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Leonardo Colafelice, a 16-year-old pianist from Altamura, Bari, Italy, is the first-prize winner of the 2012 Thomas and Evon Cooper International Competition. His stellar performance of Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 30, with Jahja Ling conducting The Cleveland Orchestra in Severance Hall on Friday, July 27, brought him the top prize of $10,000, one of the largest awards offered by an international youth competition. The prize includes concert engagements with orchestras in Beijing and Shanghai, China, and a full, four-year scholarship to the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.

The top three finalists of the 2012 Cooper International Piano Competition have been selected to advance to the concerto finals round with The Cleveland Orchestra on Friday, July 27 at 8 pm in Severance Hall. Leonardo Colafelice, 16, from Altamura, Bari, Italy; Xiaoyu Liu, 15, from Montreal, Quebec, Canada; and Micah McLaurin, 17, from Charleston, South Carolina, were chosen Wednesday, July 25, at the conclusion of the competition’s recital finals round at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. For tickets to the final round call 800-686-1141 or visit www.clevelandorchestra.com.

Sirena Huang, a 17-year-old violinist from South Windsor, Connecticut, is the first-prize winner of the 2011 Thomas and Evon Cooper International Competition. Her stellar performance of Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E Minor, Op. 64, with Jahja Ling conducting the Cleveland Orchestra in Severance Hall on Friday, August 19, brought her the top prize of $10,000, one of the largest awards offered by an international youth competition.

George Li, a 14-year-old pianist from Lexington, Massachusetts, is the first-prize winner of the inaugural Thomas and Evon Cooper International Competition.