Walter W. Naumburg Foundation

The Walter W. Naumburg Foundation sponsors competitions and provides awards for young classical musicians in North America. Founded in 1925, it operates the prestigious Naumburg Competition.

Foundation and concerts

It was founded in 1925 by Walter Wehle Naumburg, a wealthy amateur cellist and son of noted New York City music patron and philanthropist Elkan Naumburg. Elkan Naumburg, owner of the eminent Wall Street bank E. Naumburg & Co., founded the Naumburg Orchestral Concerts in 1905. The concerts were originally performed at the bandstand on the concert ground of New York's Central Park, and starting in 1923 were performed in the Naumburg Bandshell at the same location.

Naumburg Competition

The Naumburg Competition is one of the oldest and most prestigious music competitions in the world. The website San Francisco Classical Voice writes that "the Naumburg Competition has one of the best track records of selecting young musicians who, in short order, build significant careers". The first competition was held in 1926. In an open audition format, pianists, violinists, and cellists were all eligible to compete. In 1928 it was expanded to include vocalists. The prize included cash awards and the opportunity to play concerts in New York's Town Hall, which virtually insured reviews by New York's most influential music critics. In 1946, Aaron Copland and William Schuman joined the Naumburg Foundation board of directors, and shortly afterwards the Foundation began awarding composers with recording projects. In 1961, the format of the competition was changed into a professional competition with a single winner, for one particular discipline. In 1965, the competition was expanded to include chamber music ensembles.

Since the early 1970s, the Naumburg Competition has generally rotated three different categories – piano, strings, and voice – on a triennial basis (although there have also been competitions for flute, clarinet, and classical guitar). Winners receive a cash prize and two recital appearances in Alice Tully Hall. Other opportunities include a recording project, a commission (to be premiered in one of the Alice Tully Hall recitals) and many performance opportunities throughout the United States.

Previous winners of the International Naumburg Competition include Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, Elmar Oliveira, Dawn Upshaw, Robert Mann, Adele Marcus, Jorge Bolet, Kun-Woo Paik, Leonidas Kavakos, Abbey Simon, William Kapell, Stephen Hough, and Harvey Shapiro. Winners of the Chamber Music Award include the American, Brentano, Miro, and Muir string quartets, and the Eroica Trio.

