2024 Piano Star International Competition

Judges

2024 Piano Star International Competition

Judges

Grand Final Judges - Groups A, B, and C

MichaelL

Michael Lewin

Professor and Head of Piano, Boston Conservatory at Berklee

Dr. Jiayan Sun

Assistant Professor of Music and Associate Chair for Performance Activities, Smith College

Dr. Yiheng Yang

Faculty, The Juilliard School

Grand Final Judges - Groups D and E

RanD

Ran Dank

Associate Professor of Piano, Eastman School of Music

Eric Lu

First Prize Winner, Leeds International Piano Competition

Robert McDonald

Penelope P. Watkins Chair in Piano Studies, Curtis Institute;
Faculty, The Juilliard School

Final Round Judges - Zoom Online

Dr. Michael Berkovsky

Faculty, Taylor Academy and Glenn Gould School of Music

Dr. Cathal Breslin

Piano Professor, Arizona State University

Dr. Kai-Li Ho

Concert Pianist

Dr. Fantee Jones

Pre-College Faculty, San Francisco Conservatory of Music; Faculty, Eastman Community Music School

Dr. EunAe Lee

Assistant Professor of Piano, University of Mary

Dr. Igor Lipinski

Associate Professor of Piano, University of Oklahoma

Dr. Alex McDonald

Faculty, McDonald Music Studios; Concert Pianist

Dr. Elena Nezhdanova

Piano Faculty, Hamilton College

Dr. Sun-A Park

Assistant Professor of Piano, University of Central Florida

Dr. Keiko Sekino

Faculty, East Carolina University School of Music

Dr. Shijun Wang

Assistant Professor of Piano, Baylor University

Dr. Alan Woo

Assistant Professor of Piano, University of Georgia

Final Round Judges- New York, USA

Han Chen

Concert Pianist

Saeyoon Chon

Adjunct Faculty of Piano Studies at New York University

Susanne Son

Concert Pianist

Yukimi Song

CEO of Yukimi Song Studio LLC

Dr. Jiayan Sun

Assistant Professor of Music and Associate Chair for Performance Activities, Smith College

Final Round Judges - Bangkok, Thailand

Phu

Phu Koanantakool

Concert Pianist

Dr. Eri Nakagawa

Faculty, Mahidol University College of Music

Competition Directors

Sherry Kim

Artistic Director, Piano Star International Competition

Dr. Brian Yuebing Lin

Executive Director, Piano Star International Competition
Founder & CEO, Piano League™

2024 Piano StaR International Competition Judge

Michael Lewin

Concert Pianist; Professor and Head of Piano, Boston Conservatory at Berklee

Michael Lewin is one of America’s foremost concert pianists, winning over audiences in 30 countries with playing of “majestic power and searing emotion.” (The London Times).  His career was launched with victories in the Liszt Utrecht International Competition, the American Pianists Association Award and the University of Maryland’s William Kapell International Piano Competition. His numerous recordings have won a Grammy Award and a Roundglass Music Award.

He has appeared as orchestral soloist with the Netherlands Philharmonic, Cairo Symphony, China National Radio Orchestra, Bucharest Philharmonic, Youth Orchestra of the Americas, State Symphony of Greece, Moscow Chamber Orchestra, the Boston Pops, and the Phoenix, Indianapolis, Miami, North Carolina, West Virginia, Nevada, New Orleans, Colorado, Guadalajara, and Puerto Rico Symphonies. Solo appearances include New York’s Lincoln Center, London’s Wigmore Hall, Boston’s Symphony Hall, Taiwan’s National Concert Hall, Hong Kong’s City Hall Theatre, Holland’s Muziekcentrum, Moscow’s Great Hall, the Athens Megaron, the National Gallery of Art, the Newport, Ravinia and Spoleto Festivals and PBS Television. His extensive repertoire includes over 40 piano concertos, and he is particularly praised for his performances of Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin, Liszt, Debussy and a host of American and Latin American composers.

Mr. Lewin’s award-winning discography on Sono Luminus, Naxos and Centaur includes a pair of popular Debussy recordings entitled “Beau Soir” and “Starry Night,” the complete piano music of Charles T. Griffes, a collection of Scarlatti Sonatas , his acclaimed all-Liszt debut recording, a Russian album of Scriabin, Balakirev and Glazunov, Bamboula!: a disc of Louis Moreau Gottschalk’s piano music, “If I Were a Bird” (piano bird pieces) “Piano Phantoms” (ghost/phantoms inspired works”, and the four Violin/Piano Sonatas by William Bolcom with violinist Irina Muresanu.

Michael Lewin is Professor and Head of Piano at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee. He gives master classes worldwide, directs the Boston Conservatory Piano Masters Series and has taught and mentored many prize-winning and successful pianists. He is a Juilliard School graduate and a Steinway Artist. His teachers included Leon Fleisher, Yvonne Lefebure, Adele Marcus and Irwin Freundlich. Please visit www.michaellewin.com for more information.

