
Discover
Watch Cedille’s 2021 Emerging Artist Competition

In celebration of over 30 years serving Chicago’s classical music community by recording and promoting its finest artists, Cedille Records looked to discover the next generation of great Chicago musicians with its first recording competition. Six semifinalists, selected from among three dozen original applicants, performed live for a panel of judges on November 20, 2021. The finals, held on November 21, 2021, featured performances by three finalists competing for the competition prize: to have their debut recording produced and released by Cedille Records.
Saxophonist Julian Velasco won the competition and will record and release his debut album with Cedille this year. Friends of Cedille, Aphorism Studios, livestreamed the two day event and we’re pleased to offer you the recordings of each day’s proceedings below.
Semifinals | November 20, 2021
Finals | November 21, 2021
The Finalists
Including their performed works for the final competition

Clare Longendyke, piano
Florence Price: Fantaisie negre No. 4 in B minor
Debussy: Bruyeres
Shawn Okpebholo: mi sueno: afro-flamenco
Debussy: La puerta del vino
Amy Williams: Olga
Debussy: Les collines d’Anacapri
Augusta Read Thomas: Love Twitters

Julian Velasco, saxophone
Andre Waignein: Rhapsody for Alto Saxophone and Orchestra
Amanda Harberg: Court Dances
II. Air deCour
Steven Banks: Come As You Are
I. Lift My Eyes
II. Times of the Storm
III. Strength of My Life

Karisa Chiu, violin
Mark O’Connor: Menuhin Caprice
Jean Sibelius, Five Pieces for Violin and Piano: Op. 81, III. Valse
Henryk Wieniawski, Fantasia on Themes from “Faust”: Op. 20
THE JUDGES



James Ginsburg
Cedille Records founder and President
Rachel Barton Pine
Violinist, Cedille recording artist and Cedille Board member
Henry Fogel
Cedille Board member
Former President, Chicago Symphony Orchestra



Josephine Lee
Artistic Director, Chicago Children’s Choir
George Preston
Vice President and General Manager, WFMT
Vladimir Kulenovic
Conductor and former Artistic Director, Lake Forest Symphony

David McGill
Former Principal Bassoon, Chicago Symphony Orchestra
THE SEMIFINALISTS



Recommended
Acclaimed concert violinist Rachel Barton Pine, sought-after pianist Orion Weiss, and the multiple Grammy Award-winning Pacifica Quartet join forces for their new album French Impressions: Chamber Music by Chausson & Tailleferre, celebrating captivating works by French composers Ernest Chausson and Germaine Tailleferre.
Dance of the Night Sky, Black Oak Ensemble‘s third album for Cedille, expands the boundaries of string trio repertoire by offering listeners a vibrant collection of contemporary works including four world-premiere recordings, all by British women composers.
We celebrate the 7/11 release of French Impressions, including Ernst Chausson’s Concert Op 21 for Violin, Piano & String Quartet (Rachel Barton Pine, Orion Weiss, Pacifica Quartet) with a set of pieces written or performed as sextets from throughout the Cedille catalog (tracks from French Impressions added 7/11).
Enjoy 25% off Cedille’s Weekly Featured Release.