Awards & Recognition | Department of Music | Case Western Reserve University

The Department of Music recognizes outstanding achievement through a variety of awards and honors presented to undergraduate and graduate students. These awards celebrate excellence in performance, scholarship, research, leadership, teaching, and interdisciplinary study, reflecting the diverse accomplishments of our students and alumni.

Explore the awards and distinctions that have helped shape the success of generations of Department of Music graduates.

Graduate Awards

Learn more about graduate student awards, honors, fellowships, and notable achievements in musicology, historical performance practice, music education, and related fields.

Graduate Awards and Achievements

2026 – Rafique Illyas-Watson, Adel Heinrich Award for outstanding achievement in musicology
2026 – Mikhail Grazhdanov, Susan McClary Award for excellence in historical performance practice in music
2025 – Rafique Illyas-Watson, CWRU Graduate Dean’s Instructional Excellence Award
2025 – Liz Loayza Herrera, CWRU Ruth Barber Moon Award
2025 – Maura Sugg, CWRU Adel Heinrich Award
2022 – Christopher Jenkins, Performance of works by Black composers in Finney Chapel (Oberlin) on March 22 and Transformer Station (CMA) on March 27
2022 – Christopher Jenkins, Co-founder of and performer with Linking Legacies, a group of Black classical musicians promoting works by Black composers with ties to NE Ohio
2022 – Christopher Jenkins, Co-founder and Co-organizer of an upcoming conference, Theorizing African American Music, held June 16-18 at CWRU
2022 – Kelli Minelli, forthcoming publication in Oxford Handbook for Music in Television
2022 – Christopher Jenkins, Book forthcoming from Routledge in partnership with the College Music Society
2022 – Kelli Minelli, forthcoming publication in Oxford Handbook to the Television Musical
2022 – Christopher Jenkins, Paper accepted for publication with Action, Criticism, and Theory for Music Education
2022– Krista Mitchell and Kevin Whitman, Participant in National Humanities Center Podcasting Institute, funded by the Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities
2022 – Christopher Jenkins, Appointed as Visiting Assistant Professor of Musicology for spring 2022 at Oberlin, to teach a new course titled The Racial Politics of Classical Music
2022 – Kelli Minelli, Baker Nord Spring 2022 Graduate Affiliate
2021 – Kelli Minelli, HILLS Doctoral Symposium participant, December 2021
2021 – Nathan Dougherty, Richard A. Zdanis Research Scholarship Award (CRWU)
2021 – Nathan Dougherty, Travel funding from the M. Elizabeth C. Bartlet Fund
2021 – Samuel Nemeth, Presented paper "Battle of the Bands: The Dawn of a New Brass Technology" at the Annual Meeting of the American Musicological Society, Virtual (Chicago, IL)
2021 – Kelli Minelli, Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Musicological Society, Virtual (Chicago, IL)
2021 – Marcelo Rebuffi, Presented paper at the conference of the AMS Midwest Chapter
2021 – Samuel Nemeth, Non-Degree Trumpet Recital, "Echoes of Times, People, and Places"
2021 – Madelaine Matej MacQueen, Participant in National Humanities Center Podcasting Institute, funded by the Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities
2021 – Marcelo Rebuffi, Invited as a guest soloist and composer by the Orquesta Filarmónica de Río Negro to play at the Bariloche’s International Music Festival, in Argentina.
2021 – Aaron McPeck, Hired as Graduate Admissions Coordinator for the School of Graduate Studies (CWRU), July
2021 – Kelli Minelli, Presented at MAMI in May, 2021
2021 – Madelaine Matej MacQueen, Sigma Alpha Iota Doctoral Grant
2021 – Aaron McPeck, Student Activities and Leadership's Outstanding Graduate Student Organization Officer Award
2021 – Aaron McPeck, School of Graduate Studies Ruth Barber Moon Award
2021 – Taylor McClaskie & Madelaine Matej MacQueen, Cleveland Humanities Collaborative Graduate Mellon Fellow
2021 – Nathan Dougherty, Baker-Nord Center Graduate Affiliateship
2020 – Samuel Nemeth, Presented paper “Complicating the ‘White Savior’ Narrative in Hans Zimmer’s Score for The Last Samurai” at the CWRU MGSA Graduate Student Conference
2020 – Marcelo Rebuffi, Published paper "Dimitri Shostakovich: Entre la Passacaglia, el Monomito y el Patriarcado" in the journal of the National Institute of Musicology Carlos Vega, Argentina
2020 – Sophie Benn, Elliott Antokoletz Travel Grant, American Musicological Society
2020 – Christopher Jenkins, David Dalton Research Competition 2nd prize for “African-American Violists: A Retrospective”
2020 – Sophie Benn, CWRU Adel Heinrich Graduate Student Award for Achievement in Musicological Research
2020 – Christopher Jenkins, Residency at the Lebanese American University in Beirut
2020 – Aaron McPeck, CWRU Lenore A. Kola Graduate Student Community Service Award
2020 – Kelli Minelli, CWRU Freedman Student Fellow, Freedman Center for Digital Scholarship, Kelvin Smith Library
2020- Sophie Benn, Nathan Dougherty, Taylor McClaskie, and Kelli Minelli- College of Arts and Sciences Dissertation Fellowship
2020 – Taylor McClaskie, Graduate Affiliate, Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities Fellow
2019 – Paul Abdullah, Chateaubriand Fellowship for study in France
2019 – James Aldridge, Research Fellow, Library of Congress
2019 – Sophie Benn, CWRU Eva L. Pancoast Memorial Fellowship for archival research at the Deutsches Tanzarchiv Köln
2019 – Christopher Jenkins, Published paper "Signifyin(g) within African American Classical Music” in the Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism
2019 – Christopher Jenkins, Residency at the Lebanese American University in Beirut
2019 – Taylor McClaskie, Research Fellow, Library of Congress
