International Whistlers Convention

The International Whistlers Convention was an international competition for whistlers that originated from a folk festival in Louisburg, North Carolina. It was started in 1980 as the National Whistlers Convention, the first whistling convention in the world. Although mostly held in Louisburg, the convention was occasionally held in Japan and China. In addition to competitions, the convention also inducted individuals into the Whistlers Hall of Fame in addition to competitions. The convention was featured in the documentary Pucker Up: The Fine Art of Whistling. The last International Whistlers Convention was held in Louisburg in 2013. In 2016, the Japanese Whistling Confederation started a successor event, the biennial World Whistlers Convention.

History

Origins

The Franklin County and Louisburg College Folk Festival was founded in 1970 by Louis de Hart to celebrate traditional music, dance, and crafts of the American southeast. ^{[1] [2]} The festival was held at Louisburg College in Louisburg, North Carolina. ^[3] For the original composition competition at the 1974 festival, Darrell Williams from Durham, North Carolina whistled his original composition of “Little River Blues” instead of singing; he won the category that year and again in 1975, whistling. ^{[4] [2] [3]}

In 1976, de Hart added a separate whistling competition to the festival; ^[5] this was the start of the Whistling Contest. ^{[4] [3]} Later, the whistling competition was split from the fall folk festival and became an annual spring event. ^[5] It was the first whistling convention in the world. ^[6]

National Whistling Convention

By 1980. the event's new sponsor was the Franklin County Arts Council; the council was established by de Hart who served as its executive director. ^{[7] [8]} The name of the event was changed to the National Whistlers Convention (NWC) in 1980; a name that was trademarked. ^{[7] [2]} The NWC received funding from the North Carolina Arts Council. ^[9] Judges for the competition consisted of professional musicians, professors of musical theory, and music composers; different judges were used each year to eliminate any advantage for prior winners. ^{[10] [5]}

Starting in 1981, distinguished guest whistlers were invited to the NWC where they performed and conducted workshops. The guest whistlers for 1982 were In Carlin Morton of Fort Myers Beach, Florida; Fred Newman of New York City; Jason Serinus of San Francisco, California who was noted as the "voice" of Woodstock in Peanuts! cartoons, and Maury York of Greenville, North Carolina. ^[7]

In 1981 and 1982, the NWC was held in the Franklin County Courthouse in Louisburg. ^[4] The event included the whistling contest, a concert with guest whistlers, and the Whistling Museum. ^[4] In addition to the musical competition, awards were also given for bird calls, animal sources, and the loudest whistle. ^[4] The grand champion for both years was Tobe Sherrill, a student from Greensboro, North Carolina. ^[4] In 1983, the NWC expanded from two days to four days. ^[2] This allowed it to include seminars, a banquet, and exhibitions. ^[8] It became a tradition for the grand champion to perform on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. ^[11]

In 1984, a new competition category for children twelve years old and under was added to the NWC. ^{[12] [13]} Amy Rose of Louisburg was the first children's champion. ^[12] She was the children's champion again in 1985 and received national publicity, including performing on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. ^[12] She went on to become the teen champion in later years. ^[14]

In 1989 and 1990, 3,000 people participated in the preliminary round of the NWC. ^{[3] [15]} Each contestant was required to perform both a classical and popular piece. ^[3] Contestants competed in the preliminary round by submitting a tape. ^[16] Those performers were cut to 40 who would compete during the IWC. ^[15] The NWC ruled that grand champions had to take a year off after two wins in a row. ^{[3] [17] [18]} In 1990, it became a tradition for the grand champion to perform on Late Night with David Letterman . ^[19]  In 1996, the NWC began selecting both male and female grand champions. ^[20]

International Whistlers Convention

In 1997, the National Grand Champion award was changed to the International Grand Champion, changing the event to the International Whistlers Convention (IWC). ^[20] Its first grand champion was Desgagne. ^[20] Changes in 1998 included expanded to two days and an evening of competition, requiring the competitors to prepare as many as eight songs instead of the usual two songs. ^[20]

In 2000, more of the competitors were professional whistlers. ^[16] The main competition divisions were adult, teen, child, and allied arts. ^{[16] [9]} Allied arts included people who whistled with their fingers or through ventriloquism. ^[16] One reporter described the IWC: "The sounds that pour forth from the whistlers are astonishing; cascading warbles, bell tones, tremolos and trills, syncopated crescendos, octaves of excitement." ^[21]

