Piano League Presents

2023 Piano Star 
International Competition

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We’re excited to announce the fourth annual Piano Star International Competition! This fall and winter, our young pianists will once again take the stage, this time with even more room to display their musical prowess and talent. For the first time, there will be an optional in-person Final Round in the heart of New York City, along with the cherished opportunity for select winners to perform at the esteemed Carnegie Hall next year.

The Piano Star International Competition is open to all pianists aged 18 and under. We’ve heard your feedback and restructured our categories to ensure everyone has the best chance to shine. This year, we have consolidated into five age groups, with no separation of “Professional” and “Amateur” divisions.

In addition to these changes, we have also increased the time limits for our younger competitors. Group A (ages 7 and under), Group B (ages 8 – 9), and Group C (ages 10 – 12) will now have more freedom to choose their repertoire and express their unique musical voices. Furthermore, we’re increasing the number of grand finalist spots to accommodate up to 8 grand finalists for Groups A – B and up to 6 grand finalists for Groups C – E.

The Piano Star International Competition remains a prestigious platform for young artists to gain exposure, receive valuable feedback from esteemed judges, and, of course, compete for the coveted titles, cash prizes, and more. Stay tuned for more exciting updates and opportunities, and let the music begin!

Click here to View the COMPETITION TIMELINE
Rules and Regulations
Prizes
Repertoire Requirements (ALL GROUPS)
APPLICATION FORM
JUDGES

Questions? Check out our FAQ page or email us at pianostar@thepianoleague.com.

2023 Competition Judges

Grand Final Judges
(Groups D - E)

Alan Chow

Professor of Piano, Eastman School of Music
Chair of Piano Department, Eastman School of Music

Yoheved Kaplinsky

Chair of Piano Department, The Juilliard School

Soyeon Kate Lee

Piano Faculty, The Juilliard School

Grand Final Judges
(Groups A - C)

Alan Chow

Professor of Piano, Eastman School of Music
Chair of Piano Department, Eastman School of Music

Rachel Naomi Kudo

Concert Pianist

Gerardo Teissonnière

Piano Faculty, Cleveland Institute of Music

Final Round Judges
(In-Person)

Audrey Abela

Founder and Director, Opus One Music
Concert Pianist

Fei-Fei

Concert Pianist
Faculty, Cali School of Music at Montclair State University

Michael Kaykov

Piano Faculty, Harlem School of the Arts
Recording Artist

Hanbo Liu

Pianist and Composer

Reed Tetzloff

Concert Pianist

Lisa Yui

Faculty, Manhattan School of Music
Faculty, The Juilliard School Extension

Final Round Judges
(Virtual)

Chantal Balestri

Artistic Director, Lunigiana International Music Festival

Yi-Yang Chen

Faculty, University of Kansas

Robert Fleitz

Concert Pianist
Doctoral Researcher, Sibelius Academy

Cong Ji

Music and Piano Faculty, Germantown School of Music
Concert Pianist

Oliver Jia

Assistant Professor of Piano, Bilkent University

Rachel Naomi Kudo

Concert Pianist

Fanya Lin

Associate Professor of Practice in Piano, University of Arizona
CEO, Peak Performance Roadmap LLC

Yang Liu

Founder & Director, Ocean Music Foundation
Piano Faculty, Smith College Music Department

Priscila Navarro

Director of Keyboard Studies, Whitworth University
Concert Pianist with Astral Artists

Jenny Jieun Park

Faculty, SUNY Dutchess

Coral Solomon-Berkovsky

Director, Berkovsky Solomon Academy of Music

Kwan Yi

Associate Professor of Piano, East Carolina University

Directors

Sherry Kim

Artistic Director, Piano Star International Comeptition

Brian Yuebing Lin

Executive Director, Piano Star International Competition

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2023 Piano StaR International Competition Judge

Alan Chow

Professor of Piano, Eastman School of Music
Chair of Piano Department, Eastman School of Music

Alan Chow has performed to critical acclaim in major venues such as New York’s Lincoln Center and Merkin Hall and Chicago’s Symphony Center and Ravinia; and with orchestras in the United States and Asia, including concerto performances with the National, Pan Asian, Utah, Oakland, Kansas City, and Omaha Symphonies and the Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Tulsa Philharmonics. Mr. Chow won First Prize at the Concert Artists Guild International Competition and the Silver Medal and Audience Favorite Prize at the Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition. Other awards include First Prizes in the UCLA and Palm Beach Invitational International piano competitions.

As a chamber musician, Mr. Chow has collaborated with the American, Pacifica, Miami and Escher String Quartets and been a guest artist at numerous festivals. In addition, he appears in recital in the Cheng-Chow Trio with pianists Angela Cheng and his twin brother Alvin Chow. Mr. Chow has toured Asia with performances in Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, India and China.

Mr. Chow has given master classes throughout North America, Asia, and in Europe at conservatories, universities, and summer festivals, and is active as a juror for many piano competitions. He has served as guest professor at the Central Conservatory in Beijing, honored visiting professor at the Shenyang Conservatory, and Visiting Associate Professor at Oberlin Conservatory. His former and current students have been winners in many national and international piano competitions.

