Participants
Year
- 2024
Placement
- Audience Choice, 1st Prize Winner
Adam Jackson was born in the UK and began piano studies at the age of 7 when he moved with his family to the US. In 2017, Adam was accepted into the Kaufman Music Center High School, began studies with renowned pianist Orli Shaham in early 2018 and entered Juilliard Pre-College in 2019.
Adam has performed with orchestras including the Amadeus Chamber Orchestra of Polish Radio in Poznan, Poland, the Siletz Bay, Oregon Festival Orchestra, the New York Chamber Players, the Park Avenue Chamber Symphony, and the Symphony of Westchester.
Adam has performed solo recitals in the US, UK and Poland. He has participated in master classes with Richard Goode, Mikhail Voskresensky, Alexandre Moutouzkine, Boris Slutsky, and Ilana Vered.
At the age of 11, Adam won 1st prize in the Under-16 category at the National Eisteddfod of Wales, appearing live on British television. In 2017, Adam won the International Young Musicians competition at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod, Wales, second prize in the Leschetizky International Concerto Competition, and third prize in the Kaufman International Youth Piano Competition, New York. In 2019, Adam won 1st place in the Special Music School Concerto Competition.
Adam has attended summer festivals including, the 2018 Morningside Music Bridge at Fryderyk Chopin University, Warsaw, the 2019 “Music@Menlo” Chamber Institute, California, and studied with Arie Vardi and Hung-Kuan Chen at the 2022 Aspen Music Festival.
Adam is pursuing piano performance studies at The Juilliard School of Music under the tutelage of Profs. Orli Shaham and Julian Martin.
Year
- 2015
Placement
- Quarterfinalist
Pianist Alessandro Mazzamuto is “one of the most inspiring, extraordinary pianists that I have had the joy to hear” writes Martha Argerich. He is “no virtuoso of show, no ruthless technician, but a pianist absorbed in the music who plays with as much spontaneity as poetry,” claims Pizzicato Magazine. Winner of International Classical Music Awards’ 2013 Young Instrumental Artist of the Year, the 26-year-old Sicilian pianist has won more than 60 national and international competitions in piano and chamber music. Mazzamuto has appeared as soloist with orchestras such as La Verdi (Milan), the Rias Berlin Youth Orchestra (Germany), the Chamber Orchestra of Kiev (Ukraine), the Philharmonic Orchestra of Ploesti (Romania), and the Bacau Philharmonic Orchestra (Romania), with conductors such as Daisuke Soga, Amaury du Closel, John Axelrod, Tomasz Bugaj, Ovidiu Balan, Valentin Doni, Ovidiu Marinescu, and Epifanio Comis. He has performed in numerous European and American venues such as the Salle Cortot (Paris), La Fenice (Venice), Maly Hall of the Moscow Conservatoire (Russia), University Romano of Bacau (Romania), Il Tempio (Florence), Auditorium Giuseppe Verdi (Milan), Caruth Auditorium (Dallas), and the Opera House Massimo Bellini (Italy). Finalist at the 58th edition of the prestigious Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition in 2011, Alessandro Mazzamuto was awarded the special prize “Gianandrea Lodovici,” which consisted of the production of a CD for the German label ARTS with worldwide distribution. This prize was given at the discretion of the president of the jury, Martha Argerich, being chosen for “a particular depth and originality of interpretation.” Thanks to the recording of the above-mentioned CD with music by Rachmaninov, Mazzamuto, together with the ARTS record company, was awarded by international critics the prize “Supersonic – Pizzicato” in 2012. Most recently, Alessandro became a winner of 2014 Center for Musical Excellence (CME) International Grant, Birte Moller Young Artists Award, and a CME Young Artist. His New York debut recital at Carnegie Hall will take place in June – 29 – 2015. Alessandro Mazzamuto graduated with honors from the Music Institute “Vincenzo Bellini” in Catania, under the guidance of Epifanio Comis. He also studied at the International Piano Academy in Imola. Currently, Alessandro is a student in the Performers Diploma program at SMU’s Meadows School of the Arts in Dallas, TX, where he studies with Professors Joaquin Achucarro and Carol Leone. Alessandro has taught piano at the Musical Institute “Pietro Vinci” in Caltagirone (Italy), the Municipal Institute “Giuseppe Privitera” in Syracuse (Italy) and the Accademia Musicale Siciliana in Adrano (Italy). He and his brother, violinist Lorenzo Mazzamuto, perform often as a celebrated duo.
Year
- 2013
Placement
- Finalist, Honorable Mention
Since his orchestral debut at age 11, pianist Alex McDonald has soloed with the Orquesta Sinfónica del Estado de Mexico, Louisiana Philharmonic, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, and Utah Symphony Orchestra, among others. He has performed across the United States, as well as in Israel, Mexico, Canada, Japan, and South Korea; additionally, he has been a featured performer on PBS, WRR (Dallas/Fort Worth), NPR, and WQXR (New York City). Awards include second prizes at the 2007 New Orleans International Piano Competition and 2001 Gina Bachauer International Young Artist Piano Competition, and the 2008 Harvey Fellowship by the Mustard Seed Foundation. In 2013, he was a competitor in the Fourteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.
Mr. McDonald is currently the festival director for Basically Beethoven, a thriving summer concert series now approaching its 40th season in downtown Dallas’ Arts District. His program “Music for Animals” was hailed by Theater Jones as one of its “Concerts of the Year” in 2016. Equally passionate as a teacher, his private piano students have been admitted to Juilliard and Eastman, and have performed at Carnegie’s Weill Hall and on WRR. He has taught at Texas Woman’s University, Richland College, and The Juilliard School, where he also was a teaching fellow for both the Literature and Materials and Piano Minor departments. The Texas Music Teacher’s Association awarded him the 2017 Outstanding Achievement Award in teaching at the age of 34.
Mr. McDonald received his pre-college training under Lois Nielson, his bachelor’s degree from the New England Conservatory with Academic Honors and Distinction in Performance under Russell Sherman, and his master’s and doctoral degrees from Juilliard under Yoheved Kaplinsky and Julian Martin. His doctoral document, a source study on manuscripts and editions for Liszt’s Sonata in B Minor, has been cited in the most recent edition of the sonata by Alfred Publishers, edited by Nancy Bricard.
Year
- 2022
Placement
- 3rd Prize Winner
Alexander Agate, 21, began learning piano at age 11. At 13 he was accepted into the Applied Music Scholarship program at Moorpark Community College, a two-year program during which he worked with Professor Mona DeCesare. Prior to entering college, he studied under concert pianist Robert Thies for two and a half years. Currently, he is a senior Piano Performance major at California State University, Northridge (CSUN), studying under Professor Dmitry Rachmanov. He has had master classes with many distinguished pianists including John Perry, Norman Krieger, Jerome Lowenthal, Victor Rosenbaum and Nina Lelchuk, among others. The Summer of 2014 proved a busy one as he attended the John Perry institute, where he worked with John Perry, Wojciech Kocyan and Mina Perry before flying to Vermont to participate in the Adamant Festival, where he studied with Seta Tanyel.
During the summer of 2015, he attended two summer festivals: the Southern California Music Institute (John Perry, Director), where he worked with John Perry, Sarkis Baltaian, Andrew Park and Edward Francis, and the IKIF Piano Festival in New York where he had lessons with Victor Rosenbaum, Nina Lelchuk and Jose Santana. In February of 2015 Alexander competed in the National Chopin Competition held in Miami, Florida before returning to his home state to perform the Prokofiev Concerto no. 1 with the Redlands Bowl Orchestra. After a successful performance, he played the Prokofiev Concerto once more with the Culver City Orchestra in December of 2015.
Year
- 2015
Placement
- 3rd Prize Winner
The innovative spirit of the Cambridge, MA, home of MIT and Harvard, resonates with the credo of Israeli pianist Anna Arazi. She has founded and been running several community and campus projects at Boston University, engaging Boston inhabitants and students in musical activities and discussions. Among others, she organized a Musical Marathon, joined by performers from Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, as well as from Brazil, China, Croatia, Germany, Greece, Israel, Korea, Russia and Spain to collect donations for the Boston Marathon bombing victims (Symphony Magazine, summer 2013). In April 2015, following her winning of the American Protégé International Competition of Romantic Music 2014, Ms. Arazi will make her Carnegie Hall debut. As a winner of the BU Concerto Competition last spring she made an acclaimed debut with the BU Symphony Orchestra.
Ms. Arazi maintains a very active concert schedule, and frequently appears as a soloist and a chamber ensemble member, often playing contemporary music, but especially enamored with romantic and twentieth-century Soviet composers. One of her recent duo appearances with Piazzolla’s Fuga y Misterio was described by the Boston Musical Intelligencer (April 23 2013) as “a great fun” and “a theatrical flourish”. For the last two years she has been invited to perform and teach as a guest artist at the BU Tanglewood Institute.
Ms. Arazi is currently finishing her doctorate at Boston University. She enthusiastically explores conducting from the piano for the standard romantic and modern piano concertos repertoire. In 2012 Ms. Arazi was granted a life-long membership in the Golden Key International Honour Society.
Year
- 2014, 2015
Placement
- Quarterfinalist
Pianist Artem Arutyunyan started his music education at the age of six with Irina Belova at the Gnessin School for Children in Moscow. His music education continued in the Moscow Central Special Music School and The Tchaikovsky State Conservatory, where he was a student of Arkady Sevidov. In 2010 he started the Master of Music program in The Jacobs School of Music, IU Bloomington, where he received a full scholarship and a position of an Associate Instructor. Artem completed his degree under the guidance of Evelyne Brancart, a well-known Belgian pianist and teacher. In addition to his studies, Artem participated in numerous master-classes with acclaimed teachers such as Norma Fisher (RCM, London), Jacques Rouvier, Pavel Gililov (Mozarteum, Salzburg), Carol Leone, Joachim Achucarro (SMU, Dallas,TX). Artem performed at various venues in Moscow, including the major halls of the Moscow State Conservatory, Tchaikovsky Hall, Grand Hall of Gnessin Music Academy, among others.
During his years in IU, he performed regularly as a soloist as well as collaborative and chamber musician at major halls of the JSoM. In August 2013 he participated in the International Holland Music Sessions performing at various venues in the Netherlands. Notable performances in 2014 include duo-recital with violinist Nune Melikian at the DiMenna Center for Classical Music, NYC and appearance in Weill Recital Hall, NYC with Switzerland-based cellist Nikolay Shugaev. Artem also participated in several international competitions including 2004 First Balakirev Int’l Piano Competition (Audience Choice Award) In the Fall 2014, following his interest in the ergonomically scaled piano keyboards (ESPK) for the piano, Artem started a Performer Diploma program at SMU Meadows School of the Arts, in the class of Carol Leone – one of the leading researcher and proponent of the ESPK.
Year
- 2018
Placement
- 3rd Prize Winner
A native of Balashov, Russia, pianist Artem Kuznetsov is an award winning concert pianist, a vivid chamber musician hailed for his artistry, virtuosity, lyricism and exciting energy; he is extensively performing solo recitals as well as collaborating with orchestras in major concert halls around the world. He has been part of organisations and concert series that have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to charities including the “Multiple Sclerosis” society and “Direct relief Covid-19 response.” In 2020 he was appointed an Emissary of the Muses of the city of San Antonio by the Mayor Ron Nirenberg.
Mr. Kuznetsov is a winner of more than ten international competitions including the Young Texas Artists Music Competition, the American International Competition, the Seattle International Piano Competition and the Dallas International Piano Competition among others. Throughout his career he performed in prestigious venues such as the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, Benaroya Hall in Seattle, Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, Schloss Ettlingen and Asamsaal in Germany and the Muziekcentrum Enschede in the Netherlands.
Mr. Kuznetsov was featured in several radio stations in the US including the “Texas Public Radio” in San Antonio and “King FM” in Seattle. He is actively involved in musical outreach for under-served communities, as well as educational events for young musicians with more than 10 outreach recitals in Texas and Washington, and gave more than 35 presentations and masterclasses for elementary, middle and high school students. His first LP on “Orpheus Classical” label was released on all the major streaming platforms.
Year
- 2018
Placement
- Semifinalist
Born in Panjin, China, Mr. Zhang began piano lessons at the age of four. At the age of six he made his first concert first appearance in his hometown. In 1999 he was accepted to the Shenyang Conservatory of Music to study with Professor Lv, the head of the piano department.
In 2005 Mr. Zhang was admitted to both the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing and the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA). In 2011 he was awarded a full scholarship to study with Eleanor Wong and HKAPA and graduated with his master’s degree in 2013.
Mr. Zhang was a prize winner in both the KAWAI Asia Piano Competition and the TOYAMA International Piano Competition. He has been a competitor in both the 2017 Shenzhen International Piano Competition and the 4th International Hong Kong Piano Competition.
Mr. Zhang has collaborated with many prominent soloists including Erhu master Guotong Wong in Hong Kong and has been accompanist for the Hong Kong International Violin Competition and the Eleonore Schoenfeld International String Competition.
In 2015 Mr. Zhang moved to the United States to study at the University of North Texas with Dr. Pamela Mia Paul. While completing his Graduate Artist Certificate, he won the College of Music concerto competition and performed as soloist with the University Symphony Orchestra. He also won first prize in the Lewisville Symphony Concerto Competition and was soloist at the orchestra’s opening concert in Fall 2017. He is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree with a full scholarship and a Teaching Fellow Award, under the direction of Pamela Mia Paul.
Year
- 2018, 2022
Placement
- Quarterfinalist
Since winning first prize in the Thousand Islands International Piano Competition, Benjamin Hopkins has won acclaim for performances across North America and Europe. In 2008, he made his debut with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra after decisively winning all four categories of the RPO League’s Young Artist Auditions. 2013 brought his New York City debut at Liederkranz Hall and performances of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 with orchestras in Spain and California. Most recently, he won first prize in the Rio Hondo Symphony Young Artist Competition, third prize in the National Federation of Music Clubs Young Artist Auditions, and toured New York performing Beethoven’s Triple Concerto. In 2016, he was named the Outstanding Master of Music Graduate from the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music and was also honored for his contributions to the school as a teaching assistant.
Hopkins is continuing his doctoral studies at the University of British Columbia under the instruction of Corey Hamm and appeared with the UBC Symphony this fall as the winner of the University’s concerto competition. He is mentored by the renowned pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet. His past teachers are Lucinda Carver, Henry Gronnier, Brian Preston, and Norman Krieger.
Year
- 2014
Placement
- Quarterfinalist
Chaekyung Moon, a native of South Korea, is a grand prize winner in the 16th Kyung-Hyang Music Competition, first prize winners in the National Young Artists Piano Competition for six successive years, a first prize winner in the International Piano Duo Association Competition and the Suwon Women’s University Music Competition in Korea. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Yonsei University in Korea, where she studied with Bong-Ae Shin. She earned her Master’s degree and Performer Diploma in Indiana University where she studied with Shigeo Neriki and was a recipient of the György Sebők Scholarship in Piano in 2008-2010. In 2014, she completed her Doctor of Musical Arts degree under the guidance of Nancy Garrett and Elliott Antokoletz at University of Texas-Austin where she was awarded numerous named scholarships, such as William C. Race Endowed Presidential Scholarship, Alamo City Endowed Scholarship, Mary D. Bold Scholarship, and Betty Osborn Biedenharn Endowed Presidential Scholarship. She was also awarded Outstanding DMA Recital in 2012-2013 and Outstanding DMA Lecture-Recital in 2013-14 in University of Texas-Austin. Her scholarly article “Isang Yun’s Piano Music: Fusion of East and West in Twelve-tone and Atonal Contexts” was published in the International Journal of Musicology in May 2015.
Year
- 2018
Placement
- Semifinalist
Concert pianist Chen-Shen Fan regularly performs for audiences throughout North America, Europe and Asia. His performances have been broadcasted on WQXR in New York, WFMT in Chicago and Philharmonic Radio in Taipei. Mr. Fan is a classical piano fellow of the Luminarts Cultural Foundation. Most recently, Mr. Fan was named the Best Liszt Interpretation Award and Second Prize Winner of the American Liszt Society’s 2017 International Franz Liszt Festival and Piano Competition.
Born in Taiwan, Chen-Shen Fan studied with Solomon Mikowsky and Alexandre Moutouzkine at Manhattan School of Music, Angela Hewitt at the Trasimeno Masterclass Series. He has received masterclass and lessons from Stephen Hough, Awadagin Pratt, Matti Raekallio, Douglas Humpherys, Alexander Korsantia, Ilana Vered, Sergei Babayan and Robert McDonald. At Northwestern, he is the assistant to James Giles where he graduated with honor. Mr. Fan is currently an Artist Diploma candidate at the Brooklyn College, City University of New York under the tutelage of phenomenal pianist Ursula Oppens.
Chen-Shen Fan is winner of the Thaviu-Isaak Piano Scholarship Competition, Evanston and North Shore Music Clubs Scholarship and the American Association for Development of Gifted and Talented Piano Competition. He is also a laureate of the International Young Artists Piano Competition in Singapore, Pauline Lindsey Award, MTNA Young Artist Piano Competition, and Marian Garcia International Piano Competition. These prizes have led him to perform at some of the most exciting venues like Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall and New York Steinway Hall.
Of special interest to Mr. Fan is music of our time. He has co-founded the Two Islands Duo with Gulli Björnsson, an Icelandic Fulbright composer and guitarist. Their mission is to premiere new guitar and piano repertoire. Two Islands Duo’s debut album “Angelo Gilardino, salute from New York”, was released in 2014 on the Berben label. The album is now available on iTunes, Spotify and Amazon. The reviews are featured on Italian music magazine Seicorde and the classical journal FineMusic of Sydney. During his residency at Northwestern, Mr. Fan had the privilege of working closely with world renowned composers such as David Lang, Steven Reich and Esa-Pekka Salonen as well as the leading new music initiatives Claire Chase, founder of International Contemporary Ensemble and Alan Pierson, the artistic director of Alarm Will Sound.
Chen-Shen Fan is the piano program coordinator of the Amalfi Coast Music and Arts Festival.
Year
- 2022
Placement
- Quarterfinalist
Pianist Ching-Yi Lin appeared as a soloist at his New York debut at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall as one of the top Prize Winner of the 2019 New York International Artist Association Competition. Ching-Yi was the First Prize and Special Commissioned Piece Prize of the Taiwan Taipei International Piano Competition. He also received joint Third Prize at the 2019 Marbella International Piano Competition. In 2018, he was the recipient of the Richard Franko Goldman Prize in Performance at Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University.
His major prizes in both regional and international competitions includes such as the Beethoven International Piano Competition in Singapore, Millersville International Piano Competition, Young Artist Competition by Philharmonic Society of Arlington, O-Bank Education Foundation for rising star in Taiwan, Ishikawa International Piano Competition, Metropolitan International Piano Competition, the Asia Piano Competition at Kuala Lumpur, and the Wonderlic Piano Competition in Baltimore. In 2017, he was selected as the winner of the Taiwanese Chapter of the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University Alumni Society, performing a recital at National Recital Hall in Taiwan.
An active performer in North America, Spain and Taiwan, Ching-Yi has been featured as a guest soloist at Teatro Ciudad de Marbella, Centro Municipal de Musica y Danza de Malaga, Brodbeck Music Center Hood College, Allen Theater at Berkshire, Mariam A. Friedberg Concert Hall at Baltimore, the New York Opera Center, and the KHS hall in Taiwan.
He earned Bachelor of Music degree from Soochow University in Taiwan, and his Master of Music degree from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University. Currently, he is pursuing his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the Peabody Institute under the tutelage of Alexander Shtarkman.
Year
- 2024
Placement
- Semifinalist
Chloe Chuyue Zhang stands as a luminary pianist whose performances emanate with profound passion and technical mastery. With accolades from esteemed institutions like The Juilliard School and the Eastman School of Music, her musical journey is a testament to relentless dedication and unparalleled talent.
In the spotlight, Chloe commands the stage with electrifying presence, delivering spellbinding renditions of Liszt’s virtuosic works and Rachmaninoff’s soul-stirring compositions. From the tender nuances of Chopin to the bold complexities of Prokofiev, her performances are a tapestry of emotional depth and technical brilliance, captivating audiences worldwide.
Chloe’s musical prowess has garnered acclaim, crowned by triumphs at renowned competitions such as the Bradshaw & Buono International Piano Competition and the Wideman Piano Competition. Her ability to forge an emotional connection with her audience is unparalleled, earning her admiration and respect from peers and critics alike.
Beyond the solo realm, Chloe shines as a soloist with orchestras like the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra,Chautauqua Summer Symphony Orchestra and the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra. Her performances, characterized by seamless integration and exquisite musicality, leave indelible impressions on all who bear witness.
In addition to her performance achievements, Chloe is a dedicated educator, nurturing the next generation of musicians with her passion and expertise. Her commitment to music education extends beyond the concert hall, enriching communities with her artistry and inspiring countless aspiring musicians along the way.
With every note she plays, Chloe Chuyue Zhang continues to elevate the musical landscape, leaving an enduring legacy of passion, excellence, and unwavering dedication.
Year
- 2017
Placement
- 2nd Prize Winner
Praised by the Washington Post for his “sparkling, highly musical” playing and by the Huffington Post for his “dazzling fireworks”, American pianist Christopher Goodpasture has established himself as a musician of inimitable and refined style. He has performed to great acclaim in some of North America’s finest concert halls including the Kennedy Center (Washington D.C.), Benaroya Hall (Seattle), Koerner Recital Hall (Toronto), The DiMenna Center (New York), Weill Recital Hall (New York), Bing Concert Hall (San Francisco), Ingle Auditorium (Rochester), the Nixon Library and the LACMA (Los Angeles). Recent concert series engagements include recitals at Chicago’s PianoForte Salon Series, the Colouratura Gallery in Nova Scotia, San Diego’s Music by the Sea, and Los Angeles’ Classical Underground with culminating radio broadcasts on Classical KUSC 91.5 and 88.5 KCSN.
Christopher’s awards include 1st prize and audience prize in the 2015 Seattle International Piano Competition, 2nd Prize in the 2015 Iowa International Piano Competition, and top prizes in the Los Angeles Liszt Competition, The Glenn Gould Chamber Music Competition, and the Susan Torres Competition for pianists. Festival appearances include performances at the Banff Centre, the Sarasota Music Festival, Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival, the International Holland Music Sessions, and the Music Academy of the West. He has had the opportunity to work with a number of influential pianistsAs an active chamber musician, he has collaborated with the Schubert Ensemble of London and members of the Takacs, Ysaye, St. Lawrence, Amenda, Guarneri, and Tokyo String Quartets.
Born in Los Angeles, California, Christopher completed his Bachelor of Music degree at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music where he studied with John Perry and Stewart Gordon and was the recipient of the Most Outstanding Undergraduate Award. He furthered his studies with John Perry, earning an Artist Diploma from the Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, Ontario, on a Colleen Sexsmith full scholarship. Christopher is currently pursuing his Master’s Degree as a student of Hung-Kuan Chen and Jerome Lowenthal at the Juilliard School in New York City, where he was awarded the Irene Diamond Graduate Fellowship.
