A November to Remember: NEC String Players Win Awards Around the World

NEC strings students and alumni earned significant international awards and recognition in a remarkable two weeks, a testament to the Conservatory’s extraordinary legacy of excellence

For Immediate Release (November 20, 2023—Boston, MA) New England Conservatory (NEC) strings students and alumni had a tour de force month of November, earning significant national and international awards and recognition in an extraordinary two weeks for NEC’s strings community–a testament to the talent of NEC’s artists, the strength and collaboration of its faculty members, and the impact of the conservatory on the future of music worldwide.

Violinist Joshua Brown '22, '24 MM Wins First Prize at China International Music Competition

Violinist Joshua Brown '22, '24 MM won first prize at the China International Music Competition in Beijing on November 13 at the National Center for the Performing Arts. He receives $100,000, a Gold Medal, and three years of concert tours for his win. Brown, age 23, has studied with faculty member Donald Weilerstein at NEC for nearly six years. He earned his Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance in 2022 and is now working toward his Master of Music degree.

Conductor and NEC alumnus Tristan Rais-Sherman '21 AD led each competitor, together with the Philadelphia Orchestra, through their performance of a major violin concerto, including Brown's masterful rendition of Brahms' Violin Concerto in D major Op.77. The jury for the competition included Bin Huang (Chairman), Friedemann Eichhorn, Lorenz Nasturica-Herschcowici, Mariusz Patyra, Lucie Robert, Joel Smirnoff, Weidong Tong, and Pavel Vernikov.

"It was quite surreal to be announced the winner," said Brown. "NEC and Mr. Weilerstein have done everything for me in contributing to my success. I still feel like I am growing and learning so much from every single lesson. I leave my lessons just as amazed and inspired as my first week studying at NEC! I think this kind of constant learning is responsible for any kind of success that I have, and I will always be grateful for everything that the school has done for me."

Brown debuted with the Cleveland Orchestra at just fifteen years old in 2015. Since then, he has performed with dozens of orchestras in the United States and abroad in concert halls worldwide, continually garnering praise from critics. He has won numerous prestigious awards, including being the top prize winner at the Tenth International Violin Competition of Leopold Mozart and a prize winner of the 11th Quadrennial International Violin Competition of Indianapolis.

Brown's NEC classmates Angela Chan '22 MM, '24 GD, another student of Donald Weilerstein, and SooBeen Lee '21, '23 MM, '25 GD, a student of Miriam Fried, also competed at the China International Music Competition and were among the six violinists to make it to the finals.

Cellist Leland Ko ‘24 AD Wins First Prize at the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal Competition

Cellist Leland Ko '24 AD won first prize at the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal (OSM) Competition on November 11. Ko receives CAD20,000, a residency at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Belgium for the 2024-25 season, a recording and broadcast by Radio-Canada, and several performance opportunities. Ko studies cello with Laurence Lesser, Donald Weilerstein, and Yeesun Kim at NEC and is the recipient of the Edward P. and Margaret Richardson Presidential Scholarship.

“It was an honor to have shared the hall with this batch of competitors and their beautiful music, the wonderful musicians of the OSM, the warm and welcoming Montreal audiences, and a jury I would’ve only ever dreamed of playing for,” said Ko. 

A cellist of Chinese-Canadian descent born and raised in the Boston area, Ko has performed as a soloist and chamber musician in venues across America’s east coast, such as Merkin Concert Hall and Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall in New York, Symphony Hall, Jordan Hall, and Sanders Theatre in Boston, as well as internationally in Belgium, Italy, Sweden, Israel, and Spain, including Auditorio Manuel de Falla in Granada. Ko was named a recipient of the Presidential Scholar Award at NEC for 2022-2024 and the Spark Fund from The Joy of Music Inc. and was a Young Artist in Residence for American Public Media’s radio program Performance Today in 2023.

