CCM Piano student wins second place at NFMC Competition
National Federation of Music Clubs recognizes Robert Brooks Carlson at Young Artist Competition
UC's College-Conservatory of Music is proud to share that one of its current master’s degree students, Robert Brooks Carlson, won second prize and $5,000 at the National Federation of Music Clubs (NFMC) Young Artist Competition. Carlson studies with CCM Associate Professor of Piano Soyeon Kate Lee, who was recognized earlier this year with UC’s Mrs. AB Dolly Cohen Award for Excellence in Teaching.
To qualify for this competition, instrumentalists must be between 18 and 30 years old and cannot have ever retained professional management. To compete, applicants submitted a 30-minute prescreening recording with all music memorized. The semifinals consisted of a 70-minute recorded recital, including at least one work by a composer from the United States. The final round was held in person, with judges hearing one 30-minute concerto performance from each competitor.
Carlson participated in CCM’s COVID Etude Project, in which he played Liszt’s Transcendental Études, No. 1, “Preludio,” and No. 2, “Fusées.” The three-part project includes the aforementioned Liszt études, as well as Debussy’s Twelve Études and Bolcom’s Twelve New Études, all performed by CCM students. You can visit the CCM’s YouTube channel to watch all of those performances.
Robert Brooks Carlson
Robert Brooks Carlson previously studied with Paulo Steinberg at James Madison University (JMU) in Harrisonburg, Virginia. He has been a past participant in the Saarburg International Chamber Music and Brevard Music Center Festivals and has received awards from various regional and national competitions – most recently, he was selected as the Alternate Winner for the MTNA Southeastern Division Young Artist 2019 competition. Carlson has worked extensively as a collaborative pianist at James Madison University, coached by Gabriel Dobner, within the studios of prominent artists such as Kevin McMillan, Carrie Stevens, and Beth Chandler. Originally from the small town of Rustburg, Virginia, Robert’s past teachers include Nicholas Ross and Emily Yap Chua. Robert has participated in masterclasses with renowned pianists such as Elisabeth Pridonoff, Michael Chertock, Asaf Zohar, Jean-Louis Haguenauer, and Jeremy Denk.
Since its founding in 1898, the NFMC has grown into one of the world’s largest music organizations with club and individual members of all ages. The NFMC is chartered by the Congress of the United States and is the only music organization member of the United Nations.
NFMC provides opportunities for musical study, performance and appreciation to more than 121,000 senior, student and junior members in 5,200 music-related clubs and organizations nationwide. Members are professional and amateur musicians, vocalists, composers, dancers, performing artists, arts and music educators, music students, generous music patrons and benefactors, and music lovers of all ages.
Dedicated to finding and fostering young musical talent, the NFMC conducts annual Junior Festivals with approximately 100,000 participants. NFMC offers more than three quarters of a million dollars in state and national competitions, including four $20,000 biennial Young Artist awards, and the $20,000 Ellis Award for Duo-Pianists. The Young Artist and Ellis Duo Piano awards include two years of performance bookings.
Alexandra Doyle
CCM Graduate Assistant , Marketing + Communications
Alexandra Doyle is a doctoral candidate studying clarinet performance at CCM. Alexandra’s master’s degree is also from CCM, and she holds bachelor’s degrees in clarinet performance and journalism from the University of Houston.
Related Stories
Sugar overload killing hearts
November 10, 2025
Two in five people will be told they have diabetes during their lifetime. And people who have diabetes are twice as likely to develop heart disease. One of the deadliest dangers? Diabetic cardiomyopathy. But groundbreaking University of Cincinnati research hopes to stop and even reverse the damage before it’s too late.
App turns smartwatch into detector of structural heart disease
November 10, 2025
An app that uses an AI model to read a single-lead ECG from a smartwatch can detect structural heart disease, researchers reported at the 2025 Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association. Although the technology requires further validation, researchers said it could help improve the identification of patients with heart failure, valvular conditions and left ventricular hypertrophy before they become symptomatic, which could improve the prognosis for people with these conditions.
Duo authentication changes coming January 2026
November 10, 2025
Effective Wednesday, January 21, 2026, Duo authentication via SMS text messages and phone calls will no longer be supported. Switch to the Duo Mobile app on an iOS or Android device (such as a smartphone or tablet). The Duo Mobile app supports Duo Push, which offers the most secure and user-friendly authentication experience.