Year
- 2013
Placement
- 1st Prize Winner
As a prize winner in 53rd Sorantin International Competition, Chai has participated in piano masterclasses and private lessons conducted by Leslie Howard, Paul Badura-Skoda, Malcolm Bilson,Yoheved Kaplinsky, Matti Raekallio andVladimir Krainev,to name just a few.He has performed in Lawrence,FortWorth,Grand Junction, Hong Kong, Macau, Shang Hai, Shenzhen, and Zhu Hai. His performances have included varied repertoire for solo piano, two pianos, and piano concertos. He enjoys an association with the conductors RobertWard andYondani Butt,collaborating in performances of Beethoven 4th Piano Concerto,the Yellow River Piano Concerto and GriegPiano Concerto in A minor.The festivals he attended in 2012 summer including PianoTexas International Academy & Festival and Concerto FestVienna.As a recipient of numerous scholarships, Chai has been awarded the Lee Shuk-chee Memorial Scholarship,The Society of APA Non-Local Scholarship,Tom Lee Music Scholarship, CE Scholarship, Baring Private Equity Asia Scholarship, HKAPA Piano Alumni Scholarship, Capps Rogers Scholarship and David & Gunda Hiebert Piano Scholarship.
Born in Xian, China, Chai Congcong started learning piano with his mother at a young age. He studied at the DongFang XingZhi Piano School with Prof. Zheng Shu Xing, and ShenZhen Art School with Dan Zhao Yi and Miao Xiao Yan. After graduating from high school, he was admitted to the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts to study with Prof. Eleanor Wong for his Diploma, Bachelor, and Master degrees. As a Graduate Teaching Assistant of University of Kansas, he is currently in his second year of the DMA programme at KU with Dr. Jack Winerock.
Year
- 2024
Placement
- Quarterfinalist
Daniel Che began studying piano at the age of 7 with Mr. Yifan Liu in Plano, Texas. He then went on to attend Northwestern University, where he received a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance under the guidance of Dr. James Giles at the Bienen School of Music and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics at the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. Most recently, Daniel joined the Yale School of Music, where he is pursuing a Master of Music degree under the tutelage of Boris Berman and Melvin Chen.
Year
- 2014
Placement
- Quarterfinalist
Born in Havana, Cuba in 1987. He started his piano lessons at the age of 6. He earned his Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance with Golden Diploma at the Instituto Superior de Arte of Havana in 2011. In 2013 he continued studies with prestigious Professor Joaquin Achucarro at Southern Methodist University, where he finished his Master and Performer’s Diploma. He is currently finishing doctoral studies at Indiana University, Bloomington with Professor Arnaldo Cohen.
He has won first prizes in international piano competitions in Cuba, Costa Rica, Mexico and the U.S. He recently won the Concerto Competition at Indiana University, performing Ligeti’s Piano Concerto as a soloist. Some awards include First Prize in the Jose Jacinto Cuevas Yamaha Piano International Competition in Mexico and First Prize in the National Piano Competition UNEAC in Havana, Cuba. He received the Honors Music Award in 2015 and 2016, given to outstanding young musicians at Southern Methodist University, in Dallas.
Martin has given solo and chamber music recitals in Japan, Mexico, Panama, Cuba, Costa Rica, England, France, Germany and the U.S. He has played as a soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba, Havana Chamber Orchestra and Yucatan Symphony Orchestra, among others. He has performed in many music festivals in Europe and Latin America. His first CD was launched on 2011 and received the Cubadisco Award to the Best Classical Solo Album. Other recordings include the CD Netzaj, along with the trumpet player Fadev Sanjudo, and Up into the silence, with the singer Diana Fuentes. His most recent solo album, Juegos de agua, was recorded by FT Music in Mexico. He is supported by the Joaquin Achucarro Foundation, who included him as one of its legacy pianists.
Year
- 2016
Placement
- Quarterfinalist
At the age of 21, pianist Dong Yeon Kim has established himself as one of the leading young artists of his generation. His daring musicality that “took the audience by storm with an incredibly virtuosic performance” (Columbia Free Times) has garnered first prizes in numerous competitions including Lynn Harrell, HanEum Music, Arthur Fraser International, Dallas Symphony, National Young Artist Institute, Wysong Joplin, and Denton Bach Society Competition among many. As a result of his winnings, Kim has performed with many orchestras such as Dallas Symphony, Lake Lewisville, Perugia Festival Orchestra, and South Carolina Philharmonic.
Kim made his orchestral debut with the Plano Symphony at the age of 12 performing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No.5 at the TCYA’s Concerto Evening. He has worked with many renowned conductors such as Jaap van Zweden, Adron Ming, Peter Debrowski, and Morihiko Nakahara. Kim’s performance of Mozart Piano Concerto No.21 with the SC Phil has been broadcasted on public radio station WDAV 89.9 and received high praise. In summer of 2015, Kim was one of the eight pianists chosen to be invited to Music Academy of the West, a renowned music festival located in Santa Barbara, where he was coached by musicians such as Leon Fleisher, Robert McDonald, and Jerome Lowenthal. He also has participated in numerous music festivals including Bowdoin International, Texas State International, Southeastern, and Music Fest Perugia, among others.
At a young age, Kim moved to Plano, Texas to further his musical studies. Soon after in 2011, he matriculated at the Idyllwild Arts Academy, a music preparatory high school. Kim now studies at the Peabody Conservatory of Music with Boris Slutsky, with the Harrison & Gladys W. Winter Endowed Scholarship, which contribute large donations to the institute to support many young aspiring musicians. His past teachers include Dr. Christina Long, Dr. Andrew Park, and Nelms McKelvain.
Year
- 2016
Placement
- Quarterfinalist
Dzmitry Ulasiuk was born in 1982 in Minsk, Belarus and entered the “Number One” music school of his country where he studied with K.R. Medvedev. In 1998 Dzmitry entered the state Gymnasium-College attached to the Belarusian Academy of Music in the class of Professor L.S. Shelomentseva. In 2001 he entered the Academy of Music and in 2006 graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree. In 2010 Dzmitry received the prestigious Lili Kraus Scholarship in TCU and is studying with Dr. Tamás Ungár on the Artist Diploma program.
Beginning 1998 Dzmitry has been actively performing festivals and concerts in Belarus, Ukraine, Russia, Poland, Germany, Estonia, Japan, Croatia, USA, China, Lithuania and Costa Rica. He performed with National Odessa Philharmonic, with Arthur Rubinstein Symphony, Lodz, Poland, with Croatian Radio and TV symphony, and the Orchestra of the Opera of city of Split, with Belarusian Philharmonic Orchestra of city of Minsk, TCU Simphony.
Dzmitry has had considerable success in competitions including Second Prize in the 1999 National Piano Competition “F. Chopin in Memoriam”, Grodno, Belarus; First Prize in the 2000 National Piano Competition, Mogilev, Belarus; Fifth Prize in the 2003 Emil Gilels International Piano Competition, Odessa, Ukraine; Third Prize in the 2005 International Karol Szymanowski Piano Competition, Lodz, Poland; First Prize in the 2007 Svetislav Stancic International Piano Competition, Zagreb, Croatia; prize winner in the 2009 Bremen Piano Competition, Germany; Second Prize in the 2011 Chopin International Piano Competition.
Currently Mr. Ulasiuk is a student of Joaquin Achucarro, completing his Performers Diploma at the Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.
Year
- 2013
Placement
- Quarterfinalist
Edith started her piano education when she was three years old, back in her hometown of Jakarta, Indonesia. She was admitted to Yayasan Pendidikan Musik School of Music when she was 7, and graduated when she was 15, awarded the Yayasan Pendidikan Musik Gold Medal and also the Yayasan Pendidikan Musik Ar tist Award.
After her graduation, she then continues her study with Dr. Johannes S. Nugroho, former Dean of the Universitas Pelita Harapan Conservatory of Music, for a year before decided to pursue music. Edith then transferred to Music School attached to the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, China, and studied
under the guidance of Prof. Ling Yuan and graduated in 2008. Edith is a recipient of full-tuition scholarship from Texas Christian University School of Music, including the Langdon Music Scholarship and Happy-Bell Keyboard Scholarship. She worked on her undergraduate degree under the guidance of Dr.Tamas Ungar, and graduated Magna Cum Laude in May 2012. Claiming the 1st prize winner of Ananda Sukarlan Award for Best Indonesian Pianist 2010, she has also received an Award of Achievement in International Forum from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Indonesia. During the summer of 2009, she has also been offered scholarships to go to International Piano Academy Freiburg, Germany and Adam Gyorgy Castle Academy, Budapest, Hungary. During 2011-2012 she also received scholarship to participate in PianoTexas International Festival and Academy as well as Schlern International Music Festival in Italy. In addition she
has been awarded the Judith Solomon Award in Chamber Music from TCU as well as the TCU Faculty and Friends Chamber Music Award. She has also performed in numerous cities in Indonesia as well as abroad, including Italy, Costa Rica, China, Germany, Hungary, and U.S.A. In the summer of 2012, she has served as one of the judges for Ananda Sukarlan Award-Bandung International Music Academy International Piano Competition in Bandung, Indonesia. Besides her passion in piano, Edith also enjoys playing Chinese zither and Indonesian gamelan, and had performed numerous times with both instruments. She is currently a scholarship recipient working with Prof. Barry Snyder on her Master of Music degree in Eastman School of Music.
Year
- 2013
Placement
- Quarterfinalist
Ekaterina Gumenyuk was born in 1989 in Volgodonsk, Russia. She began her piano studies at the D. Shostakovich Music School and furthered her studies at the Saint-Petersburg Conservatory under Professor A. Sandler, where she graduated with top honors. In 2010, she received the Certificate of Merit from the Accademia Chigiana in Sienna, Italy. She is the First Prize winner of the “Premio Franco Alfano” International Competition (Italy),Third Prize winner of the Chopin International Competition (Estonia), Fifth Prize winner of the Prokofiev International Competition (Kazakhstan),Third Prize winner of the “Citta di Cantu” International Competition (Italy), Second Prize winner of the Paul Badura-Skoda International Piano Competition (Spain). Since 2001she has been an active par ticipant of the “SOS Talents” Foundation in Switzerland. She has performed in prestigious venues such as the Philharmonic Hall, Capella,Yusupovsky Palace, Sheremetevsky Palace in Saint-Petersburg, Moscow Conservatory Hall, Salle Gaveau, Salle Cortot, Hotel Marcel Dassault on the Champs-Elysées in Paris, Château de Canisy (Normandy, France), Montreux Palace, Château de Prangins, Château de Coppet in Switzerland,Villa Schindler (Telfs) and Ambras Castle (Innsbruck) in Austria, King’s Hotel in Casablanca, Szczecin Philharmonia in Poland, as well as recitals in Italy (Sicily), Estonia, USA and Japan. In 2011 Ekaterina Gumenyuk became a graduate student at the Southern Methodist University Meadows School of the Arts in Dallas,Texas, under Professor Joaquín Achúcarro.
Year
- 2016
Placement
- Quarterfinalist
Elisa D’Auria has played as a soloist and with orchestra throughout Europe, United States, South America and Asia. She has performed for numerous festivals and musical associations in distinguished halls (New York: Carnegie Hall; Gdansk: Philharmonie Concert Hall; Genève: Grande Salle du Conservatoire; Guangzhou: Tianhe Cultural Center; Leipzig: Hochschule für Musik und Theather; London: Steinway Hall; Madrid: Auditorium Sony; Milan: Sala Puccini and Sala Verdi, Teatro Dal Verme; Montecarlo: Palais des Congrès; Rio de Janeiro: BNDES Auditorium; Salzburg: Mozarteum, Shanghai: Shanghai Oriental Art Center, He Luting Concert Hal and Fudan University; etc).
After her debut at the age of twelve, she has been soloist of many orchestras, among which the Orquestra de Mallorca, the Polish Baltic Philharmonic Orchestra, the Bacau Philarmonic Orchestra, the Finchley Chamber Orchestra, the Philarmonia Mediterranea Orchestra, the Chioggia Simphony Orchestra and the Alaleona Theater Orchestra, collaborating with Italian and foreign conductors such as Ovidiu Balan, Luigi De Filippi, Dario Garegnani, David Lardi, Pietro Perini, Nicola H. Samale, Barry Sargent, Florin Totan, Massimiliano Caldi, etc.
She is a laureate of more than thirty national and international competitions in Italy and abroad, such as “Baltic International Piano Competition”, “Hastings International Piano Concerto”, “Vienna Grand Prize”, “Debut International Piano Competition, “Bradshaw and Buono International Piano Competition”, “Paris Virtuoso Prize”, “Schumann – Chopin Piano Competition”, ” Vila de Capdepera International Piano Competition”, “Anton Rubinstein International Piano Competition”…
She has been invited in many television and radio in Italy and abroad. She has recorded for the label Musikstrasse. Her new CD/DVD will be released in 2016 by the international label Limen Music.
Elisa is one of the eight pianists in the world selected to participate in the “Music Academy of the West Summer Festival” which was held in July 2014 in California, where she was awarded the Natalie McFadden Memorial Fellowship. In 2015 she is in residence at Tanglewood Music Center, the summer festival of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, where she is granted the Felicia Montealegre Bernstein Award and the Adele and John Gray Memorial Fellowship; moreover she has the opportunity to collaborate with Garrick Ohlsson, Emmanuel Ax, Michael Tilson Thomas and Andris Nelsons.
Year
- 2014
Placement
- Semifinalist
Pianist Grace Enhae Chung was born in South Korea and is currently pursuing the prestigious DMA in piano performance at the world-renowned Butler School of Music at the University of Texas at Austin where she recently completed her master of music degree. Enhae holds a bachelor of music degree from Pusan National University, where she graduated with the highest grade in 2009.
Ms. Chung is a prize winner in numerous national and international piano competitions including the 62st Wideman International Piano Competition,Young Artist Competition at Texas, Butler School of Music Concerto Competition, Music Chun- Chu Competition and Sung-Jung Music Competition.
Eunhae has appeared in recital and as soloist throughout Korea and the United States, including appearances with the Pusan Philharmonic Orchestra. As a top student at graduation, she was also invited to Chosun Daily Newspaper Debut Concert at Sejong Concert Hall in Korea.
Enhae is currently a student of Distinguished Professor Gregory Allen. Her former mentors include Hae-ryung Kwon and Whain Lee.
Year
- 2013
Placement
- Semifinalist
Ms. Eunhye Lee began studying piano at the age of five. She received her Bachelor’s of Music in Piano Performance at Sook-Myung Women’s University in South Korea and her Master’s at University of Cincinnati as a student of Awadagin Pratt. Currently, she is pursuing a Performance Diploma under the tutelage of Dr. Carol Leone at Southern Methodist University.
During her undergraduate study, Ms. Lee won the Mozart Concerto Competition at Sook-Myung Women’s University and performed with their resident orchestra. She recently won 2nd prize in the CCM Concerto Competition with her performance of the Beethoven Choral Fantasie. Ms. Lee has performed and taken master classes with Michael Rezek, Aguilles delle Vigne, Jura Margulis ,Yoshikazu Nagai, Mike Block, Alessio Bax, Domenico Codispoti, Rebecca Penney, Tamás Ungár and Markus Groh. She has also participated inThe International Center of Piano Studies in Rome, The Art of the Piano at CCM and the International Piano Festival Master Class in Houston
Ms. Lee continues to build her collaborative skills as a chamber musician and accompanist for vocalists and instrumentalists. At both CCM and SMU, she regularly appeared in chamber recitals as the collaborative pianist for many soloist recitals.
Year
- 2024
Placement
- Semifinalist
Born in a family of musicians in 1992, Evangeliya discovered the piano at the early age of three. She gave her first concert with Moscow Chamber Orchestra when she was five. In 1998, she entered a prestigious school for gifted children – the Moscow Central Music School of the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory as a student of Professor Tamara Koloss.
Since 2010 she has studied at the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory with Professor Ludmila Roshchina, where she has finished her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Piano Performance. In 2017 she earned her two-year postgraduate degree which is equivalent to an American Doctor in Arts. After that, she got a Full Tuition Scholarship at the International Center for Music at Park University, Missouri, and in 2020 pursued Artist Diploma in Piano Performance under Van Cliburn Gold Medalist Professor Stanislav loudenitch.
In 2021 Evangeliya was admitted to the USC Thornton School of Music to pursue a Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance as a student of Professor Stewart Gordon. Since 2022 she has been a Graduate Teaching Assistant at the USC Thornton School of Music.
She is the 1st Prize Winner of the Les Grandes Concours Internationales D’été in Los Angeles in 2023, 3rd Prize Winner of the Sixth NTD International Piano Competition in New York in 2022, 2nd Prize Winner of the USC Concerto Competition in Los Angeles in 2022.
She speaks Russian (native) and is fluent in English, German, and Greek.
Year
- 2015
Placement
- Quarterfinalist
Pianist Haeshin Shin earned a BM degree in piano performance from Seoul National University and a MM degree from Boston University with a full merit scholarship. Currently, she is a candidate for the Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Boston University under the guidance of Prof. Boaz Sharon, as a recipient of BU College of Fine Arts Scholarship. She won the first prize at American Protégé Romantic Music Competition, the second prize at Richmond Piano Competition and received an honorable mention at International Competition for Pianists in Memory of Shande Ding. Since 2011, she became a member of Pi Kappa Lambda, the American honor society of music, and also received the Hyung-Ae Foundation Scholarship Award in Korea. Ms. Shin has appeared in recitals, concerts, and festivals throughout the United States, Scotland, Russia, Luxemburg, Belgium, China, and Korea. She had the privilege of performing in master classes of John Perry, John O’conor, Philippe Entremont, Martino Tirimo, Willem Brons, Philip Jenkins, Ian Hobson, Boris Slutsky, and Marilyn Nonken. Shin has performed at Carnegie Weill Recital Hall, and Tsai Performance Center of Boston University for concert series such as “The Bicentennial Celebration of Franz Liszt’s birth”, “Liszt: Années de pèlerinage”, and “Claude Debussy’s 150th Anniversary”. She also performed at Symphony Hall as a keyboard section of Boston University Symphony Orchestra. As a chamber musician, she is a founding member of Piano avec Percussion and has played in Time’s Arrow New Music Ensemble. Recently, Shin was granted a fellowship at Garth Newel music center and gave concerts with her trio and quartet. She also gave solo and lecture recitals as a guest artist at BUTI (Boston University Tanglewood Institute) for two successive seasons, in 2013 and 2014. After serving three years of teaching assistant period, now she holds an assistant position for the piano department at Boston University.
Year
- 2016
Placement
- Quarterfinalist
Hana Lim is originally from South Korea and immigrated to Canada in 2003. While she was in South Korea, she attended Sunhwa Art School and studied with Sook Ryun Park. During the years in Canada, she attended to Royal Conservatory of Music, and studied with Tanya Tkachenko. She achieved BM degree in Eastman School of Music under Rebecca Penneys, and continued her MM degree in University of Michigan under Logan Skelton. Now, she is a student of Ian Hobson pursuing DMA in University of Illinois, and a recipient of Langford Fellowship (2014-2015) and Ross Fellowship (2015-2016). She is a prizewinner of Kiwanis Music Festival, Scarborough Piano Competition, Burlington Piano Competition, Canada National Provincial Round, and Canadian Music Competition.
Year
- 2013
Placement
- Finalist, Honorable Mention
HanQing Zhou is a rising figure of the 80s generation pianist who is committed to connect to today’s audiences by offering strong interpretations of the historical and contemporary repertoire.As a soloist he has performed in orchestral and recital settings. His debut was with the Firelands Symphony Orchestra, performing the Prokofiev’sThird Piano Concerto under James Feddeck.He has given solo and chamber performance at Warner Concert Hall, Kulas Recital Hall in Ohio, Neier Recital Hall in Chengdu, and Duncan Recital Hall in Houston.
Hanqing completed his Bachelor’s Degree of Piano performance at Oberlin conservatory of music with Professor Peter Takacs. He achieved his Master’s Music Degree at Rice University, Shepherd School of Music under Dr. Robert Roux. Now, He pursues his Artist Diploma in University of Houston with Nancy Weems. He have also participated to many music festivals and master classes including working with Leon Fleisher, Paul Badura-Skoda, John Lill, Nalita True,Yoheved Kaplinsky,Vladimir Fletsman and so on.
HanQing received a full scholarship from Oberlin Conservatory and is a recipient of the Dr. Margaret Ann Goldstein Prize from Rice University He is also a prize winner of many competitions including the Hong Kong Mozart Piano Competition, Firelands Symphony Orchestra Concerto Completion, Gu LangYu National Competition (in the Sichuan region).
Year
- 2014
Placement
- Quarterfinalist
Pianist Hansol Kang, winner of four major national competitions in Korea, performed with orchestras including Korean Prime Orchestra, Kyung-gi Provincial Orchestra, and Chung-Ang University Win. As a top student
at graduation, he was invited to Chosun Daily Newspaper Debut Concert, and designated as a soloist with Chung-Ang University Alumni Orchestra in the Seoul Art Center in 2005.
He has appeared at Seoul Art Center, Korean Broadcasting System Hall, Se-jong Art Hall, Busan Culture Center, and Daejeon Art Center, among many others in Korea. As a member of four men pianists team ‘WHYNOT?’ creating modernized concerts by piano chamber music, the team began ‘WHYNOT?’ piano concerts tour, it was recorded sold-out and broadcast by a government broadcasting station (MBC).
Born in Korea, he started piano at seven, and pursued his study on the piano in the Peniel Arts Middle and High school.After receiving his bachelor’s degree from Chung-Ang University under Prof.Younwha Lee, Hansol Kang was invited to Brandywine International Piano Institute by Prof. Anthony di Bonaventura, director of BIPI and professor at Boston University. After the graduation of his master degree in 2013, Mr.Kang is successively pursuing his doctoral program at the University of Texas at Austin under Prof. Gregory Allen with the Butler Music Excellent Scholarship and Jonilu Swearingen Nubel Endowed Scholarship.
Year
- 2013
Placement
- Quarterfinalist
Pianist Hee-Sung Jang, born in Korea, received her bachelor’s and master’s degree in piano performance from Seoul National University, where she studied with Soo-Jung Shin. She obtained her degrees with an ‘Award of Honor’ by presenting a thesis ‘A Study on the Literary Effects of E.T. A. Hoffmann in Schumann’s Kreisleriana, Op.16’. She furthered her studies at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor working with Arthur Greene, earning a master’s degree with high distinction.