2019 – Rachel McNellis, CWRU Adel Heinrich Graduate Student Award for Achievement in Musicological Research
2018 – Samuel Nemeth, Presented paper “Berlioz's National Monumentalism: Expanding the Soft Power Paradigm" at the Annual Meeting of the American Musicological Society in San Antonio, TX
2018 – Daniel Batchelder, Eva Judd O’Meara Award for Best Review Written in Notes
2018 – Daniel Batchelder, CWRU Adel Heinrich Graduate Student Award for Achievement in Musicological Research
2018 – Kelli Minelli and Stephanie Ruozzo, Library of Congress Summer Research Fellows
2018 – Kate Rogers, Case Western Reserve University Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities Graduate Affiliate
2017 – Nicholas Stevens, CWRU Department of Music’s Adel Heinrich Graduate Student Award for Achievement in Musicological Research
2017 – Peter Graff, Alvin H. Johnson AMS 50 Dissertation Fellowship
2017 – Rachel McNellis, AMS Membership and Professional Development Grant
2017 – Rachel McNellis, Travel Grant for the 52nd International Congress on Medieval Studies, granted by the American Cusanus Society
2017 – Paul Abdullah, William Holmes / Frank D’Accone Endowment Travel Grant, AMS
2017 – John Romey, American Council of Learned Societies Andrew W. Mellon Dissertation Completion Fellowship
2017 – Daniel Batchelder, The Graduate Dean’s Instructional Excellence Award, Case Western Reserve University
2017 – Mandy Smith, The Graduate Dean’s Community Award, Case Western Reserve University
2017 – Rachel McNellis, Medieval Academy of America Annual Meeting Bursary Prize
2017 – Brian F. Wright, Society for American Music’s Mark Tucker Student Paper Award
2017 – Peter Graff, International Association for the Study of Popular Music-US Branch, David Sanjek Student Paper Prize
2017 – Kate Doyle, Library of Congress Wittall Pavilion Talk
2017 – Kate Rogers, Grand Prize in Kelvin Smith Library’s chapter of the National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest
2017 – John Romey, Guest Music History Lecturer and Viol Soloist in University of Louisville’s Early Music Ensemble
2017 – Sophie Benn and Rachel McNellis, Library of Congress Summer Research Fellows
2017 – Paul Abdullah, CWRU Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities Graduate Affiliate
2016 – Michael Bane, Winner of Oxford Bibliographies Graduate Student Prize (“Air de Cour”)
2016 – John Romey, The Graduate Dean’s Instructional Excellence Award, Case Western Reserve University
2016 – Kate Doyle, Aaron Manela, Peter Graff, John Romey – College of Arts and Sciences Dissertation Fellowship
2016 – Peter Graff, Ora Frishberg Saloman Research Grant, American Musicological Society
2016 – Mandy Smith, CWRU Department of Music’s Adel Heinrich Graduate Student Award for Achievement in Musicological Research
2016 – Mandy Smith, David Sanjek Memorial Graduate Student Prize from the International Association for the Study of Popular Music (US Branch)
2016 – Kate Doyle, Luke Conklin, Peter Graff- Library of Congress Summer Research Fellows
2015 — Leah Branstetter, Richard A. Zdanis Award to a Case Graduate Student for Excellence and Creativity in Research
2015 — Brian MacGilvray, Alvin H. Johnson AMS 50 Dissertation Fellowships
2015 — Rachel McNellis, Medieval Academy of America / CARA Summer Language Scholarship
2015 — Michael Bane, Fulbright Scholarship (Paris, France)
2015 — John Romey, William Holmes / Frank D’Accone Endowment Travel Grant, AMS
2015 — Aaron Manela, The Graduate Dean’s Instructional Excellence Award, Case Western Reserve University
2015 — Mandy Smith, David Sanjek Memorial Graduate Student Prize, International Association for the Study of Popular Music-US Branch
2015 — John Romey, CWRU Department of Music’s Adel Heinrich Graduate Student Award for Achievement in Musicological Research
2015 – Paul Abdullah and Nicholas Stevens, Library of Congress Summer Research Fellows
2014 — Alanna Ropchock Tierno, Professional Development Travel Award, American Musicological Society
2014 – Kate Doyle and Peter Graff, Library of Congress Summer Research Fellows
2014 — Mandy Smith, John Romey (declined), Brian MacGilvray, and Michael Bane, College of Arts and Sciences Dissertation Fellowship
2014 — Michael Bane, Newberry Library Fellowship
2014 — Devin Burke, Best Graduate Student Paper at conference of the Society for 18th-Century Music
2014 — Michael Bane, CWRU Department of Music’s Adel Heinrich Graduate Student Award for Achievement in Musicological Research
2014 — John Romey, Fulbright Scholarship (Paris, France)
2014 — Devin Burke, Richard A. Zdanis Award to a Case Graduate Student for Excellence and Creativity in Research
2013 — Devin Burke, CWRU Department of Music’s Adel Heinrich Graduate Student Award for Achievement in Musicological Research
2013 – Michael Bane and Brenton Grom, Library of Congress Summer Research Fellows
2013 — Alanna Ropchock Tierno, Fulbright Scholarship, Germany
2012 — Leah Branstetter, Devin Burke, and Armin Karim, College of Arts & Sciences Dissertation Fellowship
2012 — Barbara Swanson, American Council of Learned Societies Andrew W. Mellon Dissertation Completion Fellowship
2012 — Barbara Swanson, Paul A. Pisk Prize of the American Musicological Society
2012 — Brian MacGilvray, CWRU Department of Music’s Adel Heinrich Graduate Student Award for Achievement in Musicological Research
2011 — Kelly St. Pierre, CWRU Department of Music’s Adel Heinrich Graduate Student Award for Achievement in Musicological Research
2010 — Armin Karim, CWRU Department of Music’s Adel Heinrich Graduate Student Award for Achievement in Musicological Research
2007 — Alex Bonus, CWRU Department of Music’s Adel Heinrich Graduate Student Award for Achievement in Musicological Research