2024 Piano StaR International Competition Judge

Dr. Jiayan Sun

Assistant Professor of Music and Associate Chair for Performance Activities, Smith College

Praised by the New York Times for his “revelatory” performances, and by the Toronto Star for his “technically flawless, poetically inspired and immensely assured playing,” pianist Jiayan Sun has performed with the Cleveland Orchestra, the Hallé Orchestra, the Chinese and RTÉ (Ireland) National Symphony Orchestras, the Fort Worth and Toledo Symphony Orchestras, the Toronto and Aspen Concert Orchestras, and the Suwon Philharmonic Orchestra, and he has conducted the Meiningen Court Orchestra from the keyboard. His performances have been broadcast by the BBC, the RTÉ, China Central Television, and classical music radio stations in North America.

In addition to capturing major prizes in the Leeds, Cleveland, Dublin, and Toronto International Piano Competitions, playing early keyboard instruments and studying historical performance practice have played a significant role in Mr. Sun’s musical activities, with critically acclaimed appearances with the American Classical Orchestra in Alice Tully Hall.

Hailing from Yantai, China, Mr. Sun received the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from The Juilliard School under the tutelage of Yoheved Kaplinsky and Stephen Hough. Currently Assistant Professor of Music and the Associate Chair for Performance Activities at Smith College, he has performed Beethoven’s complete piano sonatas, in addition to presenting recital series devoted to the works by Schubert and Chopin.

2024 Piano StaR International Competition Judge

Dr. Yiheng Yang

Faculty, The Juilliard School

Pianist and fortepianist Yi-heng Yang has been described as an “exquisite
collaborator (Opera News), “suberbly adept (Gramophone)” and noted for her “remarkable expressivity and technique (Early Music Magazine).”

Her work spans from collaborations on period instruments with visionary artists such as the Grammy award-winning tenor Karim Sulayman, in their acclaimed and timely album, “Where Only Stars Can Hear Us (Avie Records),” to groundbreaking and provocative explorations into Romantic and Classical performance practice with cellist Kate Bennett Wadsworth (Brahms Cello Sonatas, Deux-Elles), baroque violinist Abigail Karr (Mendelssohn Violin Sonatas, Olde Focus), and harpsichordist Rebecca Cypess (“Sisters Face-to-Face” Acis). In May 2022, she released her first solo fortepiano album, “Free Spirits: early Romantic music on the Graf piano (Deux-Elles),” which is already receiving critical praise, including a 4-star rating by BBC Music Magazine. Of this recording on an original 19th c Graf piano, Anne E. Johnson of Classical Voice North America writes that “Yang’s performance of these early Romantic works on one of the best instruments from that era takes us as close to the original experience as we can ever hope to come.”

Yi-heng has performed with the Albany Symphony, in the People’s Symphony Concerts, Early Music of the Islands, Carnegie Hall, The Phillips Collection, Chatham Baroque, Columbus Early Music, and The Helicon Series, the Boston Early Music Festival, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She is on the faculty of The Juilliard School.

Her new album of Schumann Piano Trios with Tio Ilona (Ravenna Lipchik and Kate Wadsworth), was released on May 24th on the Deux-Elles label, and has acclaimed as “fascinating (The Strad)”, and “endlessly satisfying (Early Music America).”

2024 Piano StaR International Competition Judge

Ran Dank

Associate Professor of Piano, Eastman School of Music

A rare blend of virtuosity and intellectual prowess, Pianist Ran Dank has proven himself as one of the most thoughtful, and engaging pianists of our time. 

Mr. Dank’s past seasons’ performances have included recitals at the San Francisco Performances Series, Gilmore, Ravinia, Carnegie Hall’s Zankel and Weill Halls, Steinway Hall, Gardner Museum, Kennedy Center, Town Hall, Yale School of Music, Philips Collection, Morgan Library, Pro Musica in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, Portland Ovations, and have garnered critical acclaim from the New York Times and The Washington Post. Mr. Dank has performed as a soloist with the orchestras of Cleveland, Sydney, St. Luke’s, Portland, Eugene, Toledo, Hawaii, Kansas City, Vermont, Charleston, Jerusalem, Valencia, Phoenix, Hilton Head, among others, working under the batons such as Michael Stern, Jahja Ling, Michael Christie, Kirill Karabits, Jun Märkl, Pinchas Zukerman, Jorge Mester, Jaime Laredo, and Ken-David Masur. Mr. Dank’s recent performance of the monumental set of variations “The People United Will Never Be Defeated!” at the University of Chicago has been selected as one of the top ten performances of 2017 by the Chicago Classical Review.

The recipient of numerous honors, Ran Dank won a coveted place on the Young Concert Artists roster in 2009 and subsequently made his New York recital and Kennedy Center debuts. He has also won top prizes at the Cleveland International Competition, the Naumburg International Piano Competition, the Sydney International Piano Competition, and the Hilton Head International Piano Competition.

