Dallas Symphony Orchestra Announces 2025 Lynn Harrell Competition Winners
Alette Williams (15) won first prize with Henri Vieuxtemps’s Violin Concerto No. 5
DALLAS (April 24, 2025) – The Dallas Symphony Orchestra (DSO) announces the winners of the 23rd annual Lynn Harrell Concerto Competition, which was held on April 19, 2025, at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center. Alette Williams, 15, from Southlake, Texas, took home first prize and an award of $5,000 with her performance of Henri Vieuxtemps’s Violin Concerto No. 5. Williams will perform the work in a future concert with the DSO.
Alette Williams currently serves as assistant concertmaster with the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra and studies violin with Professor Julia Bushkova at the University of North Texas. Over the past several years, she has pursued her passion for the violin by participating in summer music festivals and concerto competitions, including the Boston Youth Symphony Repertory Orchestra Concerto Competition where she won first prize in 2020; the 2023 Collin County Young Artist Competition, where she placed second; the 2023 Sphinx Competition, where she received an honorable mention; and the 2024 TexASTA and GDYO Concerto Competitions, both of which she won. Outside of violin, Williams enjoys gymnastics and rock climbing. For the past two years, she has also participated in choir and competed in speech and debate tournaments.
Second prize and $3,500 was awarded to Andrew Petrescu (15) for his performance of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 1. Petrescu studies with Andrey Ponochevny. Petrescu has won several other awards, including Honorable Mention at the 2022 International Keyboard Odyssiad and Festival, second prize at the 2023 Dallas Symphonic Festival in the Intermediate Concerto Competition group, second prize at the 2024 Dallas Symphonic Festival in the Junior Concerto Competition group, first prize at the 2024 North Texas Young Artist Piano Competition in his category, and first prize at the 2024 Oberlin Piano Festival Competition. He has attended the 2022 International Keyboard Odyssiad and Festival, the 2023 University of Dallas Summer Music Program, the 2023 New Orleans Piano Institute, the 2024 Piano Texas International Festival and Academy and the 2024 Oberlin Piano Festival. When not at the piano, Petrescu enjoys listening to classical music, swimming and hanging out with his friends and family. He continues to pursue his dream of being a pianist through daily practice and not giving up in the face of obstacles.
18-year-old Sophie Deng took home third prize and $2,000 for her performance of Kabalevsky’s Cello Concerto No. 2 in C minor. Deng started studying cello at age four with Dr. Meredith Blecha-Wells at Oklahoma State University. She received her first award at age eight, when she won the American Protégé International Piano and Strings Competition, and she later won the American Protégé Concerto Competition, performing in Carnegie Hall. Since then, Deng has won first prize in many competitions, including ENKOR International Strings Competition, the International Eurochestries, and the International Music Competition “Luigi Cerritelli.” From 2015 to 2017, she placed first at the Oklahoma City Orchestra League Keith Competition and was the Overall Winner in 2017, which was featured on KOCO. From the age of 10, Deng was the state winner of the MTNA Junior and Senior Strings Performance every year until 2021. She made her solo debut with the South Kansas Symphony Orchestra in 2021 after winning their Concerto Competition. As the Grand Prize winner of Oklahoma City Philharmonic’s Young Musician Competition in 2022, Deng performed as a soloist with the OKCPhil in April 2023 and as a special guest in May 2023. She was named a National YoungArts winner in 2024. She currently attends the San Francisco Conservatory of Music with a full scholarship, studying with professor Richard Aaron.
Honorable mention and a $500 prize went to 18-year-old Jin Han from Flower Mound, Texas, for his performance of Dvořák’s Cello Concerto in B minor. Han has been passionately dedicated to music since he began playing the cello at the age of 10. His talent has been recognized through numerous competitions, including in 2024, when he won the Grand Prize at the Collin County Young Artist Concerto Competition, making his orchestral debut with the Plano Symphony Orchestra. His accolades also include awards from Lewisville Lake Symphony’s Vernell Gregg Young Artist Competition, the Texas Association for Symphony Orchestras’ Juanita Miller Competition, the Chicago International Music Competition, the Radda International String Competition, the Charleston International Competition and the Dallas Symphonic Competition. Recently, Jin was named the alternate for the Texas MTNA competition, chosen to be NPR’s From the Top Fellow and celebrated his senior year as a four-year TMEA All-State Orchestra member. In addition, Han also won the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra Concerto Competition in 2025. Han credits his parents, his inspirational teacher Mr. Ko Iwasaki and his faith for guiding him on his musical journey and fueling his passion for the cello.
Finalists Ryan Nam (15, violin), Tae Han (18, double bass) and Elim Wong (14, violin) received a $250 cash prize.
Finalists at the Dallas Symphony’s 2025 Lynn Harrell Concerto Competition were selected through recorded submissions that were screened by a committee of DSO musicians. The winners were determined by a panel of judges that included DSO musicians Jenna Barghouti, violin, Marie A. Moore Chair; Anastasia Markina, keyboard, Toby & Will Jordan Chair; Shira Samuels-Shragg, Assistant Conductor, Marena & Roger Gault Chair; and Nan Zhang, cello.
Established in 2001 by Harrell, the Lynn Harrell Concerto Competition is open to students ages 8-18 who live or go to school in Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico or Louisiana. The purpose of the competition is to identify and encourage the highest level of musical talent in the South Central United States. Past winners have gone on to study music at such prominent institutions as the Cleveland Institute of Music, the Eastman School of Music, The Juilliard School and the Peabody Institute in Baltimore.
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra gratefully acknowledges Rita Sue & Alan Gold and Itske & Anthony Stern for their endowed gifts in support of the Lynn Harrell Concerto Competition.
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ABOUT THE DALLAS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra, under the leadership of Music Director Fabio Luisi, presents more than 150 orchestra concerts each year at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, one of the world’s top-rated concert halls. As the largest performing arts organization in the Southwest, the DSO is committed to inspiring the broadest possible audience with distinctive classical programs, inventive pops concerts and innovative multi-media presentations. As part of its commitment to the community, the orchestra reaches more than 243,000 adults and children annually through performances, educational programs and community outreach initiatives. The orchestra offers more than 200 chamber concerts in neighborhoods throughout Dallas each year, as well as music lessons to more than 1500 students as part of its Young Strings and Young Musicians programs.The DSO has a tradition dating back to 1900 and is a cornerstone of the unique, 118-acre Arts District in Downtown Dallas that is home to multiple performing arts venues, museums and parks – the largest district of its kind in the nation. The DSO is supported, in part, by funds from the Office of Arts & Culture, City of Dallas. For more information, visit dallassymphony.org.
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Chelsey Norris, Director of Communications | Dallas Symphony Orchestra
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