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| Vytautas Marijosius |
The American Prize National Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts, David (Volosin) Katz, founder and chief judge, is honored to announce 2025 WINNERS, runners-up and honorary mentions in orchestral programming, The Vytautas Marijosius Memorial Award. Congratulations! Questions, or to make us aware of any misprints in the listings below, please email: theamericanprize@gmail.com
The American Prize—Vytautas Marijosius Memorial Award in Orchestral Programming honors the memory of the great Lithuanian conductor, Maestro Vytautas Marijosius, music director of the Lithuanian State Opera, and for nearly thirty-five years Director of Orchestral Activities at the Hartt School of Music of the University of Hartford. The Prize recognizes and rewards the best achievement in the unique field of orchestral programming, where the selection of repertoire by knowledgeable, creative and courageous music directors builds orchestras and audiences, educates young people and adults, and enriches the community.
The American Prize National Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts is the nation's most comprehensive series of contests in the performing arts. The American Prize is unique in scope and structure, designed to recognize and reward the best performing artists, directors, ensembles and composers in the United States at professional, college/university, community and high school levels, based on submitted recordings. Now in its fifteenth year, The American Prize was founded in 2010 and is awarded annually in many areas of the performing arts. Thousands of artists from all fifty states have derived benefit from their participation in the contests of The American Prize, representing literally hundreds of communities and arts organizations across the nation. Information about the 2025-26 season of contests has been updated on the website and applications are now being accepted, with extended deadlines in September and October. (http://theamericanprize.org)
The American Prize in Orchestral Programming—Vytautas Marijosius Memorial Award (professional division), 2025
The American Prize winner:
Brian Stone
Santa Monica CA
Westside Chamber Orchestra
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| Brian Stone |
Prize-winning conductor and award-winning teacher Brian Stone has worked both in the opera pit and on the concert stage with professional orchestras in ten different states and three countries, as well as students at eight colleges, and the All-State Honor Orchestras of Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Southern California, to both public and institutional acclaim. As a young conductor, Brian was chosen to conduct in the League of American Orchestras’ Bruno Walter National Conductor Preview with the Utah Symphony, The Festival at Sandpoint’s Young Conductor Showcase with the Spokane Symphony. In 2008 he received the prestigious Jessie B. DuPont Award in Music Education. Stone is a graduate of Bennington College in Vermont and holds a Master of Music degree and a Doctorate in conducting from the Peabody Conservatory. He is the Music Director of the Westside Chamber Orchestra and the Santa Clarita Symphony in California.
2nd Place:
John Young Shik Concklin
Spartanburg SC
Spartanburg Philharmonic
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| John Young Shik Concklin |
John Young Shik Concklin is Music Director of the Spartanburg Philharmonic and Hendersonville Symphony Orchestra. He also serves as Conductor with the Atlanta Music Project, an El Sistema organization focused on social justice and music, and the Piedmont Chamber Orchestra, a mentoring orchestra for high school and collegiate musicians. John is a values forward leader who believes that there is a unique pathway to success for every musical organization in every community, large or small. He seeks to humanize the orchestral experience for audiences through story telling, relationship building, and nuanced culture shifts that make accessibility more inclusive. Organizations for which he has played a leadership role have seen unprecedented artistic growth, a steady increase in ticket sales, and an intangible lift in spirit that translates across the organization and community.