A Steinway Artist, Mr. Chow has studied at the University of Maryland, The Juilliard School and Indiana University with Nelita True, Sasha Gorodnitzki and Menahem Pressler. He has previously served on the artist faculty of Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music and is currently Professor of Piano and Chair of the Piano Department at the Eastman School of Music.

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2023 Piano StaR International Competition Judge

Yoheved Kaplinsky

Chair of Piano Department, The Juilliard School

Dr. Yoheved (Veda) Kaplinsky is currently the Chairperson of the Piano Department at the Juilliard School in New York as well as Distinguished Guest Professor of Piano at TCU. She began her musical career as a prizewinner in the J.S. Bach International Competition in Washington, D.C. A native of Israel, she studied with Ilona Vincze at the Tel Aviv Music Academy before entering the Juilliard School as a scholarship student of Irwin Freundlich. She holds a Master’s and Doctoral degrees from Juilliard, as well as awards for scholastic and pianistic achievements. She continued her studies with Dorothy Taubman in New York.

Ms. Kaplinsky has appeared throughout the United States as a recitalist, in chamber music concerts and with orchestras, including performances in New York, Philadelphia, Chicago and Washington, D.C. Noted for her insight and understanding of piano technique, Ms. Kaplinsky has been in great demand for lectures and masterclasses in the U.S., Israel and the Far East.

She has served on the faculties of the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore and the Manhattan School of Music, and has been a member of the Juilliard piano faculty since 1993. She also teaches regularly at various summer festivals, including the Bowdoin Summer Music Festival in Maine, The Aspen Music Festival, the Tel Hai International Masterclasses in Israel, the Texas Conservatory for Young Artists, PianoTexas in Fort Worth, and Pianofest in Long Island, New York. Ms. Kaplinsky frequently adjudicates in international competitions, most recently the Cleveland, Rubinstein, Dublin, Cliburn and the Tchaikovsky competitions. In 2003, she received the Presidential Scholars Teacher Recognition Award. In 2006, she was appointed visiting professor at Texas Christian University, and in 2007, she was appointed artistic director of The Juilliard School Pre-College Division.

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2023 Piano StaR International Competition Judge

Soyeon Kate Lee

Faculty, The Juilliard School

First prize winner of the Naumburg International Piano Competition and the Concert Artist Guild International Competition, Korean-American pianist Soyeon Kate Lee has been lauded by The New York Times as a pianist with “a huge, richly varied sound, a lively imagination and a firm sense of style,” and by the Washington Post for her “stunning command of the keyboard.”

Highlights of recent seasons include appearances at the National Gallery, Library of Congress, Gina Bachauer Concerts, Purdue Convocations, San Francisco Performances, and the Cleveland Art Museum. She was a member of Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society’s Bowers program, and is a regular participant in numerous chamber music festivals including the Great Lakes, Santa Fe and Music Mountain Chamber Music Festivals. Ms. Lee has collaborated with conductors Carlos Miguel Prieto, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Jahja Ling, and Jorge Mester with the London, San Diego, Hawaii, Louisiana, Naples symphony orchestras among others. 

Ms. Lee’s discography as a Naxos artist spans the works of Scarlatti, Liszt, Scriabin, and Clementi, and her eco-awareness album on E1, Re!nvented, garnered her the Classical Recording Foundation’s Young Artist of the Year Award.

A laureate of the Santander International Piano Competition and the Cleveland International Piano Competition, Ms. Lee is a graduate of The Juilliard School, where she earned her Bachelors and Masters degrees and the Artist Diploma. She earned her Doctorate at the Graduate Center, CUNY. She has worked extensively with Richard Goode, Jerome Lowenthal, Robert McDonald, and Ursula Oppens.

She joined the piano faculty of The Juilliard School in 2022, and is an Associate Professor of Music in Piano at the Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music. She also serves on the piano faculty of the Bowdoin International Music Festival.

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2023 Piano StaR International Competition Judge

Rachel Naomi Kudo

Concert Pianist

First prize winner of the International Johann Sebastian Bach Leipzig Competition, American pianist Rachel Naomi Kudo is captivating audiences around the globe with her “courageous and perfect playing,” and as an artist with “the highest artistic standards who demonstrates a perfection of technique and precision.”

Since her orchestral debut with the Chicago and Fort Worth Symphony Orchestras, Rachel has performed at venues including the Fazioli Concert Hall in Italy, the Royal Castle in Poland, Salle Cortot in Paris, Musikverein in Vienna, Tel Aviv Museum of Art in Israel, Tivoli International Festival in Denmark, Bergen International Festival in Norway, Alice Tully Hall, and Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall in New York. She has been invited to Carnegie Hall’s Professional Training Workshops, working with pianists Emanuel Ax and Sir Andras Schiff, and is a graduate of the Juilliard School.

As an avid educator, Rachel has been invited to conduct masterclasses around the world and was recently engaged as a livestream host for the 18th Chopin International Piano Competition in Warsaw, and the U.S. National Chopin and Cliburn Junior International Piano Competitions.

