The Marlin-Engel Solo Competition was established by the Board of Trustees of Levine Music in 1980 to honor Jackie Marlin and Diana Engel, two of the school’s founders and co-directors from 1976 to 1980. Originally offering a single “Marlin-Engel prize,” the competition today offers awards in both piano, strings, and instrumental categories and three age divisions: Junior (up to age 9), Intermediate (ages 10-13), and Senior (ages 14-18). The first-place prize for piano is the Ida Canter Prize, established by Dr. Jane Loeffler and her family as a tribute to her grandmother.
The 2025 Competition took place on Sunday, April 27, 2025. Each participant performed two solo works or movements that contrast in style and period.
Congratulations to all the participants, their teachers, and their families!
Awards
Congratulations to all the finalists and their extraordinary teachers!
Strings Intermediate
1st Place: Philip Thankachan, student of Susan Katsarelis
2nd Place: Chloe Chu, student of Virgilo Joven
Honorable mention: Akira Inoue, student of Maxfield Wollam-Fisher
Strings Senior
1st Place: Benjamin Whiting-Eisemann, student of Patrick LeStrange
2nd Place: Bright Wang, student of Peter Sirotin
Honorable mention: Jasper Frelinghuysen, student of Leo Sushansky
Honorable mention: Abby Reid, student of Henry Stubbs
Winds, Brass, Guitar Intermediate
1st Place: Felix Karacson-Major, student of Claire Eichhorn
2nd Place: Ryan Li, student of Jorge Amaral
Honorable mention: Ari Carare, student of Mia Pomerantz
Winds, Brass, Guitar Senior
1st Place: Chloe Robertson, student of Jimmy Ren
2nd Place: Caroline Keefe, student of Philippe Brunet
Honorable mention: Owen Sung, student of Jorge Amaral
Piano Junior
1st Place: Kantaro Araki, student of Sayaka Jordan
2nd Place: Faith Reyes, student of Amanda Halstead
Honorable mention: Riley Ding, student of Dasha Gabay
Piano Intermediate
1st Place: Minjae Jeon, student of Jinha Park
1st Place: Neel Perdue, student of Martin Labazevitch
2nd Place: Jason Ding, student of Dasha Gabay
Piano Senior
1st Place: Pamina Burton, student of Cecilia Cho
1st Place: Anastasia Fitenko, student of Martin Labazevitch
2nd Place: Azael Araya, student of Gina Hong
Honorable mention: Sam Brose, student of Jamila Tekalli Hanner
Special thanks to: Aaron Percy, Recording Engineer; Maxfield Wollam-Fisher and Jinha Park, competition organizers; and Darya Gabay and Irina Kats, collaborative pianists.
This program has been made possible through the generous support of the Marinus and Minna B. Koster Foundation, Inc.