LIllian and Maurice Barbash J.S. Bach Competition

Lillian and Maurice Barbash J.S. Bach Competition

For immediate Release

November 7, 2019

Contact: Susan Barbash, Competition Coordinator 

info@jsbachcompetition.org 
516-639-8575

Young artists from nation’s top music conservatories and schools to perform in first annual J.S. Bach Competition Finals at Stony Brook University’s Staller Recital Hall

Five gifted young string players educated at the country’s leading music conservatories and schools have been selected to perform in the Finals of the first annual Lillian and Maurice Barbash J.S. Bach Competition, at Stony Brook University’s Staller Recital Hall, Tuesday December 3, 1 pm.

The event will be open to the general public, free of charge.

The finalists will be judged by a panel of renowned musicians: cellists Colin Carr and Wolfram Koessel, violists Lawrence Dutton and Matthew Lipman, and violinist and conductor Yeou- Cheng Ma. 

Each finalist will perform a Bach work for solo string instrument. The winner will receive $5000 and will be the featured soloist at the Island Symphony Bach Festival on Sunday, January 26, 2pm St. Peter’s By-the-Sea Episcopal Church, Bay Shore, NY.  Admission is free.

The Second Place Prize is $500. 

The finalists are: Andrew Gonzalez (27) viola da spalla; Gabriel Polinsky (21) bass; Sung Jin Lee (27) viola; Aaron Wolff (25) cello; and Rachell Ellen Wong (27) violin. 

The young artists represent top ranked music schools including The Juilliard School, the Curtis Institute of Music, the Music Department of Stony Brook University, and Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music and the Conservatory of Music, Oberlin College.

“I am delighted that the competition has attracted players of such a very high level,” said Carr, who has performed with the world’s leading orchestras and chamber ensembles. “I’m certain that the final will be a memorable day.”

“We are thrilled that, in our first year, we attracted superbly talented musicians from across the country,” said Competition founder Susan Barbash. “The high quality of the musicians is a testament to the stature of our jurors.” 

The Competition, for string musicians aged 16 to 30, was established to honor Long Island residents Lillian and Maurice Barbash for their life-long commitment to classical music. 

For more information about the Competition visit www.jsbachcompetition.org

For information about the Island Symphony Bach Festival visit www.islandsymphony.org