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2023 Piano StaR International Competition Judge

Gerardo Teissonnière

Piano Faculty, Cleveland Institute of Music

Regarded by international critics and audiences as an artist of extraordinary musicianship and rare sensibility since his acclaimed solo recital debut at the National Gallery of Art, pianist Gerardo Teissonnière brings to the concert stage an exciting amalgam of the diverse and important musical traditions he represents. From the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado, Lincoln Center in New York to concert halls in Asia, Europe, North and Latin America, Mr. Teissonnière appears in recital, with orchestra and chamber music performances as well as in summer music festivals and broadcasts throughout the world.

Concert highlights include solo recital debuts in Munich, Paris and Vienna, as well as solo and chamber music performances in Italy, in the United States with members of The Cleveland Orchestra, a performance for an audience of twenty thousand and a solo recital at the Diaoyucheng International Music Festival in Chongqing, China, his solo recital and concerto debuts in Beijing, and all-Chopin concerts in Poland. Mr. Teissonnière’s recording of the last three Beethoven sonatas for the Steinway & Sons record label has received extensive worldwide critical acclaim and has been hailed as “a landmark recording” (James Manheim, AllMusic). His upcoming recording of the complete Schubert impromptus will be released in October of 2023.

Tracing his pedagogical roots to Alfred Cortot, Artur Schnabel and Alexander Siloti, Gerardo Teissonnière is in great demand for his mentoring of young musicians, and conducts master classes and piano pedagogy seminars throughout the world. His students have performed as soloists on numerous occasions with some of the world’s most important orchestras such as The Cleveland Orchestra, and in solo recital at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. Mr. Teissonnière is a Steinway Artist.

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2023 Piano StaR International Competition Judge

Audrey Abela

Founder and Director, Opus One Music
Concert Pianist

Praised for her sensitive and individual interpretations, French pianist Audrey Abela has performed extensively in the United States, South America and Europe in major venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Symphony Space, Steinway Hall, Chicago Cultural Center, Salle Gaveau, Salle Cortot, Salle Pleyel and the Royal Dublin Society. She holds a Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from Manhattan School of Music and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from CUNY Graduate Center. In 2019, she completed her dissertation, a study on French pianism at the Paris Conservatory during the Interwar Period. Subsequently, she recorded her debut album, En Suite, an homage to French piano music, which was described as “a disc to treasure.” Over the years, she had the privilege to work with and be influenced by artists such as Menahem Pressler, Paul Badura-Skoda, Robert McDonald, John O’Connor, André Laplante, Evelyne Crochet and David Dubal. Mrs. Abela is passionate about teaching and transmitting her love of music to the youth; she is the director and founder of Opus One Music, a thriving music school based in New York City. Mrs. Abela is the mother of two young children.

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2023 Piano StaR International Competition Judge

Fei-Fei

Concert Pianist
Faculty, Cali School of Music at Montclair State University

Praised for her “bountiful gifts and passionate immersion into the music she touches” (The Plain Dealer), pianist Fei-Fei is a winner of the Concert Artists Guild Competition and a top finalist at the 14th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.  She continues to build a reputation for her poetic interpretations, charming audiences with her “passion, piquancy and tenderness” and “winning stage presence” (Dallas Morning News), both in the US and internationally, including her native China.

Fei-Fei’s 2022-23 season includes solo and chamber recitals in eleven states across the United States; concerto highlights include performance of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 at Lincoln Center with the Pegasus Symphony, a special Chinese New Year concert with California’s Pacific Symphony, appearances with the Syracuse Symphony, Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, as well as performances of lesser-represented concerto repertoire by Leroy Anderson, Florence Price, Clara Schumann, and Xiaogang Ye, with Amarillo Symphony, Bakersfield Symphony, Boise Philharmonic, Flint Symphony, and Shenzhen Symphony orchestras.  

Deeply committed to sharing her joy for music and connecting with communities, Fei-Fei also engages students and community audiences through frequent school and outreach concerts and masterclasses.  Activities from her current season include a special residency with her Aletheia Piano Trio at the Oberlin Conservatory, masterclasses at Montclair State University, Idaho State University, and Bakersfield College.  

Born in Shenzhen, Fei-Fei is a graduate of The Juilliard School where she studied with Dr. Yoheved Kaplinsky, and is currently pursing Doctoral of Musical Arts degree with pianist Yefim Bronfman at Manhattan School of Music.

 
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2023 Piano StaR International Competition Judge

Michael Kaykov

Piano Faculty, Harlem School of the Arts 
Recording Artist

American pianist and educator Dr. Michael Kaykov was born into a musical family and gave his first public performance at the age of six. He has earned his Undergraduate degree from Mannes College of Music, studying with professor Jerome Rose; Master’s degree from the Juilliard School, where he studied with Jerome Lowenthal, and Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) degree at the Manhattan School of Music, writing his dissertation “The Evolution of Alexander Scriabin’s Harmonic Language and Pianistic Textures Across his Etudes Op. 8, 42 and 65” under the guidance of renowned Fulbright scholar and musicologist Dr. Edward Green. Michael appeared as a soloist throughout USA, Europe and Asia. The second album of his Liszt series was released by Odradek Records in April 2022 and earned favorable reviews: “Five stars: A Liszt recital as unexpected as it is brilliant” (Huntley Dent – Fanfare Magazine). An all-Chopin album was issued in early 2023 and a third volume devoted to Liszt’s piano music is in preparation. 