Ko received second prize at the inaugural 2020 Bader and Overton Canadian Cello Competition, a finalist appearance in the 2020 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, first prize at the 2021 Hudson Valley Philharmonic String Competition, and most recently won first prizes at the 2023 inaugural Boston Concert Artist Society auditions and the 2023 National Federation of Music Clubs Young Artist Competition. He was also named a winner of the 2023 Canada Council Musical Instrument Bank auditions.

Violinist Jaewon Wee ‘23 Wins First at Mirecourt International Violin Competition

Alumna and violinist Jaewon Wee '23 GD won first prize and 5,000 euros at the Mirecourt International Violin Competition in France on November 12. She was also awarded three Special Prizes: Opéra national de Lorraine’s Orchestra Prizes, Special Prize of Contemporary String Instrument Manufacturing, and Special Prize of Bow Makers. At NEC, Wee was a recipient of the Dean’s Scholarship (a full tuition scholarship), and studied under Donald Weilerstein.

Wee won the First Prize & the Audience Choice Award at the Dallas International Violin Competition 2023, performing Sibelius' Violin Concerto with the Dallas Chamber Symphony. She also won the First and Audience Prizes at the 2022 Washington International Competition and the Second and Best Performance of the Commissioned Work Prizes at the 37th Klein International Competition. Last year, she was also awarded the Second & the Special iPalpiti Prizes at the George Enescu International Competition and, in 2019, as a winner of the Juilliard Violin Concerto Competition, she made her New York debut at Lincoln Center, Alice Tully Hall.

Balourdet Quartet Receives the Cleveland Quartet Award from Chamber Music America

The Balourdet Quartet, who graduated from NEC's Professional String Quartet training program in the spring of 2023, received the Cleveland Quartet Award from Chamber Music America. This biennial award, named for one of history's most illustrious string quartets, honors and promotes a rising string quartet whose artistry demonstrates significant promise.

While at NEC, the Balourdet Quartet worked primarily with faculty member and Cleveland Quartet cellist Paul Katz. As NEC's Professional Quartet-In-Residence, Balourdet received full-tuition scholarships, living stipends, and intensive training and coaching. They recently won the Grand Prize at New York’s Concert Artists Guild Competition. They have also been prize winners at the Banff International String Quartet Competition and Gold Medal winners at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition.

Violinist Clayton Hancock ‘24 Wins Position with Milwaukee Symphony

Violinist and current undergraduate Clayton Hancock '24 won a position with the Milwaukee Symphony. Hancock studies with faculty member Ayano Ninomiya at NEC. In 2020, Hancock made his professional solo debut playing with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. Success at local, national, and international competitions has led Hancock to concerto performances and recitals with the Germantown Symphony Orchestra, Memphis Youth Symphony, Moscow Ballet, Memphis Chamber Music Society, Jefferson Symphony Orchestra, YoungArts, and the Beethoven Club.

About New England Conservatory (NEC)
Founded by Eben Tourjée in Boston, Massachusetts in 1867, the New England Conservatory (NEC) represents a new model of music school that combines the best of European tradition with American innovation. The school stands at the center of Boston’s rich cultural history and musical life, presenting concerts at the renowned Jordan Hall. Propelled by profound artistry, bold creativity and deep compassion, NEC seeks to amplify musicians’ impact on advancing our shared humanity, and empowers students to meet today’s changing world head-on, equipped with the tools and confidence to forge multidimensional lives of artistic depth and relevance.

As an independent, not-for-profit institution that educates and trains musicians of all ages from around the world, NEC is recognized internationally as a leader among music schools. It cultivates a diverse, dynamic community, providing music students of more than 40 countries with performance opportunities and high-caliber training from 225 internationally esteemed artist-teachers and scholars. NEC pushes the boundaries of music-making and teaching through college-level training in classical, jazz and contemporary improvisation. Through unique interdisciplinary programs such as Entrepreneurial Musicianship and Community Performances & Partnerships, it empowers students to create their own musical opportunities. As part of NEC’s mission to make lifelong music education available to everyone, the Preparatory School and School of Continuing Education delivers training and opportunities for children, pre-college students and adults.

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