As a soloist and chamber musician she has performed at prestigious venues in her native country, such as the Seoul National University’s Mozart Concert Hall, as well as the Ewon Cultural Center and Chugye University of Arts. International performances include the Wiener Summer Music Festival in Austria, the Worthing Theatre in the United Kingdom, the Puigcerda Summer Music Festival in Spain, Steinway Hall in Texas, and the Good Shepherd Church in NewYork.Additionally she has performed in master classes given by renowned artists such as John Perry, OxanaYablonskaya, Hae-Sun Paik and Barry Snyder. Hee-Sung Jang won the first prize at the Seattle International Piano Competition as well as prizes in the 5 Towns Piano Competition in New York, the American Protégé Competition as well as the Bradshaw and Buono Piano Competition.
Recently, she performed the Mozart Concerto No. 20 in D Minor with the NewYork Concert Artists Symphony Orchestra as part of their “Evenings of Piano Concerti” season as a winner of their concerto competition. Highlights next season include recitals in Seattle and at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York. She is currently pursuing her doctoral degree as a student of Anton Nel at the University of Texas at Austin, where she recently received an ‘Outside-Achievement Student Award’.
Year
- 2018
Placement
- 1st Prize Winner
Hsin-Hao Yang was born in Changhua, Taiwan. With his father being a manager, mother being a social worker, Hsin-Hao Yang started piano at the age of 7 and showed great talent and passion for music.
Throughout his music career, Hsin-Hao has won numerous awards including first prize of National Music Competition in 2009, 2011 and 2016. He also participated in the 2011 International Youth Piano Festival in Taiwan, the 2013 Interharmony Music Festival in Italy and the 2016 Music@Menlo Festival in San Francisco. Hsin-Hao gave his first piano solo recital in January 2015 at the Tainan National University of the Arts and the National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan.
Hsin-Hao was a student of Pei-Chun Liao and Grace Chung and has been instructed in master classes by Artemis Yen, Chun-Chieh Yen, Tai-Cheng Chen, and Vitali Berzon. Hsin-Hao is currently studying under Ning An’s instruction at California State University Fullerton.
Year
- 2022
Placement
- Quarterfinalist
Born in Kuala Lumpur in 1990, Hui Shan Chin began her musical education at the age of 3. Ms. Chin is a laureate of many national and international music competitions. Her accolades include top prizes in the Seattle International Piano Competition, Wideman International Piano Competition, Houston Symphony Ima Hogg Competition, HSBC Classics Piano Competition, ASEAN International Chopin Piano Competition, and the 5 Towns Music and Arts Piano Competition. Her list of first prizes includes the Kuala Lumpur Festival of Music in 2002, the Entergy Young Texas Artist competition (2014) and the Jacob Flier International Piano Competition (2014).
Ms. Chin moved to the United States in 2007 to attend Bard College Conservatory of Music under the tutelage of Peter Serkin and Jeremy Denk. She completed both Masters and Artist Diploma degrees in piano performance at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, and is currently pursuing her Doctorate of Musical Arts Studies, whereby she also serves as a Teaching Assistant to Dr. Robert Roux, the Chair of Keyboard Department. Ms. Chin is a Mary Hobson Shepherd Teaching Fellow.
Since her arrival in the United States, Ms. Chin has captivated audiences with her artistry at various venues including Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, deSingel Hall in Antwerp, Richard Fisher Hall, the Museum of Fine Arts, Bunkamura Orchard Hall and the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, among others. Equally adept as soloist and chamber musician, she has performed with the Bard Conservatory Orchestra and the Shepherd School Chamber Orchestra as winner of Rice University’s piano concerto competition. Hui Shan has participated in numerous piano master classes and has had the distinct honor to play for many distinguished artists including Jean Yves Thibaudet, Vladimir Feltsman, Richard Goode, Robert McDonald, Jerome Lowenthal and John Perry. Her recent collaborations include renowned soprano Ana Maria Martinez and pianist Brian Connelly. She has performed with the Houston Symphony, Symphony North of Houston, Clear Lake Symphony, Hudson Valley Philharmonic, the Shepherd School Chamber Orchestra, Rice Campanile Orchestra and the Lake Charles Symphony. Ms. Chin is the recipient of the 2016 Presser Foundation Music Award and the 2017-18 Gary Mercer Endowed Scholarship in Piano.
Year
- 2018
Placement
- Quarterfinalist
Pianist HwaYoung An was born in Seoul, South Korea and began her piano studies at the age of four.
As a soloist, she won the Grand Prix at 9th International Rosario Marciano Piano Competition in Vienna, Austria, and won second prize and the audience prize at the San Jose International Piano Competition in 2017. She recently got second prize and Audience Favorite Prize at the Seattle International Piano competition this year. Last year, she performed Prokofiev’s 3rd Piano Concerto with Boston University Symphony Orchestra as a winner of the soloist competition which was followed by receiving first prize from Boston University Richmond Piano Competition. In 2014, she gave a solo debut recital in Boston and in Seoul, Korea at Kumho Art Hall as a winner of the Kumho Foundation Young Artist Series Audition. In 2013, she was a finalist of the 32nd Delia Steinberg International Piano Competition in Madrid, Spain. In 2015, she was invited to participate in “The Pianofest in the Hamptons” in East Hampton, New York, and performed her solos in various venues around the Hamptons area.
Besides solo playing, as a dedicated chamber musician, HwaYoung formed a piano quartet named “Quartet Klang,” while at college in Korea, and gave recitals in Kumho Art Hall and various other halls at Seoul National University. For continuing her chamber playing, she has attended “Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival and School” and “Sarasota Music Festival”, where she was selected by faculty members to perform with her ensemble at Sarasota Opera House.
Previously, she received her Bachelor of Music degree from Seoul National University, then moved to the United States to continue her music study. She received her Master of Music degree from Yale University School of Music and her Artist Diploma from The Colburn School. Her previous teachers are Peter Frankl, Ory Shihor and Kwi-Hyun Kim. Currently she is a Doctor of Musical Arts candidate will full scholarships at Boston University under Prof. Pavel Nersessian.
Year
- 2016
Placement
- Semifinalist
Hyewoon Chang is a native of Seoul, Korea. She went on to attend Toronto’s Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music on full scholarship, where she studied under John Perry and David Louie. She later continued her studies in California under John Perry, again on full scholarship and currently a Bachelor of Music degree candidate at the Colburn Conservatory of Music.
She won first prize and awarded at 2014 Bradshaw & Buono International Piano Competition, American Protégé Piano Competition, a finalist in the 2012 New York International Piano Competition, while taking Grand Prize Honors in Korea’s Segye-Ilbo Music Competition, and third prize in Young Artist Music Competition. She performed at Carnegie Hall in New York, in Los Angeles, Canada, Italy, and at the birthplace of Franz Joseph Haydn in Rohrau, Austria. She also was selected a performer at “Artists of Tomorrow” concert with the Brentwood Westwood Symphony Orchestra. She has taken master classes with Leon Fleisher, Menahem Pressler, John O’Conor, and Jean-Yves Thibaudet.
Year
- 2016
Placement
- 3rd Prize Winner
Twenty-three years old Hyun Jung Kim is one of the leading and most decorated South-Korean pianists of her generation. Kim has been a frequent First prize winner in the international competitions. Including the 9th Asia Chopin International Piano Competition in Japan 2008, the grandprix at the 20th KBS International Music Competition in 2010 (where she was the youngest of all competitors), the 35th Bechstein-Samik National Piano Competition. And other major prize winners at the 7th Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition in United States 2004, the 14th Taiwan International Chopin Piano Competition in 2008, the 7th Hamamatsu International Piano Competition in Japan 2009, the 8th Paderewski International Piano Competition in 2010, the 4th Rhodes International Piano Competition in Greece, and the 7th Seoul International Piano Competition in Korea 2011.
Since Kim made her debut with the Seoul Symphony Orchestra at the age of 10, she has appeared on nearly every continent as soloist with major orchestras and recitalist. Ms. Kim has performed the KBS Symphony Orchestra in South Korea, Paderewski Pomeranian Philharmonic Orchestra in Poland, Tokyo Symphony Orchestra in Japan, IASI Philharmonic Orchestra in Czech Republic, Kaoshung Symphony Orchestra in Taiwan, Seoul Symphony Orchestra, Sungnam Philharmonic Orchestra and Suwon Symphony Orchestra in South Korea.
Ms.Kim has been heard on recital series throughout Asia, Europe and United States. She has Performed at Yamaha Artist Service Seoul as a soloist of their rising artist series and at Kumho Art Hall as a soloist of Kumho Young Artist Concert Recital, the Seoul Recital Hall in South Korea, the Taipei National Concert Hall in Taiwan, the ACT City Hamamatsu Main Hall in Japan, the Ongakudo Concert Hall among many. An avid chamber musician, Ms. Kim has performed with many renowned artists in the most major music festivals including Aspen International Music Festival in U.S, Euro Summer International Music Festival in Germany, Ishikawa Music Academy and Hamamtsu International piano Academy in Japan.
Born in South Korea, Ms. Kim received early training at Korea National University of Arts with Professor Choong-Mo Kang, selected as talented artist and skipped 2 years of high school curriculum. In 2013, Ms. Kim moved to the United States. Currently, she is pursuing her Master’s degree at the Peabody Conservatory of Music with Yong Hi Moon.
Year
- 2013
Placement
- Quarterfinalist
Inge Buniardi has performed around the world and began her career since the age of seven. She was one of the winners for the University of Kansas Concerto Competition 2011 and performed Rachmaninoff Concerto no. 2 with Kansas University Symphony Orchestra. Last year she won the MTNAWest Central Division competition inYoungArtist Category. She won the 1st prize of Ananda Sukarlan Award in Indonesia in 2008 and became one of the adjudicators in 2010. She was one of the prize winners of the American Fine Arts Festival International Competition and performed in Carnegie Hall last October and got the opportunity to perform with Kostronov Orches- tra in Russia. At the age of 17, she recorded four-hand works by Mozart together with Iswargia Soedarno, her piano teacher then. She started her piano lessons at age of four and currently pursuing her Doctor of Music degree in Kansas University in piano performing under Dr. Steven Spooner. She obtained her Bachelor and Master of Music at Conservatorium van Amsterdam, in piano performing under Prof. Mila Baslawskaja, while studying singing under Elise Galama, and composition under Daan Manneke as her minors.
Year
- 2015
Placement
- Finalist, Honorable Mention
Inyoung Kim was born in 1991 in Seoul, South Korea. She started to play the piano at the age of 7, and graduated from the Sunhwa Arts School in 2007 and Sunhwa Arts High School, summa cum laude, in 2010. From 2010 until 2014, she studied at Seoul National University in Korea with Hyung Bae Kim, and later with Jong Hwa Park, also, she received a Bachelor’s degree from the University, cum laude. She is continuing her studies at the New England Conservatory of Music in USA with Alexander Korsantia. Since 2003, Kim has won many famous competitions in Korea, such as the KookMin Journal Hansei Competition, Teenager Piano Competition, EumAk Journal Music Competition and SamIk Piano Music Competition. Additionally, while studying in Korea, she received an Excellence Award from SunHwa Arts High School. She has performed recitals at Seoul National University Concert Hall, Seoul City Hall, KumHo Art Hall, and YoungSan Arts Hall. She was also chosen as a student on a scholarship at Seoul National University, SungNam City Association, Artsylvia Foundation, Great Mountain Festival, and New England Conservatory. She is very interested in chamber music, and has performed as a chamber musician in the Trio S-callia, Vol Piano Duo, BP Piano Duo, and Quintet K. Also, she is very talented as an accompanist, and accompanies the SunHwa Arts Choir and New England Conservatory Concert Choir. She has taken master classes from worldwide musicians, such as Nykola Suk, Boris Slutsky, Victor Rosenbaum, Alexander Braginsky, Robert MacDonald, and Chiara Quartet. In 2014, Inyoung Kim began studying toward a Master’s Degree at the New England Conservatory.
Year
- 2016
Placement
- Semifinalist
A charismatic and versatile pianist, Jasmin Arakawa has performed widely in North America, Central and South America, Europe, and Japan. Described by critics as a “lyrical” pianist with “impeccable technique” (The Record), she has been heard in prestigious venues worldwide including Carnegie Hall, Salle Gaveau (Paris) and Victoria Hall (Geneva). She has appeared as a concerto soloist with the Philips Symphony Orchestra in Amsterdam, and with the Piracicaba Symphony Orchestra in Brazil. Other highlights of recent seasons have included guest artist appearances at the Toronto Summer festival, Ribadeo International Music Festival (Spain), Bicentenaire CHOPIN (Switzerland), Scotiabank Northernlights Music Festival (Mexico), Fazioli Piano Pure Series (Chicago) and Distinguished Concerts International (New York.)
Jasmin’s interest in Spanish repertoire grew out of a series of lessons with Alicia de Larrocha in 2004. She has subsequently recorded solo and chamber pieces by Spanish and Latin American composers (LAMC Record), under the sponsorship of the Spanish Embassy as a prizewinner at the Latin American Music Competition. An avid chamber musician, she has collaborated with such artists as cellists Colin Carr and Gary Hoffman, flutists Jean Ferrandis and Marina Piccinini, clarinetist James Campbell, and the Penderecki Quartet. A founding member of Trio Micheletti, she has toured extensively and recorded works for piano trio.
She holds Doctor of Music and Master of Music degrees in Piano Performance from Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where she studied with Emile Naoumoff, the last protégé of Nadia Boulanger.
Year
- 2013
Placement
- 3rd Prize Winner
Jeannette Fang is an imaginative and expressive pianist whose dynamic performances have attracted the attention of both professionals as well as the concert going public. She most recently was the 2nd place Young Artist Performance National winner of the MTNAYoung Artist Competition. From an early age her creative pianism was recognized through many awards such as first prize in the 20th International Young Artists’ Piano Competition in Washington, D.C., second prize in the 2003 Oberlin International Piano Competition, top honors in various MTNA competitions, awards from the National Foundation for Advancement of the Arts and the National Alliance for the Arts, and first prize in the 2000 Steinway Society Scholarship competition. She is the recipient of the Elizabeth J. Parisot award from Yale School of Music, the winner of the Karlfried Nordman Scholarship Piano Competition at Juilliard, and was named a National Presidential Scholar in the Arts in 2003.
An active presence on the concert stage, Ms. Fang performs regularly in such settings as Alice Tully Hall, John F. Kennedy Center, Zankel Hall, Bargemusic, Peter J. Sharp Theater, Weill Recital Hall, Steinway Hall, Sprague Recital Hall, and many others. She has been a featured performer on the McGraw-Hill Young Artist’s Showcase onWQXR-NewYork,and on NPR’s“From theTop”broadcast from the Disney Institute in California. She has soloed with numerous orchestras including the New Jersey Philharmonic, Battleground Symphony, and St. Mary’s Chamber Orchestra, and has won concerto competitions resulting in orchestra performances at both Juilliard Pre-College and Manhattan School of Music. She has served as Artist-In- Residence for two years at St. Mary’s Church Concert Series in South Amboy, NJ, and has performed as a guest artist at Boston Conservatory, Jacob’s Pillow Festival, the Watchung Arts Center, as well as others.
In addition to her long-standing commitment to solo piano performance, Ms. Fang is a passionate and experienced chamber musician.She was a young artist at theTaos Music Festival in the summer of 2012, and has spent three summers at the prestigious YellowBarn Festival in Vermont. She has performed with faculty and various new music groups in such venues as Zankel Hall, Bargemusic, Chamberfest at Juiliiard, and Le Poisson Rouge. She enjoys working in the world of contemporary music through active and ongoing collaborations with prominent composers such as David Lang, Shulamit Ran, Aaron Jay Kernis, Philippe Hersant, and Stephan Cox. Ms. Fang holds degrees from the Juilliard School,Yale School of Music, and is currently pursuing doctoral studies at the University of Michigan. Her principal teachers have included Peter Frankl, Yoheved Kaplinsky, Robert McDonald, Julian Martin, and Logan Skelton. Her first piano teacher was her mother, Dr. Julia Lam.
Year
- 2014
Placement
- Quarterfinalist
A native of Seoul, Korea, Ji Eun Yum graduated from the University of NorthTexas with a Bachelor of Arts in Music degree in 2008. While at UNT, she received numerous scholarships and the title, “Honor of Keyboard Studies.” In 2005, she was the first prize winner of the concerto competition at UNT and subsequently, performed theTchaikovsky Piano Concerto No.2 with the UNT symphony orchestra.
In 2006, she par ticipated in the Aspen Music Festival and studied under the tutelage of Heber t Stessin. After graduating from UNT, she moved to New York to continue her studies at Manhattan School of Music with Donn-Alexandre Feder while earning a Master’s degree. Upon completion of her Master’s degree, she moved back to Texas to further her study at UNT. Currently, she is working toward a Doctor of Music degree with Gustavo Romero. She brings her in depth experience in piano and music education to her students and her students love her warm and easygoing personality.
Year
- 2018
Placement
- Quarterfinalist
Jiawei Yuan was born in Datong, China. He began his piano lessons at the age of five and went on to study at the Shenzhen Arts School, Central Conservatory of Music piano academy at Gulangyu, Oberlin Conservatory of Music, and University of Houston.
He successfully earned both Performing Artist Certificate and Bachelor of Music under the tutelage of Andrew Parr at Stephen F. Austin State University. Jiawei’s previous private piano lesson teachers also include Nancy Weems, Alvin Chow, Meng Lu, Ming Yang, Chengzong Yin, Mingyi Wu, and Meng Bian. His masterclass teachers include Stephen Hough, Jean-Bernard Pommier, Robert McDonald, Yoheved Kaplinsky, John Owings, Marc Silverman, Douglas Humpherys, Nelita True, David Korevaar, Lee Kum Sing, and Ning An. He started broadening his musical perspectives by participating in the Interharmony International Music Festival in Italy, Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival in Florida, and earning awards from the 14th Hong Kong Open Piano Competition, 9th Russian International Music Piano Competition, Ruth Burr Piano Competition, and 64th Wideman International Piano Competition.
As a soloist, he performed in Hongtai Concert Hall in Xiamen, China; Beijing Concert Hall; Severence Hall in Cleveland; Dudley Recital Hall and Moores Opera House at University of Houston; Cole Concert Hall in Stephen F. Austin State University; Recital Hall in Arcidosso, Italy; Wold performing center at Lynn University. As a chamber musician, he performed duo, trio, and quintet in Moores Opera House; trio performance in Recital Hall in Arcidosso, Italy; trio and quartet performance in Lynn Conservatory’s Recital Hall. Currently, Jiawei is pursuing his master’s degree at the Lynn Conservatory of Music in the studio of Professor Roberta Rust. Besides playing the piano, he also attends symphony concerts, operas, and other vocal or instrumental recitals regularly. In addition to music, he always rides his bike, goes to swimming, plays bowling, soccer, table tennis, billiard, badminton, watches movies and dramas. He enjoys life just as he enjoys playing the piano.
Year
- 2013
Placement
- Quarterfinalist
Dr. Jim James is a pianist of unique breadth and depth, with a wide range of experience in solo, chamber, and collaborative playing. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Lawrence University in Appleton ,Wisconsin as well as a Master of Music degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and his Doctorate in Piano Performance at the University ofTexas- Austin. He also spent a semester studying at the École Normale de Musique in Paris , France . In 2002 Jim took first prize in the Badger Piano Competition of the Wisconisin Music Teachers Association, and received the Margaret Daniels and Jane Shephard Keyboard Awards at Lawrence University . During his time at UMKC he was a part of the New Music ensemble Musica Nova and later played John Adams’ Grand Pianola Music as soloist with the UT Wind Ensemble in a performance featured on NPR’s Performance Today. His principal piano instructors are Joan Smalley, Michael Kim, Catherine Kautsky , Robert Weirich , and Gregory Allen. He has played in masterclasses for Richard Goode and Ruth Laredo. Since finishing his degrees, Dr. James teaches a large studio of private students and continues performing solo and collaborative music in the Austin area, including frequent performances with the Austin Chamber Music Society.
Year
- 2014
Placement
- Quarterfinalist
Jing Chang is currently a doctor of musical arts student of Prof. Paul Shaw in University of Minnesota Twin- cities. She has performed widely as a soloist both in United States and China, served as assistant professor in China Conservatory from 2008-2011, and then joined UMN at 2012. She is the winner of the 2013 U of M Concerto Competition, the winner of 16th Annual Masters Concerto and Aria Competition of Kenwood Symphony Orchestra, and a multiple awards winner of major China national young artist piano competitions since 1996.The notable performances she has attended include the “Steinway & Sons 150th anniversary Celebration & Concert” in Beijing, Forbidden City in 2003.
Year
- 2018
Placement
- Quarterfinalist
Ms. Jing’er Xu has performed as a soloist and chamber musician in the United States, Italy and China. Ms. Xu graduated from the middle school of Shanghai Conservatory where she majored in piano. Ms. Xu attended the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and studied with Professor Yoshikazu Nagai. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degree from San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Currently She is a second year DMA student at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music where she studies with Professor Pratt.
Ms. Xu has performed several times in the Performance Hall of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and is a prizewinner of several competitions including first prize winner of the 2011 Sturm-Page Piano Scholarship Competition, the Doris Marliave Award and the Berkeley Piano Club 2013 Dorothy Van Waynen Competition for Piano. She won the first prize in the 2014 San Francisco Conservatory of Music Piano Concerto Competition held in March and she performed Prokofiev Piano Concerto No.1 in D-Flat major with San Francisco Conservatory of Music student orchestra in the following fall season. She also won the first prize in the 2016 College of Conservatory of Music Concerto Competition and has performed Mozart Concerto in E flat Major K 271 with the CCM philharmonic orchestra.
Recently she had two chamber concerts in the music series of “sea turtles” (Chinese who have studied aboard and returned) week in the Shanghai Concert Hall. As a piano instructor, Ms. Xu also has many experiences of teaching for all levels both in China and the United States.
Year
- 2014
Placement
- Semifinalist
A winner of various international piano competitions in both China and the United States, pianist Jinghua Pu has performed throughout the United States, China, and Italy including venues such as Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York City, the mansion at Strathmore in Bethesda, Maryland, the Phillip Center in Gainsville, Florida, the Great Hall at U.S. Department of Justice, the Ware Center at Lancaster, PA, and embassies in the District of Columbia. Her performances have been covered by various media, to include Italian local press Liberta and Korea Dalily.
After graduating from Xi’an Conservatory of Music with honors, Jinghua moved to the United States where she received a Masters in piano performance from the University of Florida, studying under Dr. Kevin Orr. Jinghua received her Doctor of Musical Arts at the Catholic University of America with Dr. Ivo Kaltchev. Over the years, she also received instruction from pianists to include; Karl-Heinz Kaemerling, Joaqin Achucarro, Joseph Banowetz, Logan Skelton, Douglass Humphreys, and Santiago Rogriquez.
