Charleston International Music Competition Honors Finalists of the 2026 Autumn Music Competition

Musicians receive recognition for their dedication and artistry as CIMC continues supporting musical achievement through personalized evaluations and Muselo.

CHARLESTON, SC, UNITED STATES, October 9, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Charleston International Music Competition (CIMC) is proud to announce and celebrate the finalists of the 2026 Autumn Music Competition, recognizing musicians whose dedication, preparation, and passion for performance have earned them a place in this season's international Final Round.
For each finalist, this achievement represents far more than a single performance. Behind every recording are countless moments of practice, lessons with dedicated teachers, musical discoveries, and the determination to overcome challenges. CIMC is honored to recognize these efforts and provide musicians with an opportunity to share their artistry beyond their local communities.
Founded in 2020, the Charleston International Music Competition has recognized more than 8,000 musicians from over 100 countries, creating an international community united by a shared appreciation for musical excellence. This autumn's finalists continue that tradition, contributing their individual talents and artistic perspectives to a growing global celebration of music.

2026 Autumn Music Competition Finalists
CIMC proudly congratulates the following musicians on their selection as finalists in the 2026 Autumn Music Competition.
CELLO
Jiho Eun, William Kim, Chaeyoung Lee, Louise Redwine, Josiah Shin, Noah Yoon

CLARINET
Daniel Xinyu Ai

DRUMS
Asher Stoogenke

EUPHONIUM
Quinn Cunningham

FLUTE
Aarushi Aggarwal, Rhea Bagga, Jimin Jung, Minsol Kim, Somin Park, Pragya Prasanna, Allison Shin

GUITAR
Jayden Kim

HARP
Caitlin Tignor

OBOE
Grace Kwon

PIANO
Katherine Abouchian, Theodore Anderson, Angie Lee Baker, John Chester, Elliott Chia, Oliver Daniel Chilton, Erin Chung, Blakely Mattelyn Clements, Callum Costanza, Anandi Damel, Lilly Deyton, Ronav Dharia, Daniel Fan, Stella Feng, Viaan Ghorpade, Mia Gonzalez, Annabelle Hu, Anya Laura Huang, Jadon Huang, Lukas Jeon, Han Hyun Jeong, Yichen Jiao, Audrey Kim, Eden Kim, Jacob (Jakey) Kim, Riah Kim, Daniel Aleksander Koppel, Noa Zara Koppel, Scarlett Hayoung Lee, Castor Li, Yunhan Li, Michael Litvinsky, Mary Mason, Chandler Val Maun, Harumi Nakamura, Kayla Ostrow, Lena Park, Sejun Park, Seobin Park, Joyce Ryu, Christina Saad, Richard Savoy III, Skyler Shibata, Gunes Sunar, Christine Wang, Margaret Wang, Joaquin Francisco Wong, Hunter Henry Woods, Siyi Xu, Caroline Young, Richard Yu, Atlas Yuksek, Kerem Yuksek, Isabella Zhang, Vivian Zhang, Allison Zhou

SAXOPHONE
Theodore Flake

TROMBONE
Joshua Choi

VIOLA
Lynn Choi, Hyunjun Kang, Cheng-Rui Lu, Sangjun Park, Ethan Qi

VIOLIN
Simon Beack, Young Joon Cho, Emilia Soo Escamilla, Austin Fukuda, Abigail Ellen Galperin, Suehyun Hong, Chloe Mirae Kim, Doeun Kim, Alice Li, Cheng-Xin Lu, Caroline Sim Oh, Ray Shi, Sean Shi, Ray Tong, Muyan Agatha Xie, Yihao Xue (Hedy), Atlas Yuksek, Kerem Yuksek, Tianning Zhang

VOCAL
Julia Alexandrov, Liliana Coykendall, Jian Eun, Samara Hasan, Elena He, Moka Imazeki, Kahlan Kelly, Siya Khare, Zoilita Lester, Irene Lin, Ethan Park, Arleen Prusty, Srijit Raghuram, Elizabeth Rosenberg, Maaya Sankara, Amaira Saxena, Peyton Seifer

ENSEMBLES
Alice Bradier, Clara Bradier, Derek Guan, Jun Jong, Yueqi Lao, Siyoon Lee, Allison Liu, Alice Meng, Louise Redwine, Ahin Shin, Samantha Yee
Every finalist deserves recognition for the commitment required to prepare and present a musical performance. Whether pursuing music professionally, studying with a private teacher, performing as part of an ensemble, or simply sharing a lifelong passion, these musicians have reached a meaningful milestone in their artistic journeys.
CIMC extends its heartfelt congratulations to all finalists and its sincere appreciation to the teachers, parents, mentors, and families whose guidance and encouragement make these achievements possible.

