The Orchestra of Northern New York, the North Country’s only year-round professional orchestra, hosted the 18th Annual James and Katherine Andrews Competition on January 25 in Hosmer Hall. A sixteen-year-old violinist from Manlius, NY, won first place.
Eric Lee, son of Kelly and Young Lee, vied with other competitors for the first-place prize of $500 and the opportunity to solo with ONNY at its spring concert series, April 26 and 27 in Potsdam and Watertown respectively.
Lee, a junior at Christian Brothers Academy in Syracuse, has studied the violin for eleven years, and is currently studying under Dr. Peter Rovit, Concertmaster of The Syracuse Orchestra. Eric has also been a member of The Syracuse Youth Orchestra for the past seven years and has recently been selected to be its Concertmaster.
Eric is the recipient of numerous awards and scholarships, including First Prize from the CNYAMT Instrumental Competition, Second Prize from the ONNY Young Arts Competition, the Excellence in Music Award presented by The Syracuse Orchestra and Drakos Urgent Care, and as a Finalist for The Syracuse Orchestra Tenacity in Tune Award. Additionally, the Wolfgang String Quartet, of which he is the first Violinist, won Best Syracuse Area Ensemble awarded by the Syracuse Friends of Chamber Music.
Eric has attended and been recognized at numerous prestigious festivals and summer camps, most recently attending the Boston University Tanglewood Institute in July to August 2024 and the NYSSMA All-State Winter Conference held at the Eastman Theatre in Rochester, NY in December 2024.
Cellist Felix Haskins, 14, son of Catherine and Taylor Haskins, Westport, NY, took second place and a prize of $300. A member of the Vermont Youth Orchestra, he has been studying privately with Suzanne Smith since 2021. Last summer, he was accepted as the youngest participant at Kinhaven Music School’s Senior Session, an intensive music camp for high school students. In addition, Felix was admitted to the nation’s first ever semester program for high school-aged classical musicians, which will begin next fall. He has also performed in pit bands, holiday services, and informal ensembles across his local community.
James Cooper, 15, won third place and $150 prize. He is the son of James and Michelle Cooper, Rome, NY. James is currently a Syracuse Young Artist Orchestra member, the most elite of three SYO groups. He has participated in numerous All-State and All-County orchestras and the Crane Youth Music summer camp in 2024. He was recently chosen as one of the ten Tenacity in Tune Award finalists and recipient of the Excellence in Music Award. In 2024, he was one of the top three winners of the CNYAMT Instrumental Music Competition.
The Young Artist Competition was founded in 2007 for talented high school students in Northern and Central New York. Its mission is to inspire young musicians to reach the highest level of artistry they can achieve.
For more information about the annual competition and the Orchestra of Northern New York, visit onny.org or call/text 315-212-3440.
The Orchestra of Northern New York held the 18th Annual James and Katherine Andrews Young Artist Competition on January 25, 2025, at Hosmer Hall, Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam. Pictured here, L to R are judge and ONNY Music Director Colonel Michael J Colburn (USSMC, Ret.); judge Liesl Schoenberger Doty, ONNY Concertmaster in the April 2025 concert; cellist James Cooper, Rome, who took third place; violinist Eric Lee, Manlius, who won the competition; cellist Felix Haskins, Westport, who placed second; judge Marie-Elaine Gagnon, ONNY Principal Cello; and Kevin A. Angstadt, President of the Orchestra's Board of Directors. All three of the judges are on the faculty of the Crane School of Music.