Jinghua enjoys a regular performance schedule as both a soloist and chamber musician. As collaborative artist, she has worked with numerous singers, instrumentalists, and choirs, to include cellist Michael Mermagen and the University Choir of Catholic University.
Jinghua is a Steinway & Sons Educational Partner and a member of the Music Teachers National Association and the American College of Music.
Year
- 2017
Placement
- Quarterfinalist
Born in 1987, pianist Jiwon Han is a native of Incheon in South Korea. Raised in a family of musicians, he began his piano studies at the age of three. At the age of ten, his debut performance drew attention when he appeared as a soloist with Korean Philharmonic Orchestra in 1997 performing Mozart’s Piano Concerto No.23 in A major, K.488. In the same year, he gave his first solo recital at Incheon Culture and Arts Center, which followed by performances throughout Korea, Europe and America. By being recognized for his talents he has won many prizes in Korea’s important competitions. Also he was given many performing opportunities and major auditions. Mr. Han appeared in top concert venues in Korea including concerts at Seoul Art Center, Sejong Art Center, Hoam Art Hall sponsored by ARTE TV and Joongang Daily, one of Korea’s most widely read publications, and Kumho Art Hall sponsoered by Kumho-Asiana Cultural Foundation and currently he is getting sponsored by one of the most biggest studio in Korea named YAGI Studio.
Mr. Han is establishing himself as a new musician by playing chamber music and performing as an accompanist for many famous performers.
Especially, He has performed for years exclusively with Violinist Zia Shin who is the winner of the Queen Elisabeth Competition, the Tchaikovsky Competition and the Long-Thibaud Competition. As
4
a soloist, he has many big and small concerts and also performs more than five solo recitals a year. Outside of that, he has been showing his music ability by working at one of Korea’s most important public broad-casting station KBS for 3 years for the classic concert program as a director. Also he performs in an orchestra as a conductor.
In 2013 he has won 2nd prize in ISANG YUN International Competition and on 2014 his debut album has been released including Chopin and Isang Yun pieces. He also was invited to have a recital at salle corto in France, Paris. In 2015 his 2nd album ‘ Romanticism’ has been released including Brahms, Schumann and Liszt.
Mr. Han studied with Prof. Young-Bang Cho at Gyeonggi Arts High School where he graduated with the highest honor. In Korea National University of Arts, he studied with Prof. Choong-Mo Kang for bachelor’s and master’s degree, and studied with Prof. Daejin Kim for artist diploma.
He is currently studying with Prof. Awadagin Pratt at University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music for artist diploma, being granted a full scholarship(Graduate Incentive Award) and Art of the Piano Foundation Award.
Year
- 2022
Placement
- 1st Prize Winner
An Indonesian-American and native of Southern California, pianist and educator Jonathan Mamora strives to uplift and positively influence others using music as a means for service through churches, homes, schools, community centers, and the concert hall.
Jonathan’s performances have taken him throughout North and South America, Europe, and Asia, and he is a prize-winner of several regional and international competitions, most recently winning first prize in the 2022 Virginia Waring International Piano Competition and the 2022 Eastman Piano Concerto Competition. Recent performances include Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in F sharp minor, Op. 1 with the Eastman Philharmonia and the Waring Festival Orchestra, and Olivier Messiaen’s Oiseaux exotiques with the Eastman Wind Ensemble. He was recently a featured artist for the LA Phil Affiliates in the Desert. He has previously performed in masterclass by pianists as Olga Kern, Jerome Lowenthal, Robert Levin, Antonio Pompa-Baldi, and Stanislav Ioudenitch.
Jonathan holds graduate assistantships in accompanying and in music theory at the Eastman School of Music and has received the Eastman Excellence in Accompanying Award. Jonathan also teaches piano for the Eastman Community Music School.
Jonathan is pursuing his Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance and Literature at the Eastman School of Music, studying with and serving as studio assistant for Douglas Humpherys. He received his Bachelor of Music from La Sierra University and his Master of Music from The Juilliard School. His previous teachers include Elvin Rodríguez and Hung-Kuan Chen.
Year
- 2017
Placement
- Semifinalist
Although South Korean by origin, Ju Young Lee was born in Tokyo, Japan on August 16th, 1991 and moved to her native country the next year. As a child, she was always intrigued by Bach and Mozart’s music, and by the age of 6, she was ready to play the piano as a lifetime passion. She has been awarded prizes for many competitions during her years at elementary and middle school. Yet realizing vastness of the world stage and limitations of art industry in Korea, she made a big decision to continue her passion abroad in New York City at the age of 16.
Studying in New York City for 8 years, under the guidance of Julian Martin at Juilliard, she has had many fulfilling experiences developing and polishing her skills at piano and music. She has performed at several music festivals such as Gijon International Piano Music Festival, Valencia International Piano Music Festival in Spain and Yellow Barn Young Artist Program in Vermont. Also, she has had many recitals and concerts such as Recital at Weill Hall at Carnegie, Recital at the Mozart Hall in Seoul, Camerata Virtuosi New Jersey Piano Concerto at Merkin Recital Hall in New York City and several chamber music concerts and recitals at The Juilliard School. Ju Young’s time at Juilliard bestowed confidence, technical abilities, and most importantly her own unique color upon her and her music.
After graduating from Juilliard, she decided to continue her graduate studies with a full scholarship, Graduate Incentive Award (GIA), at Conservatory-College of Music in the University of Cincinnati under Soyeon Kate Lee. Although the sudden change in environment initially caught her off-guard, it has helped her take a new approach to her musical studies. Besides having more control over her style of music, she has gained a greater number of opportunities to perform her solo and chamber music.
Year
- 2013
Placement
- Quarterfinalist
American pianist Kara Huber has been acclaimed for her “mature vision” by the Washington Post.The Classical Voice of Nor th Carolina wrote that she plays “technically difficult solo passages with uncanny accuracy.” Ms. Huber has made several appearances at the Kennedy Center as well as the Eastern Illinois University Guest Artist Series and Rising Stars Piano Series in Southampton, NY. Ms. Huber has received numerous prizes and awards for her performances, including the Bradshaw & Buono International Piano Competition,The Stetcher and Horowitz Foundation’s New York Piano Competition, and Chicago Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition.Kara has attended summer festivals such asTanglewood,MusicAcademy of the West, and Pianofest in the Hamptons.
First picking up melodies by ear at an early age, Ms. Huber began private lessons at the age of five. At sixteen, she was admitted to the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan, where she also made her orchestral debut with the Interlochen Arts Academy Orchestra. Past teachers have included Michael Coonrod, Frank Weintstock, Awadagin Pratt,Yoshi Nagai, Paul Schenly, and Jerome Lowenthal. Ms. Huber has received degrees from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. She is pursuing a career as a concert pianist as an artist at the Banff Centre creative music residency.
Year
- 2015
Placement
- Quarterfinalist
“Passionate,” “expressive,” “bold,” and “sensitive:” this is how critics glowingly described pianist Kayoung An’s performance with the Bayerische Kammerphilharmonie at the Seoul Arts Center. It “penetrated deep into the heart, evoking an image of an artist painting on a canvas with a brush” (Music Review, August 2017).
Pianist Kayoung An has appeared extensively throughout the United States, Korea, Canada, and Italy. She toured in Korea with Bayerische Kammerphilharmonie in 2017 and performed with renowned orchestras such as the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, Seoul Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM) Orchestra, Seoul Philharmonians, Amadeo Philharmonic Society, Bar Harbor Festival String Orchestra, Contemporary Repertoire Orchestra, and Morningside Heights Chamber Orchestra.
Her performances have been widely broadcasted on Belfast Community Radio (WBFY 100.9), KBS Classic FM (Musical Common Ground), KBS-TV (Music Anchor Desk), and Cogeco TV. Kayoung has also been interviewed by the Bar Harbor Music Festival, Netherland’s Luister, Korea’s Music Today and Music Journal, and the East Hampton Star. During her dedicated musical career, she was fortunate to work with prominent conductors such as Gábor Hontvári, Lawrence Golan, Francis Fortier, and others.
She recently produced a premier recording of Bernard Hoffer’s Concerto Grosso for Piano and Strings (2014) with conductor David Gilbert. Since the 2021 season, she has been on a grand project documenting the complete piano/chamber music of the international award-winning composer Bernard Hoffer. She collaborates extensively with outstanding musicians of the New York City Ballet.
Dr. Kayoung An received her D.M.A. from the Manhattan School of Music. Her doctorate dissertation is titled 20th Century Piano Etudes: Special Challenges and Special Rewards. She has been a guest lecturer at the Manhattan School of Music (college division) since 2020 to speak on her dissertation and piano etudes. She also holds degrees from the New England Conservatory (M.M), Colburn Conservatory (A.D), and Cleveland Institute of Music (B.M).
Year
- 2016
Placement
- 1st Prize Winner
Kenny Broberg was born in 1993, and has studied the piano since age six. He plays “with an emotional sophistication far beyond his years” (Duluth News Tribune). Originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, Kenny studied for nine years with Dr. Joseph Zins. Currently, he studies at the University of Houston Moores School of Music with Professor Nancy Weems. He has also taken private lessons and classes with Abbey Simon, Stanislav Ioudenitch, Menahem Pressler, and Arie Vardi, among others. Kenny has played concerti with a number of orchestras, including the Minnesota Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic, the Moores School Symphony Orchestra, the Moores School Wind Ensemble, the New Orleans Civic Symphony. Conductors he has worked with include Carlos Miguel Prieto, Ludovic Morlot, and Franz Anton Krager. Notable awards include the Second Prize and Audience Favorite at the Seattle Symphony International Piano Competition, Bronze Medal at the 2014 New Orleans International Piano Competition, Silver and Bronze Medals at the Wideman International Piano Competition, the Gold Medal at the Mika Hasler Young Artist Competition, and the Silver Medal at the Young Texas Artists Competition. He has taught and given masterclasses in the U.S. and in South America. Solo, concerto, and chamber performances have been aired on the radio on NPR and KUHF 91.7 Houston.
Year
- 2015
Placement
- Quarterfinalist
Ko Eun Jeoung is a Doctoral pianist at the University of North Texas. In 2005, she was admitted to Pusan National University in Korea with music scholarship. In the following year, she entered ‘Italy Gubbio Music Festival’, for which she performed concerts throughout Italy. She won top prizes in many national and international competitions, including the Peters Competition in Germany, Eum-yoen, Journal of Music, and Nanpa Concours in Korea. She also won the top prize in the Korea Duo Concours. While working toward her bachelor’s degree, she was chosen as one of the best pianists of the University, Ko Eun actively participated in school’s subscription concerts.
While studying for three years as a graduate student at Seoul National University, Ko Eun studied with Jong Hwa Park, one of the top Korean pianists. She did was a teaching assistant as a graduate student for Jong Hwa Park. She has participated in master classes with renowned pianists Piotr Paleczny Ignat Solzhenitsyn and others.
In 2014 she began work toward a doctorate in piano at the University of North Texas where she studies with Gustavo Romero. She was selected as the winner of UNT concerto competition. In April of 2015, Ko Eun is to perform at Mendelssohn Piano concerto with the UNT Concert Orchestra.
Year
- 2015
Placement
- 2nd Prize Winner
“…Excellent Technique and Spirit …” (The Miami Herald) “…his commitment, talent, imagination, drive, passion and intelligence make Kristhyan an outstanding Musician and Performer…” (Phillippe Entremont) This young pianist belongs to the new generation of Venezuelan musicians who stand out internationally. Born in Caracas, 30-year-old Kristhyan Benitez began his steps toward a musical career at the age of four with Olga Lopez, pupil of the legendary Magda Tagliaferro. Three months later, he played for an audience of 2000 people at one of the most important musical venues in Venezuela, The Teresa Carreño Cultural Complex. Jose Antonio Abreu, Founder Director of “El Sistema” describes Kristhyan as “one of the most important and brilliant leaders of the Musical Movement in Venezuela and the whole Continent”. He has won top prizes in several national and international piano competitions, including countries such as Argentina, Cuba, Mexico, France, Venezuela, USA, Germany, and Austria among others. At the 1996 National Philharmonic Orchestra Soloist Competition in Caracas, Venezuela, plastic artist Jesús Soto crafted and awarded him a unique medal for the First prize.
Kristhyan Received the “Jose Felix Ribas Award”, the highest honor given by the President of Venezuela in 1998, for his cultural contribution and enhancement of his country overseas. Kristhyan has appeared at some of the world’s most prestigious stages such as Philarmonie Hall (Berlin), Davies Symphony Hall (San Francisco), Town Hall (New York), Ehrbar Saal (Vienna), Salle Cortot (Paris), Amadeo Roldan Theater (Havana) and Rios Reyna at the Teresa Carreño Cultural Complex (Caracas), with performances throughout Europe, South America and the United States. He has performed under the baton of Claudio Abbado, Alondra de la Parra, Carlos Riazuelo, Felipe Izcaray, Giancarlo Guerrero, Piero Gamba, Gustavo Dudamel, Patrick Lange, James Orent, Benjamin Zander, and Eduardo Marturet. His orchestral engagements include the Simon Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela, San Francisco Symphony, La Havana Symphony, Berliner Symphoniker, Miami Symphony, among others. His Festival participations include the 1999 VIP Academy in Vienna, 2001 New World Academy, 2001, “The Piano From Bach to Chick Corea” festival, 2003 Beethoven festival where he played for the director of Beethoven’s House in Bohn, Germany, 2006 Steinway Festival and 2008 Palm Beach Atlantic International Piano Festival in USA.
Year
- 2014
Placement
- 1st Prize Winner
Hailed as “spine-tingling” (Fort Worth Star-Telegram) and “breathtaking” (Boston Musical Intelligencer), American pianist Kyle Orth possesses unusual virtuosity and artistic sensitivity. He has distinguished himself globally as a captivating soloist and chamber musician, passionately reviving lesser-known works while offering intriguing interpretations of pieces within the standard repertoire. The Dallas Morning News praised his complete musicianship for being “thoughtfully proportioned and detailed, with plenty of virtuosity when called for.”
Orth made his orchestral debut at the age of fifteen, playing Saint-Saëns Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Plano Symphony Orchestra. Since then, he has appeared as a soloist with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Israel Symphony Orchestra, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Orquesta Sinfónica de Oaxaca (Mexico), Dallas Chamber Symphony, Missouri Symphony Orchestra, Orquesta Sinfónica de Arequipa (Peru), Orquesta Sinfónica de Cusco, Springfield Symphony Orchestra, and the Richardson Symphony Orchestra, performing under the batons of Jaap van Zweden, Vahagn Papian, Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Hugh Wolff, Anshel Brusilow, Hector Guzman, and others. He recently joined Osmo Vänskä and the Minnesota Orchestra on their subscription series “Tchaikovsky Marathon” to present Tchaikovsky’s underplayed Piano Concerto No. 2. His “unbuttoned enthusiasm” left a “sparkling impression” on critics, and the Star Tribune further commended his playing for its “thrillingly visceral” impact.
As a chamber musician, Orth has studied and performed in prominent international festivals including the Perlman Music Program, the Ravinia Steans Music Institute, the Bowdoin International Music Festival, and the Pablo Casals Festival-Academie in France. He was a founding member of the Caspian Quartet, a competitively selected honors ensemble at the New England Conservatory. The quartet’s 2017 recital in Boston’s Jordan Hall attracted special attention for their performance of the Saint-Saëns Piano Quartet in E major, a work that remained unpublished until 1992. Orth has collaborated with artists including Donald Weilerstein, Jing Wang, Angelo Xiang Yu, and Rachel Lee Priday, and often appears as a violin-piano duo with his wife, Rachel Arcega Orth.
An internationally recognized competitor, Orth holds over twenty first-place wins in local, national, and international music competitions. Triumphs include Grand Prize in the Friends of the Minnesota Orchestra Young Artist Competition, as well as First Prize in the Dallas International Piano Competition and Hellam Young Artists Competition. He received top prizes at the Corpus Christi International Piano Competition and Wideman International Competition, as well as the Audience Award at the finals of the Washington International Piano Competition.
Recordings of Orth’s concerto and chamber performances have been broadcasted on WGBH-WCRB classical 99.5 in Boston and New Hampshire, as well as WRR radio, classical 101.1 in Dallas. During the coronavirus outbreak, he appeared in a long-distance collaboration recital with violinist Sean Lee for Salon de Virtuosi in New York, which was streamed live on The Violin Channel. A deeply committed educator, Orth spent several seasons with Cliburn in the Classroom, a program that brings live presentations of classical music to thousands of children in public schools across the DFW metroplex. He now serves on the faculty of Musicians for the World, a non-profit organization that provides lessons and masterclasses to vulnerable communities around the globe. He was a founding member and artist-faculty for the first MFW International Festival Peru (2022), a three-week festival featuring concerts and masterclasses in Lima, Cusco, and Arequipa.
Born in California in 1990, Orth spent much of his childhood in Texas and received a B.M. from Texas Christian University as a Nordan Young Artist. He holds a M.M. from New England Conservatory, and is now a doctoral candidate in NEC’s highly selective DMA program. During his time at NEC, he was awarded the Presser Foundation Graduate Music Award (2018) and a Presidential Scholarship (2016-2018); he also won the piano department concerto competition and performed Prokofiev’s Third Piano Concerto in Jordan Hall. His primary mentors were Wha Kyung Byun, John Owings, Alex McDonald, and Marcy McDonald; he also received coaching from Russell Sherman, Miriam Fried, Natasha Brofsky, Merry Peckham, and Vivian Weilerstein. Other meaningful contributions to his artistry include a love of nature, literature, poetry, religion, and his Latino-Jewish heritage.
Orth is currently on the piano faculty at Wheaton College Conservatory of Music in Wheaton, Illinois.
Year
- 2017
Placement
- Quarterfinalist
Praise as “ A Born Performer…with brilliant techniques” by Harris Goldsmith, New York Concert Review. Pianist Kyra Xuerong Zhao is passionate about engaging her audiences through her exciting and po- etically lyrical performances.
Ms. Zhao has performed in many prestigious venues and was invited to give recitals in world most famous concert halls in the United States and Asia. Among her solo performances apperance including recitals in Carnegie Hall, “Music & More” festival in New Marlbor- ough, MA, Horvitz Auditorium in Fort Lauderdale Florida, The German Consulate of New York, The Polish Consulate of New York, The Goethe Institute, Steinway Concert Hall, and Klavierhause in New York. Natick Arts Center, MA. Her concerto appearances in- cluding her performance of the Liszt A Major Concerto with the Claremont Chamber Symphony. Ms.Zhao was interviewed by many major newspaper including the newspaper “Berkshire Eagle” with a full page article entitled ”
Ms. Zhao has won many top prizes, including the first prize at Bei- jing Young Pianist Competition and the Beijing Piano Festival. Sec-
ond prize at The 14th International Chopin Piano Competition in Rome, and “Five Town International Piano Competition” in New York City. Winner of The Mannes Concerto Competition . Bronze medalist in “The Third Seattle International Piano Competition” and also the Best Performance of Chopin and the First prize winner of “2015 Richmond International Piano Competition” in 2015.
In the same year after winning the Chopin Competition in Rome, a DVD of her live concert from Beijing entitled “Young Talents” by Tiantian Arts Publishing House was released.
Born to a musical family in Beijing, China. Ms.Zhao began her piano stud- ies at the age of five. She was one of the eight students selected from China to attend The Middle School Of The Central Conservatory in Beijing. She traveled to US with earning Merit scholarships (complete tuition covered by her schools) for 10 years . She had earned with honor a BM, and MM from Mannes College of Music. An Artist Diploma from Yale School of Music. And currently pursuing a DMA from Boston University School of Fine Arts.
Her major teachers including: Arkady Aronov, Ju-Ying Song, Boris Berman, Perter Frankl, Weiyi Yang, and Boaz Sharon. Ms. Zhao has performed in many master classes, including with Richard Goode, Claude Frank, Yefim Bronfman, Ann Schein, Peter Oundjian, John Perry and etc.
Year
- 2017
Placement
- Quarterfinalist
Born in Seoul, South Korea, Kyunghoon Kim began studying piano at the age of nine. He took professional piano lessons beginning at age 14, subsequently playing a Mozart piano concerto with the Solideo Philharmonic Orchestra in Korea. He studied at Seoul Arts High School and graduated summa cum laude from Seoul National University, where he studied with HyoungJoon Chang and majored in piano performance. Kim earned his M.M. in Piano Performance at the IU Jacobs School of Music, where he is currently pursuing his D.M. under the guidance of Arnaldo Cohen. Kim won first prize at the inaugural Hanoi International Piano Competition in Vietnam and also won at several national competitions, including the Korea Piano Society Competition and the Haneol Music Competition in Korea. He has performed with the Hanoi Philharmonic Orchestra and the Incheon Philharmonic Orchestra, and he has given many recitals in Korea, including in the Schumann Festival at Seoul National University and in Youngsan Grace Hall. He is a young artist with the Kumho Asiana Cultural Foundation and performed in a Young Artist Series recital. He also performed Prokofiev’s Third Piano Concerto with Maestro Stuart Malina last year and played Liszt Second Piano Concerto with Maestro Arthur Fagen this year with Indiana University Symphony Orchestra as a winner of the piano concerto competition at IU, where he was praised for ‘not only the bombastic, but intensely musical, rich in nuances, introspective, lyrical’ performance by Herald Times. He has participated in master classes with Julian Martin, Barbara Nissman, Boris Berman, Jacques Rouvier, Eduard Halim, Lydia Artymiw, and Barry Snyder.
Year
- 2017
Placement
- 3rd Prize Winner
Leon Bernsdorf (*1992 in Hamburg, Germany) received his first piano lessons at the age of five. Already one year later, he received a scholarship by the Hamburg youth music foundation, and as taught by the renowned piano pedagogue, Carol Tainton. In 2007, Leon became a pre-college student at the HfMT Hamburg under the tutelage of Prof. Volker Banfield. After his graduation, he continued his studies with Prof. Boaz Sharon at Boston University’s College of Fine Arts. He received his Bachelor degree “cum laude” in May 2014. Since fall 2014, Leon is studying with Prof. Pavel Nersessian at Boston University, pursuing a Masters Degree. In addition to his studies he participated in master classes by Karl-Heinz Kaemmerling, John Perry, John O’Connor, and Ian Hobson.
At the age of six, Leon participated in the renowned German youth competition “Jugend musiziert” for the first time. In the following years, he reached enormous success in various categories of the contest and in other competitions, including a first prize at the Grotrian Steinweg Competition, and a first prize at the Steinway Competition in Hamburg. In 2007 and 2008, Leon won first prizes on the federal level of “Jugend Musizert”, for which he was granted a scholarship by the “Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben”
In November 2010, Leon won the second prize at the “Dedication to Ferenc Liszt” Competition at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow, playing Rachmaninoff’s second concerto in the final round. As a result of this success, Leon was granted various performances throughout Europe, including appearances at the international music festivals in Bergamo and Verona, Italy. In April 2014, Leon won the “Richmond Piano Competition” at Boston University, which was followed by a solo recital at the Tsai Performance Center.
