Music graduate students stand out at international competition

Tuesday, March 8, 2022

A photograph of finalists on stage at the music competitionThree graduate students from the School of Music represented the university and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at a prestigious international music competition this month. 

Saxophonists Lingxiao Li (MA), JiChen Zhang (DMA), and Jonathan Hart (DMA) were three of the 23 semi-finalists invited to compete at the William C. Byrd Young Artist Competition, held this month at the Flint Institute of Music in Flint, Michigan on the first weekend in March.  Young artists from throughout the world competed for a grand prize of $6,000 plus an opportunity to perform with the Flint Symphony Orchestra. The competition featured woodwind soloists from six countries, thirteen universities, and one professional orchestra.

Both JiChen Zhang and Jonathan Hart were selected by a panel of three internationally renowned judges to advance as two of the top five prize-winning finalists, with Hart earning second prize. 

Learn more about the Iowa Saxophonist's Workshop led by Kenneth Tse: 

https://saxophone.studio.uiowa.edu/

The University of Iowa College of Liberal Arts and Sciences offers about 70 majors across the humanities; fine, performing and literary arts; natural and mathematical sciences; social and behavioral sciences; and communication disciplines. About 15,000 undergraduate and nearly 2,000 graduate students study each year in the college’s 37 departments, led by faculty at the forefront of teaching and research in their disciplines. The college teaches all Iowa undergraduates through the college's general education program, CLAS CORE. About 80 percent of all Iowa undergraduates begin their academic journey in CLAS. The college confers about 60 percent of the university's bachelor's degrees each academic year.