1ST PRIZE, MARIA TORRES MELGARES
Maria Torres Melgares is currently pursuing a Master of Music in saxophone performance at the University of Michigan where she studies with Timothy McAllister. She received her Bachelor of Music in saxophone performance in 2020 from the Fundación Conservatorio Superior del Liceu (Barcelona, Spain) where she studied with Albert Julià. She is a three-time winner of the prestigious Ferrer-Salat Foundation’s Young Promises and Excellence scholarships. She participated in masterclass with Jean-Marie Londeix, Kenneth Tsé, Lars Mlekusch, Vincent David, Jean-Yves Fourmeau, Christian Lauba, Pawel Gusnar, and Christian Wirth. Maria has won several individual prizes: 1st Prize of the 94th Concours International de Musique et d'Art Dramatique Léopold Bellan (France); 1st Prize of the Concorso Internazionale de Filadelfia (Italy); 2nd Prize of the Festival Internacional de Saxofones de Palmela (Portugal); 1st Prize of the Concours de Saxophone Parisien (France); finalist of the Concurso de Juventudes Musicales de España (Spain); 2nd Prize in the Michigan MTNA Young Artist Competition (US) and the Hans-Schaeuble Award of the Arosa Music Academy (Switzerland), where she will perform in the 2021 Arosa Klassic Festival with the renowned baroque recorder player, Maurice Steger. She has been selected to perform a concert at the 3rd European Saxophone Congress in Italy in 2022.She is a member of the Fließen Duo with pianist Xavier Ricarte which won the 1st Prize in Chamber Music of the IV Premi de Música Ciutat de Mataró. They have also performed in the Afinitats concert series at the Sala Parés Concert Hall in Barcelona. In addition, she is a member of the Barcelona Sax Project ensemble. She has toured France, Luxembourg, and Germany as a member of the European Union Young Woodwind Orchestra (EUYWO). She has premiered new works for solo saxophone, saxophone quartet and duo, and she collaborated in “Putting Picasso to Music”, a project performing new compositions based on Picasso’s works at the Museu Picasso in Barcelona. Recently, she has commissioned a new piece to the Spanish composer David Salleras that she will premiere soon. She has also given concerts in retirement home and centers that help kids with multiple disabilities.
2ND PRIZE, CLAIRE SALLI
Claire Salli is a saxophonist and educator based in Lubbock, Texas. She is currently completing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Texas Tech University under professor David Dees and serves as a graduate teaching assistant to the saxophone studio. Claire has performed as a soloist and chamber musician across the United States as well as in Italy and Croatia.
As an advocate for new music, Claire has commissioned and premiered over ten new works for the horn and has performed at the Bowling Green New Music Festival and New Music on the Point. Claire also maintains an active private studio of both saxophone and clarinet students who have gone on to make several all state and honor bands. She has received prizes in the Georgia State University concerto competition, MTNA Ohio solo and chamber competition, Douglas Wayland chamber music competition, Marquette Symphony Orchestra concerto competition, and Stephen F Austin State University concerto competition.
Claire has an undergraduate degree in music education from Stephen F Austin State University, a masters in saxophone performance from Bowling Green State University, and an Artist Certificate in orchestral performance from Georgia State University. Her primary teachers include David Dees, Dr. Jan Berry Baker, Dr. John Sampen, David Bixler, Dr. Nathan Nabb, and Dr. Eric Nestler.
3RD PRIZE, LINDSEY WELP
Lindsey Welp is a saxophonist and educator based out of Northwest Ohio. She currently attends Bowling Green State University, pursuing her Master of Music in Performance. At BGSU, she serves as the Graduate Saxophone Teaching Assistant under Distinguished Artist Professor Dr. John Sampen. Lindsey earned her B. M. in Performance and French at DePauw University under Scotty Stepp, where she was a recipient of the Joann V. White Endowed School of Music Scholarship. In the Spring of 2018, she studied with acclaimed saxophonist and pedagogue Jean-Yves Fourmeau at the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Cergy-Pontoise in France. <br/>Lindsey is an active educator, currently teaching privately in Ohio. She serves as the Adjunct Instructor of Saxophone at Terra State Community College in Fremont, Ohio. She has previously taught in the Greencastle Community Music Program, the Greencastle Middle School Jazz Ensemble, as well as various high school summer programs in the Midwest.
An advocate for the performance and curation of new music, Lindsey has commissioned composers such as Viet Cuong, Gemma Peacocke, and John Anthony Lennon, amongst others. Lindsey has performed on concerts and festivals such as ArtsX and BGSU Praecepta, and she was featured on the 2020 Bowling Green New Music Festival as a solo performer. Lindsey has presented at conferences such as the Navy International Saxophone Symposium and the NASA Biennial and Regional conferences.
Recently, Lindsey was selected as the winner of the 2020 MTNA Young Performing Artist State Solo Competition. She was recently a semifinalist in the NASA Solo Competition in Tempe, Arizona. Lindsey has been featured as a soloist with the DePauw University Orchestra, and she was a winner of the Bowling Green Competitions in Music Performance, performing with the BGSU Philharmonia. She is the soprano saxophonist with the Abraxas Saxophone Quartet.