Year
- 2015
Placement
- Quarterfinalist
Liana Paniyeva holds an Artist Diploma from The Hartt School as well as a Professional Studies Certificate from Manhattan School of Music. In 2014, Liana was awarded The W.A.Cargill Foundation Prize in the Scottish International Piano Competition in Glasgow. Liana began her musical studies at the Special Music School in Donetsk,Ukraine. In 2007 she graduated from Donetsk Music Academy (Ukraine).Her international prizes include Third Prize at the International Competition in Memory of E.Gilels (2002,Ukraine), First Prize at the International Competition in Memory of Prokofiev (2002,Ukraine), and Second Prize at the International Competition in Memory of A.Karamanov. She also won “The Voice of Music” Piano competition in Israel and received the First Prize at the “Music World” International Competition in Italy. Ms. Paniyeva is Winner of the American Protégé International Music Talent Competition, recipient of the Grand Prize at the Metropolitan International Piano Competition, and Winner of the AFAF Golden Era of Romantic Music International Competition. Ms.Paniyeva was awarded the E.B.Storrs Piano Scholarship of the Musical Club of Hartford. Liana has performed at international festivals in Norway, Hungary, Syria, Italy, Israel, and three times at Carnegie Hall in NYC.
Year
- 2014
Placement
- 2nd Prize Winner
Pianist Lizhen Wu was born in 1988 in the town of Yue Yang in the People’s Republic of China. He began studying the piano at the age of 5. Because of his promising musical gifts, he was accepted into the Wuhan Conservatory, which necessitated moving away from home. He studied at the Conservatory with Wang Xian, who remained his teacher until he came to the United States in 2006.
Mr. Wu – known to his American friends as Rick – won First Prize in the Hazimen Piano Competition in China and was invited to the United States to perform at four universities, including the University of North Texas. He auditioned for the Bachelor of Performing Arts degree at the UNT College of Music, and was accepted as a freshman performance major in the fall of 2006 on a scholarship, and studying with Dr. Pamela Mia Paul. In 2012, Mr Wu was accepted as a graduate student at SMU with full scholarship. He is currently studing with Joaquin Achucarro. Lizhen participated was also a quarterfinalist in the Dallas International Piano Competition 2013.
Year
- 2013, 2016
Placement
- Quarterfinalist
Pianist Lucy Tan has concertized at many notable venues including Jordan Hall, Carnegie Hall, and the Kennedy Center. She made her live WGBH radio debut at age 11 on “Morning Pro Musica,” followed by her concerto debut at age 12 with the Brockton Symphony Orchestra. Outside of the U.S., Ms. Tan’s performances have taken her to the Far East as well as Europe, and her playing can be heard on the CD, Kuş Dili: The Language of Birds. Music festival engagements include Bowdoin International Music Festival, Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival, and Music Academy of the West. Ms. Tan is also an advocate of contemporary music, having worked with renowned composers like John Harbison and Alvin Lucier.
A laureate of numerous awards, some of Ms. Tan’s prizes include the XXVIII Incontro Internatiozionale Giovani Pianisti, the Bruce Ekstrand Memorial Competition, and the Chiang Wen Yeh International Piano Competition for Young Artists. This past year, she was a semi-finalist in the Seattle International Piano Competition. She has received awards and grants from the Harvard Musical Association, the Beneficent Society, the Nuzzo Family Foundation, and more. At the New England Conservatory, she won the piano concerto competition, and was subsequently engaged to perform Messiaen’s Oiseaux exotiques as part of the Messiaen Centennial Celebration. Additionally, Ms. Tan was a two-time winner of the Honors Piano Competition at NEC.
Ms. Tan studied with Bruce Brubaker, Veronica Jochum, Bob Spillman, Hui-Ying Chang, and Tatyana Dudochkin. She has played in masterclasses for artists such as Alfred Brendel, Arie Vardi, Jeremy Denk, and Jerome Lowenthal. After graduating from Walnut Hill School for the Arts, she received her Bachelor and Master degrees from NEC, both with academic honors. She is now a doctoral candidate in piano performance at the University of Colorado at Boulder, studying with David Korevaar.
Year
- 2024
Placement
- Semifinalist
Marie Wurtz is currently pursuing undergraduate piano studies with James Giles at Northwestern University and previously studied with Inesa Sinkevych at the Manhattan School of Music Precollege. She was named a 2022 Finalist by the National YoungArts Foundation. Marie participated in the Bowdoin International Music Festival in the studio of Peter Serkin in 2018. She has also attended Philadelphia Young Pianists’ Academy and the Manhattan in the Mountains festival. In 2022 and 2023, she attended Aspen Music Festival, studying with Arie Vardi and Anton Nel. She will be returning this year to Aspen, studying with Yoheved Kaplinsky and Hung-Kuan Chen. Marie has performed in Bowdoin College’s Studzinski Hall, Harris Hall at the Aspen Music Festival, Merkin Hall in New York, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, the Manhattan School of Music, and many other halls. In 2021, she received 1st prize in the Philadelphia International Piano Competition and 2nd prize in the Spotlight International Piano Competition. Marie has taken part in masterclasses with the Dover Quartet, Gary Graffman, Alexander Korsantia, and Shai Wosner, as well as lessons with Maria João Pires.
Year
- 2024
Placement
- Quarterfinalist
Maryann Gou is completing her MMus in Piano Performance with Garrick Ohlsson at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Born in 2000, she began piano studies at age 8 in Sydney Australia, learning from her mother, a pupil of Dan Zhaoyi. Maryann later commenced lessons with Neta Anne Maughan AM.
As a soloist, Maryann has performed in masterclass with Yuja Wang, Tamara Anna-Cislowska, Andrey Gugnin, Alexander Kobrin, and Stephen Hough. As a chamber musician, she is coached by Yoshikazu Nagai and members of the Telegraph Quartet, and has performed in masterclass with the Miró Quartet, Salastina Duo, and Emanuel Ax. Highlights include performances while on tour in Europe, as well as Carnegie Hall. She has performed in the Sydney Town Hall, City Recital Hall, Zenith Theatre, Independent Theatre, and Australian Digital Concert Hall.
In 2011, Maryann played Mendelssohn’s 1st concerto in the ABC Young Performers’ Awards, and has since performed with orchestra, concerti by Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky, and has won over 150 prizes across Australia. In 2015, she won the Margaret Chalmers Scholarship. In 2016, she performed the Butterfly Lovers’ Concerto, and in 2017, she performed the first movement of Poulenc’s Concerto for Two Pianos. In 2022, she won both the BlueScope WIN Baroque, and Bond & Davies Piano Scholarship.
In 2022, Maryann was admitted as a lawyer in the Supreme Court of NSW, and solicitor in NSW. During her spare time, she enjoys reading and writing poetry, and has had her poems selected to be published in two anthologies.
Year
- 2017
Placement
- Quarterfinalist
Born in Los Baños, Philippines, nineteen-year-old pianist Matthew Calderon started playing the piano at age six and was a national government scholar at the Philippine High School for the Arts at age 13. He has garnered awards and accolades in competitions including the 2016 LYNN Concerto Competition, 2016 FSMTA Gray Perry Young Collegiate Competition Award (first prize), the Byrd Piano Ensemble Award (first prize), and the 2015 MTNA-Florida State Competition (Senior Piano Category, first prize). In 2012, he became the sole winner of the Mozart International Piano Competition in Thailand. Matthew made his debut as a classical pianist at age 16 in the Young Artist Series of the Manila Chamber Orchestra Foundation and has appeared as soloist with the Manila Symphony Orchestra, the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Lynn Philharmonia.
Matthew studied at the Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival in Tampa, Florida in the summer of 2016. He has performed in master classes of Stephen Hough, Boris Slutsky, Stanislav Ioudenitch, Yong Hi Moon, Rebecca Penneys, Christopher Harding, Agustin Anievas, James Giles among others. Matthew currently studies with Dr. Roberta Rust at the Lynn University Conservatory of Music in Boca Raton, Florida.
Year
- 2017
Placement
- Quarterfinalist
Korean-American pianist Mi-Eun Kim has performed on stages across the country, as well as in Europe and Asia. She is a prizewinner of the Liszt-Garrison Competition’s Liszt Award, the Corpus Christi solo prize, the International Institute for Young Musicians, Missouri Southern International Competitions and Young Arts. Festival appearances include Piano Summer at New Paltz, Gijón Piano Festival, Art of the Piano at Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, PianoTexas, The Gilmore Keyboard Festival, and Kneisel Hall.
Recent performances include the ongoing complete Beethoven piano sonata cycle at MIT, Butler University’s Beethoven @ 2020 Series, University of Michigan, Loyola University in New Orleans, and Yiin Art Hall in Busan, South Korea and Atlantic Music Festival. She has appeared as a soloist with the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra, Kansas City Symphony and Omaha Symphony. She has given masterclasses and residencies at Gonzaga University, Sacramento State and the University of South Florida.
Mi-Eun is a highly sought-after collaborative pianist and chamber musician. She has collaborated with Danielle Belen, Rohan De Silva, Wei Yu, Simon James, Horacio Contreras and composer William Horne. She has given chamber music performances at the Jacobs School of Music, Innsbrook Institute, Garth Newel Music Center, Atlantic Music Festival, and Shepherd School of Music. She was faculty pianist at Sounding Point Academy and the Liberec International Violin Academy in the Czech Republic. In the summers she serves collaborative piano and chamber music faculty at Center Stage Strings and is Artistic Director of Hansong Music Festival in Busan, South Korea.
In 2022, Mi-Eun joined the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Music and Theater Arts faculty, overseeing instruction for piano, chamber music and collaborative piano. She recently served as visiting professor at Loyola University in New Orleans and Hope College. She received her D.M.A., Specialist Degree and M.M. in piano performance and chamber music from University of Michigan. She holds a B.A. in history from Columbia University through the Barnard-Columbia-Juilliard Exchange. Past teachers include Logan Skelton, Christopher Harding, Seymour Lipkin, Richard Cass and Yong Hi Moon.
Year
- 2014
Placement
- Finalist, Honorable Mention
Moye Chen has performed extensively as a concert pianist in Asia and United States. He has performed
in the renowned venues such as Carnegie Hall, Finney Chapel, Benaroya Concert Hall, Krannert Center
for PerformingArts,Beijing Concert Hall,Shanghai Concert Hall,and Shanghai GrandTheatre;he has been invited to perform in the Gilmore International Keyboard Festival, Beijing International Contemporary Music Festival, Shanghai Spring Music Festival, and Tongyeong International Music Festival. Chen was a winner of many competitions, including Seattle International Piano Competition, Heida Hermanns International Piano Competition, Buono and Bradshaw International Piano Competition, Krannert Debut Artist Competition, and Palatino Piano and Composition Competition; in addition, he is a recipient of Charles Ross Fellowship Awards in 2012 and 2013.
A native of Beijing, Chen began his piano study at the age of seven; in 1997, he moved to Shanghai and had the great honor of performing during the ceremony of Macao’s return to China in 1999.This performance has been broadcasted by CCTV and SHTV. He has also performed as a soloist with Beijing Symphony Orchestra, Oberlin Chamber Orchestra, Oberlin Orchestra and Asian Ensemble Orchestra. Chen earned his Bachelor and Master’s Degree from Shanghai Conservatory of Music under the guidance of Hung- Kuan Chen. He also received Artist Diploma from Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Angela Cheng. Other teachers include Tema Blackstone, Alvin Chow, Dennis Helmrich, Cheung-Yu Mo, and Xiaosheng Zhao.He has performed in the master classes of FouT’song,Anton Kuerti,Christopher Elton, Mingqiang Li, Lazar Berman, Constance Keene, Anatol Ugorski, Zhong Xu, Earl Wild, and Volker Banfield. Chen is currently pursuing his Doctorate of Musical Arts at University of Illinois.
Year
- 2018
Placement
- Semifinalist
Muen Vanessa Wei, a native of China, has performed internationally as a soloist, chamber musician, orchestral pianist, and jazz pianist. She has been applauded by critics for her “delicate playing” and “admirable virtuosic skills”(The News-Gazette). She has appeared as a guest soloist under the baton of Ian Hobson, Donald Schleicher, and Xiaoying Zheng. As a chamber musician, Wei has collaborated with great musicians, such as Lynn Harrell, Henry Gronnior, Henry Hutchinson, Peter Lloyd, Ko Iwasaki and Joel Smirnoff, among others. She joined the Astralis Ensemble in 2018 and performed with them across the United States. Wei also performed in many prestigious festivals, such as the Gilmore Keyboard Festival and the Montecito International Music Festival. In July 2017, she was invited to give a solo recital at the Dean Acheson Auditorium of the US State Department.
In 2019, Wei released her debut Album “Im 3/4 Takt,” which was considered “one of Centaur’s finest releases to date” (Fanfare). American Record Guide described her playing in the recording: “her technique is remarkable, some of the playing is almost demonic, and everything is superb.”
Wei’s musicianship has been recognized in many competitions, including the Anton Rubinstein International Competition, Seattle International Competition, International Music Competition Paris Grand Prize Virtuoso, Artist Presentation Society Competition, Bradshaw and Buono International Piano Competition in New York, China Chopin Competition for Young Pianists in Beijing, the UI Symphony Concerto Competition and Sinfonia da Camera Concerto Competition. She was the recipient of University Fellowship from University of Illinois in 2012, and the Montecito International Music Festival Fellowship from 2013-2015.
Wei received her Bachelor of Music Degree from the China Conservatory. In 2012, she received her Masters of Music Degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she studied with Daniel Shapiro, with the honor of the Dr. Joseph and Bess Scharff Leven Prize in Piano. She earned her DMA (Doctor of Musical Arts) degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, under the instruction of Ian Hobson. Dr. Wei joined the faculty at Lee University as Assistant Professor in Piano in 2021.
Year
- 2015
Placement
- Semifinalist
Mr. Myunghyun Kim is a 25 year old pianist residing in Berlin. He went to Yewon Arts school and Seoul Arts high school. After one year studying in high school he went to the University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna in a class by Michael Krist. In January 2013 he successfully received a Diplom/Magister of Arts degree with honors and currently he is continuing his piano studies at Berlin University of the Arts in a class by Pascal Devoyon. He also gave many solo and chamber music recitals in South Korea, Austria, Italy, Germany and Belgium. He has been awarded prizes in many international competitions, including 1st prize in “Roma” international piano competition 2012, a nomination as a finalist in “Massarosa” international piano competition 2012, 3rd prize in “Elena Rombro Stepanow” piano competition in Vienna 2012, 1st prize in “Citta di Treviso” international competition 2013, 1st prize in “Don Vincenzo Vitti” international competition 2013 and 3rd prize and special prize in “André Dumortier” international piano competition in Belgium 2014 and most recently Mr. Kim has won a special prize in “Geneva” international competition 2015.
Year
- 2022
Placement
- Audience Choice, 2nd Prize Winner
Korean-born pianist Narae Lee began to play the piano at the age of seven and made her official debut at the Rising Young Stars Concert a year later.
She has won numerous prizes and participated in competitions, festivals both nationally and internationally, including Wideman Piano Competition, Hilton Head International Piano Competition, Delta Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Concerto Competition, Coeur d’Alene Symphony Young Artists Competition, the World Piano Competition, Art of the Piano, Chautauqua Music Festival, Eastern Music Festival as an assistant of Piano and Collaborative Piano faculties, New Paltz Piano Summer, Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival, Samick-Seiler Piano Competition, the Mayor of Seoul City Prize, and the Grand Prix Round Prize, the 21st Century Artist Special Prize at Osaka International Piano Competition in Japan. She has recently won the top prize at the International Young Artist Piano Competition in Washington DC.
As a winner of the Seoul Philharmonic Concerto Competition, Ms. Lee made her orchestral debut with Seoul Philharmonic the 18th Annual Concert at the National Theater of Korea in 2009. Also, she has performed with CCM Philharmonia Orchestra and CCM Concert Orchestra as a winner of CCM Piano Concerto Competition (Left Hand Piano Concerto by M. Ravel). As a soloist, she has appeared at the Piano Gala Concert at Eastern Music Festival with the piano faculty, the New Artists Series Recital, and the Samick-Seiler New Artists Concert at Youngsan Art Hall. She has performed international masterclasses given by Richard Goode, Alexander Gavrylyuk, Andreas Haeflinger, Jerome Lowenthal, Robert McDonald, Kevin Kenner, Jerome Rose, Alexander Toradze, and Blanca Uribe.
Ms. Lee studied at Sunhwa Arts High School with Dr. Jeeyoung Shin and Yonsei University with Dr. Misha Kim in South Korea. She has earned her Bachelor of Music degree with a Cum Laude studying under the tutelage of Awadagin Pratt from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Ms. Lee was a recipient of Honors Scholarship and William Black Award. After her Bachelor of Music degree, she moved to Baltimore, Maryland to study further for her Master of Music degree at the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University under the tutelage of Boris Slutsky. Currently, she is pursuing her Doctoral of Musical Arts at the Peabody Conservatory. Most recently, she was awarded the second prize from the Yale Gordon Competition at the Peabody Conservatory as well as she was participating in the Brahms Piano Competition in Pörtschach, Austria, Seattle International Piano Competition, the Olga Kern Piano Competition, and the Washington International Piano Competition.
Year
- 2015
Placement
- Finalist, Honorable Mention
Nathan Ryland began playing piano at the age of five, studying with Dr. Grace Long from age six through high school. He progressed quickly, and was soon winning numerous local competitions. He moved on to larger competitions, eventually winning the state and regional levels of the MTNA performance contest during his senior year of high school, competing as a finalist at the 2013 national convention. During this past summer, Nathan was selected as a winner of the Jan and Beattie Wood Concerto Competition at the Brevard Music Center, as well as the second place winner of the BMC Piano Competition. He also competed in the Budapest Concert Division of the LA International Liszt Competition, receiving third prize. Nathan was selected as the piano winner of this year’s UNT Concerto Competition, earning a performance with the UNT Symphony Orchestra. He has participated in summer study with Elisabeth Pridonoff and Norman Krieger at the Brevard Music Center Institute, and has received masterclass instruction from internationally acclaimed artists such as Boris Slutsky and Haochen Zhang. He also enjoys composition, and was awarded the first prize in the Large Ensemble division of the TMTA Original Composition Contest for his orchestral piece “Forever.” Nathan is a sophomore at the University of North Texas, where he studies with Dr. Pamela Mia Paul.
Year
- 2014
Placement
- Semifinalist
A native of Thailand, Dr. Natnaree Suwanpotipra holds a doctor of musical arts degree in piano at the University of Maryland and studied under Dr. Larissa Dedova. Also known as Belle, she was also the music school’s class piano coordinator and a teaching assistant. She received her master’s degree in piano performance at the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California in 2018. Prior to her studies with Daniel Pollack at USC, she graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor’s degree in piano performance (magna cum laude) under Gustavo Romero, with many scholarships. Dr. Belle teaches from her private studio in Columbia, MD and is also a faculty member at Levine Music in Washington D.C.
She won many first prizes from Thailand’s national music competitions including piano solos, piano four-hands, and electone ensembles in the Yamaha Thailand Music Festivals from 2003-2008. In 2008, she received the special prize award from the Bangkok Chopin Piano Competition and a gold medal from the Ministry of Education. She later won the Silpakorn Summer Music School Piano Competition and performed Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No.1 under Maestro Darell Ang and Concert Master Leo Phillips in 2009. In the following year, she won the first prize gold medal from the Settrade Youth Music Competition and later that performed Grieg’s Piano Concerto under Maestro Terje Mikkelsen with the Southeast Asia Youth Orchestra (SAYOWE) at Mahidol University. Belle received a full music scholarship to study at the Harrow International School from 2010-2012 and became a soloist for school’s orchestra concert. The Ministry of Social Development and Human Security also awarded her the 2011 Outstanding Youth of Thailand under the category “Arts and Culture”. Earlier in 2012, she won first place in Thailand’s Steinway Piano Concerto Competition and performed Mendelssohn’s Piano Concerto with the Bangkok Charity Orchestra.
Since she started her education in the United States, she was chosen as a second place winner of the 2013 American Protégé International Competition of Romantic Music and performed in Carnegie Hall, New York City the following year. In 2014, she was the youngest contestant who passed into the semi-final round of the Dallas Chamber Symphony International Piano Competition and the Young Texas Artists Music Competition. Belle also gave solo and chamber performances over many summers in both Bangkok and Chiang Mai, Thailand and in Völs am Schlern, Italy, where she she attended the Schlern International Music Festival. She was a finalist for the UNT College of Music’s concerto competitions and served as the college’s music ambassador during her undergraduate studies. Belle also performed Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G Major with the Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra in 2017.
A well rounded musician, Belle collaborates with other musicians and is part of ensembles such as the Piano Quintet 18 and Subito Trio. Belle also plays the flute and has held chairs in the Harrow School Orchestra and the Bangkok Charity Orchestra. She is a member of the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) in the United States, the Suzuki Association of the Americas (SAA), and is a passionate educator, actively teaching students of all levels.
Year
- 2016
Placement
- Semifinalist
Nino Bakradze was born in Tbilisi, Georgia into a family of musicians. She received her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from Tbilisi V. Saradjishvili State Conservatory as a student of Svetlana Korsantia. Ms. Bakradze completed a Graduate Diploma from New England Conservatory with Alexander Korsantia in 2013, and a Professional Studies Certificate from The Boston Conservatory with Jonathan Bass in 2014. She is currently enrolled in the DMA program in Piano Performance at the University of Arizona where she studies with Professor Tannis Gibson.
From a very early age, Ms. Bakradze has presented piano recitals worldwide including Finland, Poland, Armenia, Georgia, China, Spain, Brazil, and the USA. Most recently, she won Gold Medal and First Prize at Louisiana International Piano Competition (USA 2015), and Silver Medal at Cincinnati World Piano Competition (USA 2015). Became a winner of Lois Trester Piano Competition (USA 2015), Winner of President’s Concerto Competition at University of Arizona and Prize winner of USASU Bosendorfer International Piano Competition (Phoenix AZ, 2015). In 2014, she was a Prizewinner in Spain’s Maria Canals International Piano Competition, and in 2012, she was awarded Third Place at the BNDS International Piano Competition of Rio de Janeiro. She won both New England Conservatory’s Concerto Competition and the Piano Honors Competition. Ms. Bakradze was a prize winner at the International A. Khachaturian Competition in Armenia, and Second Place at the J. Flier International Piano Competition. Awards from within her home country include First Place at the N. Gabunia National Competition and the Roza Rozhok and Emil Gurevich Young Georgian Piano Competitions.
