CCM Piano student wins second place at NFMC Competition

UC's College-Conservatory of Music is proud to share that one of its current master’s degree students, Robert Brooks Carlson, won second prize and $5,000 at the National Federation of Music Clubs (NFMC) Young Artist Competition. Carlson studies with CCM Associate Professor of Piano Soyeon Kate Lee, who was recognized earlier this year with UC’s Mrs. AB Dolly Cohen Award for Excellence in Teaching.

To qualify for this competition, instrumentalists must be between 18 and 30 years old and cannot have ever retained professional management. To compete, applicants submitted a 30-minute prescreening recording with all music memorized. The semifinals consisted of a 70-minute recorded recital, including at least one work by a composer from the United States. The final round was held in person, with judges hearing one 30-minute concerto performance from each competitor.

Carlson participated in CCM’s COVID Etude Project, in which he played Liszt’s Transcendental Études, No. 1, “Preludio,” and No. 2, “Fusées.” The three-part project includes the aforementioned Liszt études, as well as Debussy’s Twelve Études and Bolcom’s Twelve New Études, all performed by CCM students. You can visit the CCM’s YouTube channel to watch all of those performances.