Undergraduate Awards

We are proud to present you with these exceptional award winners.

Arthur H. Benade Prize

The Arthur H. Benade Prize is awarded to a senior with a major other than music who has made a notable contribution to music on campus during their undergraduate years.

2026 – Ryan Gilmore
2025 – Jane Cutcher
2024 – Georgia Martinez
2023 – Jeremy Gray
2022 – Thomas Lipker
2022 – Rachel Beller
2020 – Brian Liu

Charles E. Clemens Prize

The Charles E. Clemens Prize is given for talent and accomplishment in music.

2026 – Zoe Buff
2025 – Charles Apy
2024 – Lilyanne Dorilas
2023 – Andrea Regli
2022 – Nicholas Strawn
2021 – Samuel Chaffee
2020 – Alexander Lenhart

Doris Young Hartsock Prize

The Doris Young Hartsock Prize recognizes outstanding performance in music education.

2025 – Emma Bentley
2024 – Emma Carson
2023 – Gavin O'Keefe
2022 – Allison Siekmann
2021 – Eli Weiskirch
2020 – Mary Schroeder

Kennedy Prize

The Kennedy Prize is awarded for creative work in Art, English, or Music.

2026 – Noah Allemeier
2025 – Addison Miller
2024 – Caleb Owens
2023 – Prateek Dullur
2022 – Sophia Kushman
2021 – Eli Weiskirch
2020 – Emma Markowitz

Concerto Competition

The Concerto Competition highlights the artistry, commitment, and musical excellence that define our music community. Students compete each March in a competition recital on the Friday following spring break. Selected winners will appear as soloists with the Symphony Orchestra or Symphonic Winds in the following academic year.

About the Competition

Each spring, Case Western Reserve University undergraduate music majors compete in the Concerto Competition for the opportunity to perform as a soloist with the Case/University Circle Symphony Orchestra or Symphonic Winds in the following academic year.

