2020 Winners Release
15th Annual BCMS Young Artist String Quartet Competition Results
The Boise Chamber Music Society is pleased to announce results of the 15th Annual BCMS Young Artist String Quartet Competition, which took place with the implementation of recording and distance technology, between Mar. 14 and 16. Three Idaho collegiate string quartets plus one high school quartet were awarded prizes for their artistry, as well as their industry and tenacity. The live public competition was wisely cancelled by host Boise State University on Friday evening, Mar. 13, in response to the acceleration of the Coronavirus pandemic.
In the collegiate category, the winning quartet hails from Rexburg, Idaho, as coached by Prof. Dallin Hansen of Brigham Young University, Idaho. The Captain Quartet-- McKenna Motto and Noelle Singleton, violins; Rachel Felt, viola; and Karsen Williams, cello—played a program of Mendelssohn’s Op. 13, first movement, and Ravel’s Quartet in F, second movement. They will receive the $1000 first prize. The remaining final-round collegiate quartets—Boise State’s Vereinbar Quartet and BYU-Idaho’s Forza Quartet—were each awarded special additional prizes honoring both their artistry and their efforts in producing video competition recordings prior to the cessation of live chamber music in Idaho educational institutions.
In the pre-college category, one high school quartet overcame many logistical impediments, recording their own video performance of their competition program—Ravel’s Quartet in F, second movement, and Smetana’s Quartet No. 1 in E Minor, first movement. Timberline High School’s 701 Quartet, coached by orchestra director Micah Claffey, includes Reiko Tachibana and Juni Tachibana, violins; Leonard Eppich, viola; and Blaine Dillingham, cello. Their inspirational drive and ingenuity at this distressing moment in our community resulted in this uplifting but poignant performance, viewable here. Timberline High School's Quartet 701
Other high school quartets who had qualified to compete in the live final round were the Eastgate Quartet, also from Timberline High School, and the Boise High String Quartet.
The Boise Chamber Music Series thanks judges Rachel Henderson Freivogel and Karen Kim, members of the Jasper String Quartet, who evaluated the student recordings from their homes in Philadelphia. The Jasper Quartet’s concert, scheduled for the evening prior to the competition, was canceled. We offer our regrets, and our tremendous gratitude, to our Concert Sponsor Kent Johnson of Rarity Rugs, and our Group Season Sponsor Hotel 43/Grove Hotel, for their gracious, loyal support. We also thank our stalwart subscribers and member-contributors for their patience and generosity.