During the 2001 convention, David Heilbroner and Katie Davis filmed the documentary Pucker Up: The Fine Art of Whistling . ^{[22] [23] [24]} By 2003, a newspaper reporter noted, "Louisburg has pulled off a neat trick of civic identity. It has created an annual event that is odd enough to attract wide attention, yet serious enough to be treated respectfully." ^[25]

After the 2005 IWC, Franklin County Arts Council realized that it needed to plan for the increasing number of contestants and crowds, including expanded spaces and additional funding for the IWC. ^[20] As a result, there was not an IWC in 2006. ^[26]

When the IWC returned in 2007, it had record numbers of competitors and audience members. ^[20] In 2008, the 35th IWC was held in Japan. ^[27] The Japan Whistlers' Federation hosted the event with the assistance of the Franklin County Arts Council. ^{[28] [20]} The IWC returned to Louisburg in 2009, where it set a record for the number of participants and drew participants from Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, North America, and South America. ^[29] The 37th IWC was held in China in 2010 and was sponsored by the Qingdao Whistling Institute of China, against setting records for the number of participants and audience. ^{[20] [27]}

The Franklin County Arts Council board of directors voted to discontinue its sponsorship of the IWC in the spring of 2010. ^[20] Louisburg was declared the permanent home of the IWC in 2012. ^[1] That year, the IWC was sponsored by the Franklin County Historical Society. ^[20] The society formed the Franklin County IWC (FCIWC), a special committee that was supposed to transition into an independent organization responsible for the IWC. ^[20] Patricia Howell replaced de Hart as the director of the IWC. ^[1] However, the FCIWC went defunct on July 24, 2012. ^[20] The historical society again sponsored the IWC for 2013, the 40th anniversary of the whistling contest. ^[20] This was the last IWC hosted in Louisburg. ^[6] A 41st IWC was held on April 6, 2014, after which the historical society ceased to be the sponsor of the event. ^[30]

World Whistlers Convention

The Japanese Whistling Confederation started the World Whistlers Convention (WWC) in 2016 as a successor to the International Whistlers Convention. ^[31] WWC is held in Kawasaki, Kanagawa every two years. ^[31] It has adopted the numbering system from the IWC, calling its 2024 event the "46th World Whistlers Convention". ^[32] However, a quote from de Hart on the WWC website, clearly indicates that the WWC was a new event, not a transfer of the IWC operation. ^[31]

National Whistlers Museum

De Hart founded the National Whistlers Museum which opened in 1981. ^[7] It maintained a collection of recordings, memorabilia, and some 300 whistles. ^{[7] [4] [33]} The museum housed the Whilsters Hall of Fame Awards. ^[9] It organized displays for the NWC. ^[4]

Hall of Fame

The Whistlers Hall of Fame Award was introduced at the 13th annual National Whistling Convention in 1986. ^[20] Its first inductee was Agnes Woodward, founder of the California School of Artistic Whistling. ^{[20] [34]}

The Hall of Fame Award was given to a living or deceased whistler with "a history of achievement in the art of whistling with long-range efforts and success in promotion and production of performances, and materials to support the arts, such as recordings, appearances in concert halls, coverage by media, and awards as a performer that may be whistling or associated with whistling." ^[35]

Following is a list of the members of the Whistlers Hall of Fame.

• 1986 – Agnes Woodard (California) ^[35]
• 1987 – Bing Crosby (California) ^[36]
• 1988 – Lillian Williams (Arkansas) ^[37]
• 1989 – Don Robertson (California) and Fred Lowery (New York City, New York) ^[36]
• 1990 – Purves Pullen (California) ^[37]
• 1991 – Elmo Tanner (Florida) ^[36]
• 1992 – Robert Larson (Minnesota) ^{[38] [39]}
• 1993 – Alice J. Shaw (New York) ^[9]
• 1994 – Roy Thoreson (Alberta, Canada) ^{[40] [41]}
• 1995 – Elmer Mullen (North Carolina) and Ronnie Ronalde (New Zealand) ^[42]
• 1996– Mitch Hider (Oregon) ^[37]
• 1997 – Joel Brandon (Chicago, Illinois) ^{[43] [44]}
• 1998 – Milton Briggs (California) ^[45]
• 1999 – Betty Sylliaasen (California) ^{[46] [47]}
• 2000 – Marge Carlson (California) ^[37]
• 2001 – Mary F. Herndon (Missouri) ^[48]
• 2002 – Dick Shaw (Florida) ^[49]
• 2003 – Jason Serinus (California) ^[50]
• 2004 – Petty Ediger (Oregon) ^[51]
• 2005 – Barry Rector (British Columbia, Canada) ^[52]
• 2006 – Madeleine Drummond (Pennsylvania) ^[26]
• 2007 – Steven Herbst (New York City, New York) ^[53]
• 2008 – Bobbejaan Schoepen (Belgium) ^[54]
• 2009 – Ronald "Ron" McCroby (Ohio) ^[29]
• 2010 – Quingyao Cao (China) ^[55]
• 2011 – Roger Whittaker (England) ^[56]
• 2012 – Chris Ullman (Virginia) ^[57]
• 2013 – Linda Hamilton (Toronto, Canada) ^[58]

