Announcing the Winners of the 2019 VSA International Young Soloists Competition

Five young musicians in a semi-circle holding their glass awardsSince 1984, the VSA International Young Soloists Competition has recognized talented, emerging musicians living with disabilities from all over the world. Five young artists have been named winners of the 2019 award, each receiving $2,000 and the opportunity travel to Washington, DC for pre-professional development activities culminating in a performance on the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage. The winners of the 2019 award are: soprano Tori Adams of Minneapolis, Minnesota; saxophonist Avery Dixon of Riverdale, Georgia; pianist Kasyfi Kalyasyena of Jakarta, Indonesia; pianist José André Montaño of Washington, DC; and singer/songwriter Maya Wagner of Hillsborough, New Jersey.

Based in Minneapolis, soprano Tori Tedeschi Adams, age 22, is in her fifth year at Oberlin Conservatory of Music. Her most recent performances include Miles in Turn of the Screw and Constance in Dialogues de Carmélites with Oberlin Opera Theater and Gretel in Hänsel und Gretel with LAH-SOW Minneapolis Opera Workshop. In past summers, Adams has been a Young Artist at Songfest and the Oberlin in Italy program where she sang Bianca in La Rondine. Other notable performances include the title role in Griffelkin by Lucas Foss with Project Opera and roles with the Minnesota Opera in the world premiere productions of The Shining, Doubt, and The Giver. She is pursuing her singing career while living with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a connective tissue disorder that causes hypermobility, chronic pain, among other symptoms.

Avery Dixon, age 18, was born near Atlanta weighing only 1 lb. 8 oz. and was not expected to live. He has a condition that causes his voice to be airy and pitchy at times because his vocal cords do not close completely, also causing asthma and other medical complications. He has developed his musical talent by playing the saxophone. Dixon has had many opportunities to play for various programs and serenade audiences, keeping up with artists twice his age. He feels that every time he plays, he is having fun, telling a story, and painting a musical picture.

Kasyfi Kalyasyena is a 17-year-old pianist from Jakarta, Indonesia, who has impaired vision. His musicality started at age three. He then learned piano and performed his first composition in a recital at age five. He will soon graduate with honors from a classical pre-conservatory. He has also studied at Daya Indonesia Performing Arts Academy. He has won several national competitions in piano, saxophone, arranging, and composition. He enjoys performing at jazz festivals, teaching piano, and opening for music community events. For the Millennium Stage performance, Kalyasyena played his own composition to inspire musicians to respect their own work.

José André Montaño is a 14-year-old jazz musician from Bolivia, currently living in Washington, D.C., who is blind. He formed his first Latin Jazz band at age six, and recorded his first album in 2013. Montaño has performed with many great musicians including Marcus Miller, Jason Moran, and Renée Fleming. He has played in Rome to celebrate the 70th anniversary of UNICEF, in Kuala Lumpur for the Global Transformation Forum, in Finland for the Business Nordic Forum, and other venues worldwide.

Maya Wagner is an 18-year-old singer/songwriter from Central New Jersey. Wagner was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome at age eight. She has found that music is her most important coping mechanism. Singing has helped calm her tics and songwriting has given her an outlet of expression, which has helped her to put her struggles into words. This year, she recorded and released her first EP, Nostalgia, which she wrote and produced in her bedroom studio. The EP is available on Apple Music, Spotify, and Amazon Music, along with her new single, “Her.” Wagner will be attending Berklee College of Music this fall, where she will continue to study songwriting and music production.

The Millennium Stage performance featuring these artists is available in the Kennedy Center’s online archive.  

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