Lapin Competition

The Lapin Competition, named in honor of former CMCB Executive Director David Lapin, is an annual CMS event where solo students will perform their studied instrument and compete for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prizes. Our 2024 Competition will take place over the following dates:

• Preliminary Round: Thursday, April 4, from 5:00-8:00 PM (performers/families only)

• Final Round: Saturday, April 6th, from 9:00 AM-1:00 PM (open to the public)

The competition is open to all students currently enrolled in CMCB programming at the time of the competition.

• Junior Division: 9th Grade and younger

• Senior Division: 12th Grade and younger

The deadline to register for the 2024 Lapin Competition has now closed.

Preliminary Judges (2024)

Camden Ward

Olayemi Ogundola

Minjing Zhang

Finals Judges (2024)

Isaac Erb

Isaac Erb is a bassoonist and New Hampshire native who travels New England performing with orchestral and chamber ensembles. He is a graduate of The Peabody Institute, Boston University, and The Boston Conservatory. Isaac was a semifinalist in the Boston Woodwind Society’s first Matthew Ruggiero International Bassoon Competition in 2016, and was a member of woodwind quintet Hathor Winds, with whom he played twice in the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. He is a member of the Boston Festival Orchestra, which will be having an exciting 4th season this July. Most recently, he has enjoyed playing with the Vista Philharmonic Orchestra, New Bedford Symphony, Cape Cod Symphony, Emmanuel Music, and Lexington Symphony. Isaac is also an animal lover and works at a veterinary clinic; he does it all for his dog and cat, Presley and Norman.

Jonathan Roberts

Pianist Jonathan Roberts, is a multifaceted musician whose work spans a broad spectrum of the music world. He is the founder and director of the South Shore Piano School in Quincy, MA, which serves over 320 students with ten faculty members. In addition, he serves as the president of the Massachusetts Music Teachers Association, and an examiner for the Royal Conservatory of Music. 

 Jonathan holds the doctor of musical arts degree in piano performance from the University of Alabama, Master of Music Degree in piano performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music, and two bachelors degrees in music education and piano performance from the Universtiy of New Hampshire. Jonathan’s primary teachers and mentors include Arlene Kies, Kathryn Brown, and Noel Engebretson.

 A passionate educator, Jonathan has presented at conferences for the Music Teachers National Association, Utah Music Teachers Association, Arizona Music Teachers Association, and Alabama Music Teachers Association. In addition, he has served as the keyboardist for Quincy Point Congregational Church since 2014. Prior to founding South Shore Piano School, Jonathan was on the faculty of the South Shore Conservatory, serving as the chair of the piano department from 2016-2018.

Fred C. VanNess, Jr. 

Tenor Fred C. VanNess, Jr. performs a wide variety of repertoire on stages across New England. Praised for his “superb talent” and “gorgeous vocals”, Mr. VanNess has appeared as Paris in Boston Lyric Opera’s production of Romeo and Juliet and Russell Davenport in Dan Shore’s acclaimed opera Freedom Ride presented in a co-production by MASSOpera and Chicago Opera Theater and numerous other productions throughout New England. Mr. VanNess is a Boston Lyric Opera Jane and Steven Akin Emerging Artists where he covered the title role of Omar and sang the roles of Amadu and Renty in Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels new opera Omar in a new co-production by Boston Lyric Opera with Spoleto Festival USA, L.A. Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago and San Francisco Opera. This season Mr. VanNess will cover the role of Colin in The Anonymous Lover by Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-George.

An avid concert performer, Mr. VanNess has appeared with Castle of our Skins, an organization dedicated to celebrating Black artistry through music. With Castle of our Skins, he has performed the tenor solos in the world premiere of Samuel Beebe’s Remember the Sea alongside various solos in their Night Songs concert. Recently, he appeared as the tenor quartet soloist in the world premiere of Geoffrey Gibbs’ Tide Flowers with University of Rhode Island Artist Series and was featured in a number of solo recitals with Lake Charles Symphony, Salem Philharmonic, and in an invite-only VIP performance at Coushatta Casino Resort. Mr. VanNess has also delighted audiences for the past several seasons as featured soloist in Reagle Music Theatre’s Christmas Time program. The Sleepless Critic praised his “superb talent” and “gorgeous vocals” in a recent review. Other notable appearances include tenor soloist in Haydn’s Schöpfungsmesse with Concord Chorale, Handel’s Judas Maccabeus with Handel by Candlelight, and Handel’s Messiah with Tremont Baptist Church.

2023 Winners

CMCB is proud to announce the names of the students who placed in the 2023 Lapin Competition!

Junior Division Winners

• 1st Place – Yongqiao, piano
• 2nd Place – Owen, piano
• 3rd Place – TIE: Molly, voice and Maya, piano

Senior Division Winners

• 1st Place – William, piano
• 2nd Place – TIE: JeanCaleb, viola and Jethro, piano

Congratulations to all of the contestants and teachers on their hard work with their students this year! Thanks to our three Finals Judges for their hard work on Competition Day: DeShaun Gordon-King, Miki Sawada, and Daniel Dona along with our Preliminary Round Judges: Kavita Shankar, Brenda Herrera, and Vinh Pham.