3rd Place:
Antoine T. Clark
Worthington OH
Worthington Chamber Orchestra
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| Antoine T. Clark |
Compelling interpretations, inventive performances, and an energetic stage presence are the hallmarks of American conductor Antoine T. Clark. He is the founding Artistic and Music Director of the Worthington Chamber Orchestra and former Associate Conductor of the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra. In 2022, Mr. Clark served as Cincinnati Symphony’s MAC Music Innovator. 2023-2024 season highlights include engagements with the South Carolina Philharmonic, Walla Walla Symphony, Lima Symphony Orchestra, Wheeling Symphony, and the Gateways Music Festival. He has guest conducted the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony, Richmond Symphony, Dayton Philharmonic, Chicago Sinfonietta, Vermont Symphony Orchestra, Symphony Tacoma, Elgin Symphony Orchestra, Opera Columbus, Spartanburg Philharmonic, the Chamber Orchestra of New York, and the Colour of Music Festival Chamber Orchestra. For his work with Chicago Sinfonietta leading the premiere of Joel Thompson’s “breathe/burn: an elegy” for cello and orchestra, the Chicago Tribune praised “Clark, who led from the podium with balletic poise.” https://www.antoinetclark.com/
The American Prize in Orchestral Programming—Vytautas Marijosius Memorial Award (college/university division), 2025
The American Prize winner:
Carolyn Watson
Kansas City MO
University of Illinois Symphony Orchestra
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| Carolyn Watson |
Carolyn Watson is Principal Guest Conductor of the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra, Music Director of the La Porte County Symphony Orchestra in Indiana and Director of Orchestras at the University of Illinois. Originally from Australia, she has been based in the United States since 2013 and has led performances with Amarillo Opera, Austin Symphony, Cape Symphony, Catskill Symphony, Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, Dallas Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Detroit Symphony Civic Orchestra, Kansas City Ballet, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, South Bend Symphony, St. Joseph Symphony, Traverse Symphony Orchestra and World Youth Symphony Orchestra. A major prizewinner at the 2012 Emmerich Kálmán International Operetta Conducting Competition in Budapest, notable European credits include Infektion!, a festival of modern theatre celebrating the works of John Cage at the Staatsoper Berlin and conducting musicians of the Berlin Philharmonic in Interaktion. Additional international conducting credits include the Brandenburger Symphoniker, BBC Concert Orchestra, Budapest Operetta Theatre, Bulgarian State Opera Bourgas, Duna Szimfonikus Budapest, North Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Kammerphilharmonie Graz, Kodály Philharmonia Debrecen, Mihail Jora Philharmonic Romania, Savaria Symphony Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and in Russia, the St. Petersburg Chamber Philharmonic. In Australia she has worked with the Barrier Reef Orchestra, Darwin Symphony, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, Melbourne Youth Orchestra, Monash Academy Orchestra, Sydney Symphony, Tasmania Discovery Orchestra and Willoughby Symphony. Carolyn holds a PhD in Performance (Conducting) from the University of Sydney. www.carolyn-watson.com
2nd Place:
Amy Gillingham Culligan
Cincinnati OH
Northern Kentucky Philharmonic Orchestra
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| Amy Gillingham Culligan |
Amy Gillingham Culligan currently serves as Director of Orchestras at Northern Kentucky University, where she is Associate Professor of Strings and holds the distinction of Corbett Endowed Principal of Strings. Dr. Culligan also serves as a collaborative conductor with the Los Angeles Youth Philharmonic Orchestra, score reader with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and holds board roles with multiple professional organizations. As a multi-faceted educator, conductor, and cellist, she strives to leverage her roles to advance, empower, and inspire others. She has obtained over $200,000 in grant awards for outreach and creative endeavors and received awards of distinction for her teaching, service, and creative projects. She enjoys regularly working with diverse artistic collaborators, has over fifty published and internationally distributed recordings, and is the author of the book Cultivating Perception. Dr. Culligan holds degrees from the North Carolina School of the Arts and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.
3rd Place (there was a tie):
Thomas Taylor Dickey
Oklahoma City OK
Oklahoma State University Symphony Orchestra
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| Thomas Taylor Dickey |
Second Prize Winner of the 2019 Mozart & Tchaikovsky International Conducting Competition, Dr. Thomas Dickey currently serves as the Director of Orchestral Studies at Oklahoma State University, where he conducts the OSU Symphony Orchestra and guides all aspects of the orchestra and graduate orchestral conducting programs. He concurrently serves as Music Director & Conductor of the OSU Youth Orchestra and Community Orchestras. Before his appointments in Oklahoma, he was the Director of Orchestral Activities at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and Music Director & Conductor of the Dubuque Symphony Youth Orchestra (IA). A native of Illinois, Dr. Dickey holds degrees from Eastern Illinois University, LSU, and the University of Georgia. He has worked with conductors such as Carl Topilow, Christopher Zimmerman, Daniel Lewis, Gustav Meier, and Diane Wittry, and further studied conducting in numerous workshops and master classes at the Prague Academy of Performing Arts, Cleveland Institute of Music, and Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, among others.