Entertainer of the Year Award

The Lillian Williams Award was introduced at the annual National Whistling Convention in 1986 where it was presented to Purves Pullen. ^[20] The award honored Lillian Williams a musician, humorist, and whistler, known as "America's Whistling Sweetheart". ^{[2] [59]} Later, it was called the Entertainer of the Year Award, presented in honor of Lillian Williams. ^[60]

Following is a list of winners of the Entertainer of the Year Award.

• 1986 – Purves Pullen (Nut Tree, California) ^[60]
• 1987 – Milton Briggs (Carmichael, California) ^[61]
• 1988 – Roy Thoreson (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) ^[62]
• 1989 – Robert Larson (Minneapolis, Minnesota) ^[14]
• 1990 – Marge Carlson (Fullerton California) ^[60]
• 1991 – Robert "Bob" Larson (Minneapolis, Minnesota) ^[60]
• 1992 – Barry Rector (British Columbia, Canada) ^{[38] [39]}
• 1993 – Jason Serinus (California) ^[60]
• 1994 – Mitch Hider (Oregon) ^[60]
• 1995 – Betty Sylliaasen (California) ^[47]
• 1996 – Fred Newman (New York) ^[60]
• 1997– Greg N. Smith (North Carolina) ^[60]
• 1998 – Mary Frances Herndon (Missouri) ^[60]
• 1999 – Christopher Ullman (Virginia) ^[60]
• 2000 – Patty Ediger (Oregon) ^[59]
• 2001 – Michael Cooney (Alberta, Canada) ^[48]
• 2002 – Stanley Dalrymple (North Carolina) ^[63]
• 2003 – Steven Herbst (New York City, New York) ^[64]        
• 2004 – Steven Herbst (New York City, New York) ^[18] and Carole Skinner (South Dakota) ^[60]
• 2005 – Phyllis Heil (North Carolina) and Steven Herbst (New York City, New York) ^{[52] [65] [66]}
• 2006 – Geert Chatrou (Netherlands) and Phyllis Heil (North Carolina) ^{[26] [67]}
• 2007 – Tom Bryant (Florida) and Phyllis Heil (North Carolina) ^{[53] [67]}
• 2008 – Kimiko Wakiyama (Japan) and Geert Chatrou (Netherlands) ^[54]
• 2009 – Phyllis Heil (North Carolina) and Sean Lomax (Pennsylvania) ^{[56] [29]}
• 2010 – Geert Chatrou (Netherlands) and Phyllis Heil (North Carolina) ^[55]
• 2011 – Tormod Rogne (Norway) and Linda Hamilton (Canada) ^[56]
• 2012 – Carole Anne Kaufman (California) and Michael Bravin (Maryland) ^[57]
• 2013 – Joe Sodano (New Jersey) and Phyllis Heil (North Carolina) ^{[20] [68]}
• 2014 - Akiko Shibata (Fukushima, Japan) ^[69]

