2026 Concerto Competition winners announced
Congratulations to the winners of the College of Music’s 2025-26 Concerto Competition! On March 29 in Grusin Music Hall, the competition finals showcased the college’s remarkable graduate and undergraduate students competing for a chance to perform with the CU Boulder Symphony Orchestra this fall. Undergraduate flutist Corva Graham and graduate cellist Sam Moore won that honor and will appear as soloists with the orchestra during its 2026-27 season.*
Undergraduate competition winner
Corva Graham, a third-year undergraduate studying flute performance and statistics & data science, won the undergraduate competition performing Hisatada Otaka’s Concerto for Flute and Orchestra, Op. 30b accompanied by Associate Teaching Professor of Collaborative Piano Hsiao-Ling Lin. Graham is a student of Professor of Flute Christina Jennings, Brook Ferguson and Rachelle Crowell.
“Winning this competition is incredibly meaningful to me and I’m so excited to share the Otaka concerto later this year,” she says. “Though not widely known, it’s one of my favorite works. The concerto blends Eastern musical ideas with late-Romantic influences. It contains post-World War II gravity paired with a persistent sense of resilience and hope.
“I'd like to thank Professor Christina Jennings and Brook Ferguson as well as the CU Boulder Fludio [flute studio] for their support. I'm also feeling especially grateful to Dr. Hsiao-Ling Lin for her inspiration and collaboration.”
Graduate competition winner
First-year master’s student in cello performance Sam Moore performed Dmitri Kabalevsky’s Cello Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 77 accompanied by Will Shi, lecturer, collaborative piano. Moore is currently studying with Associate Professor of Cello David Requiro.
“I feel very grateful for all of my mentors, especially Professor Requiro, for their guidance,” he says. “I'd also like to thank my collaborator, Dr. William Shi, for all his work. I'm excited to perform this incredible concerto with the orchestra next year!”
Honorable mention
Congratulations also toSpencer Cox, saxophone—a student ofAssistant Professor of SaxophoneNathan Mertens—who performed Ingolf Dahl’s Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Wind Orchestra earning an honorable mention.
Congratulations toall who competed this year!
Undergraduate finalists:
Corva Graham, flute
Keegan Arnsmeier, trumpet
Willem Rohwer, double bass
Graduate finalists:
Sam Moore, cello
Spencer Cox, saxophone (honorable mention)
Hannah Benson, mezzo-soprano
Conner Johnson, trumpet
Andrew Konopak, baritone
Katharine Nelson, violin
John Petefish, clarinet
Warner Nûñez Solano, piano
Jordan Spivack, horn
This year, the judging panel for the finals included Co-chair, Voice + Opera + Musical Theatre and Associate Professor of Vocal Coaching Jeremy Reger, Assistant Teaching Professor of Music Education and Associate Director of Orchestras Renee Gilliland, Assistant Professor of Conducting + Music Education and Associate Director of Bands Logan Sorey and guest judge Natasha Kislenko—piano/collaborative piano faculty at the University of California, Santa Barbara and Music Academy of the West, and principal pianist of the Santa Barbara Symphony.
*Check to catch the winners’ performances this fall!
 Left to right: Reger, Kislenko, Graham, Gilliland, Sorey. |  Left to right: Sorey, Gilliland, Moore, Cox, Kislenko, Reger. |