Joan Terr Ronis Memorial Recital Prize winners perform in annual fall recital

Ronis Recital Mom2
Joan Terr Ronis

The co-winners of the 2023/24 Joan Terr Ronis Annual Memorial Recital Prize, Grant Carr, piano, and Emma Bentley, clarinet, earned the honor by demonstrating exceptional musicianship in their spring jury auditions. Compliments go out to our many outstanding participants, and a special thank you to our staff accompanists, Alicja Basinska and Anne Wilson.  

Grant and Emma will receive a monetary award and be honored at the undergraduate awards ceremony in spring 2024. More importantly, they will jointly perform the Joan Terr Ronis Annual Memorial Recital on Sunday, October 29, 2023, at 3:00 p.m. in Harkness Chapel.

About the Performers

Grant Carr, piano

Grant Carr, piano, Concert Competition Winner

Grant Carr is a senior Music and Economics major at CWRU. As part of the Joint Music Program, Grant studies piano performance with Sean Schulze (CIM). Before winning the Ronis Recital Prize, Grant was selected as a winner of the 2022 CWRU Concerto Competition, earning the opportunity to perform Liszt’s “Totentanz” with the Case/University Circle Symphony Orchestra. Grant grew up in Tacoma, WA. He is an active member of the CWRU Undergraduate Student Government and currently serves as both Speaker of the House and Chair of the IT Working Group. He is also the founding president of the CWRU Surfing Club. Outside of school, Grant enjoys surfing, rock climbing and photography. After college, Grant hopes to design a career path which combines the performing arts, law, and business management.

Emma Bentley, clarinet

Emma Bentley headshot

Emma Bentley is a 3rd-year Music Education major at CWRU studying clarinet with Dan Gilbert (CIM). Emma serves as president for the CWRU Chamber Collective and the Music Undergraduate Student Involvement Committee, as well as the Vice President of the CWRU chapter of the Ohio Collegiate Music Education Association. In her time at CWRU, she has performed with the Symphony Orchestra, Symphonic Winds, several chamber ensembles, the Footlighters pit orchestra, Percussion Ensemble, and the CWRU Brass Ensemble. In January 2022, Emma decided to expand the music scene at CWRU by founding the Harmonie Winds, a 10-piece wind chamber ensemble. She also serves as the musical director of the CWRU Clarinet Choir. Emma would like to thank Dan Gilbert, her private clarinet instructor, as well as her friends, family, and the CWRU music department for fostering her passion for music.

About the Recital Prize

Leonard Ronis established the Joan Terr Ronis Recital Prize in 1996 as a memorial to his wife, the well-known Cleveland piano soloist, chamber music artist and teacher. The prize and recital are presented after a competition held each spring among undergraduate music students attending CWRU. Mr. Ronis, a lifelong supporter of CWRU and the arts, was nationally known for his role in public transit. With his passing on July 4, 2012, the family requested that the prize be renamed the Leonard and Joan Terr Ronis Memorial Recital Prize. The prize returned to its original name during the summer of 2020.


Previous Winners

  • 2022/23 | Ruth Cavano (double bass), Caleb Owens (piano)
  • 2021/22 | Julia Feng-Bahns (piano), Harue Suzuki (flute)
  • 2020/21 | Dana D’Orlando (oboe), Allison Siekmann (violin)
  • 2019/20 | Diane Jo (violin), Karen Ji (piano)
  • 2018/19 | Devin Reddy (horn), Jason Linn (trombone)
  • 2017/18 | William Spallino (trombone), Madeline Yankell (soprano)
  • 2016/17 | Rebecca Pfeiffer (trumpet), Vincenzo Volpe (flute)
  • 2015/16 | Ryan Rose (saxophone), Ruolin Yang (violin)
  • 2014/15 | Sydney Vereb (flute), Jeff Einhaus (tuba)
  • 2013/14 | Lok Lei (violin), Nicholas Valentas (percussion)
  • 2012/13 | Frankie Delgado (bassoon), Nathan Budge (euphonium)
  • 2011/12 | Francis Blackman (voice), Dora Wu (violin)
  • 2010/11 | Alyssa Hoffert (saxophone)
  • 2009/10 | Karl Beheim (clarinet)
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