Michael, a Steinway & Sons educational partner, teaches at Virtu.Academy and the Harlem School of the Arts. He has been a recipient of the Kamiya Sisters Piano Scholarship, Susan W. Rose Piano Scholarship, and the Celia and Joseph Ascher Fund for Piano Award (Juilliard School, 2012-2014); Piano Scholarship and Doctoral Fellowship (Manhattan School of Music, 2014-2020); and the Cirio Foundation (NYC) Scholarship (2016-2020). Michael’s scholarly articles (musicology) have been published in the International Review of the Aesthetics and Sociology of Music (IRASM, Croatian Musicological Society), Problemy Muzykal’noj Nauki (PMN, Russia), and Innovation Art Studies (ICONI, Russia). His original piano transcriptions are being prepared for publication by Muse Press (Japan). 

 
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2023 Piano StaR International Competition Judge

Hanbo Liu

Pianist and Composer

Hailed as “one of most talented and creative young pianists of today,” “the piano virtuoso,” “a young pianist with superb playing techniques, beautiful sounds, and mature musical expression,” “a young Liszt” by the media, pianist and composer Hanbo Liu is among the most exciting young pianists and musicians in his generation. 

Hanbo has performed over 80 concerts in the United States and China, at important venues including the Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie Hall, and United Nations Assembly Hall in New York City, Hong Kong TVB, China Central TV (CCTV) in Beijing, Beijing Olympic Water Cube National Aquatics Center, and Anhui TV Spring Festival Gala. His appearances on the CCTV in Beijing and on the 2020 Anhui TV Spring Festival Gala were broadcasted nationwide in China with millions of viewers. He has released three original albums which have been distributed worldwide by Amazon, iTunes, Apple Music, and Spotify, with the fourth album to be released soon. He has composed music for three films including a recent film being produced by the Rollin Studios in New York City which is the US Co-Production company for the feature film The Wandering Earth 2.

Hanbo graduated with a master’s degree in music from the Juilliard School in New York City, and studied piano with Prof. Yoheved Kaplinsky since pre-college. He is the first place winner of the prestigious Juilliard Piano Concerto Competition in New York City, and the youngest winner of Lee International Piano Competition and Daniel Piano Competition for Young Artists in United States. He received the Outstanding Asian Award in New York City in 2015 as the sole musician. 

Hanbo has been interviewed by many TV programs and newspapers including CCTV, Hong Kong TVB, New York Lounge, Guangdong TV, Anhui TV, Tencent Entertainment, The Mirror of Hong Kong, and Beijing Music Radio. He appeared on the NASDAQ big screen in the Time Square of New York City in 2019. He has been on the jury team for many music competitions. 

 

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2023 Piano StaR International Competition Judge

Reed Tetzloff

Concert Pianist

Reed Tetzloff, described by Richard Goode as “a musician of great authority,” has been hailed for his “richly communicative” performances (The Cincinnati Enquirer).  He came to international attention at the XV Tchaikovsky Competition, where he was called “the lyric hero of the competition.” (Сноб Magazine). He has excited audiences worldwide ever since making his Lincoln Center concerto debut at Alice Tully Hall in 2012.

Tetzloff has performed in major European venues including the Berlin Philharmonie, the Laeiszhalle in Hamburg, Düsseldorf’s Kunstpalast, the Allerheiligen Hofkirche at the Munich Residenz, Prague’s Rudolfinum, the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, Place Flagey in Brussels, and De Singel in Antwerp. Orchestral engagements include the Cincinnati Symphony, the Minnesota Orchestra, the Moscow Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra, the Prague Philharmonic, the Rochester Philharmonic, and the Tbilisi Symphony. 

He has been in residence at festivals such as the Beijing International Music Festival and Academy, the Grand Teton Music Festival, the International Keyboard Institute and Festival, the Miami International Piano Festival, and the Festival de Musique de Wissembourg. His recordings can be heard on the Romeo Records and Master Performers labels.

Originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, Reed Tetzloff earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at Mannes College in New York, studying with piano department Chair Pavlina Dokovska.

