Finalists announced for Lillian and Maurice Barbash J. S. Bach Competition

Competition honors local patrons-of-the-arts

Posted 10/3/24

Competition honors local patrons-of-the-arts

Violinists Angela Chan, Isabelle Durrenberger, and Emily Richardson, and cellist Julia Lee will compete in the finals of the sixth annual …

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Finalists announced for Lillian and Maurice Barbash J. S. Bach Competition

Competition honors local patrons-of-the-arts

Cellist Julia Lee is a prizewinner of the Antonio Janigro International Cello Competition and recipient of the Mary Alice Cox Award. Lee has collaborated with Clive Greensmith, Noah Bendix-Balgley, Catherine Cho, Robert McDonald, and Inon Barnatan across various international stages.

Photo courtesy of Susan Barbash

Violinist player Emily Richardson received her bachelor’s and master’s degree at Rice University, studying with Paul Kantor. She has performed as a soloist with the Las Vegas Philharmonic, Fairbanks Symphony, Ottawa Chamber Symphony, and more.

Photo courtesy of Susan Barbash

Violinist Isabelle Ai Durrenberger is a 2023-25 fellow of Carnegie Hall’s renowned Ensemble Connect program. Her 2024-25 season includes performances with the Boston Chamber Music Society, Jupiter Chamber Players, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra in Carnegie Hall, and more.

Photo courtesy of Susan Barbash

Violinist Angela Sin Ying Chan is a top prizewinner of the Singapore International Violin Competition, Louis Spohr, and Shanghai Isaac Stern international competitions, and founder of the AYA Piano Trio.

Photo courtesy of Susan Barbash

Posted Thursday, October 3, 2024 12:00 am

Violinists Angela Chan, Isabelle Durrenberger, and Emily Richardson, and cellist Julia Lee will compete in the finals of the sixth annual 2024 Lillian and Maurice Barbash J.S. Bach Competition on Thursday, Oct. 17, at Stony Brook University’s Staller Center Recital Hall. Violinist Anna Okada has been selected as an alternate who will perform in the event one of the finalists cannot participate.

In six short years, the Lillian and Maurice Barbash J.S. Bach Competition has become a truly international competition, attracting superb musicians from all over the world.

In addition to a cash award of $5000, the grand prize includes five paid performing engagements with some of the most prestigious baroque presenters in the country, including Gotham Early Music Scene (GEMS), the Washington Bach Consort, Bach Choir of Bethlehem and Amor Artis.

The competition was established to honor Brightwaters residents Lillian and Maurice Barbash for their lifelong commitment to the arts. The couple served together on the boards of the South Shore Symphony and the Suffolk Symphony in the 1960s and helped start the Long Island Philharmonic in 1979. They celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary by commissioning a piece for cello and orchestra for Yo-Yo Ma (“Music for Cello and Orchestra,” by Leon Kirchner, premiered by the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1992), and their 45th anniversary by commissioning a piano concerto for Emanuel Ax (“Seeing,” by Christopher Rouse, premiered by the New York Philharmonic in 1999).

Lillian founded the Islip Arts Council in 1976. She led the council for 31 years and built it into one of the region’s leading presenters of classical music. Taking no salary and attracting broad support, she became beloved as Long Island’s First Lady of the Arts. Maurice and Lillian also created the Bay Shore Schools Arts Education Fund to enhance students’ direct participation in the arts.

The 2024 jurors are violinists Ingrid Matthews and Soovin Kim; violist Katherine Murdock; cellist Colin Carr; and harpsichordist Arthur Haas. The finals will be streamed live on the Violin Channel at https://theviolinchannel.com at 1 p.m.