3rd Place (there was a tie):
Norman Gamboa
McAllen TX
UTRGV Symphony Orchestra
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| Norman Gamboa |
Norman Gamboa is Director of Orchestras at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and Music Director of the Sonoma County Philharmonic and the Rio Grande Youth Symphony. He has guest conducted throughout the Midwestern and Western United States as well as in Eastern Europe, Central and South America. Gamboa has led ballet and opera productions with Ballet Midwest, Aurora Dance Arts, Santa Rosa Dance Theater, Fiesta Colorado Dance Company, Rio Grande Valley Ballet, Topeka Opera Society, and Opera on Tap. He has also participated in international music festivals throughout Europe, Central and South America, the Caribbean, the U.S. and Canada. He served as Music Director of the Aurora Symphony and the Powder River Symphony, Director of Orchestras at Washburn University, Cover Conductor of the Topeka Symphony, Associate Conductor of the Las Vegas Music Festival, Assistant Conductor of the Waco Symphony and Conductor of the Waco Symphony Youth Orchestra. https://normangamboa.com
Finalist Honorable Mention:
Megan Maddaleno
Land O Lakes FL
University of Tampa Symphony Orchestra
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| Megan Maddaleno |
Megan Maddaleno is a Florida-based orchestral conductor, and newly appointed Director of Orchestral Activities and String Studies at The University of Tampa. Maddaleno previously served as the Director of Orchestral Activities at University of Wisconsin – Platteville, where she conducted collaborative events with local ballet troupes, faculty and guest soloists, and a department partnership performance of Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass. Past staged productions conducted include Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata at Coralville Center for the Performing Arts (2023), The 2022 University of Iowa Dance Gala, Adam Gwon’s musical String (2022), and her operatic conducting debut with the University of Iowa Opera Departments’ production of Three Decembers by contemporary American composer, Jake Heggie (2021). In recent years, Maddaleno was a Fellow with the Allentown Symphony Orchestra for their 2022-2023 season, and in May of 2024, Maddaleno returned to her native Southern Illinois as a Principal Guest Conductor for the Edwardsville Symphony’s season premiere.
The American Prize in Orchestral Programming—Vytautas Marijosius Memorial Award (community division), 2025
The American Prize winner:
Stephen Michael Smith
New York NY
Orchestra at Shelter Rock
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| Stephen Michael Smith |
Stephen Michael Smith is Music Director of The Orchestra at Shelter Rock in Manhasset, NY and is in his 20th season as Music Director of the Danbury Community Orchestra. He recently completed a 14 year tenure with the Symphonic Pops Orchestra of Long Island as its Music Director. Maestro Smith was chosen twice to participate in the International Northern Baltic Festival in St. Petersburg, Russia. During his tenures as Music Director/Conductor of the Shrewsbury Chorale and the Dalton Alumni Chorale, he prepared both institutions for their Carnegie Hall debuts with New York Grand Opera. Mr. Smith has taught at the University of Hawaii, Hartwick College, and the American Academy of Music. He previously held the positions of Executive Director of the San Francisco Opera Guild, Development Director of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Interim Director of the Merola Opera Program at San Francisco Opera.
2nd Place:
Phillip Lenberg
Ukiah CA
Ukiah Symphony Orchestra
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| Phillip Lenberg |
Phillip Lenberg is currently Music Director of the Ukiah Symphony Orchestra, and Professor of Music at Mendocino College. He has held previous teaching positions at San Francisco State University, the University of Nevada in Las Vegas, and the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. An award-winning educator, Phillip has premiered many new works from emerging composers. His own music has been performed by ensembles including Da Capo Chamber Ensemble, Left Coast Chamber Ensemble, and the California Orchestra Directors Association. Phillip received both his Master’s and Doctoral degrees in orchestral conducting from the University of Nevada in Las Vegas where he served as the Assistant Conductor of the Las Vegas Philharmonic and the Henderson Symphony Orchestra. Phillip pursued his bachelor’s degree in classical guitar and composition at the Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music and SUNY Stony Brook. philliplenberg.com
3rd Place (there was a tie):
Jim Kollias
Tustin CA
Beckman HS String Orchestra
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| Jim Kollias |
Jim Kollias is a Southern California based conductor with a professional & teaching career spanning 37 years. He has earned a reputation for his conducting versatility and musical leadership in diverse styles. Whether in the concert hall, in the orchestra pit, in a church choir loft, or even coming down the street with a marching band, Kollias feels equally at home. Most recently a Finalist Honorable Mention for the 2023 American Prize in Orchestra Conducting, an invitee to the inaugural 2023 Vienna Conducting Competition, and the 2022 Lake Como International Conducting Competition in Bellano, Italy. Kollias was also a prize winner for the American Prize in Conducting in 2021. Orchestras and bands have consistently received superior ratings under Mr. Kollias’ direction at music festivals and have performed a wide range of repertoire in Washington D.C., New York City (Carnegie Hall), and throughout California (Disney Hall, Segerstrom Hall).