 
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2023 Piano StaR International Competition Judge

Lisa Yui

Faculty, Manhattan School of Music
Faculty, The Juilliard School Extension

Described as “a musical phenomenon” (Pianiste), Yamaha Artist Lisa Yui enjoys a multifaceted musical career as pianist, lecturer, educator, author, and musical director. Since making her concerto debut at the age of seven, she has performed throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. She is the top prizewinner of the Senigallia International Piano Competition in Italy, and has twice been the recipient of a Canada Council Scholarship. Dr. Yui has performed as soloist with prominent orchestras including the Tokyo Symphony, Polish National Radio, Toronto Symphony, and Krakow State Philharmonic. Dr. Yui’s insightful writing on a variety of topics has appeared in numerous publications, and she has worked extensively with cutting-edge music technology through her long-distance remote lessons and performances using the Yamaha Disklavier, an acoustic/digital hybrid player piano. Dr. Yui’s principal teachers and mentors include Byron Janis, Marc Silverman, Giovanni Valentini, Oxana Yablonskaya, Edna Golandsky, David Dubal, and Leonid Hambro. Lisa Yui is on the faculties of Manhattan School of Music and Juilliard Extension. At Manhattan School of Music she received the School’s 2018 President’s Medal for Distinguished Service.

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2023 Piano StaR International Competition Judge

Chantal Balestri

Artistic Director, Lunigiana International Music Festival

Italian/Swiss pianist Chantal Balestri is a versatile musician operating worldwide maintaining a career as Concert Pianist, a University Professor, NGO Leader, Social Entrepreneur, Project Manager, and Creator. 

As a concert pianist, she performs in various settings, from solo to ensemble and orchestral piano, with a special dedication to classical music repertoire and collaborations with renowned living composers, orchestras, and conductors. Winners of multiple international competitions, she has been praised for her “confidence and sound technique” (South Florida Classical Review) and has been performing in relevant music halls around the world, including Carnegie Hall (NY, USA), Miniaci Performing Art Center (Miami, USA), Wiener Saal (Austria), Harbin Concert Hall (China) besides many others.

As an educator, Chantal has been invited as a Visiting Professor to teach piano, chamber music, and management skills in universities worldwide, including the Nashville Steinway Hall (USA), the Conservatory of Music of Valdivia (Chile), the Piano League (New York), Universidad Michoacana (Mexico). While being an Adjunct Faculty member in Piano Studies and a staff pianist in Vocal Department and Screen Scoring at the New York University, Chantal was appointed New York President of the World Piano Teachers Association (WPTA). Recently, she has been working in her home country in various Music Conservatories to teach piano and management. 

Chantal really believes in how music and social impact are strongly connected, resulting in participation in many social and educational projects, including AIGU (Italian Youth Association for UNESCO). For her involvement in this thematic, she was selected as a cohort member of the Global Leaders Program for music leaders worldwide.

As an organizer, Chantal is the Co-Founder of the Lunigiana International Music Festival (since 2018, acting as Artistic Director) and MusiKenya (since 2021, acting as President), both no-profit organizations with a strong mission to impact the local communities and territories by providing high-quality music education and performances.

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2023 Piano StaR International Competition Judge

Yi-Yang Chen

Faculty, University of Kansas

Dr. Yi-Yang Chen shot onto the international stage with back-to-back victories in the 2018 Sussex International Piano Competition and in 2017 at the Washington International and the Waring International Piano Competitions in addition to first prize awards at the Pacific International Piano Competition and the MTNA National Young Artist Piano Competition. He has also received top prizes at the Hilton Head International Piano Competition, The American Prize, UNISA International Piano Competition (South Africa), Kerikeri International Piano Competition (New Zealand), Seattle International Piano Competition, Thailand International Piano Competition, San Jose International Piano Competition, and the Chopin International Piano Competition in Hartford. Dr. Chen has performed on five continents in acclaimed venues including Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York, Melbourne Recital Centre, National Concert Hall in Taipei, Banff Music Centre in Canada, ZK Matthews Great Hall in South Africa, and the Assembly Hall in Worthing, UK, and has appeared as soloist with the Worthing Symphony Orchestra, Brevard Music Center Orchestra, Avanti Orchestra, Eastman Philharmonic Orchestra, National Chinese Orchestra, and the Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra. A native of Taipei, Taiwan, Dr. Chen holds Bachelor’s and Doctoral Degrees from The Eastman School of Music, and Master’s degree from The Juilliard School. Dr. Chen is Assistant Professor at the University of Kansas and is a member of MTNA and the College Music Society as well as Mu Phi Epsilon. At present, Dr. Chen is engaged in a recording project with the Champs Hill label (UK) to be released in 205. 

 

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2023 Piano StaR International Competition Judge

Robert Fleitz

Concert Pianist
Doctoral Researcher, Sibelius Academy

Through “mesmerizing” and “commanding” performances (The New York Times), pianist and composer Robert Fleitz curates artistic experiences that surprise as often as dazzle. He made his “auspicious debut” (New York Concert Review) in Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall in October 2021. Known as an “innovative musical thinker,” recent honors include the First Prize in the 2022 John Cage Award, Premio “Rosalía de Castro” in the 2022 International Piano Competition of Vigo, 2021 Pro Musicis International Award, 2023 Baumanis Grant from the American Association for Baltic Studies, the Latvian Music Academy Young Artist of the Year Award, the André Boucourechliev Prize in the 2020 International Piano Competition of Orléans, and winning the 2022 Festival Sansusī Musician Battle, a unique multi-week event in which performers went head to head in both humor and musical virtuosity. A prolific performer of contemporary and standard repertoire, recent highlights include performances at Bunka Kaikan (Tokyo), Fotografiska Museum (Tallinn), Festival En Blanc et Noir (Lagrasse), and the Cēsis Art Festival. He is the co-founder of the Swan City Piano Festival, an ongoing multi-genre celebration of pianists and piano repertoire in his hometown of Lakeland, Florida. First taught piano at age 4 by his father, Patrick Fleitz, Robert received degrees from The Juilliard School (B.M. & M.M.) and the Latvian Academy of Music (M.M), his principal teachers being HungKuan Chen, Julian Martin, and Juris Žvikovs. He is currently a Doctoral researcher at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland. He speaks English, Latvian, Spanish, and Portuguese.