Winners

1925

Catherine Wade-Smith, violinist

Adeline Masino, violinist

Bernard Ocko, violinist

1926

Phyllis Kraeuter, cellist

Margaret Hamilton, pianist

Sonia Skalka, pianist

1927

Dorothy Kendrick, pianist

William Sauber, pianist

Sadah Schwartz-Shuchari, violinist

Daniel Saidenberg, cellist

Julian Kahn, cellist

1928

Adele Marcus, pianist

Helen Berlin, violinist

Louis Kaufman, violinist

Olga Zundel, cellist

George Rasely, tenor

August Werner, baritone

1930

Helen McGraw, pianist

Ruth Culbertson, pianist

Mila Wellerson, cellist

Louise Bernhardt, contralto

1931

Lillian Rehberg Goodman, cellist

Marguerite Hawkins, soprano

Edwiria Eustis, contralto

Kurtis Brownell, tenor

1932

Milo Miloradovich, soprano

Foster Miller, bass-baritone

Dalies Frantz, pianist

Huddie Johnson, pianist

Inez Lauritano, violinist

1933

Catherine Carver, pianist

Harry Katzman, violinist

1934

Joseph Knitzer, violinist

Ruby Mercer, soprano

1935

Benjamin De Loache, baritone

Judith Sidorsky, pianist

Aniceta Shea, soprano

Harvey Shapiro, cellist

Florence Vickland, soprano

Marshall Moss, violinist

1936

Frederick Buldrini, violinist

1937

Jorge Bolet, pianist

Ida Krehm, pianist

Pauline Pierce, mezzo-soprano

Maurice Bialkin, cellist

1938

Carroll Glenn, violinist

1939

Mara Sebriansky, violinist

William Horne, tenor

Zadel Skolovsky, pianist

Gertrude Gibson, soprano

1940

Abbey Simon, pianist

Harry Cykman, violinist

Thomas Richner, pianist

1941

William Kapell, pianist

Robert Mann, violinist

Lura Stover, soprano

1942

Jane Rogers, contralto

Annette Elkanova, pianist

David Sarser, violinist

1943

Dolores Miller, violinist

Constance Keene, pianist

Ruth Geiger, pianist

1944

Jeanne Therrien, pianist

Jean Carlton, soprano

Carol Brice, contralto

1945

Jane Boedeker, mezzo-soprano

Paula Lenchner, soprano

1946

Leonid Hambro, pianist

Jeanne Rosenbium, pianist

Anahid Ajemian, violinist

1947

Berl Senofsky, violinist

Abba Bogin, pianist

Jane Carlson, pianist

1948

Sidney Harth, violinist

Paul Olefsky, cellist

Theodore Lettvin, pianist

1949

Lorne Munroe, cellist

1950

Angelene Collins, soprano

Esther Glazer, violinist

Betty-Jean Hagen, violinist

Margaret Barthel, pianist

1951

June Kovach, pianist

Laurel Hurley, soprano

Joyce Flissler, violinist

1952

Diana Steiner, violinist

Yoko Matsuo, violinist

Lois Marshall, soprano

1953

Gilda Muhlbauer, violinist

Lee Cass, bass-baritone

Georgia Laster, soprano

1954

William Doppmann, pianist

Jean Wentworth, pianist

Jules Eskin, cellist

Martha Flowers, soprano

1955

Ronald Leonard, cellist

Mary MacKenzie, contralto

Nancy Cirillo, violinist

1956

Donald McCall, cellist

Wayne Connor, tenor

George Katz, pianist

1957

Regina Sarfaty, mezzo-soprano

Angelica Lozada, soprano

Michael Grebanier, cellist

1958

Joseph Schwartz, pianist

Shirley Verrett, mezzo-soprano

Elaine Lee, violinist

1959

Howard Aibel, pianist

Sophia Steffan, soprano

Ralph Votapek, pianist

1960

Joseph Silverstein, violinist

1961

Werner Torkanowsky, conductor

1964

Elizabeth Mosher, soprano

1968

Jorge Mester, conductor

1971

Kun-Woo Paik, pianist

Zola Shaulis, pianist

1972

Robert Davidovici, violinist

1973 Voice

Edmund LeRoy, baritone first prize

Barbara Hendricks, soprano second prize

Susan Davenny Wyner, soprano third prize

1974 Piano

Andre-Michel Schub, first prize

Edith Kraft, second prize

Dickran Atamian, third prize

1975–76 (50th Anniversary Competitions)

Piano: Dickran Atamian, pianist

Voice: Clamma Dale and Joy Simpson, sopranos (co-winners)

Violin: Elmar Oliveira, violinist

1977 Cello

Nathaniel Rosen, first prize

Thomas Demenga, second prize

Georg Faust, third prize

1978 Flute

Carol Wincenc, first prize

Marya Martin, second prize

Gary Schocker, third prize

1979 Piano

Peter Orth, first prize

Miryo Park, second prize

Panayis Lyras, third prize

1980 Voice (four winners)

Faith Esham, soprano

Irene Gubrud, soprano

Jan Opalach, bass-baritone

Lucy Shelton, soprano

1981 Violin

Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg

1981 Cello

Colin Carr

1982 Viola

Thomas Riebl

1983 Piano

Stephen Hough, first prize

David Allen Wehr, second prize

William Wolfram, third prize

1984 Violin (No first prize awarded)

Carmit Zori, second prize

Ian Swensen, second prize (co-winners)

