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Music for Youth and Pequot Library
CONGRATULATES the winners of the
2024 Marianne Liberatore Memorial Instrumental Competition
First Place: Beatrice Low, violin
Second Place: Harry Tao, cello; Mia Gribbon, clarinet
Music for Youth announces the winners of the 2024 Marianne Liberatore Memorial Instrumental Competition for High School instrumentalists who reside in Connecticut.
Students played for a distinguished panel of judges; violinist Sirena Huang, pianist; music director Michael Crowley; and conductor, composer, performer Ben Sellick, on January 25th at Pequot Library in Southport. The public was invited to come and listen to the final round.
It was a fantastic evening of music. We applaud the work of all contestants who played beautifully that evening.
The First Place Winner Beatrice Low received a check for $1500. The Second place winners; Harry Tao and Mia Gribbon received a check for $500.
Music for Youth was the creation of Marianne Liberatore and friends with the goal of bringing classical music, professionally performed, into the lives of young people in Fairfield County. This competition is in honor of Marianne and the gift of music she gave to our community through the Free Young Persons’ Concerts and school residency and exchange programs.
MEET THE 2024 ML Instrumental Winners
First Place Winner Beatrice Low
Beatrice Low is a high school senior from Westport, CT. She began her violin studies at age 3. Beatrice currently studies in Juilliard’s Pre-College Division with Sheryl Staples, principal associate concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic. Beatrice has been a soloist with orchestras such as Norwalk Symphony Orchestra and the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra. She has won numerous state and international awards including the Grand Prix Winner of the Concerto Competition, the first prize winner for best Saint-Saëns performance at the Great Composers International Competition and is a 2-time MTNA strings competition state representative. Beatrice was concertmaster or assistant concertmaster of the Norwalk Youth Symphony’s Prelude, Philharmonic, and Concert Orchestras, and she was concertmaster of the Western Regional Orchestra. She has served as an assistant principal in the Juilliard Pre-College Orchestra. Beatrice dedicates her free time to her community through BeHASSTic, her non-profit organization. It offers free educational resources for underrepresented students. Additionally, Beatrice enjoys reading, playing chess, watching sports, and traveling.
Second Place Winner Mia Gribbon
Mia Gribbon is a junior at Hamden High School, where she is president of the school’s Tri-M National Music Honors Society chapter. She started playing clarinet seven years ago and studies with Julie Levene. Mia is the principal clarinetist of the Norwalk Youth Symphony Principal Orchestra and has been principal clarinet in the CT All State Orchestra for the past two years. Last year, she was first chair in the NAfME All National Symphony Orchestra. She attended the Tanglewood clarinet intensive last summer.
Second Place Winner Harry Tao
Harry Tao is a 9th grader from Wilton High School in Wilton, Connecticut. Harry began studying cello at the age of 7. Over the years, he has taken lessons from various teachers including Lois Errante, Justin Park, and Taeguk Mun. He currently studies with Clara Kim at the precollege division of the Juilliard School. He was the 1st place winner of 2023-2024 Winter VIVO International Music Competition, Honorable Mention of 2023 International Grand Music Competition, and silver prize winner of the 2022 International Young Artist Solo Competition. As a concerto competition winner, he has played as soloist with Danbury Symphony Orchestra, Hamden Symphony Orchestra and American Chamber Orchestra. In the summer of 2022 and 2023, he played chamber music with other musicians at the Chamber Music Institute for Young Musicians under the direction of Asya Meshberg. When he is not playing cello, Harry has excelled in playing soccer. He has won the Connecticut State Cup and advanced to the semi-finals of the Eastern Regional Championships in 2023 with his teammates at AC Connecticut.
