Ictus International Trumpet Competition Announces Winners

Philadelphia, PA  - The Ictus International Trumpet Competition, which has been held as an online only event since 2017, announced the 2020 winners via a virtual awards ceremony and concert on September 15. There were applicants from 19 countries and 26 awards were given across four age categories. The jury said that level of playing this year was extraordinarily high. “The winners of this competition really showed something incredibly special [and] hearing so many fine players in the youngest categories really gives me a great sense of the future of where this art form is headed,” said David Bilger, Principal Trumpet of the Philadelphia Orchestra.

The winners are:

Group 4 | Ages 26 & Up  

1st Prize, Roman Granda, Venezuela

2nd Prize, Luis Càrdenas Casillas, United States

3rd Prize, Tássio de Oliveira, Brazil

Honorable Mention, Eric Rizzo, United States

Honorable Mention, Javier Alcaraz Leon, Spain

Honorable Mention, Samuel Oatts, United States

Group 3 | Ages 19 - 25

1st Prize, James Vaughen, United States

2nd Prize, Joseph Matthews, United Kingdom

3rd Prize, Jangwon Son, South Korea

3rd Prize, Alan Tolbert, United States

Honorable Mention, Erika Patrucco, Italy

Honorable Mention, Sarah Heimberg, United States

Honorable Mention, Robin Park, Australia

Group 2 | Ages 14 – 18

1st Prize, Aleksandr Rublev, Russia

2nd Prize, Tianyu Wang, China

3rd Prize, Bryan Pachacama, Ecuador

Honorable Mention, Chiara Bignamini, Italy

Honorable Mention, Dorothea Tatalidis, Luxembourg

Honorable Mention, Eugenio Arturo Carreño Gomez, Venezuela

Honorable Mention, Jun Young Kim, South Korea

Honorable Mention, Yue Zhang, China

Group 1 | Ages 13 & Under

1st Prize, Semyon Salomatnikov, Russia

2nd Prize, Stefan Gjorgiev, Croatia and Macedonia

3rd Prize, Do Young Baek, South Korea

Honorable Mention, Jade Park, Australia

Honorable Mention, Timofei Punko, Russia

First prize winners receive cash prizes and an artist profile from Ictus International Music Competition.

The jury was comprised of Principal Trumpet of The Philadelphia Orchestra, David Bilger; Founder of Seraph Brass and International Soloist, Mary Elizabeth Bowden; Founder and Director of The Center for Advanced Musical Studies at Chosen Vale, Edward Carroll; Principal Trumpet of The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Billy Hunter; and Virtuoso Trumpeter with The Canadian Brass, Brandon Ridenour.

While virtual events may not seem that unusual in the age of Covid-19, Ictus International Music Competition was founded in 2017 as an online only competition to make competing internationally more accessible through eliminating prohibitive travel costs and visa issues. In 2017, the competition was only open to bands and orchestras, and in 2018 the trumpet division was added. To make the competition more accessible, the competition has removed both upper and lower age limits and has allowed for contestants to play composers or arrangements of their own choosing. The competition has also been able to provide a limited amount of financial assistance for entry fees. Since its inception in 2017, over 500 musicians from 25 countries have participated in the Ictus International Music Competition.  Learn more about Ictus at www.ictusmusiccompetition.com.