Eastman School of Music Graduation Ceremony
Saturday, May 17, 2025
2025 TEACHING ASSISTANT PRIZES
Awarded to students who distinguish themselves for teaching excellence.
Paul David Flood, Jonathan Thomas Madden, Jonathan Mott, Shangru Du,
Scott Shao, Emily Dianne Skilling
ALFRED MANN DISSERTATION AWARD
Established in honor of the distinguished musicologist and professor emeritus at the Eastman School of Music, the Alfred Mann Award recognizes a student in the department of musicology or theory for a dissertation of unusual distinction.
Derek J. Myler
ANDREW J. BOGIAGES MEMORIAL
PRIZE IN BASSOON
Established to commemorate the life and musical contributions of a talented young Eastman student; awarded to a deserving undergraduate or graduate bassoon student.
Emmalee Joyce Odom
ANNE T. CUMMINS PRIZE
Established in memory of a well-loved professor of French who taught at the Eastman School of Music from 1924 to 1966; awarded to graduating seniors who have distinguished themselves in humanities classes.
Madelyn Rose Stoklosa, Gabriel Arthur Williams
BARBARA M. H. KOENG AWARD
Established to honor the memory of a beloved staff member at the Eastman School of Music; recognizes the achievements of accompanying majors who share Mrs. Koeng’s passion for working with singers.
Hyunmin Lee, Mizi Li
BARR AWARD IN ACCOMPANYING
Established in 1997, the Barr Award honors graduating Accompanying majors who have distinguished themselves at Eastman and who show outstanding promise for future success in the profession.
Chun-Hsin Liu, Jeongmin Oak
BELLE S. GITELMAN AWARD
Established in memory of Belle Gitelman and the contributions she made to the artistic life of Rochester; presented to students whose compositions have been declared worthy of recognition.
Logan Barrett, Nattakon Lertwattanaruk,
John Stuart MacMillan
BERNARD ROGERS MEMORIAL PRIZE
Established in memory of the renowned Eastman faculty composer; awarded to worthy composition students selected by the faculty.
Neil Patrick Holcomb, Julian Edward Stuart-Burns
DR. JAMES B. COCHRAN ENDOWED ORGAN PRIZE
The James B. Cochran Organ Prize fund was established to honor the life’s work of Eastman graduate James Cochran ’80E (MM), ’92E (DMA) and given by Dr. Cochran and Mr. & Mrs. Robert W. Martin. Dr. Cochran received Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in Organ Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music. He has been Director of Music and Organist at Vanderbilt Presbyterian Church for more than 25 years.
Charles Antony James Francis
ELSA T. JOHNSON FELLOWSHIP
Awarded to a deserving musicology student, in order to make it possible for that student to devote their time to the writing of the PhD dissertation.
Paul David Flood
EXCELLENCE IN ACCOMPANYING AWARD
Recognizes students who have particularly distinguished themselves through their work as collaborative pianists.
Érico Freire Bezerra, William Shi, Gregory Scott Smith
FRIENDS OF EASTMAN OPERA VOICE COMPETITION PRIZES
Funded by the Friends of Eastman Opera, an organization which supports students, programs, and productions of the Eastman Opera Theatre.
LYNNE CLARKE VOCAL PRIZE
Established to honor the memory of Lynne Clarke; awarded to recognize a vocalist who shows outstanding talent and musicality through his or her first-prize performance in the Friends of Eastman Opera Voice Competition.
Benjamin Krutsch
ANNABEL MUENTER VOCAL PRIZE
Established to honor the memory of Annabel Muenter; awarded to the second-prize performance in the Friends of Eastman Opera Voice Competition.
Alanna Beilke
THIRD PLACE VOCAL PRIZE
Jillian Hope Griffey
HONORABLE MENTION VOCAL PRIZE
Carolina Sullivan
GLENN AND FRANCES HARRIS CELLO PRIZE
Established in 2007, the Glenn and Frances Harris Cello Prize recognizes one or more students who have distinguished themselves in cello performance.
Ethan R. Blake, Felix H. Kim, Hannah J. Sohn
GLENN WATKINS TRAVELING FELLOWSHIP
Established by a distinguished Eastman alumnus ’53E (PhD); awarded to support dissertation research travel for a doctoral student in musicology.
Miles Greenberg
HENRY COBOS ENDOWED PIANO PRIZE
Established to commemorate the memory of the life and musical contributions of a talented Eastman graduate and ex-emeritus; honors students who have demonstrated exceptional achievement in the study and performance of piano.
Zehao Bai, Ke’er Wang
HOWARD HANSON ENSEMBLE PRIZE
Given in honor of Howard Hanson; awarded to a student who composes an original and distinguishable ensemble piece.
Matthew Lam
HOWARD HANSON ORCHESTRAL PRIZE
Given in honor of Howard Hanson, distinguished composer, conductor, and Director of the Eastman School of Music from 1924 to 1964; awarded in recognition of a student who composes an original and distinguishable orchestral piece.
Anak Baiharn
JERALD C. GRAUE FELLOWSHIP
Established in memory of a respected scholar, beloved teacher, and former chair of the Musicology Department; awarded to graduate students in any field for their outstanding work in musicological research.
Sam Falotico
JESSIE KNEISEL LIEDER PRIZE
Established in memory of a distinguished Eastman professor of German; awarded to the winners of the annual Jessie Kneisel Competition in German Lieder.
