50TH ANNUAL
Sorantin Competition Finals
Overall Winner - Anna Bulkina
Piano Division
Winner - Anna Bulkina
Runner Up - Kehan Xu
Strings Division
Vincent Meklis
Runner Up - Jing Qiao
Anna Bulkina, 23, was born in Krasnovodsk (Turkmenistan), Russia. She attended the Rostov State Conservatory where she received her masters degree in 2009. She is currently attending the School of Music at Texas Christian University. In 2007, she participated in the Cliburn Summer Piano Festival in Fort Worth. She will be performing Prokofiev's Concerto No. 2, op. 16 in G minor.
Kehan Xu, 17, was born in Xinjiang, China and attends the Moscow Conservatory's Central Music School. In January 2009, she won the Lennox International Young Artist Competition in Texas. She will be performing Khachaturian's Concerto in D flat major.
Vincent Meklis, 17, was born in Oak Lawn, Illinois. He is currently enrolled at the Music Institute of Chicago Academy where he is a member of the Polaris Quartet. Polaris won the Gold Medal of the Junior Division of the 2008 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. In February 2009, Vincent placed second in the Strings Division of the Corpus Christi International Competition for Piano and Strings. Vincent performs on a 1827 violin by J. F. Pressenda previously owned by Dr. Eric Sorantin. He is performing Concerto in B minor by William Walton.
Jing Qiao, 24, was born in Sichuan, China. She started playing violin at age six. Jing recently won first prize at the National Soloist Competition of the Triangle Chamber Orchestra. She is currently studying at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. She will be performing Dvorak's Violin Concerto.