Awards

National Whistlers Convention

Year	Award	1st Place	2nd Place	References
1981	Grand Champion	Tobe Sherrill (Greensboro, North Carolina)		[4] [70]
1982	Grand Champion	Tobe Sherrill (Greensboro, North Carolina)		[70]
	Senior Champion	Elmer Mullen (Louisburg, North Carolina)		[70]
	Classical Champion	Ralph Stecker (Raleigh, North Carolina)		[70]
1983	Grand Champion	Ralph Stecker (Raleigh, North Carolina)	Irving Cohen (Oakland, California)	[2]
	Classical Champion	Mimi Burke (Falls Church, Virginia)	Irving Cohen (Oakland, California)	[2]
	Contemporary Champion	Isiah McArn (Wilson, North Carolina)		[2]
1984	Grand Champion	Irving Cohen (Oakland, California)	Peter Hasell (New Rochelle, New York)	[20] [71]
	Children's Champion	Amy Rose (Louisburg, North Carolina)		[12]
1985	Grand Champion	Peter Hassell (New Rochelle, New York)	Joel A. Brandon (Richmond, California)	[20] [72]
	Children's Champion	Amy Rose (Louisburg, North Carolina)		[12]
1986	Grand Champion	Joel A. Brandon (Richmond, California)	Daniel Bell (Roseville, California)	[73] [62]
	Children's Champion	Amy Rose (Louisburg, North Carolina)		[74]
1987	Grand Champion	Joel A. Brandon (Richmond, California)	Ugo Conti (El Cerrito, California)	[62] [75]
	Children's Champion	Jennifer Simmons (Youngsville, North Carolina)		[62]
1988	Grand Champion	Daniel Bell (Sunnyvale, California)	Gregory Nye Smith (Raleigh, North Carolina)	[62]
	Teenage Champion	Mike DeVente (Raleigh, North Carolina) and Patrick Riley (Efland, North Carolina)	Amy Rose (Louisburg, North Carolina)	[62]
	Children's Champion	Jennifer Simmons (Youngsville, North Carolina)	Jeffrey Tillitt (Louisburg, North Carolina)	[62]
1989	Grand Champion	Sean Lomax (Aiea, Hawaii)	Ugo Conti (El Cerrito, California)	[3] [15] [76]
	Teenage Champion	Amy Rose (Louisburg, North Carolina)	Tracey Solomon (Louisburg, North Carolina)	[20] [19] [77]
	Children's Champion	Terri Long (Louisburg, North Carolina)	Tawonda Glover (Franklinton, North Carolina)	[20] [77]
1990	Grand Champion	Gregory Nye Smith (Raleigh, North Carolina)	Sean Lomax (Los Angeles California)	[78] [15] [19]
	Teenage Champion	Amy Rose (Louisburg, North Carolina)	Tawonda Glover (Franklinton, North Carolina)	[20] [19]
	Children's Champion	Jeffrey Tillitt (Centerville, North Carolina)		[19]
1991	Grand Champion	Gregory Nye Smith (Raleigh, North Carolina)	Mimi Drummond (Horsham, Pennsylvania)	[79] [80]
	Teenage Champion	Suzanne Stafford (Louisburg, North Carolina)	Mark Hodge (Louisburg, North Carolina)	[20] [38]
	Children's Champion	Jeffrey Tillitt (Franklin County, North Carolina)	Carrie Murry (Castalia, North Carolina)	[20] [81]
1992	Grand Champion	Sean Lomax (Murrieta, California)	Tanguay Desgagne (Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada)	[38] [39] [9]
	Teenage Grand Champion	Suzanne Stafford (Louisburg, North Carolina)	Anthony Alson (Louisburg, North Carolina)	[20] [38] [9]
	Children's Champion	Jeffrey Tillitt (Las Vegas, Nevada)	Kirsten Davis (Louisburg, North Carolina)	[20] [38] [9]
1993	Grand Champion	Tanquay Desgagne (Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada)	Jason Serinus (Oakland, California)	[8] [82]
	Allied Arts Champion	Dick Shaw (Apopka, Florida)		[34]
	Teenage Grand Champion	Amy Rose (Louisburg, North Carolina)	Jeffrey Tillitt (Louisburg, North Carolina)	[20] [82]
	Children's Champion	Elizabeth Burchette (Louisburg, North Carolina)	Kirsten Davis (Franklin County, North Carolina)	[20] [82]
1994	Grand Champion	Chris Ullman (Washington. D.C.)	Tanquay Desgagne (Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada)	[83] [84] [41]
	Champion Pop	Chris Ullman (Washington. D.C.)		[17]
	Champion Classical	Chris Ullman (Washington. D.C.)		[17]
	Teenage Grand Champion	Suzanne Stafford (Louisburg, North Carolina)	Tony Woodard (Epsom, North Carolina)	[41] [85]
	Children's Champion	Tim Pender and Charlie Glover (Franklinton, North Carolina)	Steven Floyd (Bunn, North Carolina)	[41] [85]
1995	Grand Champion	Tanquay Desgagne (Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada)	Chris Ullman (Washington. D.C.)	[42]
	Champion Classical	Tanquay Desgagne (Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada)		[42]
	Champion Pop	Tanquay Desgagne (Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada)		[42]
	Teenage Grand Champion	Suzanne Stafford (Louisburg, North Carolina)		[42]
	Children's Champion	Kirsten Davis (Franklin County, North Carolina)		[42]
1996	Grand Champion Male	Chris Ullman (Washington, D.C.)	Steve Herbst (New York City, New York)	[20] [83] [84]
	Grand Champion Female	Mary Frances Herndon (Sedalia, Missouri)	Laura Loftsgaarden (Los Angeles, California)	[20] [86]
	Allied Arts Champion	Elaine Clark (Sterling, Colorado) and Claudia Hutcheon (Spring Lake, North Carolina)		[87]
	Duet Champion	Elaine Clark (Sterling, Colorado) and Claudia Hutcheon (Spring Lake, North Carolina)		[87]
	Canadian Championship Award	Tanquay Desgagne (Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada)	Michael Cooney (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada)	[20]
	Teenage Grand Champion	Marco Gualtieri (Dollard Des Ormeaux, Quebec, Canada)	Steven Floyd (Louisburg, North Carolina)	[20] [87]
	Teenage Allied Champion	Tony Woodward (Louisburg, North Carolina)		[87]
	Children's Champion	Kirsten Davis (Franklinton, North Carolina)		[87]