Nino Bakradze has participated in master classes of Dimitri Alekseev, Eteri Anjaparidze, Natalia Trull, H.Y. Shtrub, Vladimer Feltsman, Suzan Star, Robert Hamilton, Philip Kawin, Alexander Slobodianik, Pol Ostrovski, John O’Connor, and Jon Nakamatsu. Nino also participated in the Tsintsadze Festivals of Chamber Ensembles in Georgia and Dittsenbach’s Summer Art Festival of Borjomi, also in Georgia. She has received grants from the Heinrich Neuhaus Fund, the Gillet Fund, and from the President and Prime Minister of Georgia. She is a recipient of Medici Foundation and National Society of Art and Letters.
Year
- 2022, 2024
Placement
- Quarterfinalist
At the age of 10, Patrick Orr began his journey in piano with local teacher Joan Robinson. Orr knew in his first lesson that he wanted to perform for the rest of his life. At age 15, Orr began studying professionally with Dr. Julie Bees at Wichita State University. In the past few years, Orr has won several prizes including a gold medal at the International Keyboard Odyssiad and Festival, placing second in the Mu Phi Epsilon International Young Artist Competition, and was most recently a semifinalist in the Wideman International Piano Competition. Some of Orr’s engagements include performances with the Kansas City Symphony, the WSU Symphony, the Friends Community Orchestra, and has pending performances with the Arapahoe Philharmonic. Orr is also a private piano instructor and an accompanist at Wichita State University. Aside from playing piano, Orr enjoys drawing, bullet journaling, singing and spending time in nature.
In the fall of 2020, Orr graduated from Wichita State University with a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance. Orr is currently applying for graduate programs to continue his musical studies.
Year
- 2022
Placement
- Semifinalist
During his childhood, Philip Solomonick was very active and won numerous awards such as: ‘The International Competition in the Negev’ (1st prize 1998, Israel), ‘Art towards the 21st Century’ (Grand Prix 1998, Ukraine), ‘Steps towards Perfection’ (3rd prize 2000, Russia), ‘Chopin competition’ (1st Prize 2003, Israel), ‘The Pnina Zaltzman Competition’ (1st Prize 2008, Israel) and a four-time recipient of the prestigious American-Israeli Foundation Scholarship. From 2009 through 2012 studied with Prof. Eugenia Tsarov at the Crane School of Music and in 2013 was accepted to the Academy of Music and Dance in Jerusalem under Prof. Irina Berkovich. In 2014, won the first prize at the ‘Haim Kalmi Competition’ and gave numerous recitals in Ein-Karem, Jerusalem, which were translated live on the radio. In 2016 made his debut at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie, and in 2017 was one the nine semi-finalists at the NYCA Worldwide Debut Audition, and gave a solo recital at the Moscow State Conservatory in memory of Yuri Lyubimov. Recipient of the Dean’s Prize at the Music Academy in Jerusalem during his M.Mus degree, and currently a DMA student at the University of Michigan under Prof. Arthur Greene. In 2019 he performed as a soloist with the Ann Arbor Camerata and was a finalist at the American International Piano Competition in Washington DC. Recently, he performed the Rachmaninov’s 3rd Piano Concerto with the Ann Arbor Symphony, while being a teaching assistant in both the theory and piano departments at the University of Michigan.
Year
- 2022
Placement
- Quarterfinalist
Praised by The New York Times for his “elegant and sensitive” playing, pianist Qi Kong was the first prize winner of the 2021 northwestern University Concerto Competition and Thaviu-Isaak Endowed Scholarship Competition, the 2016 Mieczyslaw Munz International Piano Competition in New York City, the 2013 Aspen Music Festival Piano Concerto Competition, and the 2009 Bosendorfer & Schimmel International Piano Competition. He is also a classical piano fellow of the Chicago Luminarts Culture Foundation.
Kong has performed throughout the United States as well as in Europe and China, including concerts at Alice Tully Hall of Lincoln Center, Jordan Hall and Sanders Theater in Boston, Benedict Music Tent in Aspen, Newmark Theater in Portland, Hahn Hall in Santa Barbara, Philharmonic Hall in Warsaw, TelAviv Museum of Art, and Shanghai Concert Hall among others. He has collaborated with Aspen Philharmonic Orchestra (Brahms); Boston Landmarks Orchestra (Grieg); Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players (Stravinsky and Kapustin); and Compagnie Marie Chouinard from Quebec (Chopin).
Kong is a graduate of The Juilliard School and Yale University. He is now a doctoral candidate at Northwetsern University under the guidance of James Giles.
Year
- 2024
Placement
- Quarterfinalist
Raúl Canosa, described as a “virtuoso pianist of daring personality” (Justo Romero, Scherzo) with “indisputable musical criteria” (Rafael Ortega, Scherzo), debuted at fifteen, performing Beethoven’s Concerto No. 1 Op. 15 with his own cadenza. He has won prizes in over twelve national and international competitions and has performed as a soloist with orchestras in Spain, the United States, and Argentina. Recently, he won 1st Prize in the TCU Concerto Competition of 2023.
Canosa has given recitals in Austria, Germany, Italy, France, the UK, Switzerland, Uruguay, Argentina, Puerto Rico, the US, and Spain, performing in renowned venues such as the Musikverein of Vienna, Zipper Hall, Walt Disney Hall in Los Angeles, and the National Auditorium in Madrid. His CD “Serenatas y Danzas Españolas,” featuring works by Spanish composers like Albéniz, Granados, Rodrigo, and Turina, has received critical acclaim.
His creative pursuits include studying clarinet, harpsichord, and basso continuo, composing cadenzas, and improvising ornaments for concertos by Bach, Haydn, and Mozart. Raúl presents his recitals with thematic cohesion, often inspired by literature or poetry, such as Gaspard de la nuit and Liszt Sonata.
Raúl obtained a Bachelor of Music in three years at CSKG, was admitted to the Master’s program at the Colburn School in Los Angeles at twenty, continued his studies in Argentina and at the Lieven Piano School in Vienna, and obtained the Performance Diploma at SMU Dallas. His main teachers have been Joaquín Achúcarro, Bruno Gelber, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Fabio Bidini, Jura Margulis, Nino Kerselidze, and Gerardo López Laguna.
Year
- 2018
Placement
- 2nd Prize Winner
Chinese pianist Rixiang Huang was the gold medalist of 2016 New York International Artists Piano Competition and is praised by audiences and critics for his superb artistry and passionate, charismatic performance style on three continents. Mr. Huang’s performances have earned high accolades of audiences and critics alike. The Voice of North Carolina wrote of his performance “… Rixiang Huang, who gave a bang-up performance…He was brilliant and rose to every challenge…”
As an immersive and versatile soloist, Mr. Huang has performed extensively all over the world in prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall, Chautauqua Amphitheater, Japan Hamamatsu ACT Concert Hall, Indonesia Aula Sinfonia Jakarta, Brunswick Concert Hall in Germany, Spain Torrelodones Teatro Bulevar, China National Center for the Performing Arts, and the Beijing Concert Hall. Additionally, he has appeared as a guest soloist with orchestras around the world including China National Symphony Orchestra, Indonesia National Symphony Orchestra, Chautauqua Music Festival Orchestra, and Eastern Music Festival Orchestra. His performances have been broadcast by China Radio International, Radio Online Indonesia and Channel 5.
Mr. Huang has been a featured artist at the International Piano Festival at Torrelodones, Spain, Bowdoin International Music Festival, Chautauqua International Music Festival, Art of the Piano at the University of Cincinnati, Pianofest in the Hamptons and many others. He has performed in master classes with Sergei Babayan, John Perry, Robert Levin, Stephen Hough, Vladimir Feltsman, Boris Slutsky, Solomon Mikowsky, and many other world-renowned pianists and pedagogues. As an avid chamber performer, he was selected to participate in the Advanced Piano Trio Program at the Cleveland Institute of Music, directed by cellist Sharon Robinson of the acclaimed Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio.
A laureate of many International Competitions, his honors include first prizes in New York International Artists Piano Competition, Asian Classical Music Competition in Japan, Eastern Music Festival’s Young Artist Piano Competition as well as Piano Concerto Competition. He also won second prizes in the Fifth ASEAN International Concerto Competition, First United States Virtuoso International Piano Competition, Chautauqua Music Festival Piano Competition, and High Point University International Piano Competition.
Mr. Huang is currently pursuing a Master of Music in Piano Performance at The Juilliard School, where he is studying with legendary pianist Jerome Lowenthal and Matti Raekallio. Previously, he worked with world-renowned pianist Antonio Pompa-Baldi and Paul Schenly at The Cleveland Institute of Music, where he was awarded the Arthur Loesser Memorial Prize for outstanding achievement in piano performance.
Year
- 2017
Placement
- Finalist, Honorable Mention
Born and raised in La Jolla, California, Rossina began piano studies at the age of four. After achieving international recognition within the first few years of her career, Italo-Shanghainese prodigy wunderkind Rossina, made her formal soloist debut. At eight years old, Copley Hall sold out for the youngest pianist to ever grace it’s stage with the San Diego Symphony.
Critics hailed her as a prodigy “well beyond her years”, citing that Rossina was “an absolute star, bringing audiences to their feet.” Sina was then accepted to the Juilliard School of Music, at eleven years of age, where she premiered at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, with standing ovations to her performance of Chopin’s First Piano Concerto. Sina continued to tour extensively throughout Europe and Asia.
She has received reception and recognition from illustrious artists such as Gary Graffman(Curtis Institute), Dmitri Bashkirov(Tchaikovsky Competition, Reina Sofia School), Dame Fanny Waterman DBE(Leeds Competition), Gábor Takács-Nagy(Takács Quartet, Verbier Festival) and Yu Long(China Philharmonic).
She was then unanimously chosen to attend the Glenn Gould School.
Rossina is the longest-standing recipient and only female winner of the Ihnatowycz Prize in piano, an award previously held by Canadian pianist Jan Lisiecki. During her studies, Rossina developed almost 60 hours of solo, chamber, and concerti repertoire whilst debuting six albums across all streaming platforms. Signing a two year contract with British boutique management, Polyphony Arts, Rossina continues her artistic pursuits, and is happily married.
Year
- 2015
Placement
- Quarterfinalist
Rudin Lengo’s piano playing has been described as “profound, imaginative and exceptionally communicative”. Winner of the 2012 Glenn Gould School Concerto Competition, the 5th Knigge Music Competition and the 2010 TD Elora Competition, he was also the 2nd prize winner at the 40th William C. Byrd International Competition and winner of the Mary Winston Smail Memorial Award for Best Pianist at the 2011 WAMSO Minnesota Competition, the London Kiwanis Festival’s Rose Bowl, UWO London Music Scholarship Foundation, as well as the Grand Prize at the Rotary Music Festival in Burlington. In the past two seasons, Mr. Lengo has appeared as a soloist with the West Coast Symphony, Deep River Symphony, Toruń Symphony, Greater Toronto Philharmonic, Royal Conservatory Orchestra, and Orchestra London. Recital engagements have included performances at the Vredenburg Leeuwenbergh (Utrecht, Holland), White Rock Theatre (Hastings, UK), Great Hall of the University of the Arts (Tiranë, Albania), Bergen Ruïnekerk and Slot Schagen (Holland), Roy Barnett Recital Hall (Vancouver), Steinway Hall (New York), Minnesota Orchestra Hall (Minneapolis), St. Sophia Church (Ohrid, Macedonia), Yamaha Hall (New York), Salle GillesLefebvre (Orford, Quebec) and the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre (Toronto). Rudin Lengo began his piano studies at the “Servete Maçi” School of Music in Tiranë, Albania, with Nedi Peku as his principal teacher. After immigrating to Canada, he continued his studies under the guidance of James Anagnoson. In 2008, he completed a Bachelor’s Degree in Piano Performance at Western University on a National Scholarship, studying with James Anagnoson and Leslie Kinton. He received his Master’s Degree in 2010 from the Manhattan School of Music on a President’s Award studying with the esteemed pianist and pedagogue, Daniel Epstein. As a student of John Perry and David Louie, Rudin recently completed an Artist Diploma at the Glenn Gould School on a prestigious Ihnatowycz Emerging Artist Scholarship.
Year
- 2013
Placement
- Quarterfinalist
Ruilong Fan is currently a first-year Master’s degree student under the tutelage of Joanna Polk.As a pianist, she has performed in venues such as Shanghai Heluting Concert Hall,Shenzhen Concert Hall ofTheater, Amoy Gulangyu Concer t Hall, Hongkong Quanwan Concer t Hall, and Concer t Hall of Tianjin Conser vator y of Music.
Ms. Fan began her piano studies at the age of nine with Yuan Xie. In 2001, she was accepted by the attached school of Tianjin Conservator y of Music and studied with Yibo Wang. In 2007, she continued her studies with Yuan Xie and was excused from an examination by Tianjin Conservatory of Music, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in 2011.In 2009-2010, Ms. Fan has studied in Shanghai Conservatory of Music as a temporary student under the instruction ofYingdi Sun.
Since she learning the piano, Ms. Fan awarded Fifth Prize in the First Prize in the First Kadanza of the National Youth Chinese Work Competition (Youth Group) in 2005; awarded First Prize in Tianjin “Hong Xing Mei Kai Long” Piano Competition (Adult Group) in 2006; awarded Honorable Mention in the Forth Gulangyu Island Piano Festival Competition (Youth Group) held by Chinese Musicians Association in 2008. Ms. Fan has participated in master classes with Guangren Zhou, Hongkuan Chen, Anton Kuerti, YunlinYang.
Year
- 2015
Placement
- 1st Prize Winner
Saetbyeol Kim, from South Korea, began her musical studies at the age of five. Ten years later she began taking part in several piano competitions in her home country, including the 40th Music Educational Competition (1st prize), the 1st Liszt competition, in Seoul and the Daegu 10th TBC Broadcast competition.
After a successful debut with the Pohang Philharmonic Orchestra, at the age of sixteen, she received the Talented Teenagers National Award in 2005. In addition, Saetbyeol participated in a number of festivals, including the Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival (2013), Tong-Yeong International Music Festival (2011) and the Beijing International Music Festival & Academy (2010). Ms. Kim won the 2012 Rochester Philharmonic Concerto Competition and had two concerts with Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. She was invited as the guest artist to perform a solo recital at ‘Rising Star Concert’ at Texas State International Piano Festival (2014).
Saetbyeol completed her Master’s degree at the Eastman School of Music, where she held an accompanying assistantship and served as the teaching assistant Enrico Elisi.
Saetbyeol is currently pursuing her Artist Diploma at The Glenn Gould School of The Royal Conservatory under Professor Marietta Orlov.
Year
- 2018
Placement
- Semifinalist
Sanghie Lee was born in Seoul, South Korea and started playing the piano at the age of 5. A musical prodigy, she won the first prize in competition at age 8, and went on to attend Yewon School & Seoul Arts High School. She studied with Professor Shin at Yonsei University, receiving scholarships and earning both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in music. Moving to the United States for further studies, she first earned her Performer Diploma at the Jacobs School of Music of Indiana University, under Emile Naoumoff. She then went to the College-Conservatory of Music at Cincinnati to study with Eugene Pridonoff and Elisabeth Pridonoff. Currently, she is a DMA candidate and Artist Diploma, studying with James Tocco under a full scholarship.
Sanghie has won first prize in many competitions, including the Liszt-Garrison International Piano Competition in 2015, where she also won a special award for Best Interpretation of an American Composer’s Work. She won second prize at the Los Angeles International Liszt Competition in 2014 performing Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1, which she also performed with the University of Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in 2016. She has been invited to the Beethoven International Piano Competition in Bonn, Piano FVG Competition in Italy, World Piano Competition, and San Jose International Competition. In Korea, Sanghie also won numerous first prizes at major competitions such as the Beethoven Piano Competition of Korea, Haneum Piano Competition, and Korea Piano Duo Association Competition.
An active chamber musician, Sanghie is a member of the piano trio Canorus, which won second prize at the 2017 OSTA (Ohio String Teachers Association) Chamber Music Competition; the trio has also won first prize at the 2016 CCM Chamber Competition and second prize in 2015. With other chamber groups, she has performed over 50 chamber recitals since 2013 in the Cincinnati area. At the Korea Piano Duo Association competition in Seoul, she won the Grand Prize for her piano duo recital performance.
Also in Seoul, Sanghie has been invited to perform at the Young Artist Musician’s Festival by Eumyoun, New Rising Star Debut Recital, and Young Artist Piano Recital. She performed Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 with the Yonsei University Symphony Orchestra as the winner of the school’s 2009 Concerto Competition.
Sanghie has participated many music festivals, including Art of the Piano; she was chosen to participate in the 2016 Gilmore Piano Festival as a top piano student in the College-Conservatory of Music, where she performed in a master class with Yefim Bronfman. She has also performed in master classes with Paul Schenly, Bruno Rigutto, Hie-Yeon Choi, Yoshikazu Nagai, Kate Soyeon Lee, Dror Biran, Michael Chertock, Ning An, Vivian Hornik Weilerstein, and Roberto Diaz.
Year
- 2024
Placement
- 3rd Prize Winner
Bostonian pianist Seho Young is a rapidly emerging international artist, whose playing has been described as “very intelligent and mature, […] thoughtful and polished” by the Musical Arts Society of New Orleans. Seho is an acclaimed performer, having won first prize and the chamber music award at the 2022 Charles Wadsworth Competition and third prize at the 28th New Orleans International Piano Competition. He has appeared with the Louisiana Philharmonic, Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra, Brockton Symphony Orchestra, and the Princeton University Orchestra. Recently he was invited to present a recital of all American composers for The Bohemians New York Musicians’ Club at the Kosciuszko Foundation, and was featured in Tulane University’s Concert Piano Series. Hosted by the International Holland Music Sessions, he performed across Europe at iconic venues including the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and the Philharmonic Hall in Bratislava. He has studied with James Giles, Boris Berman, Francine Kay, Yoheved Kaplinsky, and Wha Kyung Byun, and has performed in masterclasses for Stanislav Ioudenitch, Jeffrey Kahane, William Naboré, and Maria Joao Pires. In addition to piano, he is also a passionate chamber musician and harpsichordist Seho holds degrees from Princeton University and Yale University, and is currently pursuing his doctorate at Northwestern’s Bienen School of Music.
Seho is also a passionate composer and arranger, having written works for piano, orchestras, acapella groups, film, and musical theater. He is a competitive ultimate frisbee player, chess and Brazilian jiu-jitsu enthusiast, and life-long supporter of the New England Patriots.
Year
- 2018
Placement
- Quarterfinalist
Seunghun Jeong, born in Gwangju, South Korea, began his piano studies at the age of five. Upon his graduation in 2012 from Daedong Highschool, Mr. Jeong enrolled at Konkuk University, completing requirements for his bachelor of music and bachelor of music education degrees in 2013, where she studied with Professor Minjung Lee and Sangjin Shin. After finishing his bachelor’s degree, he received his master of music degree in 2014 at Konkuk University. Also, he studied with Professor Awadagin Pratt during his master’s degree until 2015. Since 2015, he has been studying with Professor Dror Biran at College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati where he received his master of music degree in 2016, and continues his doctoral studies.
Recently, he won the Jacqueline Avent Concerto Competition in 2017 and was selected as a Seoul Young Artist in 2017 which was sponsored by the government of Seoul, South Korea. Prior to his studies in the U.S., Mr. Jeong received numerous prizes and awards in his native Korea, including Grand Prix at the Asia International Piano Competition, First Prize at the Seoul Music Competition, and Second Prize at the Duo Competition.
Mr. Jeong has an abundance of performing experience and has given many recitals as a soloist and a chamber musician throughout several venues in South Korea and the United States. Furthermore, he had his first master class at the 2017 Sewanee Music Festival for the undergraduate students majoring in piano performance.
Year
- 2017
Placement
- Semifinalist
Korean-American pianist Sherry Kim started piano at the age of five in Honolulu, Hawaii before moving to Las Vegas, Nevada where she continued her studies at the Nevada Arts Academy. Recently having graduated with a Master of Music, she is currently working on a Professional Studies certificate at the Manhattan School of Music studying with Alexandre Moutouzkine. Previously, she has graduated from Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music with a Bachelor of Music under the tutelage of Alan Chow.
Among an impressive list of prizes Sherry has received in numerous competitions, she is the winner of the Dora Zaslavsky-Koch Concerto Competition at Manhattan School of Music and also the winner of the Jefferson Symphony International Young Artist Competition, where she had the opportunity to perform with both MSM Symphony and the Jefferson Symphony Orchestra. Most recently, she was named the second prize winner of the VI Chopin International Piano Competition in Hartford, CT. Sherry has been invited to perform in a number of prestigious venues including Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall, Liederkranz Hall in New York City, the Chicago Cultural Center among others.
In addition to her primary teachers, Sherry has had the opportunity to work with a number of the world’s most renowned pedagogues including Yoheved Kaplinsky, Richard Goode, Jerome Lowenthal, Nelita True, Paul Schenly, and John Perry among others. She has also appeared in concerts and master classes at various festivals such as the Aspen Music Festival and School, Banff Centre Piano Master Class, and Pianofest in the Hamptons.
Besides performing, Sherry is the founder and director of Las Vegas Master Class Series, a uniquely designed master class series inviting not only world-renowned artists but also emerging professionals teaching a master class for the first time in hopes to inspire and accelerate the educational and musical growth of pre-college students in the Las Vegas community. Sherry’s greatest passion lies within reaching the next generation of musicians, whether as a performer, teacher, or an entrepreneur.
Year
- 2017
Placement
- Finalist, Honorable Mention
Taiwanese pianist Shih-Man Weng has been enjoying performing as a soloist and a chamber musician since her early ages. Her talent in making every performance unique and colorful were quickly recognized when she was in her teen years performing at concerts presented and sponsored by Yamaha.
In 2011, she moved to Boston, United States to pursue her undergraduate and graduate studies at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee under the guidance of Professor Ya-Fei Chuang. In May 2019, Shih-Man gained her Artist Diploma from Cleveland Institute of Music with the tutorial of Prof. Antonio Pompa-Baldi. In 2019, Shih-Man was awarded a full scholarship to attend University of Miami: Frost School of Music, for her doctoral degree. She is now in her third year of D.M.A in piano performance and she studies with Prof. Kevin Kenner. Shih-Man also serves as a teaching assistant at the school. In fall 2019, she has won the Frost School of Music Concerto Competition with the Rachmaninov First Piano Concerto.
During her studies in Boston, she was the first piano student in the school history who won the Piano Honors Competition for four consecutive years and was also the first to win three top prizes the W. Churchill Scholarship Piano Competition, the most prestigious and most highly awarded piano competition at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee. In 2013, her performance of Petrushka by Igor Stravinsky won her the ‘Young Talent’ Piano Competition in Salzburg, associated with the Salzburger Festspiele.
Year
- 2017
Placement
- Semifinalist
“His uncanny mastery of rubato, that most intuitive and romantic of expressive devices” writes the The Straits Times of pianist Shiehhsien Yeh. Yeh recently won the First Prize and Best Sonata award at the KeriKeri International Piano Competition in New Zealand. He also won First Prize at the Ibiza International Piano Competition. Yeh is currently in his second year of an Artist Diploma from the Cleveland Institute of Music under Pianist HaeSun Paik.