3rd Place (there was a tie):
Ho-Yin Kwok
Cayuga NY
Mississippi Valley Orchestra
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| Ho-Yin Kwok |
Described by Classical Voice of North Carolina (CVNC) as an “impressive conductor...outstanding in his attention to detail and his command of the big picture” Hong Kong-born conductor Ho-Yin Kwok is a three-time winner of the American prize. He serves as Director of Orchestras at Ithaca College New York and also Artistic Director of Lake Superior Chamber Orchestra and Mississippi Valley Orchestra both in Minnesota. Kwok has guest conducted the New World Symphony (FL) Syracuse Orchestra (NY) Gwinnett Symphony Chamber Orchestra (GA) Arapahoe Philharmonic (CO) Eastern Festival Orchestra (NC) among other ensembles. Previously he served as Director of Orchestras at Eastern Kentucky University Assistant Conductor of the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra Assistant Conductor of Collegium Musicum Hong Kong Director of the Duluth Superior Youth Symphony Music Director of University of Minnesota Opera Theatre and Cover Conductor of Minnesota Orchestra.
Special Judges’ Citation: continuing growth in programming excellence
John B. Gordon
Round Rock TX
Williamson County Symphony Orchestra
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| John B. Gordon |
The Williamson County Symphony Orchestra was formed in 2002 with the mission of encouraging the general public to come listen to great music. The Orchestra consists of between 60 and 80 members, staffed almost entirely by volunteer musicians, into a near-professional level ensemble. The concert format that was instituted 22 years ago has a programming formula that brings in large to over-flow audiences. Under Director of Music John Gordon's leadership, the Orchestra continues to perform FREE "pops-styled" concerts with a mixture of music from the classical, both romantic & modern periods, movies & TV, contemporary, and religious genres of music and new compositions from Composer-in-Resident, Dr ML Daniels. The FREE concerts are pitched toward families, seniors, and the general public. The Orchestra performs a two-concert series four times a year - Fall, Christmas, Spring, & Outdoor - at venues across Williamson County plus one FREE concert for troops and families at Ft Hood.
John Gordon was a founding member of the Orchestra in February of 2002. He has served as Chairman (President) of the Board of Directors for 20 years and as Director of Music for the last five years. He has guided the music selection, selected venues, brought in Conductors, done some conducting, and assisted the Orchestra's musicians over the years while serving as First or Second Trumpet in performances.
Finalist Honorable Mention:
Wojciech Milewski
Summerville SC
Summerville Orchestra
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| Wojciech Milewski |
Serving the Lowcountry of South Carolina, the Summerville Orchestra is the epitome of community serving community. Originally founded in 2003 by a small group of musicians who wanted to play for the pure joy of it, the Summerville Orchestra has transformed into one of the largest community orchestras in the nation, programming full-scale professional repertoire while also being a “rogue traditionalist” by adding newer works, different works, and creating both a classical and non-classical music experience at each concert. Directed by Wojciech Milewski, the orchestra has blossomed into transforming the community it serves by adding five large concert performances, more than ten chamber performances, a ten-part adult educational series titled “Music Chats with Wojciech,” a podcast, live-streaming opportunities, and beginning in 2022 a new youth orchestra.
Conductor Wojciech Milewski is an energetic and dynamic presence on and off the podium. Recently recognized as one of Charleston’s “40 under 40” by the Charleston Regional Business Journal, he is a recent winner of the 2023 American Prize in Conducting, the 2019 HSO Harold Farberman Prize, and was a finalist in the 2019 Los Angeles Conducting Competition. He has collaborated with global artists such as Michael Chioldi, Jasmine Habersham, Ben Baker, Yuriy Bekker, Tuffus Zimbabwe, Cassie Pilgrim, Phillip Bush, and more. As a conductor, he is passionate about creating lively and interactive concert experiences, fostering community development, audience engagement and inclusion. The 2024-2025 season marks his conducting debut with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, and other recent performances include appearances with the Charleston Symphony Youth Orchestra, Henderson Symphony Orchestra, and the Lee County Orchestra (NC).
Congratulations!