International Whistlers Convention

Year	Award	1st Place	2nd Place	References
1997	Grand Champion	Tanquay Desgagne (Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada)		[88]
	Male Grand Champion	Tanquay Desgagne (Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada)	Michael Cooney (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada)	[88] [89]
	Female Grand Champion	Mary Frances Herndon (Sedalia, Missouri)	Madeleine Deslisle (Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Quebec, Canada)	[86] [88] [44]
	Teenage Grand Champion	Tony Woodard (Louisburg, North Carolina)	Spencer Wright (Southampton, New York)	[20] [44]
	Children's Grand Champion	Michael Barimo (Winter Haven, Florida)	Angelica Barker (Franklinton, North Carolina)	[90]
1998	Male Grand Champion	Tanquay Desgagne (Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada)	Chris Ullman (Arlington, Virginia)	[84]
	Female Grand Champion	Mimi Drummond (Horsham, Pennsylvania)	Astrid Hillebrand (Nottuln, Germany)	[79]
	Teenage Grand Champion	Michael Barimo (Winter Park. Florida)	James Smith (Louisburg, North Carolina)	[90] [79]
	Children's Grand Champion	Blair Haggett (Alexandria, Virginia)	Joseph Pellegrino (Franklinton, North Carolina)	[13] [79]
1999	Male Grand Champion	Christopher Ullman (Arlington, Virginia)	Kilgour Shives (Vancouver, Canada)	[83] [91] [46]
	Female Grand Champion	Mimi Drummond (Horsham, Pennsylvania)	Betty Sylliaasen (Sacramento, California)	[91] [46] [92]
	Teenage Grand Champion	Jeff Tillitt (Louisburg, North Carolina)		[46] [92]
	Children's Grand Champion	Blair Haggett (Alexandria, Virginia)	Joseph Cutchins III (Franklinton, North Carolina)	[13] [46] [92]
2000	Male Grand Champion	Christopher Ullman (Arlington, Virginia)	Michael Cooney (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada)	[20] [83] [17]
	Female Grand Champion	Emily Eagen (Cincinnati, Ohio)	Laura Loftsgaarden (Los Angeles, California)	[20] [93]
	Allied Arts Champion	Emily Eagen (Cincinnati, Ohio)		[93]
	Teenage Grand Champion	Jeff Tillitt (Louisburg, North Carolina)		[20]
	Children's Grand Champion	Blair Haggett (Alexandria, Virginia)	Joseph Cutchins III (Franklinton, North Carolina)	[20]
2001	Male Grand Champion	Michael Cooney (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada)	Steven Herbst (New York City, New York)	[20] [94] [48]
	Female Grand Champion	Emily Eagen (Cincinnati, Ohio)	Mary Frances Herndon (Sedalia, Missouri)	[20] [48]
	Grand Champion Classical	Steven Herbst (New York City, New York)		[21]
	Teenage Grand Champion Male	Joshua Moore (Louisburg, North Carolina)		[48]
	Teenage Grand Champion Female	Castalia Leonard and Christian Leonard (Louisburg, North Carolina)		[20]
	Children's Grand Champion	Tre Cutchins (Franklinton, North Carolina)	Casey Aycock (Louisburg, North Carolina)	[48]
2002	Male Grand Champion	Steven Herbst (New York City, New York)	Dan Gilliland (Dadeville, Alabama)	[20] [95] [25]
	Female Grand Champion	Carole Skinner (Miller, South Dakota)	Betty Sylliaasen (Sacramento, California)	[20] [63]
