ms. Lushchevskaya's third place finished earned her the $4,000 Jung-suk Han Memorial Prize. 

The fourth through eighth prize recipients were:

4^th - $3,000 Vanderbilt Music Company Prize:
Coline-Marie Orliac, France

5^th - $2,500 Dr. Konrad William Rinne and Dr. Ersébet Gaál Rinne Prize:
Jimin Lee, United Kingdom / South Korea

6^th - $2,000 Rachel Mary and John Isaac Jones Memorial Prize:
Ruriko Yamamiya, Japan

7^th - $1,500 Mr. Eul Duk Kwak Memorial Prize:
Gwenllian Llyr, United Kingdom (Wales)

8^th - $1,000 Friends of the Harp Competition Prize:
Marta Marinelli, Italy 

Special Prizes went to:

$1,000 - Mario Falcao Prize for Best Performance of Awakening Stillnesses by Michael Maganuco:
Coline-Marie Orliac, France 

$1,000 - Jan Jennings Prize for Best Performance of the R. Glière – Concerto for Harp and Orchestra
Rino Kageyama, Japan

$2,000 - American Harp Society Prize for Composition 
Michael Maganuco, USA for Awakening Stillnesses performed as part of the required repertoire in Stage III of the Competition