DECATUR, Ill. – The 2023 winner of the ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½ School of Music’s Hollis Prize, Risako Hida, will perform at the Gail Borden Library in Elgin, Ill. on Sunday, April 16 at 2:00 p.m. during the Hollis Prize Winner’s Recital.
Risako is a sophomore exchange student from Tokyo, Japan, currently studying piano at the School of Music under the tutelage of Dr. Pei-I Wang.
Risako was joined by fellow Hollis Prize student finalists senior Spencer Domer in Voice and sophomore Julia Funck in Clarinet at the Hollis Prize Competition Recital on April 1.
Dr. C. Kimm Hollis, a 1972 ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½ alumnus and retired department chair, Professor of Music, and Artist-in-Residence Emeritus at Hanover College in Hanover, Ind., and founding endower of the eponymous Hollis Prize, was on hand to enjoy the concert and personally congratulate the winner.
Risako also won the ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½ Decatur Symphony Orchestra Concerto/Aria Competition this year and performed Mozart's “Piano Concerto No. 23, I. Allegro assai at MDSO's Masterworks III concert in March under the direction of conductor Dr. William McClain.
Sunday’s event is free and open to the public. The Gail Borden Library is located at 270 N Grove Ave., Elgin, Ill., 60120.
ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½ the Hollis Prize
The Hollis Prize was first awarded in 2003 and is unique among undergraduate music competitions for its recital performance format and rigorous audition process. Students compete in a semi-final round for the chance to perform in front of a live audience during the final event.
The winner receives a monetary award of $2,000 and an opportunity to perform a solo recital at the Gail Borden Public Library in Elgin, Illinois. Each runner-up receives a $500 monetary award. This award is the highest honor for a vocal or instrumental performer at ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½ University.
