Marianne Liberatore Instrumental Competition

Honoring Legacy, Recognizing Excellence

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Three young girls in formal dresses, one sitting at a grand piano and two standing beside it, in a room with wooden paneling and an American flag.

Each year, the Marianne Liberatore Instrumental Competition invites advanced young musicians to rise to the occasion—sharing their artistry through two dynamic rounds: video submission and live performance. Winners receive a cash prize and the honor of performing in a special concert that celebrates virtuosity and the transformative power of music.

More than a competition, this event is a tribute to Marianne Liberatore’s enduring legacy. As founder of Music for Youth, Marianne brought professionally performed classical music into the lives of countless young people across Fairfield County.

Today, her vision lives on in every note played, every student inspired, and every audience moved. The competition continues her mission: to nurture talent, build confidence, and keep the gift of music thriving in our community.

Man with curly hair and glasses sitting at a piano, wearing a blue blazer and white shirt, smiling indoors.

Andrew Maskoff, 2025 First Place Winner

Andrew Maskoff, age 18, is the first place winner of Music for Youth’s 2025 Marianne Liberatore Instrumental Competition. He is currently a senior at Staples High School in Westport, CT and has been playing piano since the age of five under the tutelage of teacher and pianist Tatiana Pikayzen. Andrew is a winner of many piano competitions, locally and nationally, including CSMTA, Schubert Club Awards, Deborah Kahan, Rondo Vanguard, Deborah Kahan and Concert Festival. His other musical passions include composing—primarily for choir and chamber orchestra—and conducting. At Staples High School, he plays piano in a jazz ensemble and has served as assistant music director for multiple school musical theater productions—some of which he played in the pit orchestra for. He also plays piano at his synagogue for weekly Shabbat services and performs at their special events. Andrew will be attending the Cleveland Institute of Music this fall, pursuing a Bachelor's Degree of Music in piano performance.

Past Winners of the Marianne Liberatore Instrumental Competition

  • Andrew Maskoff, piano

    Sonata no 11 in B flat major, Op 22, by Ludwig van Beethoven
    I. Allegro con brio
    Barcarolle in F sharp major, Op 60. by Frédéric Chopin

    Noah Richer, guitar

    Capricho Diabolico by Mario Castelnuovo Tedesco
    Fuocco by Roland Dyens

  • Beatrice Low, violin

    Violin Concerto No. 2. in G minor by Sergei Prokofiev
    I. Allegro moderato
    Violin Sonata No. 1 in G minor by Johann Sebastian Bach
    IV. Presto

    Harry Tao, cello

    Cello Suite No 3 in C major by Johann Sebastian Bach
    I. Prelude
    Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85 by Edward Elgar
    IV. Allegro

    Mia Gribbon, clarinet; Alexis Zingale, piano

    Hommage à Manuel de Falla by Béla Kovács
    Clarinet Concerto No. 1 in F minor by Carl Maria con Weber
    III. Rondo

  • Andrei Orasanu, guitar

    La Catedral by Augustin Barrios Mangoré
    Libra Sonatine by Roland Dyens

    Caleb Sharp, cello

    Sonata for Solo Cello by George Crumb  
    I. Fantasia
    Variations on a Rococo Theme, Var.1,2,3 and 7 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

    Jesse Balkcom, guitar

    BWV 998 by J.S. Bach 
    Allegro
    Asturias by Isaac Albeniz

  • Katherine Wang, piano

    Sonata in C major, Hob XVI:50 by Joseph Haydn 
    I. Allegro
    Theme and Variations in F major, Op. 19, No. 6 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

    Angela Kapikian, violin

    Concerto, D minor by Aram Khachaturian
    I. Allegro con fermezza 
    Caprice No. 1 by Polina Nazaykinskaya

    Gia Lin, violin

    Romance No. 2 in F Major by Ludwig van Beethoven
    Violin Concerto No. 2 in D Minor by Henryk Wieniawski 
    III. Allegro con fuoco

  • Wujin Kim, cello

    Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104 by Antonin Dvořák
    I. Allegro
    Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major by Johann Sebastian Bach
    Prelude

    Gerald Kim, violin

    Polonaise Brillante in D Major Op. 4 by Henryk Wieniawski
    Sonata for Solo Violin, Op. 27, No. 2 by Eugene Ysaÿe

    Avery Duer, piano

    Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue in D minor, BWV 903 by Johann Sebastian Bach
    Etudes Tableaux, Op. 39, No. 1 by Sergei Rachmaninoff