He is the prize winner of many international and national competitions such as 1st prize of Singapore National Competition (Artist Category) in 2011, 1st prize of New Artinc young artists Piano Competition, 2nd Prize of Kawai Piano Competition in Taiwan. He also was selected twice to take part in the 67th and 69th Geneva International Piano Competition. His achievements also include chamber music such as Third Prize of Taiwan National Chamber Competition.
Recently, he performed Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 with the Cleveland Institute of Music Orchestra under Jahja Ling.
He has performed in master classes of eminent world-class pianists and teachers such as Dang Thai Song, Jerome Lowenthal, Phillipe Entremont, Christopher Elton, Ann Schein, YongHi Moon, Solomon Mikowsky, Nikolay Lugansky, Akiko Abi, Tamas Ungar, N.Delle-Vigne, Jeremy Denk, and Aquiles Delle Vigne.
ShihHsien was born in Yunlin Taiwan, where he first started the piano at the age of six. He came from a musical family where his mother was his first piano teacher. He graduated from Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music in Singapore with full scholarship under Albert Tiu in 2014.
Year
- 2024
Placement
- Semifinalist
Pianist Seolyeong Jeong is a top prizewinner in international competitions such as the American Virtuoso International Music Competition, the Young Texas Artists Music Competition, and the Connecticut Young Artist Competition. Following her solo debut at Kumho Art Hall in Seoul at age thirteen, she has performed internationally in various concert halls including Carnegie Hall, Morse Recital Hall, Stude Concert Hall, and Seoul Arts Center. Seolyeong graduated summa cum laude from Seoul National University, and received two Master’s degrees in Piano Performance from Yale University. She recently earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance from Rice University, where she studied with Jon Kimura Parker. She is an Affiliated Artist at MIT Music and Theater Arts.
Year
- 2014
Placement
- 3rd Prize Winner
Twenty-one-year-old pianist Soeun Lee, was born in Wonju, South Korea and began playing at age 4. She
has earned awards in several piano competitions including the 37th Teenager National Piano Competition (1st prize), the 13th Korean Chopin Competition, the 15th Seoul National Symphony Orchestra Piano Competition (1st prize), the 1st Korean Franz Liszt Piano Competition, the 11th TBC Daegu Broadcast Competition, the 9th Eumakchunchu National Piano Competition (1st prize), 2010 International Joseph Haydn Piano Competition (2nd prize).After winning the young artist competition inWonju,Soeun made her debut at age 10 performing as soloist with the Wonju Philarmonic Orchestra in Wonju and was invited to perform several concerts with that orchestra after her debut. She appeared at the 24thYoung Musicians Festival (2007) and the 2013 Superior Musician Concert. She also performed in many cities in Korea. In addition, Soeun participated in a number of music festivals and workshops, including 2007 Courchevel Music Alp Festival in France, 2011 International Indiana University Auer Music Workshop for Beethoven in United States, 2012 Seoul National University International Piano Academy. Soeun studied music at Seoul Arts Center Musical Prodigy Academy, and Music Academy run by Korea National University of Arts. She entered to Seoul National University, one of the top South Korean music institutions, as the youngest at her age of sixteen and completed her Bachelor’s degree in Piano Performance, studying with Professor Kwui Hyun Kim. She was awarded a scholarship of academic achievement in every semester. In addition, she was selected as a talented artist by GangwonTalent Rearing Foundation–an association that has offered yearly support to Soeun since 2009. She graduated Seoul National University summa cum laude and is studying her Master at Eastman School of Music with Professor Enrico Elisi and holding an accompanying assistantship as well.
Year
- 2016
Placement
- Quarterfinalist
Ms. Soo Yeon Cho received both Bachelor of Music and Master of Music Degrees at The Juilliard School, 2004-2010 under the instruction of Robert McDonald. She is an honor graduate of the Peabody Preparatory in 2003. During her years at Peabody, she was the winner of many auditions and given opportunities to perform at various venues at the institution and other venues in the Washington D.C region. In the year 2003, she won the Concerto Competition and performed Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3, celebrating the grand opening of the Miriam A. Friedberg Concert Hall. Upon her graduation with many scholarships and prizes, she was the fourth prize winner in the Missouri Southern International Piano Competition and first prize winner in the two-piano ensemble category in the New York Piano Competition.
In 2009 she was named the 3rd prize winner of the Kingsville Young Performers Competition. Ms. Cho was honored to receive various scholarships that were provided by The Juilliard School such as Irene Diamond Scholarship and Vladmir Horowitz Scholarship during her 6 years of stay at The Juilliard School. She is an active solo pianist as well as an avid chamber musician. During summer of 2007 and 2008, she was invited to participate in Piano Masterclass Program in Banff and studied with Marc Durand, Julian Martin, and Robert McDonald and also gave a several public performance during her stay at Banff.
Ms. Cho appeared in recitals at Paul Hall, The Juilliard School as a solo pianist and also chamber musician with her colleagues. She especially loves collaborating with a violinist. In 2009, she played with a violinist as a chamber ensemble under the instruction of Kyung Wha Chung and Jonathan Feldman. In November 2013, she appeared with Rutgers Symphony Orchestra as a soloist after winning the concerto competition at Rutgers University where now she’s pursuing her doctoral degree in piano performance, studying with Dr. Min Kwon.
Her recent achievements include a performance with the Vienna International Orchestra playing a Mozart concerto at Palace Auersberg, Vienna’s premier concert venue frequented by Mozart himself and also she was awarded the first prize winner at The Christine Bane Kefferstan Classical Competition in May of 2015.
Year
- 2015
Placement
- Semifinalist
Pianist Soyoung Kim, is 23 year old from South Korea. She graduated from Yewon Arts School in 2007, then continued her musical studies at the Seoul Arts High School. She received her bachelor’s degree in piano performance from the Seoul National University under the tutelage of Ick Choo Moon. She has performed with the Bulgaria Pazarique Orchestra and the Romania Banatole Timissuelar Orchestra in Korea. She has also been awarded top prizes in many competitions including the Jefferson Symphony Concerto Competition, Nanpa Competition, Seoul Philharmonic Competition, World Daily Competition, Baroque Chamber Orchestra Competition, Sungjeong Competition, Suri Competition, and the Beethoven Competition in South Korea. She has most recently given a performance in Jordan Hall in Boston, and is currently pursuing her Master’s Degree at the New England Conservatory, studying with Victor Rosenbaum.
Year
- 2018
Placement
- Quarterfinalist
A native of Los Angeles, pianist Stephanie Tang is a prizewinner of multiple competitions and has performed as a soloist and chamber musician worldwide. At the age of 12, she performed in Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall and at sixteen, made her orchestral solo debut with the West Covina Symphony Orchestra. She has since performed solo recitals in Los Angeles, Shenzhen, Shanghai, the Netherlands, Banff, and Gijon. This year, she joins the roster of Los Angeles’s Classics Alive Young Artists, which provides career development and performance opportunities to young soloists.
She has won 1st prize at the Bradshaw and Buono International Piano Competition, 2nd prize at the Louisiana International Piano Competition, and the top prize at the Young Pianists’ Beethoven Competition. She was also a finalist in the New York International Piano Competition and was awarded the Jury Discretionary Prize at the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Bronislaw Kaper Awards. In 2016, she won 2nd prize at the Susan Torres Award for Pianists in Fresno, CA.
This past year, Ms. Tang has been featured in performances in important venues such as Koerner Hall in Toronto, the McKenna Theatre in New York, and Shenzhen Concert Hall in China. Her upcoming performances this year include a recital at the University of Ottawa and a prelude concert in Koerner Hall.
Over the years, Ms. Tang has worked with many prominent artists, including Richard Goode, Marc Durand, Julian Martin, Robert McDonald, Matti Raekallio, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Menahem Pressler, and Leon Fleisher. An avid chamber musician, she has performed and collaborated with John Adams, Andrés Diaz, Esa-Pekka Salonen, and coached with members of the Ébène, Guarneri, and Tokyo Quartets.
Previously, she studied with Zhaoyi Dan at the Shenzhen Arts School in China and Ory Shihor at the Colburn Academy. Having recently completed her Bachelor of Music at the Colburn Conservatory of Music with John Perry, she is continuing her studies with Mr. Perry as an Artist Diploma candidate at the Glenn Gould School in Toronto.
Year
- 2017
Placement
- Semifinalist
Born in Seoul, South Korea, Su Hyun Kim studied at the Korea National Institute for the Gifted in Arts while also attending Sun-Hwa Arts High School in Seoul. Su Hyun received her Bachelor’s Degree from Korea National University of Arts, one of the top South Korean music institutes, with scholarship studying under Professor Chong Pil Lim. She graduated in 2015 with a Masters of Music in Piano Performance and Literature at Eastman School of Music, where she received a scholarship to study. Su Hyun is currently working as a teaching assistant at Southern Methodist University while pursuing her Piano Performance Diploma on full ride scholarship with Prof. Carol Leone.
Su Hyun won numerous competitions including 1st prize at the Berlin-Seoul International Competition. she was invited to play in the winner concert at Carnegie Hall after winning 1st prize in the American Protégé International Piano Competition. She won 2nd prize at the Music Teacher’s National Association in New York in 2013 and 2nd prize in the Franz Liszt competition in 2011. She was a finalist in the Chautauqua Piano Competition in New York in 2015. In addition to these accomplishments, she was also awarded several prizes in numerous competitions including the Busan MBC Competition, Eum-Yeon Competition, Eum-Ak Chun-chu competition, and Nan-Pa Competition in South Korea, among others. Ms. Kim was invited to play at the 2010 Euro-Music Festival in Leipzig, Germany. She performed and participated at the Art of the Piano in Cincinnati, Ohio in 2014, and at the Chautauqua music festival in New York in 2015. Su has participated in masterclasses taught by world-renowned pianists including Alexander Gavrylyuk, Arie Vardi, Yoheved Kaplinsky, John Oconer, and John Kimura Parker. Su Hyun won the 2016 Southern Methodist University Piano Concerto competition. She performed on February with the Meadows Symphony Orchestra under conductor Paul Philips, representing her debut in the United States.
Year
- 2017
Placement
- Quarterfinalist
Sung Chang, born in Seoul, began playing the piano at the age of three. He gave his debut concert at age five in Seoul Korea. He became the youngest winner in the Nagoya International Piano Competition in Japan and also received the Chamber Music Special Prize and the Japan Expo Special Prize. He also received first prize in a number of prestigious competitions including, the 7th Bösendorfer USASU International Piano Competition and the Korea International Music Foundation Competition in United States, the Valsesia Musica International Competition, International Piano Competition “Citta Di Caraglio” in Italy and the International 13. Wettbewerb der Chopin-Gesellschaft Hannover e.V, first prize and audience prize in Germany. He is also the winner of the International Schubert Competition for Piano Duo, and has performed for many concerts as a chamber musician. Recently, he awarded the silver medal, Best Performance of a Work by a Classical Composer and Best Performance of a Work by a Spanish, Latin American or Impressionistic Composer at the 12th San Antonio International Piano Competition.
Chang has expanded his activities by performing in Germany, Italy, Netherland, France, Japan, Taiwan, China, USA and Korea. Some of his involvements include a performance for the Isang Yun Memorial Concert, North Korea National Orchestra Interaction Concert, The Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert series, Kumho Rising Star Series Concert and Yamaha Rising Star Concert.
He also performed with many orchestras including Phoenix Symphony Orchestra, KBS Symphony Orchestra, Kyung-Ki Philharmonic Orchestra, HMTM Hannover Orchestra, Taejon Symphony Orchestra, Wonju Symphony Orchestra and KNUA Symphony Orchestra. Most notably, he has appeared at the Walt Disney Hall in Los Angeles with the Liszt Concerto No.1 and his Recital at Concertgebouw in Amsterdam was broadcast live across the country.
Chang completed his undergraduate studies at the Korea National University of Arts in Korea before he continued his studies at the University of Music Drama and Media Hannover in Germany with Professor Vladimir Krainev and Ewa Kupiec. After successfully completing the Musical Performance and Postgraduate Program courses, he is currently pursuing his studies at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music under Professor Jeffrey Kahane.
Year
- 2016
Placement
- Quarterfinalist
Teng Fu was born in Zhengzhou, China in 1988. At the age of six, he began his study with the prestigious Chinese composer and pianist Xiaosheng Zhao. At age eleven, he was admitted to the Primary Music School attached to the Central Conservatory of Music. In 2002, Teng Fu was enrolled in the Music School attached to the Central Conservatory of Music with a first place in piano and was directed by Prof. Zhiwei Zhang and Qifang Li. From 2006 to 2013, Teng Fu attended Monsignor Farrell High School in New York and studied music at the Manhattan School of Music and Mannes College on a full scholarship. Within these seven years, he has earned a high school diploma, a precollege diploma from Manhattan School of Music and a B.M. and M.M. from Mannes College. He has given piano recitals in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Steinway Hall, Lincoln Center, Manhattan School of Music and Mannes Concert Hall, and was described as a striking piano genius by many world famous pianists such as Richard Goode and Ann Schein. In 2014, Teng Fu entered the doctoral program in piano performance at The University of Kansas, with Dr.Scott McBride Smith.
Year
- 2013
Placement
- 2nd Prize Winner
Thomas Steigerwald recently captured the Silver Medal at the 62nd Wideman International Piano Competition with a performance of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3.As the only American pianist chosen for the 2012 Round Top Festival Summer Institute, his performances included Balakirev’s Islamey and Roussel’s Joueurs de Flute with flutist RansomWilson His appearances with the RoundTopTexas Festival Orchestra included a performance of Griffes’The Pleasure Dome of Kubla Khan under the baton of Micheal Stern. As Winner of the 2011 Future Stars Competition, he made his orchestral debut with the San Antonio Symphony performing Prokofiev’s Concerto No.3.At the 2012 Dakota Sky International Piano Festival,Mr. Steigerwald performances included Brahm’s Cello Sonata No. 2 with Maxim Kozlov, and Ravel’s Piano Trio with the Delphi Trio. He studied in Italy at the 2011 Schlern Music Festival where he performed the Brahms Piano Trio No.1 in B Major and was a Finalist in the Schlern International Music Festival Piano Competition. He has also studied at the Aspen Music Festival, where his performances included Ravel’s La valse (poème choréographique) for two pianos, and Mendelssohn’s Piano Trio No. 2 in C minor. He has performed numerous solo recitals including performances at theTuesday Musical Club of San Antonio, the Musical Arts Center of San Antonio, and the Uvalde Grand Opera House. He has had coaching and masterclasses with Eteri Andjaparidze, Rita Sloan, James Dick, Anton Nel, Petronel Malan, Adam Golka, Gregory DeTurck,Tamas Ungar, Nancy Weems, Carolyn True,Timothy Hester, Kasandra Keeling, Alessio Bax, and Lucille Chung.
Mr. Steigerwald is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music degree at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, studying with Douglas Humpherys. He is the recipient of the Howard Hanson, the Liliian Miller Loos, and the Texas Music Teachers Assn. Whitlock Memorial Scholarships.
Year
- 2018
Placement
- Semifinalist
Tianxu An is from Beijing, China. He is currently under the tutelage of Mr. Meng-chieh Liu at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
While growing up, Tianxu has won numerous prizes in competitions around his country. In 2010 he won the Grand Prize at the third “Helen Cup” Shanghai International Piano Competition. In 2011 he received the silver prize at “Lotto Cup” CCTV Piano and Violin Competition (Youth Group); the Zhou Guangren Young Pianist Award. In 2012 he won the second prize at the Third National Youth Piano Competition of Beijing Concert Hall and the Thomas and Evon Cooper International Youth Piano Competition (China Trials); the second prize in the 7th Beijing International Piano Festival Young Artists Concerto Competition. He has also been the prize winner of several international competitions, including the second prize at the IV. Wiesbaden International Piano Competition in Germany, an honorable mention from the EDR International Young Artist Piano Concerto Competition in Chicago, andthird prize from the Concerto Competition ‘Theodor Leschetizky’ for Gifted Young Pianists.
Tianxu has attended the 7th Beijing International Piano Festival, Philadelphia Young Pianists’Academy, the Purple Crown international piano Festival and the Sejong International Music Festival. He has participated in master classes with Robert McDonald, Sergei Babayan, Klause Baessler, Anthony Hewitt, Maxim Mogilevsky and Andrea Bonatta.
Tianxu began his piano lessons at age five and has studied with Hua Chang at the middle school of Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing.
Year
- 2024
Placement
- Quarterfinalist
Umberto Beccaria is an Italian pianist, born in Mondovì in 1996. Loyal to an idea of music that is open, boundless, linked to emotions and beauty, he performs in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Spain, Switzerland and in great venues like the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Theater Basel , BOZAR Centre for fine Arts, Erhbaar Saal Wien, Teatro Toselli Cuneo, Fazioli Concert Hall, Don Bosco Kulturzentrum Basel, Teatro Civico Vercelli, Sala Ateneu Bacau, Gare du Nord Bahnhof für Neue Musik, Accademia di Musica di Pinerolo, City Concert Hall Novi Sad, Cricoteka Krakow. In recent years, he has distinguished himself in competitions such as Rosario Marciano, Cantù piano and orchestra competition, Roma Piano Competition, Luigi Nono Competition.
Umberto develops interesting programs, that he also recorded live and in studio, including music by Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin, Mendelssohn, Prokofiev, Schoenberg, Schubert, Schumann, Skrjabin, Szymanowski and Andrea Ravizza, exploring the quality and texture of the sound.
He plays with orchestra works by Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin and Mozart and he is passionate also about chamber music, collaborating with groups and soloists of the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della Rai. With María Alejandra Jiménez he forms Duo Anamorfosi, focusing on music from the 20th and 21st century.
Part of Umberto’s musical life is the Classiche Armonie festival that he now organizes now Italy, bringing to his hometown Carrù great musicians of the international scene and giving to the audience the opportunity of listening to high level concerts in a friendly and warm environment.
Year
- 2024
Placement
- Semifinalist
Originally from Los Angeles, Victor Radko-Shlyakhtenko (b. 2002) started learning the piano aged five. A prizewinner of several piano competitions, he received second place in the 2019 Waring International Piano Competition and first prize in the 2018 Los Angeles International Liszt Competition; the latter led to his European debut at the Leipzig Gewandhaus.
After making his orchestral debut at the age of 12, Victor has collaborated with over a dozen orchestras in concerti by Beethoven, Chopin, Grieg, Liszt, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, and Clara Schumann. Victor was a recipient of the U.S. National Chopin Foundation Scholarship from 2016-2019 and a Young Scholar of the Lang Lang International Music Foundation from 2018-2020. In 2023, Victor received second prize in the Lima Symphony Young Artists’ Competition (Bluffton, OH), was a finalist in the Wideman International Piano Competition (Shreveport, LA), and was a grand prize winner of the Delta Symphony Orchestra competition (Jonesboro, AR).
Victor is deeply grateful to his music teachers, Stanislav Ioudenitch (piano) and Raphael Jiménez (conducting), with whom he studies at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio.
Year
- 2016, 2018
Placement
- Quarterfinalist
Born and raised in New York City, pianist and figure skater Vincent Ip has recently completed a 35-city tour through Europe with Holiday On Ice. In the show “Time” (2016- 2017), he showcased his passion and expertise on both the piano and the ice, performing at world famous venues such as Le Lido in Paris, Lanxess Arena in Köln, Festhalle in Frankfurt and Barclaycard Arena in Hamburg, and Halle Tony-Garnier in Lyon.
After returning from the figure skating tour, Vincent resumed his studies at Rice University in August and in October, claimed the bronze medal at the 2017 Seattle International Piano Competition. In 2016, he was awarded 1st prize at the Sigma Alpha Iota Concerto Competition and was invited to perform as the soloist with the MSFO at the Chautauqua Institution in July this year playing the Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 3. He was also awarded Grand prize at the 2016 Camerata Artists International Concerto Competition and 1st prize at the 2015 Bradshaw and Buono International Piano Competition, leading to performances at Merkin Hall and Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. Other prizes include top prize at the 2014 Chautauqua International Piano Festival Competition with a jury panel including Gary Graffman and Angela Cheng, 2nd place at the 2014 Five Towns Music and Art Foundation Piano Competition, and 1st prize at the 2012 Pearl and Julius Young Music Competition.
Vincent received his Bachelor of Music from the Manhattan School of Music, studying under Andre-Michel Schub, and is currently pursuing his Master of Music degree at Rice University as a full scholarship recipient under the tutelage of Jon Kimura Parker. Vincent has been invited to perform the Saint-Saëns Concerto No. 2 with the Galveston Symphony in April 2018.
Year
- 2016
Placement
- Finalist, Honorable Mention
Zhao Wanting was born in Shenyang, Northeast China, and began her piano studies at the age of four. At fifteen, her first place performance on the entrance examination earned her direct admission to the ultra prestigious Middle School attached to the China Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. Wanting had been a finalist in many national and international piano competitions and in 2006 won first prize at the eleventh “Xing Hai” Cup China National Piano Competition (Professional Group) and at the Fourteenth Hong Kong-Asia Piano Open Competition (in Beijing). The next year she received first place (Beethoven Sonata class) and third place (Open Class) at the Hong Kong-Asia Piano Open Competition (Final Round), first place at the Second “KAWAI” China National Piano Competition (Beijing), and second prize in the Second “Cadenza” Cup China National Piano Competition (Professional Senior Group). In 2008, she won third place at the Oberlin International Piano Competition and the same year was selected as a finalist at the Eastman International Piano Competition for Young Artists. In 2009, Wanting was admitted at TCU School of Music as a winner of the prestigious Nordan Music Scholarship, to study with the Cliburn Gold Medalist and TCU Artist in Residence, Jose Feghali. In 2012 Wanting won first prize and audience favorite award at the Young Texas Artists Music Competition, and was invited to perform with Conroe Symphony Orchestra the following year. She is currently an Artist Diploma student at Texas Christian University, where she studies with the head of the Piano Department, John Owings.
Year
- 2022
Placement
- Quarterfinalist
William Chiang, a resident of Plano, Texas, completed his undergraduate and master’s degrees at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music where he studied under the tutelage of Evelyne Brancart and André Watts and was an Associate Instructor in Piano. He began studying piano at age 4 with Olga Radosavljevich at the Cleveland Institute of Music. Further studies were with Pamela Paul at the University of North Texas. William has performed with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, Plano Symphony Orchestra (Texas), and Lewisville Lake Symphony (Texas). He has received top prizes from the International Chopin Young Artist Competition (Houston), Vernell Gregg Young Artist Competition, Collin County Young Artist Competition, and CAPMT Concerto Competition, as well as awards from the International Keyboard Odyssiad, Knabe International Piano Competition, Blount-Slawson Competition, and Hellam Young Artist Competition, among others. He is a recipient of the Texas Commission on the Arts’s Young Masters in the Arts Scholarship. Summer festival appearances include the Chautauqua Institution, Orford Music Academy, Texas State International Piano Festival, Art of the Piano Festival, and Brevard Summer Festival. William is now pursuing a DMA degree in piano performance with Bernadene Blaha at the University of Southern California, where he is a Teaching Assistant in Keyboard Studies.