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2023 Piano StaR International Competition Judge

Cong Ji

Music and Piano Faculty, Germantown School of Music
Concert Pianist and Piano Teacher

Pianist Dr. Cong Ji is passionate about engaging her audiences with innovative programming and performances as a recital soloist, chamber musician and collaborative pianist. She performs regularly in major cities of Asia and the United States. Venues include Weill Hall at Carnegie, New York Steinway Hall, Elebash Recital Hall, Taipei National Recital Hall, and Music Halls of Universities and Conservatories in China. Pre-pandemic, she was invited to perform concerts and to conduct masterclasses in major cities of China. 

Born in an artistic family in Tianjin, China with her mother as an accordionist and her father as a visual artist, Dr. Ji has shown her talents in music and arts at an early age. She began piano studies at age four, and went to the top liberal arts school with a focus on science at Tianjin Nankai High School. By the discovery of her real passion for music, she majored in piano performance and earned degrees with scholarships from CUNY—The Graduate Center, Manhattan School of Music, and New York University, among others. Her principal teachers include Phillip Kawin, Ursula Oppens, Thomas Sauer, Miyoko Lotto, Martin Canin, Svetlana Sokolova, Chen Yunxian and Lv Xiaoliang. 

Dr. Ji has taught and remained an active piano studio in New York City and the Philadelphia area, and virtual teaching (piano and music theory) internationally. Her students get distinction in ABRSM exams and auditions, and won prizes in national and international competitions. She also prepared students who passed the conservatories’ precollege, undergraduate and graduate level auditions. 

 
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2023 Piano StaR International Competition Judge

Oliver Jia

Assistant Professor of Piano, Bilkent University

Described as an artist with “incomparable color and beauty of sound” (Jan Popis, Chopin Gazeta: 2005), Swedish-American pianist Oliver Jia has performed for audiences all over the world, and actively appears in concerts on three major continents. With a repertoire of dozens of concerti in addition to over two hundred solo and chamber works, Oliver made his official debut at Isaac Stern Auditorium in Carnegie Hall under the baton of the late Maestro James DePreist, performing Sergei Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto no. 5 with the Juilliard Orchestra

As a testament to his wide-ranging performance career, Oliver has performed with the Orchestra of St Luke’s, the Fort Worth Symphony, the China National Symphony, and the Juilliard Orchestra, among others. He has made solo and concerti appearances at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, the Warsaw Philharmonic Concert Hall, Royal Dublin Society, and the Manhattan Center, as well as the premier concert halls in mainland China. Other notable events include performance tours and interviews in northern Italy (Bologna, Senigallia), China (numerous cities, including Beijing, Nanjing, Suzhou, Yangzhou), North Carolina Triangle Area (chamber concerts in Raleigh, Durham, etc) as well as individual recitals in Warsaw, Stockholm, Dublin, Hastings, Ankara, Bursa, and other European cities.

In addition to his solo engagements, Oliver is an engaged chamber musician and has collaborated with numerous chamber ensembles, especially in the US region. He is also busy as a collaborative pianist, and has accompanied numerous string, woodwind, and vocal musicians in various projects. As a teacher, Oliver has maintained a private studio for two decades, teaching both solo piano and chamber music. From 2017-2019, he was a member of the piano faculty at the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley. Both his private as well as university students have won dozens of prizes at piano competitions worldwide.

Finally, Oliver is strongly involved in musical research. As part of his doctoral dissertation, Oliver presented a two-hour lecture recital on the complete set of Frédéric Chopin’s monumental Études, complete with a performance and a talk on the subject. In addition, he has written several research papers; these pertain to unique aspects in musicology that focus on topics not often featured in the mainstream of academia publications. These include “Josquin des Prez: A Study in Counterpoint” (New Haven, CT. 2014), “Transcriptions: The Piano as a Broadcasting Instrument” (New York, NY. 2012), and “War of the Romantics: Artistic Ideals in Conflict” (New York, NY. 2006).

Oliver was born in Nanking to a family with significant music backgrounds (his grandparents served as distinguished Peking Opera directors for decades), and spent his entire childhood in Stockholm. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from The University of Michigan, an Artist Diploma from Yale University, and Master of Music & Bachelor of Music degrees from The Juilliard School. His major instructors have included Logan Skelton, Peter Frankl, Jerome Lowenthal, Yoheved Kaplinsky, Oxana Yablonskaya, and Paul van Ness.

Oliver has served as Assistant Professor of Piano at Bilkent University since 2019.

