July 31, 2026 For Immediate Release
Contact: Susan Barbash, Competition Coordinator
516-639-8575 info@jsbachcompetition.org
The Lillian and Maurice Barbash J.S. Bach Competition announces five finalists.
Selected from a field of 102 applicants from the world over, the finalists of the 2026 Lillian and Maurice Barbash J.S. Bach Competition are:
Leah Amory, violin – United States
Peter Eom, cello – United States
Emrik Revermann, violin – Canada
Alessandra Yang, viola – United States
Yebin Yoo, violin – South Korea
The Finals will be held at Stony Brook University’s Staller Center Recital Hall at 1:00 pm on Thursday, October 15, 2026 and will be streamed live on the Violin Channel.
Members of the 2026 Jury: Julie Andrijeski, baroque violin; Nicholas Cords, viola;
Hye-Jin Kim, violin; Colin Carr, cello; Arthur Haas, harpsichord
In addition to receiving a cash award of $10,000, the Grand Prize Winner will perform as the featured soloist at the Island Symphony Orchestra Bach Festival on Sunday, January 23, 2028 in Bay Shore, New York.
The Grand Prize Winner will also receive paid engagements with the following performing groups on dates to be determined by mutual agreement.
American Classical Orchestra
Washington Bach Consort
Amor Artis
GEMS (Gotham Early Music Scene)
The Bach Choir of Bethlehem
The Second Place Winner will receive a cash prize of $2,500.
The Lillian and Maurice Barbash J.S. Bach Competition was established in 2019 to honor the memory of music philanthropists Lillian and Maurice Barbash. Previous winners include baroque violinist Rachel Ellen Wong (the first baroque artist to receive an Avery Fisher Career Grant), and Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center Bowers Program Artists Lun Li, violin, Nina Bernat, bass, and Tianyou Ma, violin. The 2025 winner was baroque violinist Danqi Zeng.