Blue Lake’s founder and president emeritus, Fritz Stansell, has passed away at the age of 92. Fritz Stansell was also one of the original founders of the Falcone Festival and had an incredible impact on the music world. We are deeply saddened to learn of his passing. Our most sincere condolences to the Stansell family and BLFAC community during these difficult times. He leaves a legacy that will forever inspire our mission and vision. Thank you, Mr. Stansell. Ars longa, vita brevis. Semi-Finalists and Alternates for 2023 Falcone Festival
NOTES:
For all who applied for the 2023 competition: If you do not receive notification via email by the end of May 4, please contact the Applications Team with your name and division included. Please check your spam folder first.
For Semi-Finalists and Alternates: please send any corrections to the Applications Team
Euphonium Artist | Tuba Artist | Euphonium Student | Tuba Student
# Unable to compete ✓ Will compete * may be semifinalist in one division only
Euphonium Artist Semi-Finalists (in alphabetical order)
| Name | Hometown | School/University | Teacher(s) |
| Hunter Bellows | Austin, TX, USA | Baylor University | Dr. Kent Eshelman; Brett Blackstone |
| Naoki Fujimoto | Tokushima, Japan | le Pôle d'Enseignement Supérieur de Musique et de Danse | Atsutaro Mizunaka |
| Anthony Gonzalez | Rio Grande City, TX, USA | The University of Texas at Austin | Charles Villarrubia; Dr. Matthew Hightower; Dr. Alex Avila; Dr. Jesse Orth |
| Michael Dakota Kelso | Senatobia, MS, USA | University of Central Arkansas | Dr. Gail Robertson; Dr. Micah Everett; Jeff Triplett |
| Yurika Kotani | Tokushima, Japan | Aichi University of the Arts | Kaoru Tsuyuki; Takanori Miyake |
| Zachary Leinberger | Fayetteville, GA, USA | Duquesne University | Dr. James Gourlay; Dr. Paul Dickinson; Jason Casanova |
| Sam McHenry | Enterprise, AL, USA | University of Central Arkansas | Dr. Gail Robertson; Dr. Robert Pendergast; Dr. Jason Sulliman; Mike Mason |
| William Rachko | Havertown, PA, USA | Duquesne University | Dr.James Gourlay; Jonathan Fowler; Alex Gittelman |
| Andrew Sallee | Bloomington, IN, USA | Indiana University Jacobs School of Music | Dr. Demondrae Thurman; Carl Lenthe; Joseph Alvarez; Jay Hunsberger |
| Tommy Vo | Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada | University of North Texas | Dr. David Childs; Dr. Brian Bowman; Peder MacLellan |
Euphonium Artist Alternates (in this order)
| Name | Hometown | School/University | Teacher(s) |
| Nathan Meyers | Pittsburgh, PA, USA | Duquesne University | Dr. James Gourlay; Dr. Brian Bowman; Dr. David Childs |
| Justin Weis | Franklin, WI, USA | University of North Texas | Dr. David Childs; Dr. Brian Bowman; John Mueller; John Tuinstra |
| Phillip Marion | Philadelphia, PA, USA | James Madison University, Temple University, University of North Texas | Kevin Stees; Jay Krush; Dr. Brian Bowman |
Tuba Artist Semi-Finalists (in alphabetical order)
| Name | Hometown | School/University | Teacher(s) |
| Jorge Gauvin Caraballo | Eustis, FL, USA | Valdosta State University | Dr. Brandon Smith; Ryan Sorenson |
| Ben Kauffman | Pearland, TX, USA | Rutgers University | Alan Baer; Dr. Kent Eshelman; Dr. Aaron Tindall; Dave Kirk |
| Connor Korioth | Austin, TX, USA | University of Texas at Austin | Charles Villarrubia; Dr. Clay Garrett; Richard Murrow |
| Benjamin Liberti | Orlando, FL, USA | University of Miami | Aaron Tindall; Alan Baer; Aaron Vanderweele |
