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Join us for the Final Round of Cedille’s Emerging Artist Competition
Cedille Records invites you to join us for the Final Round of our second Emerging Artist Competition, sponsored by the Zell Family Foundation, on May 18 at 1pm at VenueSIX10, home of the Spertus Institute (610 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago).
A celebratory reception will follow the announcement of the winner at approximately 4 o’clock. The day’s activities are free and open to the public. The competition finals will also be available for viewing online.
Earlier this year, Cedille announced the semi-finalists for the competition: violinists Esme Arias-Kim and Rabia Brooke; oboist Oliver Talukder; and pianists Boris Krivoshein, Tamila Salimdjanova, Wenting Shi, and Seho Young. Together they comprise a diverse class of incredibly accomplished, early-career musicians with deep ties to Chicago.
The judges will select up to four finalists to compete for the prize of a Cedille recording contract for their debut solo album — a prize valued at $70,000. Cedille is excited to continue our legacy of supporting and showcasing brilliant emerging artists right here in Chicago.
Since our founding in 1989, Cedille has proudly championed emerging artists and ensembles making their recording debuts on the label, including Anthony McGill, Julian Velasco (winner of Cedille’s first Emerging Artist Competition), Eighth Blackbird, the Pacifica and Dover Quartets, and Lincoln Trio, to name a few.
You can learn more about the finals and RSVP to guarantee your spot via the button below.
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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.
Grammy Award-winning violinist Jennifer Koh’s 16th album on Cedille Records, The American Concerto, Volume One, features Vijay Iyer’s Trouble and the world premiere recording of Courtney Bryan‘s Syzygy, performed with the Oberlin Contemporary Music Ensemble conducted by Tim Weiss.
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.