Celebrating Musical Excellence and Individual Achievement
One of the defining features of the Charleston International Music Competition is its commitment to recognizing musicians across different ages, instruments, and stages of development.
Through its online international music competitions, CIMC creates opportunities for students, emerging artists, and experienced performers to present their work without the expense or logistical challenges of international travel.
Finalists are evaluated by qualified musicians and educators according to established musical criteria, including technical accuracy, stylistic interpretation, musical expression, and stage presence. The competition's international judging community includes musicians and educators from more than a dozen countries.
This approach recognizes musical accomplishment while acknowledging that every performer brings a unique combination of experience, preparation, and artistic perspective.
For young musicians especially, the opportunity to participate in an international competition can become an important source of confidence, motivation, and encouragement to continue their musical education.

Recognition That Extends Beyond the Competition
CIMC believes that musical achievement deserves to be celebrated, documented, and remembered.
As part of its recognition program, the competition provides finalists with personalized materials that help preserve their accomplishments and support their continued development.
A particularly meaningful element is the Performance Evaluation Report, which identifies the individual strengths demonstrated in each performance and, where applicable, highlights opportunities for further improvement.
Rather than receiving only a prize designation, musicians gain personalized feedback that they can reflect upon with their teachers and incorporate into future practice.
Additional recognition opportunities include personalized award certificates, individual artist profiles on the CIMC website, teacher recognition, and performance features on the competition's official YouTube channel.
Together, these resources allow musicians to share their accomplishments with family, friends, teachers, schools, and the wider musical community.

From Competition Recognition to Everyday Progress: Introducing Muselo
While competitions celebrate important moments of musical achievement, much of a musician's development happens quietly between performances.
To support that ongoing process, the team behind CIMC has developed Muselo, a music education platform designed to help students and private teachers make musical progress more visible and meaningful.
Available at https://muselo.app, Muselo enables students to document practice, receive feedback on recorded musical excerpts, monitor their improvement, and build a long-term musical transcript of their development and achievements.
Instead of viewing each competition as an isolated event, students can create a more complete record of their musical journeys, connecting everyday preparation with the milestones they reach over time.
Muselo also provides resources for private teachers, helping them stay connected with student progress between lessons and recognize the work that contributes to successful performances.
For families supporting a young musician, this creates an opportunity to appreciate not only the final award, but also the dedication, persistence, and measurable improvement that made the achievement possible.
Through CIMC and Muselo, the organization seeks to connect two complementary parts of musical education: celebrating outstanding performances and supporting the daily work that makes them possible.
Learn more about Muselo: https://muselo.app

A Community That Inspires Musicians to Keep Performing
The impact of an international music competition can extend well beyond the announcement of awards.
For many musicians, participating provides an opportunity to discover unfamiliar repertoire, listen to performers from different backgrounds, establish new artistic goals, and find inspiration in the accomplishments of others.
CIMC's growing collection of finalist performances offers a window into this community, showcasing musicians whose individual interpretations reflect the diversity and creativity of musical expression.
Selected performances from the 2026 Autumn Music Competition can be explored through the official Charleston International Music Competition YouTube channel, alongside recordings from previous events.
Watch CIMC performances:
https://youtube.com/@charlestoncompetition
The competition also invites prospective participants, teachers, and families to learn about the experiences of previous musicians through its collection of written and video testimonials.
Read participant testimonials:
https://charlestoncompetition.com/reviews/
Watch video testimonials:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgdkUhRgoAHrQmKn1dwO4qBX_vGCT7qkA
These firsthand accounts highlight the personal significance of musical recognition and the encouragement that meaningful performance opportunities can provide.

2026 Autumn Music Competition Results
Official prizes and recognition for the 2026 Autumn Music Competition will be announced on October 10, 2026.
Finalists will be recognized within their respective age and instrument categories, with results published on the official Charleston International Music Competition website.
View official competition results:
https://charlestoncompetition.com/results
CIMC congratulates every finalist on reaching this important stage and wishes each musician continued inspiration, confidence, and success in their future musical endeavors.

Upcoming International Music Competitions
As the 2026 season enters its final months, CIMC continues offering musicians opportunities to pursue new performance goals and receive international recognition.
2026 Instrumental Music Competition
Application Deadline: October 15, 2026
2026 Global Music Competition
Application Deadline: November 15, 2026
2026 Finale Music Competition
Application Deadline: December 15, 2026
CIMC welcomes musicians interested in continuing their artistic development through performance, evaluation, and international recognition.
Complete eligibility requirements, repertoire guidelines, and application information are available at:
https://charlestoncompetition.com

About Charleston International Music Competition
Founded in 2020, the Charleston International Music Competition (CIMC) is an international music competition organization dedicated to recognizing musical talent and encouraging artistic development among performers of all ages and experience levels.
Through its year-round online music competitions, CIMC has recognized more than 8,000 musicians from over 100 countries. The organization brings together students, professional and amateur performers, private teachers, and families through opportunities for performance, personalized evaluation, and international recognition.
CIMC also supports musical education beyond competition participation through Muselo, a platform for tracking practice, receiving musical feedback, documenting achievements, and developing long-term musical transcripts.
Learn more:
Charleston International Music Competition: https://charlestoncompetition.com
Muselo: https://muselo.app

Charleston Competition
Charleston Music LLC
contact@charlestoncompetition.com