	Teenage Grand Champion	Spencer Wright (Santa Cruz, California)		[63]
	Children's Grand Champion	Blair Haggett (Alexandria, Virginia)	Tre Cutchens (Franklinton, North Carolina)	[63]
2003	Male Grand Champion	David Morris (Dobcross, Oldham, England)	Steven Herbst (New York City, New York)	[20] [96]
	Female Grand Champion	Carole Skinner (Miller, South Dakota)	Carole Kaufman (Pasadena, California)	[20]
	Teenage Grand Champion Male	Cal Fenwic (Kirkfield, Ontario, Canada)		[20]
	Teenage Grand Champion Female	Christian Leonard (Louisburg, North Carolina)		[20]
	Children's Grand Champion	Casey Aycock (Louisburg, North Carolina)	Ashleigh Kibbe (Youngsville, North Carolina)	[20]
2004	Male Grand Champion	Geert Chatrou (Mierlo, Netherlands)	Steven Herbst (New York City, New York)	[20] [97]
	Female Grand Champion	Sandra Henzler (Fort Collins, Colorado)	Carole Anne Kaufman (Pasadena, California)	[20] [98]
	Teenage Grand Champion Male	Cal Fenwick (Kirkfield, Ontario, Canada)	Todd Dickerson (Hickory, North Carolina)	[20] [98]
	Teenage Grand Champion Female	Malia French (West Jordan, Utah)	Casey Aycock (Louisburg, North Carolina)	[20] [98]
	Children's Grand Champion	Emily Edwards (Louisburg, North Carolina)	Queena Stewart (Ithaca, New York)	[20] [98]
2005	Male Grand Champion	Geert Chatrou (Mierlo, Netherlands)		[97] [52]
	Female Grand Champion	Sandra Henzler (Fort Collins, Colorado)		[52]
	Teenage Grand Champion	Todd Dickerson (Hickory, North Carolina)		[52]
	Children's Grand Champion	Emily Edwards (Louisburg, North Carolina)		[52]
2007	Male Grand Champion	Terry Rappold (Harahan, Louisiana)	Shinichi Urushihara (Ushiku, Ibaraki, Japan)	[53] [65]
	Female Grand Champion	Kimiko Wakiyama (Higashiyamato, Tokyo, Japan)	Patricia Sonnier (Mount Juliet, Tennessee)	[53] [65]
	Teenage Male Champion	Takumi Gima (Osaka Sayama, Osaka, Japan)	Todd Dickerson (Hickory, North Carolina)	[99] [65] [67]
	Teenage Female Champion	Emily Edwards (Zebulon, North Carolina)	Alysha Wonka (Louisburg, North Carolina)	[53] [65]
	Grand Children's Champion	Chihaya Kosugiyama (Toyonaka, Japan)	Paula Edwards (Zebulon, North Carolina)	[53] [99]
	Allied Arts Champion: Adult Male	The Whistling Butterflies: Mike and Pat Cooney (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada)	Clarence Gary Phifer with Sandra Henzler (Columbia, South Carolina)	[53] [94] [100]
	Allied Arts Champion: Adult Female	Carole Kaufman (Pasadena, California)	Massae "Cristina" Toyohashi (Minuma-Ku, Saitama, Japan)	[53]
2008	Male Grand Champion	Geert Chatrou (Mierlo, Netherlands)	Terry Rappold (Harahan, Louisiana)	[54] [97]
	Female Grand Champion	Carole Anne Kaufman (Monrovia, California)	Akiko Komano (Japan)	[54]
	Senior Citizen Champion	Norihiro Okuba (Japan)	Masanobu Shiraiwa (Japan)	[54]
	Teenage Grand Champion	Narumi Nakata (Japan)	Ario Nozawa (Japan)	[54]
	Grand Children's Champion	Chihaya Kosugiyama (Japan)	Yuudai Takenaka (Japan)	[54]
	Allied Arts Champion:	Cao Qing Yao (China)	Mitsuhiro Mori (Japan)	[54]
2009	Male Grand Champion	Luke Janssen (New York City, New York)	Geert Chatrou (Mierlo, Netherlands)	[29] [20]
