Eric Charles Chen, 18, from Princeton, NJ, took first prize in the 2019 Thomas and Evon Cooper International Violin Competition with Prokofiev’s Third Concerto on Friday evening, July 26 at Severance Hall. His performance with Gemma New and The Cleveland Orchestra sent him home with a cash prize of $20,000.
Shihan Wang, 14, from Beijing, China claimed the second-place award of $10,000 with the Mendelssohn Concerto, and Isabella Brown, 16, from Gurnee, IL, who played the Dvořák Concerto, was awarded third prize of $5,000.
Photo by Roger Mastroianni: L-R, Wang, Brown & Chen.