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2021 Emerging Artist Competition semifinalists announced
SEMIFINALISTS
Artemisia, vocal ensemble
Emily Birsan, soprano
Claire Bourg, violin
Maya Anjali Buchanan, violin
Karisa Chiu, violin
Johannes Gray, cello
Clare Longendyke, piano
Andrew Rosenblum, harpsichord
Julian Velasco, saxophone
The competition takes place in conjunction with Cedille’s 30th anniversary, furthering the label’s mission of elevating the work of Chicago artists.
UPDATE: In order to ensure the health and safety of the performers, the live rounds of the competition have been rescheduled for November 2021 due to the coronavirus.
In celebration of Cedille Records’ upcoming 30th Anniversary and in furtherance of Cedille’s mission to elevate Chicago artists, Cedille Records announces the semifinalists in its Emerging Artist Competition for Chicago area individual performers and ensembles. The winner of the competition will record and release an album on Cedille.
Original timeline of competition
May 30, 2020: Semifinals at the Spertus Institute
May 31, 2020: Finals at the Spertus Institute
September 2020: Winner performs at Soirée Cedille
Judges
James Ginsburg (Cedille Records founder and President)
Rachel Barton Pine (violinist and Cedille recording artist)
Henry Fogel (Cedille founding board member and former board chair; former President, Chicago Symphony Orchestra)
George Preston (Vice President and General Manager, WFMT and former vocalist)
Vladimir Kulenovic (conductor and former Artistic Director, Lake Forest Symphony)
Josephine Lee (President and Artistic Director, Chicago Childrens Choir)
David McGill (former Principal Bassoon, Chicago Symphony Orchestra)
The Competition
Applications were screened by a panel of Cedille Records board members. Live, open to the public semifinal and final rounds will take place over concurrent days in Chicago in May 2021. Semifinalists will prepare an hour of music from which judges will select 15 minutes to be performed. The final round will include up to five contestants playing 30 minutes of music total, including two contrasting works, selected by the contestants themselves. Semifinal and final performances will be adjudicated by the panel of seven judges listed above.
One winner and one honorable mention will be selected. The winner will record a Cedille Records album for release in Fall 2022. The winner’s prize will be offered to the honorable mention if the winner is not able to record or release the album as planned.
Cedille Records
Launched in November 1989, Grammy Award-winning Cedille Records (pronounced say-DEE) is dedicated to showcasing and promoting the most noteworthy classical artists in and from the Chicago area.
An independent nonprofit enterprise, Cedille Records is the label of Cedille Chicago, NFP. Sales of physical CDs and digital downloads and streams cover only a small percentage of the label’s costs. Tax-deductible donations from individual music-lovers and grants from charitable organizations account for most of its revenue.
Recommended
Commissioned by Cedille Records specially for our 2025 Emerging Artist Competition winner, oboist Oliver Talukder, as a companion for his Briefly Gorgeous album, Powder is a two-track single of Two Songs for voice, oboe/English horn, and piano by Delfin Demiray, who was Talukder’s classmate at the Curtis Institute of Music. The first song features Chicago mezzo, Sophia Maekawa, while Talukder performs the second song’s special effect and extended technique-infused vocal line himself (as an “overdub”), demonstrating yet another facet of his artistry.
Winner of Cedille Records’ 2025 Emerging Artist Competition, Chicago-born oboist Oliver Talukder makes his solo recording debut with Briefly Gorgeous. Joined by pianist Moriah Trenk, Talukder presents an album inspired by themes of identity, love, family, and belonging. Drawing on his Mexican and Bengali heritage and his Chicago upbringing, the program explores where classical music intersects with Latino and South Asian traditions, creating a musical portrait shaped by Talukder’s unique story.
With the new month comes a new featured playlist on Spotify — or, in this case, a refresh of our Artist Debuts on Cedille playlist, originally created in 2022 to celebrate the inaugural album by the first Emerging Artist Competition winner, saxophonist Julian Velasco.
The update is to celebrate oboist Oliver Talukder, winner of Cedille’s second competition, as well as other artists who have made their Cedille debus since 2022. (Oliver’s track will be added on Friday when his album, Briefly Gorgeous, is released.)
Enjoy Cedille’s Weekly Featured Release.