CCM Cello student advances in Naumburg Competition
Story by CCM Graduate Assistant Lucy Evans
Each year, hundreds of applicants from around the world vie for a chance to compete in the prestigious Naumburg Competition. Current CCM freshman Miriam K. Smith, a student of CCM faculty member Alan Rafferty, has qualified to compete among some of the best cellists from around the world in the 2024 International Cello Competition, which takes place October 15-20 in New York City. At just 18, Smith is the youngest of the 39 competitors.
Miriam K. Smith. Photo/Provided.
Smith performs in the semi-final round of the competition at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 18. The semi-finals will be livestreamed on Naumburg's YouTube channel. Josh Halpern, 30, who studied with Rafferty in CCM's Starling Preparatory String Project, also advanced to the semi-finals.
A Cincinnati local, Smith has long studied with Rafferty and is quickly making a name for herself as a soloist, recitalist and recording artist. She made her orchestral debut at age 8 with the Seven Hills Sinfonietta, and has since appeared as a soloist with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Louisville Orchestra, Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra and the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra, among others.
Smith’s fourth album, Kodály, was released earlier this year with Azica Records. Her first album, Ignite, won a 2018 Global Music Award.
Music Director J. R. Cassidy of the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra praised her playing, saying “I have never heard the depth of artistry at such an age. Her command and control, her shaping of phrases, dynamic range [and] intonation are truly beyond her years.”
Held in New York City since 1925, the Naumburg Competition awards exceptional musicians ranging from string players to vocalists, choosing a different instrument category each year. Previous winners include such luminaries as Leonidas Kavakos (violin), Shirley Verrett (vocal), and CCM alumnus Anton Nel (MM Piano, 1984), who won the 1987 prize for piano.
In addition to a cash prize, winners receive two recital appearances at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall and financial support for the commission of a new work.
For the competition, Smith will present two fully prepared recital programs, each containing over an hour of music. The programs must feature a wide variety of repertoire representing her interests and artistic strengths, as they serve as proposals for the winner’s recitals at Alice Tully Hall.
The preliminary round of this year’s competition was October 15-17, with the livestreamed semi-finals on Oct. 18. The final round, held on October 20 at Neidorff-Kaparti Hall in Manhattan, will be streamed and is open to the public.
Featured image at the top: Miriam K. Smith performs on stage with the UK's London City Philharmonic.
Latest UC News
- UC named among nation's best schools for male nursing studentsThe University of Cincinnati (UC) College of Nursing has received the American Association for Men in Nursing (AAMN) 2024 Best Schools for Men in Nursing Award. A fourth-time award recipient, UC College of Nursing was unanimously approved for this honor and is one of only 17 schools of nursing nationwide honored for efforts to recruit and retain men in nursing.
- Trial finds new drug safe, effective to treat deadliest form of epilepsyThe University of Cincinnati’s Brandon Foreman, MD, presented Phase 3 clinical trial results at the Neurocritical Care Society’s 22nd Annual Meeting this week in San Diego, California that found ganaxolone is a safe and effective treatment for refractory status epilepticus.
- Data can help prevent housing crisesA University of Cincinnati professor and others are using data to identify people at risk of evictions and homelessness in order to intervene before a housing crisis occurs, Brick by Brick: Solutions for a Thriving Community reported.
- Lindner announces Applied AI LabThe Carl H. Lindner College of Business has formed the Applied AI Lab to ensure students, faculty, staff, partners and other valued college stakeholders can use the latest AI advances to solve real-world business problems.
- What is exoneration for individuals wrongly convicted of a crime?Tara Rosnell, chair of the Ohio Innocence Project's Board of Advocates, spoke recently with WYSO public radio station about how exoneration works for individuals wrongly convicted for crimes they did not commit. OIP at UC Law helped 42 people secure their freedom. The group of clients collectively spent more than 800 years behind bars for crimes they didn’t do.
- Fluency Friday supports teens, children who stutterA one-day workshop will bring together children and teens who stutter, offering an opportunity for them to connect while also giving parents and caregivers a chance to learn from experts on stuttering. Fluency Friday is hosted by the University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Hamilton County Educational Service Center and Pathways Forward Center for Stuttering.