1985 Voice

Dawn Upshaw, soprano, first prize

Christopher Trakas, baritone, first prize

1985 Clarinet

Charles Neidich, first prize

John Grey, second prize

Daniel McKelway, third prize

1986 Cello

Andrés Diáz, first prize

Truls Mørk, second prize

Peter Wiley, third prize

1987 Piano

Anton Nel, first prize

Andrew Wilde, second prize

William Wolfram, third prize

1988 Violin

Leonidas Kavakos, first prize

Peter Winograd, second prize

Peter Matzka, third prize

1989 Voice

Stanford Olsen, tenor, first prize

David Malis, baritone, second prize

Marietta Simpson, mezzo-soprano, third prize

1990 Cello

Hai-Ye Ni, first prize

Gustav Rivinius, second prize

Marius May, third prize

1991 Viola

Misha Amory, first prize

Paul Coletti, second prize

Roberto Diáz, third prize

1992 Piano

Awadagin Pratt, first prize

Mikhail Yanovitsky, second prize

Alan Gampel, third prize

1993 Violin

Tomohiro Okumura, first prize

Yehonatan Berick, second prize

Michael Shih, third prize

1994 Voice

Theresa Santiago, soprano, first prize

Leon Williams, baritone, second prize

Christópheren Nomura, baritone, third prize

1996 Classical guitar

Jorge Caballero, first prize

Jason Vieaux, second prize

Kevin Gallagher, third prize

1997 Piano

Steven Osborne, first prize

Anthony Molinaro, first prize (co-winners)

1998 Violin

Axel Strauss, first prize

Jasmine Lin, second prize

Jennifer Frautschi, third prize

1999 Voice

Stephen Salters, baritone, first prize

Randall Scarlata, baritone, second prize

Hyunah Yu, soprano, third prize

2001 Violoncello

Clancy Newman, first prize

Li Wei Qin, first prize (co-winners)

2002 Piano

Gilles Vonsattel, first prize

Konstantin Soukhovetski, second prize

Lev Vincour, third prize

2003 Violin

Frank Huang, first prize

Ayano Ninomiya, second prize

Sharon Roffman, third prize

2005 Voice

Sari Gruber, first prize

Thomas Meglioranza, second prize

Tyler Duncan, third prize

Amanda Forsythe, honorable mention

2006 Viola

David Carpenter, first prize

Eric Nowlin, second prize

Jonah Sirota, third prize

David Kim, honorable mention

2008 Cello

David Requiro and Anita Leuzinger, first prize

Sébastien Hurtaud, third prize

Saeunn Thorsteindottir, Zara Nelsova Prize

Umberto Clerici, honorable mention

David Eggert, Honorable mention

2010 Piano

Soyeon Lee, first prize

Alexandre Moutouzkine, co-second prize

Ran Dank, co-second prize

Christopher Guzman, honorable mention

2012 Violin

Tessa Lark, first prize

Elly Suh, second prize

Kristin Lee, third prize

2014 Voice

Julia Bullock, first prize

Sidney Outlaw, second prize

Hyo Na Kim, honorable mention

Michael Kelly, Honorable mention

2015 Cello

Lev Sivkov, first prize

Jay Campbell and Brannon Cho, second prize

2017 Piano

Albert Cano Smit and Xiaohui Yang, first prize

Tiffany Poon, second prize

2018 Violin

Grace Park, first prize

Shannon Lee, second prize

Danbi Um, third prize

2021 Voice

Erin Wagner, mezzo-soprano, first prize

Megan Moore, mezzo-soprano, and William Socolof, bass-baritone, second prize

2022 Saxophone

Valentin Kovalev and Andreas Mader, first prize

Robert (Chance) Stine, second prize

2023 Piano

Yang (Jack) Gao, first prize

Anna Han, second prize

Sahun (Sam) Hong, third prize

References

• Robert Mann (October 27, 1985). "The Naumburg Competition at 60". The New York Times. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
• The Naumburg Competition: Formula One for Finding Talent, sfcv.org
• Previous Winners Archived December 11, 2011, at the Wayback Machine

External links

• Official website