17-year-old North Kingstown student wins music competition

Music on the Hill is pleased to announce the winners of its third annual scholarship for Rhode Island's young classical musicians. The winner of the $400 first prize is pianist Jack Paiva, 17, of North Kingstown. A junior at The Prout School in Wakefield, Jack studies with Nonetta Shatakhtsian at the Rhode Island Philharmonic Music School, where he also participates in the chamber music program.

Jack will perform in the June 8 concert at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church during Music on the Hill’s 2025 chamber music festival, May 28 – June 10.

Providence pianist Israel Alvarez, 16, earned the second prize of $200. Israel attends Achievement First Providence High School and studies with Gideon Rubin at the Rhode Island Philharmonic Music School. Two musicians earned Honorable Mention prizes of $100: Ava Durfey, 18, a flutist at East Greenwich High School, and Alejandro Quintero Cashore, 17, a cellist at Bishop Hendricken High School.

Awards support musical study, disbursed to students’ teachers or program fees. Dozens of young Rhode Island musicians applied: pianists; string, wind, and brass players; and vocalists, ages 13-18.

Jack William Paiva began piano studies with Nonetta Shatakhtsian at age six at the Rhode Island Philharmonic Music School. He has earned a gold medal each year in the Rhode Island Music Educators Association (RIMEA) Solo and Ensemble Competition since the third grade and was selected to perform in the Honors Concerts in 2023 and 2024. Last year, Jack placed in the American Protege Competition for Romantic Music and performed in the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. A junior attending The Prout School in Wakefield, RI, Jack has performed with the string orchestra, choir, and jazz ensembles and served as the pianist for the theater department. He has performed at nursing homes, churches, and in virtual recitals during the Covid-19 lock-down. Jack is involved in the chamber music program at the Rhode Island Philharmonic Music School where he currently is part of a piano quartet. In addition, he is a member and treasurer for the Chopin Club in Providence, where he frequently performs. Jack enjoys competitive tennis and has been a member of the Prout Varsity Tennis team since his freshman year.

About Music on the Hill:

2025’s Festival offers seven concerts in East Greenwich, Cranston, and Warwick, May 28 – June 10, with details to be announced shortly. Since 2008, Music on the Hill has welcomed thousands of chamber music lovers to a June festival of concerts across Rhode Island, from our hometown of East Greenwich to Providence, North Providence, Warwick, Cranston, Jamestown, Wickford, Westerly and more. Our ensemble includes professional musicians native to Rhode Island with international careers, as well as their friends and colleagues who have come to see Rhode Island as their home away from home, with many returning to the Ocean State each summer. Music on the Hill’s adventurous programs combine highlights of chamber music repertoire with less familiar gems. Concerts are offered in intimate venues where the audience sits up close to the action. Musicians play in a variety of ensembles in multiple concerts. Annual education programs include a youth scholarship competition and a concert for elementary school students. Music on the Hill’s festival is made possible by support from The Carter Family Charitable Trust and Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, through an appropriation by the Rhode Island General Assembly, a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, and individual donors. www.musiconthehillRI.org