EVANSTON – Freshman Richard Narroway, a cello student of Hans Jorgen Jensen, has been named the top prize winner in the Stulberg International String Competition. The recipient of the Burdick-Thorne Gold Medal, Narroway receives a $5,000 cash award and will perform as a soloist with the Grand Rapids Symphony Orchestra. He also earned the Bach Award for his outstanding performance of Bach’s Prelude to Cello Suite No. 6 in D Major in the semi-final round of the competition. Narroway was chosen for the top prize from an international field of 96 applicants between the ages of 11 and 19. The competition took place on February 27 in the Dorothy U. Dalton Hall on the campus of Western Michigan University.

The Stulberg International String Competition was established in 1975 for the purpose of providing a nurturing atmosphere for young talent. Past Gold Medal winners include Joshua Bell, concert violinist; Sheryl Staples, Principal Associate Concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic; Ivan Chan, first violinist of the Miami Quartet; and Cathy Basrak, Assistant Principal Viola of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Principal Viola of the Boston Pops. For more information, visitwww.stulberg.org.