Year
- 2014
Placement
- Quarterfinalist
A doctoral student and teaching fellowship at the University of North Texas, College of Music, pianist Xiao Wang was born in China and began her musical studies at age four and entered the Central Conservatory of Music in China at the age of eleven. In 2006, after graduating from the high school attached to the Central Conservatory of Music, she was admitted to the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music to receive her undergraduate and master degrees with Professors Eugene and Elisabeth Pridonoff.
Xiao Wang has been the recipient of numerous awards and prizes in China and the United States. In 2002, she earned 3rd prize in the 65th Steinway Piano Competition in China. In the summer of 2005, she was one of six finalists at the Seventh EastmanYoung Artists International Piano Competition. During her first three years at UC-CCM, Xiao Wang twice won the McElroy Competition of $2500 and the Cliburn Competition of $5000 in the Undergraduate Scholarship Competitions and was alternate winner in the CCM concerto competition. In the summer of 2009 she won the Jan and Beattie Wood Concer to Competition at the Brevard Music Center Festival performingTchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No.1 with the Brevard Music Center Orchestra and also won 2nd prize in the Solo Piano Competition of the Brevard Music Center Festival. Recently, she won the University of North Texas Concerto Competition and performed Ravel Piano Concerto for the Left Hand with the UNT Symphony Orchestra.
Xiao Wang has performed in Australia as a representative of Chinese young pianists and in 2006; she attended and performed at International Piano Week of Belgium. She has also appeared in performances in the Wuhan Conservatory of Music, the Capital Teachers University in China, University of Michigan and Prague Piano Festival.
Besides her passion in piano, Edith also enjoys playing Chinese zither and Indonesian gamelan, and had performed numerous times with both instruments. She is currently a scholarship recipient working with Prof. Barry Snyder on her Master of Music degree in Eastman School of Music.
Year
- 2022
Placement
- Quarterfinalist
Xu Peng started playing piano at the age of four. In 2008, he entered the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, where he studied with Prof. Zhang Zhiwei. He received his BM in piano performance with a minor in French Studies from Rice University, alongside a special distinction in Creative Research. He is currently pursuing a MM at the same school under Prof. Jon Kimura Parker.
Among the awards received, Peng is a winner of the Macau Asia International Piano Competition, Hong Kong Asia Piano Competition, Xinghai Cup, and Cadenza Cup. He was most recently awarded first place for his performance of Khachaturian’s Piano Concerto in the Shepherd School Concerto Competition. His active participation in music festivals has brought him to Europe and United States, where he attended AIEN, Montecito Music Festival, Académie Fourvière, Adam Gyorgy Piano Academy, working with notable artists such as Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Marie-josèphe Jude, Florent Boffard.
In 2011, Peng appeared at the Forbidden City Concert Hall as part of the Liszt anniversary concerts. He also gave two recitals at Interlochen Arts Academy, where he played music by Debussy, Ravel, Schumann, and composition of his own. Interested in contemporary music and interdisciplinary works, Peng premiered piano composition of Cui Shiguang, and has participated the production A Proust Sonate by Sarah Rothenberg at Rice University. He was also selected to perform in the education DVD series of Prof. Zhou Guangren.
Year
- 2014
Placement
- Finalist, Honorable Mention
Admired as an exciting performer, pianist Yang Ding, a native of China, is a prize winner in major piano competitions. He won the top prizes in the 11th Los Angeles Liszt International Piano Competition, the 54th Cincinnati World Piano Competition, as well as the Bradshaw & Buono International Piano Competition. In addition, he is a prizewinner of New York Five Towns Young Musician Competition, the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music Concerto Competition, Kansas City Musical Club competition, the Isabel Scionti Piano Scholarship Competition. Recently, Ding won 2nd place at 19th Jacob Flier International Piano Competition. As a solo performer, Ding has performed throughout the U.S., Korea and China. The venues have included Carnegie Hall Weill Recital Hall, Hewlett Woodmere Public Library, NY, Thayer Hall in Los Angeles, Le Petit Trianon Theatre in San Jose, CA, Crighton Theatre at Conroe, Voertman Hall, Denton, Texas, Cincinnati Arts Museum, Werner Hall and Corbetter Auditorium in Cincinnati, OH, Benaroya Hall in Seattle, WA, Grant Hall and White Recital Hall in Kansas City, MO, Seoul Arts Center, Korea, Tsuen Wan Town Hall in Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Xi’ An, Tianjin, Shenyang, Haerbin, and Xiamen in China. Because of his achievement on piano, Ding was awarded Honorary Citizenship of Flower Mound by Tom Hayden, Mayor of Flower Mound, TX in 2013. His oncoming solo recitals in 2015 are in Germany, Italy, Portugal, Costa Rico, Beijing, Tianjin, and Nanjing in China. Now Ding is a doctor student at the University Of North Texas College Of Music, with a teaching fellow award and a special GATS Award from the Toulouse Graduate School. Major teachers include Pamela Mia Paul, Robert Weirich, Eugene Pridonoff, Rosemary Platt and Yuanji Fan.
Year
- 2016
Placement
- 2nd Prize Winner
Invited by the Annual Velia International Music Festival, pianist Yejin Lee performed her New York Solo Debut Recital at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in May 2015. Before her Debut, Yejin’s music credits include concerto performance with the Korean Symphony Orchestra at the Seoul Arts Center, solo performances at rising star series at Kumho, Hoan, and Boan Art Halls, and performances at the Upcoming Starts in the Classics’ invitation in Cleveland.
Yejin competed and claimed awards at number of national and international competitions, such as, Kingsville International Piano Competition, Wideman International Piano Competition, Oberlin International Piano Competition, MTNA Piano Competition, and Korean Chopin Piano Competition. She also performed at various music festivals and master classes, including Piano Texas International Academy & Festival and Banff Music Festival, where she shared musical inspiration with great pedagogues and pianists in this century like Richard Goode, Dmitry Bashkirov, Stephen Hough, John O’Conor, John Perry and Karl-Heinz Kammering.
Yejin graduated with Honors in Piano Performance under Haewon Song from Oberlin Conservatory. Oberlin Conservatory’s Piano Honors program has invited only a few pianists since its inception, and Yejin was the second recipient only to two others in the program’s history. While enrolled in the Honors program, Yejin recorded Schubert’s entire Impromptus and three Schubert-Lizst song transcriptions, all at the Oberlin Conservatory’s sponsorship.
Also as an avid collaborative musician, Yejin shows her passion for ensemble music. Not only she pursued additional Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Accompanying under Philip Highfill while at Oberlin Conservatory, Yejin also actively collaborate with musicians from vocalists to instrumentalists in recitals and concerts throughout the US and Korea. In addition, during her undergraduate study, her piano trio performed a number of concerts and taught at schools in Arezzo, Italy.
Yejin received her Master of Music at the Peabody Institute where she is continuing her studies with Boris Slutsky in the Doctor of Musical Arts program.
Year
- 2024
Placement
- 2nd Prize Winner
Pianist Yi-Chen Feng is the recipient of numerous prizes from competitions such as the New York Liszt International Piano Competition, the Grand Canal International Piano Art Festival, the San Jose International Piano Competition, and the Virginia Waring International Piano Competition. Feng made his Carnegie debut in 2022, performing Liszt Piano Concerto No. 1 with Orchestra of St. Luke’s at the Stern Auditorium. He is the first prize winner of the first International Maestro Piano Competition in Taiwan, earning concert engagements and a record deal with the Universal Music Group label for the 2021-2022 season.
A vivid concert pianist, Feng has been featured in various venues as a soloist, including the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Saint John’s Cathedral in Denver, National Recital Hall and Weiwuying National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts in Taiwan, the Hangzhou Grand Theater in China and the Galerie dorée de la Banque de France in Paris.
Feng has participated in prestigious festivals, including Art of the Piano, the Banff Center, the Oxford Piano Festival, and the Chautauqua Music Festival. He has participated in masterclasses with Angela Cheng, Alexander Kobrin, Alexander Gavrylyuk, Awadagin Pratt, James Giles, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, John Perry, and Matti Raekallio.
Originally from Taiwan, Feng began his piano studies at the age of seven. He earned his Bachelor’s degree at the Peabody Conservatory, Master of Music and Artist Diploma degree at the Yale School of Music where he studied with Boris Slutsky. Feng is currently pursuing his Artist Diploma at the San Francisco Conservatory under the tutelage of Yoshikazu Nagai.
Year
- 2018
Placement
- Semifinalist
Yi-Yang Chen Has been playing the piano since the age of eight. Earlier this month, he won first prize in the Washington International Competition for Piano sponsored by the Friday Morning Music Club Foundation. He also recently won First place in the Waring International Piano Competition, through which he will give his Carnegie Weill Hall debut on October 18, 2017. Mr. Chen has attended the Perlman Music Program, Taos School of Music Program, and Banff Music Centre, and was awarded a fellowship at Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara. He has participated in master classes with Itzhak Perlman, Emmanuel Ax, Thomas Sauer, and with members of the Cleveland, Juilliard, Shanghai, Borromeo, Brentano, and Guarneri String Quartets.
As a winner of the 2012 MTNA Young Artist Competition, Mr. Chen was awarded a Steinway piano and two concerts in Miami sponsored by the Chopin Foundation/USA. He has excelled as an award winner in other competitions, including the San Jose International Piano Competition, Seattle International Piano Competition, Pacific International Piano Competition (Canada), High Point Piano Competition, Hartford Chopin International Piano Competition, Thousand Islands International Chopin Piano Competition, Coeur d’Alene Symphony Orchestra’s Young Artist Competition, Kerikeri International Piano Competition, Heida Hermanns International Piano Competition, Five Towns Music Competition, and Schubert Club Scholarship Competition.
Mr. Chen is currently a doctoral candidate in Piano Performance at the Eastman School of Music, where he also received his bachelor’s degree, studying with Douglas Humpherys. He received his master’s degree in 2014 from the Juilliard School as a student of Robert McDonald and Jerome Lowenthal.
Year
- 2017
Placement
- 1st Prize Winner
Yibing Zhang Began studying piano at the age of three in his native China. In 2008, he won third prize in the China Central Television Cup Piano Competition and performed with renowned violinist Mr.Sheng Zhongguo in a new year ’s concert at the Chinese National Center for Performing Arts. Also in 2008, he appeared with the China Philharmonic Orchestra. After completing a Bachelor’s Degree at the prestigious Central Conservatory in Beijing and a Master’s Degree at New England Conservatory, Mr. Zhang is pursuing a graduate artist certificate at the University of North Texas College of Music, with a teaching fellow award. In Spring 2015, he won second prize in the Young Texas Artist Competition.
Year
- 2015
Placement
- Quarterfinalist
Chinese pianist Yingying Su is an avid recitalist and chamber musician. She is also the winner of many national and international piano competitions, including the Concurso International Piano Competition in Maracaibo, Venezuela, 2005; National Piano Competition of China, 1999; The Asia Opening Piano Competition for Young Pianists in Hong Kong, 2001; the Bienen School of Music Thaviu-Isaak Endowed Piano Scholarship Competition; and the Bienen School of Music Concerto Competition 2012. She was also awarded the “Special Prize of the Jury” in the III International Piano Competition in Memory of Emil Gilels in Ukraine, 2006; John Elvin Piano Prize from the Oberlin Conservatory,2006; and the Charles S. Miller Piano Prize from the Yale School of Music, 2008.
Miss Su has performed at the Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Hall, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, and has given numerous solo recitals in United States, China, Germany, Spain, Ukraine, Venezuela, Australia; and concerto performances with the Guangdong Youth Orchestra, and the Maracaibo Symphony Orchestra under conductor Eduardo Rahn, and the Northwestern University Symphony Orchestra with Maestro Victor Yampolsky. Su studied with Monique Duphil at the Oberlin Conservatory and with Peter Frankl at the Yale School of Music, and is now in the Doctoral of Musical Art program at the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University, under the guidance of Alan Chow.
Year
- 2024
Placement
- Semifinalist
Yiwen (Even) Cao was born in Shanghai, China, and started learning the piano at the age of three. In 2013, she was admitted to the Music Elementary School Affiliated to the Shanghai Conservatory of Music studying with Professor Jin Tang and Professor Zijie Wu; in 2016, she was admitted to Music Middle School Affiliated to the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, studying with Professor Natalia Filippova. Her recent accomplishment includes 1st Prize in German Bonn “Grand Prize Virtuoso”International Music Competition in 2020, 1st Prize in V Future Stars International Piano Competition Young Virtuosi Category and The 3rd WPTA Singapore International Piano Competition in 2021, 1st Prize in International Music Competition “Best Bach Performance” I and IV Danubia Talents Liszt International Music Competition in 2022. In 2024, she made her orchestra debut with Eastman Philharmonia in Kodak Hall, performing Prokofiev Concerto No.2. Currently she is a sophomore student at Eastman School of Music with Professor Alan Chow, majoring in piano performance and music theory.
In her spare time, Yiwen enjoys writing various songs and compositions. Her newest works could be found on YouTube.
Year
- 2013
Placement
- Quarterfinalist
Born in Suwon, Korea Yoonsook Song began to play the piano at the age of four. A recipient of the prestigious University Fellowship, she studied with professor Jaehee Hyun at Sejong University in Seoul, Korea where
she graduated magna cum laude. During her tenure at Sejong University, Ms. Song performed recitals every year, and in particular was invited to perform at the “2008 Debut Concert” for the most talented pianists of the area in Seoul. Her successful performances reinforced her passions and interest in piano music, which
led to an entrance to the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, where she received a master’s degree in piano performance under the direction of renowned pianist, Professor John Steele Ritter. Ms. Song has received numerous other prizes and awards for her performances, including Kimpo College Competition,The Piano Society of Korea Competition, Ohio University Soloist Competition and Graves’ Competition. More recently, I performed with the Ohio University Symphony in 2012 as a winner of the Soloist Competition. Her masterclass experience includes performances for Ian Hobson, Peter Takacs and Aguilles delle Vigne, Gerald Fauth at the Leipzig Music Festival in Germany. Such experience has widened her horizons, enlarged her repertoire, and increased her concentration during performance.
Currently she is pursuing a master’s degree in piano pedagogy and performance at Ohio University School of Music under the direction ofYoumee Kim for piano performance and Christopher Fisher and Gail Berenson for piano pedagogy. At Ohio University she holds a graduate scholarship as a graduate teaching assistant and an accompanist for the Ohio University Singers and Ohio University Opera. She also teaches at Athens Community Music School. Moreover, as a member of MTNA and as a vice president of the Ohio University Collegiate Chapter, she recently took part in various conferences and held a variety of events for young students, their parents and her OU Chapter.
Year
- 2015
Placement
- Semifinalist
Youkyoung Kim, born in Busan, South Korea, began her piano studies at the age of five and entered Sunhwa Arts High School in 2002. Ms. Kim completed her bachelor’s degree at Seoul National University where she studied with Junghye Ra and Nayoung Kim. Ms. Kim has also earned her Master’s degree from the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music under Awadagin Pratt.
Ms. Kim has received numerous prizes and awards in her native Korea, including First Prizes at the Korea Chopin Competition and the Eumyoun Competition, Second Prizes at the Samick-Seiler Piano Competition, the International Piano Competition and Eumag Chunchu Magazine Competition, and Third Prize at the Suri National Music Competition. In 2013, Ms. Kim won the First Prize at the College-Conservatory of Music Piano Concerto Competition, allowing her to perform Mozart’s D Minor Piano Concerto with the CCM Philharmonia Orchestra.
Ms. Kim has participated in a wide variety of festivals, including Arts of the Piano at CCM, the Seoul National University International Piano Academy, and the International Summer Music Festival in Cleve, Germany. Ms. Kim has had an abundance of performing experience and has given many recitals as a soloist and a collaborative artist throughout several venues in South Korea, Germany, and the United States, including Pan Kunstforum Niederrhein, Seoul National University College of Music Concert Hall, Robert J. Werner Hall, Watson Hall, Cohen Family Studio Theater, and Corbett Auditorium. She was selected as a Young Artist Performer after she won the Eumyoun Competition and the Korea Chopin Competition, allowing her to perform in Youngsan Art Hall along with her fellow Young Artist Performers. Ms. Kim has taken part in master classes given by musicians such as Menahem Pressler, Leon Fleisher, Choong Mo Kang, Yoshiukazu Nagai, Enrico Elisi, Hee Sung Joo, Myoung-joo Lee, Ory Shihor, Wha Kyung Byun, and Richard Egarr.
Ms Kim is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music under Awadagin Pratt.
Year
- 2015
Placement
- Semifinalist
Born in Italy in 1991, pianist Yumi Palleschi began her musical studies at the age of 4. She studied privately with Angelo Pepicelli, Maria Teresa Carunchio and Massimiliano Ferrati until she graduated from the Istituto Musicale Pareggiato “G.Briccialdi” of Terni with the highest honors in 2009. In 2013 she pursued her Bachelor’s of Music degree at the “F. Chopin” University of Music in Warsaw, Poland, under the guide of Piotr Paleczny. She is currently a student of Joaquin Achucarro, completing her Master’s of Music degree at the Meadows School of the Arts at SMU, Dallas, USA.
Palleschi gave her first recital at the age of 8 and debuted with an orchestra at the age of 13 with the orchestra of the I.C.O. “T. Schipa” Foundation of Lecce, and since then she has performed numerous times in Italy, Poland and the USA as a soloist and chamber musician for associations and festivals such as the “Amici della Musica di Perugia” Association, the Festival Pianistico of Spoleto, the “W. A. Mozart” Association of Rome, the Festival “Strefa Ciszy” of Warsaw, the “Karol Szymanowski” Festiwal of Zakopany, the “Lyceum” Association of Catania etc.
Palleschi has won top prizes in many national and international competitions and has received many awards and scholarships, including the Honors Diploma from the Accademia Chigiana of Siena, the “Leandro Roscini” prize by the “Amici della Musica di Perugia” Association, scholarships to participate to the Summer Academy at the “Mozarteum” University of Salzburg, to the “IKIF” at the Mannes School of Music of New York, and in 2011 she’s been invited to take part to the 66th International Chopin Piano Festival in Duszniki Zdròj. She has participated to masterclasses with maestros such as Jerome Rose, Oxana Jablonskaya, Andrea Bonatta, Jan Jiracek von Armin, Sergio Perticaroli, Paul Gulda.
Year
- 2016
Placement
- Finalist, Honorable Mention
Born and raised in Seoul, South Korea, Yuri Noh began her musical studies on the piano at the age of five. Ms. Noh has been the top prizewinner of numerous international and national competitions, including the Silver Medal at the Louisiana International Piano Competition and the first prize at Mieczyslaw Munz Piano Competition, Cleveland Institute of Music Concerto Competition, Busan MBC Music Competition, Korea Times Music Competition, Samick-Seiler piano Competition, and Seoul National University Concerto Competition.
Ms. Noh has also appeared as a soloist with a number of orchestras, including Rapides Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Institute of Music Orchestra, Bucheon Philharmonic Orchestra, Busan Philharmonic Orchestra, Seoul National University Orchestra and Prime Philharmonic Orchestra.
In addition, Ms. Noh has performed at the prestigious concert venues in Korea, United States, Austria, and Italy, some of which include Severance Hall, Steinway Hall, Harvard Club of New York, Kumho Art Hall, and Sejong Center for Performing Center.
Recently, her Bartok Concerto No. 3 was broadcast by WCLV 104.9, and she appeared on the “First Friday Show” of WCLV 104.9.
Ms. Noh is also an active chamber musician. Her chamber group, Autana Trio, received the Bronze Medal at the 2015 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and has performed throughout the United States.
Ms. Noh finished her Bachelor with top honors at Seoul National University. And she moved to United States and completed her Master’s Degree and Professional Studies as the President’s Scholarship and Roy Rubinstein Award Student at Manhattan School of Music.
Year
- 2014
Placement
- Semifinalist
Pianist Zhi Yin was born in 1987 in China where she began playing piano at the age of six. She studied in Russia beginning in 2002 at Russian Gnessin Music School, and then entered into Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory in 2005, where she graduated with highest honors in 2010. Her professors included renowned Russian pianists Naum Shtarkman and Arkady Sevidov. In 2011, Zhi went on to study in the United States. She is currently a graduate student at Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University, studying with Boris Slutsky.
Zhi has performed as a soloist and chamber musician throughout the United States, Russia, China, Spain, Italy and Germany. She has appeared at numerous venues, including Small Hall and Rachmaninoff Hall of Moscow Conservatory, Chamber Hall of Moscow Philharmonic, Changzhou Grand Theatre and Concert Hall of Nanjing Arts Institute in China, Russian Culture Center in Washington D.C. and Miriam A. Friedberg Concert Hall of Peabody Conservatory. Zhi was awarded Second Prize at the Harrison Winter Concerto Competition in Baltimore,Third Prize at the International Competition “XXI CENTURY ART” in Ukraine, finalist diploma and special prize at the First Balakirev International Piano Competition in Russia and finalist diploma at the Second Campillos International Piano Competition in Spain.
Year
- 2024
Placement
- Quarterfinalist
Hailed by the Boston Musical Intelligence as a pianist who “breezed through the most technically difficult bits with impressive panache”, Zhiye Lin is a KNS classical pianist who is increasingly being heard in important concert halls. After winning numerous competitions, he has performed in many major concert halls in the world, including Takamatsu Rexxam Hall, Hawaii Theatre, Lincoln Center, Monza Villa Reale, The Kennedy Center, Ningbo Concert Hall, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra Hall, and Shanghai Oriental Art Center. He was the laureate of piano competitions in Tokyo, Spain, West Virginia, New York, Singapore, and Hawaii. He also appeared as soloist with Mercury Orchestra, West Virginia University Symphony Orchestra, and Hawaii Symphony Orchestra under the batons of Channing Yu, Mitchell Arnold, and Joseph Stepec.
Known for his performance of solo master pieces, he also actively engages with chamber music. The Dawn Trio, which he founded in 2010, was awarded the second prize of the Chamber Music Competition of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Since then, he and his groups had been coached by well-known musicians, including Joseph Lin, Jerome Lowenthal, Peter Salaff, and Joel Smirnoff.
He earned his Bachelor of Music at the Cleveland Institute of Music and his Master of Music degree at the Juilliard School under the tutelage of HaeSun Paik and Hung-Kuan Chen. Currently, he is completing the Artist Diploma at the Peabody Institute under Richard Goode’s guidance.