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2023 Piano StaR International Competition Judge

Fanya Lin

Associate Professor of Practice in Piano, University of Arizona
CEO, Peak Performance Roadmap LLC

Described as a “striking interpreter” who gives a “committed and heartfelt performance” by Musical America and The New York Times, pianist Fanya Lin has entranced audiences worldwide with her charismatic and fiery performances. Lin’s “mesmerizing performance” of Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini in UK was depicted as “a tornado had touched down through her body and lifted her, feathers fluttering, from the piano stool as she weighed into the keys.” Her orchestral appearances include the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Utah Symphony, Savannah Philharmonic, The Jackson Symphony, Mississippi Valley Orchestra, New Art Symphony, among others.

An avid soloist, Fanya promotes classical music to the public by creating innovative concert programs and engages her audience by presenting interactive performances. Her solo recitals have been featured in numerous prestigious concert series, including the Schubert Club Musicians on the Rise, the Stecher and Horowitz Young Artist Series, and The Steinway Society of Western Pennsylvania. Her albums and EPs have been released by world-class labels such as IsoMike, Summit Records, and Soundset Recordings. As a philanthropist, Fanya has collaborated with various non-profit organizations as well as psychological and social service associations through fundraising galas and salon concerts to create access for education and promote mental health awareness. Inspired by her mentors Dr. Yu-Jane Yang, Professor Hung-Kuan Chen, and Professor Lydia Artymiw for their dedication in education, Dr. Fanya Lin is currently serving as the Associate Professor of Practice in Piano at the University of Arizona, where she teaches applied piano lessons, chamber music, piano literature, and Yoga for Musicians course.

 

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2023 Piano StaR International Competition Judge

Yang Liu

Piano Faculty, Smith College Music Department
Concert Pianist

Pianist Yang Liu attracts worldwide audiences with her profound musicianship and extraordinary virtuosity. “Her performance was incredibly expressive… effortlessly moving from delicate flourishes to pounding intensity…” (Toronto Star). She has performed extensively throughout the US, Europe, and China at numerous prominent venues, and has won many prestigious competitions, including the first prize at the Toronto International Piano Competition, among others. In 2022, Naxos Records released her album “Schubert: German Dances, Ländlers, and Écossaises,” and QQ Music in China released her album “Dancing on the Keys, Volume I.” 

A graduate of The Juilliard School, Yale School of Music, and Peabody Institute -Johns Hopkins University, Yang Liu is also a devoted educator. She is on the pianofaculty at Smith College while teaching actively in the New York region. Her studentshave won international competitions and been accepted into top conservatories.

Yang Liu is the founder and director of the Ocean Music Foundation, a nonprofitorganization devoted to nurturing an inclusive community where the transformativepower of music is shared and celebrated. The 2023-2024 season features a monthlyconcert series in Brooklyn, New York.

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2023 Piano StaR International Competition Judge

Priscila Navarro

Director of Keyboard Studies, Whitworth University
Concert Pianist with Astral Artists

Described as “a phenomenal talent” by the Atlanta Audio Club, pianist Priscila Navarro is the first prize winner of several international competitions, including the Liszt-Garritson International Competition in Baltimore, Maryland, Beethoven Sonata Competition in Tennessee, Chopin International Competition of Texas, Artist Series of Sarasota, Florida, Imola City Awards, Italy, and the Heida Hermanns International Music Competition in Connecticut. Most recently, she received the Christa-Marshall Bach Prize at the Bach competition in Leipzig. Priscila made her Carnegie Hall solo recital debut in 2013 as an international competition winner and returned there in 2022 for further concerts. She received a Special Bach prize at the International City of Vigo Competition in Spain, where she was one of five finalists from over 400 participating pianists, with a jury presided by Martha Argerich. Her performances in England last summer were streamed on BBC public radio as well as the Medici TV channel. This past season, she made her Kennedy Center debut with a sold-out recital.

In 2023, Priscila joined the roaster of Astral Artists. She is also the Director of Keyboard Studies at Whitworth University. She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in piano performance and pedagogy from the Frost School of Music, where she also completed Master and Artist Diploma degrees as a student of Santiago Rodriguez and Kevin Kenner. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Florida Gulf Coast University where she studied with Dr. Michael Baron. Priscila began her music studies at in the National Conservatory of Peru with Professor Lydia Hung.

 
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2023 Piano StaR International Competition Judge

Jenny Jieun Park

Faculty, SUNY Dutchess

Jenny Jieun Park, Ed.D currently directs the Academy of Music and teaches at SUNY Dutchess. 

She is passionate about working with students, and teachers as well as bringing music to the broader communities. As a researcher, she studies meaningful pedagogical philosophies in music education and effective teaching and learning frameworks. Flow, motivation theory, creativity, and temporality in music education are her particular scholarly interests. As a pianist, she continues to present theme-based recitals and concerts as a soloist and chamber musician. She received her Ed.D from Teachers College, Columbia University working closely with Dr. Lori Custodero. 