| Blake Lile | Benton, KY, USA | University of North Texas | Don Little; Matt Good; Dr. Ryan Robinson; Dr. Todd French |
| Kaho Manome | Ibaraki-ken, North Kanto, Japan | Aichi University of the Arts | Yuto Hayashi; Jun Miyanishi |
| Daniel Oczko | Mount Prospect, IL, USA | University of Miami | Aaron Tindall; Josh Wirt |
| # Xan Perkins | Derby, KS, USA | Washington State University | Dr. Chris Dickey; Dr. Jason Byrnes; Sam Pilafian; Dr. Steven Maxwell |
| Charley Pollard | Malibu, CA, USA | University of Miami | Aaron Tindall; Blake Cooper |
| # Ryan Sorenson | Dallas, GA, USA | Florida State University | Dr. Justin Benavidez; Rex Martin; Jay Hunsberger |
Tuba Artist Alternates (in this order)
| Name | Hometown | School/University | Teacher(s) |
| ✓ Ally Hansen | Mount Horeb, WI, USA | University of Michigan | David Zerkel; Mike Forbes |
| # Jonas Lowe | Austin, TX, USA | University of Texas at Austin | Charles Villarrubia |
| # Eddie Gonzalez | El Paso, TX, USA | Oklahoma State University | Ryan Robinson; Donald Little; Matt Good; Jeff Baker |
Euphonium Student Semi-Finalists (in alphabetical order)
| Name | Hometown | School/University | Teacher(s) |
| Caleb J Alexander | San Antonio, TX, USA | Louis D. Brandeis High School | Dr. Matthew Mireles; Michael Brumbaugh |
| John Chow | Denton, TX, USA | University of North Texas | Dr. David Childs; Jason Casanova; Dr. Demondrae Thurman; Bernard Flythe |
| Coda Ethridge | Pontotoc, MS, USA | University of Mississippi | Dr. Micah Everett; Randy Dale; Sarah Todd |
| Anthony Genevro | Stillwater, OK, USA | Oklahoma State University | Ryan Robinson; Stephen Haddad; John Feeny |
| Miguel Gonzales | Pearland, TX, USA | University of Texas at Austin | Charles Villarrubia; Jeff Homick |
| # Brett Strange | Rockwall, TX, USA | Texas A&M University - Commerce | Dr. Jeff Baker |
Euphonium Student Alternates (in this order)
| Name | Hometown | School/University | Teacher(s) |
| ✓ Nathaniel Spence | Rogersville, TN, USA | Tennessee Tech University | Dr. Preston Light; Jimmy Self; Nick Fisher; Brandon Linkous |
| Campbell Byrd | Perkins, OK, USA | Oklahoma State University | Dr. Ryan Robinson |
| Candice Neel | Moore, OK, USA | University of Oklahoma | Brian Dobbins |
Tuba Student Semi-Finalists (in alphabetical order)
| Name | Hometown | School/University | Teacher(s) |
| Moses Bannister | Charleston, SC, USA | University of Georgia | Dr. Matthew Shipes; Dr. Justin Clarkson; Stephen Spalding |
| Mitch Brady | Raleigh, NC, USA | Boston University | Mike Roylance |
| # Rebecca Hirschfeld | Mountain Lakes, NJ, USA | Juilliard Pre-College, Mountain Lakes High School | Andrew Bove |
| Samuel Hernández Imbernón | Torrevieja, Alicante, Spain | Superior Conservatory Óscar Esplá of Alicante | Vicente Lopez Velasco; Sergio Finca Quirós; José López Sánchez; Daniel Llos Pearrocha |
| Charlie Nelson | Jacksonville, FL, USA | Douglas Anderson School of the Arts | Bernard Flythe; James Jenkins; Paul E Weikle; Jim Daniel |
| Andrew Prather | Elmhurst, IL, USA | York Community High School | Josh Wirt |
Tuba Student Alternates (in this order)
| Name | Hometown | School/University | Teacher(s) |
| # Tyler Lane | Grapevine, TX, USA | Boston University | Mike Roylance; Ed Jones |
| ✓ David Horn | Livingston, NJ, USA | Livingston High School | Andrew Bove; Kyle Turner; Carl DellaPeruti |
| Zach Larakers | Wheaton, IL, USA | Wheaton North High School | Kent Krause; Josh Wirt |