First Place: Luke Honeck
Second Place: S Joshua Sheppard
Third Place: Emily Caitlyn Kondrat
JESSIE KNEISEL LIEDER PRIZE—PIANO
Established to honor the memory of Ann C. Fehn; awarded to an outstanding pianist who has collaborated with a singer in a performance of German Lieder.
Ann C. Fehn Memorial Award: Hyunmin Lee
Second Place: Chaeeun Lee
Third Place: William Shi
Honorable Mention: Caleb Connor Borick
JIM AND JAMIE SELF TUBA AWARD
Awarded to an outstanding tuba student who demonstrates a high level of performance proficiency and a record of leadership and service to the school and/or broader community.
Kathryn Anne Carley
JOHN CELENTANO AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN CHAMBER MUSIC
Established to celebrate the outstanding contributions of Professor Emeritus John Celentano; honors students who have demonstrated exceptional achievement in the study and performance of chamber music.
Anne-Marie Wnek, Christopher Yao,
The Cantante Quartet: Juan Emiliano Álvarez, Anika Grieve, Liliana Mahave, Veronica Elizabeth Rokicki,
The Maple Quartet: Isabel Chen, John Crowley, Gabriel Hennebury, Magali Pelletey
LECTURE RECITAL PRIZE
Recognizes and celebrates DMA/PRL students at the Eastman School of Music who present exemplary lecture recitals within a given calendar year.
Hannah Harnest
LINDA MUISE STUDENT LIFE AWARD
Established in honor of Eastman’s former Assistant Dean for Residential Life; presented to a graduating senior who has shown dedication, enthusiasm, collaboration, and leadership traits that promote and maintain a strong quality of life for all.
Emily Caitlyn Kondrat
LOUIS LANE PRIZE
Named for an Eastman composer and alumnus; awarded to a student who has shown excellence in composition.
Payton Hugh Brown
MILTON SCHLESINGER PERCUSSION PRIZE
Established in honor of the distinguished music education faculty member at the Eastman School of Music.
Fletcher John Leonard, Cass Lo
MUSIC TEACHING AND LEARNING DOCTORAL PRIZE
Annual award to an outstanding Music Education Student.
Samantha Webber
ORNEST AWARD
The Ornest Fund provides for an annual award for up to four undergraduate students, enrolled in any degree program, who have completed at least one year of study at the Eastman School of Music and whose primary instrument is voice.
Abigail Liebegott, Ashton Rapp
PETER SALAFF PRIZE
Established to honor the Eastman alumnus, faculty violinist, and founding member of the Cleveland Quartet; awarded to a graduating senior violinist, violist, cellist, or pianist who exemplifies the beloved and rare combination of outstanding artist, collaborator, and passionate humanitarian that characterizes Peter Salaff.
Leona Liu
THE PRESSER FOUNDATION UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP
Funded by a grant from the Presser Foundation; awarded to an undergraduate music student in recognition of outstanding achievement.
Abigail Marlene Hanna
THE PRESSER MUSIC AWARD (GRADUATE STUDENT)
Funded by a grant from the Presser Foundation; presented to a graduate student demonstrating excellence and outstanding promise for a distinguished career in the field of music.
Chenxin Han
RAY WRIGHT PRIZE
Established by alumni to honor the legacy of their teacher and mentor, Rayburn Wright, legendary composer, arranger, conductor, and professor of Jazz Studies and Contemporary Media at the Eastman School of Music (1970 to 1990), the Ray Wright Prize is awarded to students in the Eastman jazz program who embody Ray’s spirit of artistry, dedication, versatility, and entrepreneurship.
Jack Houston Snelling
RAYMOND AND MAXINE SCHIRMER PRIZE IN JAZZ COMPOSITION (OR PERFORMANCE)
Awarded to students in the Department of Jazz Studies and Contemporary Media for excellence in jazz composition or performance.
Misha Pavlovich Studenkov
REBECCA MCCORD PIANO SCHOLARSHIP
Awarded to students majoring in piano who demonstrate extraordinary musicianship, technical development, balanced repertoire, and successful performances.
Xiaolong Liu
RUNYAN-MONFORT CHARLES WARREN FOX AWARD
Established in memory of the distinguished musicologist and former Eastman School of Music professor; presented to a graduate musicology student in recognition of a special academic accomplishment.
Paul David Flood
STEVE WITSER MEMORIAL FUND
One or more annual awards to Eastman trombone major(s) at the discretion of the Dean of the Eastman School of Music or the Winds, Brass and Percussion department chair.
Vincent Huang
SIDNEY MEAR TRUMPET PRIZE
Given in honor of Sidney Mear; awarded to outstanding senior trumpet students in addition to honoring all who teach, play and study trumpet.
Norah June Krantz, Diego Adrian Turner
TAL PERKES FLUTE PRIZE FUND
Established in memory of Tallon Sterling Perkes ’84E; awarded to students who have demonstrated exceptional achievement in the study of flute.
Alexander Mitchell Lehmann
WALTER HAGEN CONDUCTING PRIZE
Established in 1984 to honor the memory of Walter Hagen; awarded to a student of conducting.
Mason Peter St. Pierre
WAYNE BREWSTER BARLOW PRIZE
Awarded to students who have shown excellence in composition.
Niyayesh Bagheri, Yixuan Lisa Ling
WILLOW HALL PRESS AWARD FOR HARP
Established in memory of Jane B. Weidensaul, PhD, harpist, scholar and teacher; awarded to a harp performance major entering today’s music profession.
Catherine Grace Caton