 
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2023 Piano StaR International Competition Judge

Coral Solomon-Berkovsky

Director, Berkovsky Solomon Academy of Music

“Young Canadian pianist Coral Solomon demonstrated a remarkable maturity of interpretation, musicality and sensibility which proved a great talent and an intelligent and original approach”- (Libertatea, Bucharest Romania)

  Israeli born pianist, Coral Solomon has been praised for her “distinct sensibility” and “original view” (Radio Romania Musical), and has performed numerous solo recitals throughout Canada, USA, Italy, France, Spain, Romania, and Israel. She has appeared as soloist with over a dozen orchestras across Canada, Italy, and Romania- where she performed with the state philharmonic orchestras of Sibiu, Timisoara, Brasov, Bacau, Arad, Tergu Mures, Ploiesti, Ramnicu Valcea, among others. She returned to collaborate with the Bacau Philharmonic Orchestra for the 3rd time, as she debuted a piano concerto transcription of Rachmaninoff’s Variations on a Theme by Corelli. The work was written and dedicated to her by conductor emeritus of New Jersey Plainfield Symphony, Sabin Pautza, who also conducted the premier. 

  Mrs. Solomon remained active in streamed performance projects during the pandemic including presenting a solo recital for the Princess Margaret Hospital Concert Series, a collaborative recital for the Klein Competition at the California Music Centre with violinist Julia Mirzoev, and as soloist with the Kindred Spirits Orchestra performing the Chopin Piano Concerto in E minor. Prior to the pandemic she had roles in diverse projects including serving as artistic director for the first Canadian edition of the George Enescu International Festival (originating in Romania, where it is one of the largest classical music festivals in the world) and performing in the Festival’s opening concert with the concertmaster of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Jonathan Crow; working with Academy Award winning actress Cate Blanchett, as her piano coach for the TV series: “Mrs. America”; and appearing as the piano soloist in Toronto’s internationally acclaimed Fall for Dance North Festival that took place in the Meridian Hall (formally known as the Sony Centre). 

  Devoted to her community’s musical education scene, Mrs. Solomon is frequently invited to adjudicate competitions and lead masterclasses. She currently maintains a full-time private studio at her home in North York where her students perform regu frequent competitions, performances, and exams. She is also the director of the Berkovsky-Solomon Academy of Music (BSAM) founded by her and her husband, Michael Berkovsky, which offers additional instructors for piano, theory, and violin lessons online and in several locations across the Greater Toronto Area. Mrs. Solomon has also collaborated with running other educational projects, such as serving as a founding director and advisor for the Avenue Road Music and Performance Academy as they launched their new music program in the summer of 2022. 

After moving with her family to Toronto in 2004, Mrs. Solomon was a student at the Young Artist Performance Academy of the Royal Conservatory of Music. Prizewinner of several competitions, Mrs. Solomon was interviewed by numerous North American and European television channels and has participated in intensive international summer festivals such as the Pianofest in the Hamptons (Long Island, NY), the Morningside Music Bridge Institute (Calgary), and the Toronto Summer Music Institute. 

She has completed her undergraduate degree at the Cleveland Institute of Music and her Master’s degree at Boston University, under the tutelage of Antonio Pompa-Baldi and Pavel Nersessian respectively. During her studies in the United States, she was a recipient of the generous Canada Council for the Arts’ Musician Grant. Mrs. Solomon is currently pursuing her Doctoral of Music degree in piano performance at the University of Toronto with Enrico Elisi, on full scholarship. 

 
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2023 Piano StaR International Competition Judge

Kwan Yi

Associate Professor of Piano, East Carolina University

Pianist Kwan Yi has performed throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia in such venues as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Kimmel Center, Kennedy Center, Chicago Symphony Center, Mann Performing Arts Center, Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, Library of Congress, Metropolitan and Isabella Stewart Gardner Museums, Großer Sendesaal des Hessischen Rundfunks, Auditorium du Louvre, Suntory Hall, and Seoul Arts Center.

Yi has appeared as a soloist with the Russian National Orchestra, Houston Symphony Orchestra, Brevard Festival Orchestra and the North Carolina Symphony under the batons of Hans Graf, Julian Kuerti, and Mikhail Tartanikov. As a recitalist and masterclass instructor, he has completed residencies at University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Bowling Green State University, University of Georgia, Michigan State University, and University of South Carolina. As a chamber musician, he has collaborated with Itzhak Perlman, Miriam Fried, and Roberto Diaz on national tours and was invited to perform at the Kronberg, Ravinia, Trondheim, and the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern festivals and Carnegie Hall Presents, Curtis Presents, CIM Mixon Hall Masters, and Peoples’ Symphony Concert series. He has recorded for FHR and Hänssler labels with violinist Itamar Zorman.

A recipient of many honors and prizes, Yi’s awards include Mieczyslaw Munz Prize, National Federation of Music Clubs Award, and prizes at the Fourth Sendai International Piano Competition.

Yi is a graduate of the Curtis Institute, Juilliard School and the Peabody Institute where he worked with Leon Fleisher and Robert McDonald. He currently serves as associate professor of piano at the ECU School of Music.

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