Yamaha Artist Services Indianapolis and the Band & Orchestral division of Yamaha Corporation of America have named the winners of the 2017 Yamaha Young Performing Artists (YYPA) Competition.
The judges selected 10 winners and five honorable mention recipients.
An expert panel of Yamaha Performing Artists and national celebrity musicians selected winners from a pool of audio and video auditions based on the competitor’s skills and artistry on brass, winds, strings and percussion instruments, as well as piano.
The 2017 YYPA Winners include:
Victor Hernandez Ramirez – flute; Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
He Zhang – clarinet; Harbin, China
Hannah Hickman – classical saxophone; Sheldon, Iowa
Howard Dietz – jazz saxophone; Morgan Hill, Calif.
Michelle Hembree – horn; Boise, Idaho
Altin Sencalar – jazz trombone; Temple, Texas
Cameron Leach – concert percussion; Hilliard, Ohio
Stephen Morris – drum set; Aliso Viejo, Calif.
Derek Louie – cello; New York, New York
Nathan Ben-Yehuda – piano; Los Angeles, Calif.
The 2017 Honorable Mentions:
Randy Fultz – bassoon; Rochester, New York
Kei Matsumaru – saxophone; Boston, Mass.
Dylan Rye – trumpet; Fairfax, Virginia
Tanner Jackson – trombone; Rochester, New York
Man-Ling Bai – piano; Fullerton, Calif.
All of the 2017 Yamaha Young Performing Artists
Winners will receive an all-expense-paid trip to the YYPA Celebration Weekend on June 24-27, which will take place during the Music for All™ Summer Symposium. There, the winners will perform in front of thousands and will receive a professional recording and photographs of their performances.
