Winners Announced at New York’s Concert Artists Guild Competition

The Balourdet String Quartet, violinist Charlotte Saluste-Bridoux, Chromic Duo (Toy Piano Electric Duo), and pianist Ariel Lanyi have been awarded first prizes at the 2021 Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition

Currently, in residence at New England Conservatory's Professional String Quartet Program, the Balourdet String Quartet are top prize winners at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and the Carl Nielsen International Chamber Music Competition.

The ensemble is comprised of violinists Angela Bae and Justin DeFilippis, violist Benjamin Zannoni, and cellist Russell Houston. The quartet works primarily with Paul Katz at the New England Conservatory and was formed in 2018 at Rice University in Houston, Texas.

A student of Alina Ibragimova at the Royal College of Music, Charlotte Saluste-Bridoux is a recipient of the Munster Trust.

A student of Ian Fountain and the late Hamish Milne, Ariel Lanyi is a former 1st prize winner at the Grand Prix Animato and Dudley International Piano Competitions.

Comprising Lucy Yao and Dorothy Chan, the Chromic Duo blends classical music, toy piano, and electronics. Their genre-fluid performances and installations often blur the lines between film, VR, and AR.

This year’s winners will receive three years of artist management and career development on the roster of the Concert Artists Guild and Young Classical Artists Trust — including performance opportunities with more than 40 leading orchestras, concert series, festivals, and a New York debut performance.

This year's ambassador prizes were awarded to flutist Adam Sadberry and pianist Evren Ozel.

This year's jury comprised Aisha Ahmad-Post, Hanna Arie-Gaifman, Valerie Coleman, Alan Gilbert, Meghan Martineau, Anthony McGill, Pekka Kuusisto, Erica Worth, Ed Yim, Tanya Bannister, Chris Williams, Tim Mar, and Alasdair Tait.

Previous CAG first prize winners include the Pacifica Quartet, violinists Jennifer Koh and Joseph Lin and VC Artists InMo Yang, Yoojing Jang, Jordan Bak, Geneva Lewis, and the Verona String Quartet.