Open to full-time undergraduate music majors at the sophomore or junior level (or seniors planning a fifth year), this public recital provides students with a platform to showcase their musicianship, gain valuable performance experience, and receive public recognition for their achievements. Coordinated by Dr. Kathleen Horvath, director of orchestras, the competition requires participants to be enrolled in applied lessons and a primary department ensemble during both the competition and performance semesters.

Previous Winners

2026 – Erin Huang (flute), Austin Lu (piano)
2025 – Zoe Buff (violin), Shreya Girish (flute)
2024 – Emma Bentley (clarinet), Jojo Fujiwara (cello), Sooah Park (flute)
2023 – Maxine Chou (cello), Jesse Silverberg (horn), Angela Tsang (piano), Lilyanne Dorilas (violin), Matthew Smutny (saxophone)
2022 – Michael Brough (saxophone), Grant Carr (piano), Jeremy Gray (clarinet), Hitomi Ono (flute), Gina Yang (piano)
2021 – Karen Ji (piano), Allison Siekmann (violin)
2020 – Samuel Chaffee (piano), Alexander Lenhart (trumpet), Nicholas Strawn (percussion), Rachel Beller (percussion)
2019 – Brian Liu (piano), Jon O’Brien (saxophone), Tim Orlando (violin), Nick Pogharian (trombone)
2018 – Julie Kim (violin), Bianca Pierson (saxophone), Devin Reddy (horn)
2017 – Kieran Aulak (marimba), Tyler McMaken (piano), Jason Linn (trombone), Zoe Ruolin Yang (violin), Timothy Nicholas (violin)
2016 – David Hsiao (violin), Christina Liu (violin), Rebecca Pfeiffer (trumpet), Vincenzo Volpe (flute), Ann Wang (piano)
2015 – Ailin Yu (piano), Meigen Yu (piano), Robin Jo (violin)

Joan Terr Ronis Recital Prize

The Joan Terr Ronis Recital Prize honors the exceptional talent and dedication of our undergraduate students. Students compete during Spring Jury Exams. The selected winner(s) present the annual Ronis Recital in late October.

About the Recital Prize

Joan Terr Ronis

Established in 1996 by Leonard Ronis in memory of his wife, Joan Terr Ronis—a renowned Cleveland piano soloist, chamber musician, and teacher—this prize honors excellence in musical performance.

The Joan Terr Ronis Recital Prize is awarded each spring through a competitive audition during Jury Exams to an outstanding undergraduate music major who has made an exceptional contribution to the musical life of the University. The recipient is then invited to perform in the Joan Terr Ronis Annual Memorial Recital, held each October in the fall semester.

Cleveland Heights native, Joan Terr Ronis began her piano studies at age 4 with her mother, famed Cleveland pianist Fanny Faust Terr. She later studied at Case Western Reserve University, the Yale School of Music, the Longy School of Music, and Cleveland State University, where she completed her academic studies summa cum laude and taught for many years.

She performed as a featured soloist with the Cleveland Philharmonic Orchestra, the Cleveland Chamber Symphony, the Suburban Symphony, and the orchestras of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Case Western Reserve University, and the Cleveland State Orchestra. She also performed Chamber Music with members of the Cleveland Orchestra. Northern Ohio Live named her one of six “Leading Ladies of Classical Music” in Cleveland.

After her untimely passing in the spring of 1993, her husband Leonard established the Joan Terr Ronis Recital and Scholarship fund to recognize world-class music scholars at CWRU, for whom performing careers would become a lifelong avocation rather than a vocation.

Previous Winners

2026 – Erin Huang (flute)
2025 – Shreya Girish (flute), Eric Zhang (piano), Erin Huang (flute; finalist)
2024 – Jesse Silverberg (horn), Angela Tsang (piano)
2023 – Emma Bentley (clarinet), Grant Car (piano)
2022 – Ruth Cavano (double bass), Caleb Owens (piano)
2021 – Julia Feng-Bahns (piano), Harue Suzuki (flute)
2020 – Dana D’Orlando (oboe), Allison Siekmann (violin)
2019 – Diane Jo (violin), Karen Ji (piano)
2018 – Devin Reddy (horn), Jason Linn (trombone)
2017 – William Spallino (trombone), Madeline Yankell (soprano)
2016 – Rebecca Pfeiffer (trumpet), Vincenzo Volpe (flute)
2015 – Ryan Rose (saxophone), Ruolin Yang (violin)
2014 – Sydney Vereb (flute), Jeff Einhaus (tuba)
2013 – Lok Lei (violin), Nicholas Valentas (percussion)
2012 – Frankie Delgado (bassoon), Nathan Budge (euphonium)
2011 – Francis Blackman (voice), Dora Wu (violin)
2010 – Alyssa Hoffert (saxophone)
2009 – Karl Beheim (clarinet)