William Winstead Wind Playing Competition

The competition for the William Winstead Prize for Artistry in Wind Playing is made possible by a bequest from the estate of William Winstead and will be open to undergraduate and graduate music performance majors in flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and horn. CCM's five wind studios may nominate up to three musicians to participate in a video submission round; the deadline for submissions is January 15, 2022. A jury of three professional wind players will select finalists to perform in the final round on April 24, 2022. One winner will be selected to receive a $2,000 cash prize. Additionally, there will be a $1,000 prize awarded to an outstanding collaborative pianist. The panel of judges also have the option of awarding an honorable mention winner for a prize of $1,000. "Jennifer Monroe and I are very pleased that CCM is embarking on this dynamic way to remember our friend and teacher, William Winstead,” says CCM Bassoon Instructor Martin Garcia. “As a bassoonist, composer, pianist, sometimes harpist and occasional singer, Bill's musical interests were deep and varied.” “As his former students, it was a delight to sit alongside him in the Cincinnati Symphony week after week and hear his imaginative interpretations of the symphonic repertoire. Due to his probing musical intellect and associations with musicians like Rudolf Serkin and Pablo Casals, his impact on the sound of the musical culture of Cincinnati and CCM was profound. It is fitting that a competition for artistry in wind playing should be named after him and we are grateful to Dean Romanstein for his support." The competition will be offered annually to support the studies of exceptional wind players and perpetuate Winstead’s memory.