	Female Grand Champion	Carole Anne Kaufman (Monrovia, California)	Kimiko Wayiyama	[29] [20]
	Teenage Female Champion	Narumi Nakata (Japan)	Cassidy Osgood (Louisburg, North Carolina)	[29]
	Teenage Male Champion	Yudai Takenaka (Japan)		[29]
	Grand Children's Champion	Takehiro Ishihara (Japan)	Robby Hood (St. Louis, Missouri)	[29]
	Allied Arts Champion Adult Male	Asim Gorashi (Woodridge, Queensland, Australia)		[29]
	Allied Arts Champion Adult Female	Carole Anne Kaufman (Monrovia, California)		[29]
2010	Male Grand Champion	Tormod Borgen (Rogne, Norway)	Dong Chen (China)	[55]
	Female Grand Champion	Akiko Shibata (Japan)	Naho Yube (Japan)	[55]
	Senior Male Grand Champion – Classical	Boqing Li (China)	Qingjun Han (China)	[55]
	Senior Male Grand Champion – Popular	Bo Seo Hwang (Korea)	Ming Sun (China)	[55]
	Senior Female Grand Champion – Classical and Popular	Patricia Sonnier (United States)		[55]
	Teenage Grand Champion	Yuki Takeda (Japan)	Yudai Takenada (Japan)	[55]
	Grand Children's Champion	Qianhe Li (China)	Yong Gen (China)	[55]
	Allied Arts Champion Male	Boxue Tian (China)	Yong Gen (China)	[55]
	Allied Arts Champion Female	Naruchans: Narumi Nakata, Akiko Shibata, Naho Yube, and Takagi Mariko ( Japan)	Whistling Duet: Akiko Shibata and Takagi Mariko (Japan)	[55]
	Allied Arts Champion Children and Teen	Aisha Kanai (Japan)	Yuki Takeda (Japan)	[55]
2011	International Male Grand Champion	Terry Rappold (Harahan, Louisiana)	Michael Bravin (Maryland)	[56] [20]
	Female Grand Champion	Damariscotta Helm (Rocky Mount, North Carolina)	Carole Ann Kaufman (Monrovia, California)	[101] [20] [27]
	Allied Arts Champion Male	Tim Eggert		[56]
	Allied Arts Champion Female	Damariscotta Helm (Rocky Mount, North Carolina)		[27] [102]
	Teenage Male Grand Champion	Yuki Takeda (Japan)		[56]
	Teenage Female Grand Champion	Caren Irgang (Nyack, New York)		[56]
	Grand Children's Champion	Everette Oba (Chiba, Japan)	Marley Kelly (Franklin County, North Carolina)	[56] [20]
	Franklin County Children's Champion	Marley Kelly (Franklin County, North Carolina)	Justin House  (Franklin County, North Carolina)	[56]
2012	Male Grand Champion	Sean Lomax (Murrieta, California)	Luc Vitry (Boston, Massachusetts)	[57]
	Female Grand Champion	Akiko Shibata (Japan)	Damariscotta Helm (Rocky Mount, North Carolina)	[57]
	Teenage Male Grand Champion	Pablo Leano		[57]
	Teenage Female Grand Champion	Narumi Nakata (Japan)	Mizuho Takata	[57]
	Grand Children's Champion	Everett Oba	Soumya Kaluri	[57]
	Allied Arts Champion Male	Todd Dickerson (Hickory, North Carolina)	Eric Aranow	[57]
	Allied Arts Champion Female	Marie Ivassich	Akiko Shibata (Japan)	[57]
2013	Male Grand Champion	Qingyue Cao (China)	Jeffrey Amos (Toronto, Canada)	[103] [58]
	Female Grand Champion	Mariko Takagi (Japan)		[20]
	Teenage Male Grand Champion	Yudai Takenaka (Japan)		[103]
	Teenage Female Grand Champion	Marina Kato (Japan)		[20]
	Grand Children's Champion	Yuan Cao (China)		[20]

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