2024 Piano StaR International Competition Judge

Eric Lu

Concert Pianist

“Leeds winner Eric Lu showed an astonishing command of keyboard tone and color… the sign he is already a true artist. It was a spellbinding experience.”
– The Guardian

“Lu’s playing is in a rare class – sensitive and emotionally intuitive.”
– BBC Music Magazine 

Eric Lu won First Prize at The Leeds International Piano Competition in 2018 at the age of 20. The following year, he signed an exclusive contract with Warner Classics, and has since collaborated with some of the world’s most prestigious orchestras, and presented in major recital venues.

Recent and forthcoming orchestral collaborations include the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Oslo Philharmonic, Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Yomiuri Nippon Symphony, Orchestre National de Lille, Finnish Radio Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Helsinki Philharmonic, Tokyo Symphony, Shanghai Symphony at the BBC Proms, amongst others. Conductors he collaborates with include Riccardo Muti, Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, Ryan Bancroft, Marin Alsop, Duncan Ward, Vasily Petrenko, Edward Gardner, Sir Mark Elder, Thomas Dausgaard, Ruth Reinhardt, Earl Lee, Nuno Coelho, Kerem Hasan, Long Yu, and Martin Frӧst.

Active as a recitalist, he is presented on stages including the Köln Philharmonie,
Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Queen Elizabeth Hall London, Leipzig Gewandhaus,
Elbphilharmonie, San Francisco Davies Hall, BOZAR Brussels, Fondation Louis Vuitton Paris, Aspen Music Festival, 92nd St Y NY, Seoul Arts Centre, Warsaw Philharmonic, and Sala São Paulo. In 2025, he is appearing for the 7th consecutive year in recital at Wigmore Hall. He has also been invited for the 7th time to Warsaw’s ‘Chopin and his Europe Festival’, and will debut at La Roque d’Anthéron Festival.

In December 2022, Eric’s third album on Warner Classics was released, featuring Schubert Sonatas D. 959 and 784. It was met with critical acclaim, receiving BBC Music Magazine’s Instrumental Choice, writing, “Lu’s place among today’s Schubertians is confirmed”. His previous album of the Chopin 24 Preludes, and Schumann’s Geistervariationen was hailed ‘truly magical’ by International Piano.

Born in Massachusetts in 1997, Eric Lu first came to international attention as a Laureate of the 2015 Chopin International Competition in Warsaw aged just 17. He was also awarded the International German Piano Award in 2017, and Avery Fisher Career Grant in 2021. Eric was a BBC New Generation Artist from 2019-22. He is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, studying with Robert McDonald and Jonathan Biss. He was also a pupil of Dang Thai Son.

2024 Piano StaR International Competition Judge

Robert McDonald

Penelope P. Watkins Chair in Piano Studies, Curtis Institute
Faculty, The Juilliard School

American pianist Robert McDonald has performed throughout the United States, Europe, Latin America and Asia as solo recitalist and, for many years, as recital partner to Isaac Stern and other distinguished instrumentalists. He has appeared with the San Francisco, Baltimore and Curtis symphony orchestras as well as with the Orquestra Sinfonica Nacional in Costa Rica and the Orchestra Sinfonica Haydn di Bolzano e Trento in Italy.
 
As a chamber musician, he has performed with the Juilliard, American, Takács, Muir, Brentano, St. Lawrence, Vermeer, Borromeo, Shanghai, and Orion string quartets, and has given concerts for the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society, the Chicago Chamber Musicians and NHK and BBC television worldwide. His discography includes recordings for Sony Classical, Vox, Bridge,
Musical Heritage Society, ASV and CRI.
 
McDonald is a member of the piano faculties at The Juilliard School and the Curtis Institute of Music, where he holds the Penelope P. Watkins Chair in piano studies. In addition to being the artistic director of the Taos School of Music and Chamber Music Festival in New Mexico, he has participated in the Bergen, Lucerne and Salzburg festivals in Europe, the Four Seasons,
Marlboro and Brevard festivals in the United States, the Steans Institute at Ravinia, as well as at the Banff Center in Canada and the Music Academy of the West.
 
McDonald is the winner of the Gold Medal at the Busoni International Competition and the Deutsche Schallplatten Critics Award. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Manhattan School of Music in 2018.

2024 Piano StaR International Competition Judge

Dr. Michael Berkovsky

Faculty, Taylor Academy and Glenn Gould School of Music

Canadian-Israeli pianist, Michael Berkovsky, made his New York debut at Avery Fisher Hall and has toured as a soloist in Ireland, Costa Rica, Japan, Italy, Israel, Canada, and the United States. He has won numerous international piano competition awards and has performed under the baton of Vladimir Feltsman, Stefan Sanderling, Leon Fleisher, William Noll, among others. His recordings were featured on 96.3 Classical FM and CBC Radio. He has most recently recorded for the RCM piano syllabus due to be released in 2022.

Michael maintains a competitive studio, in which numerous of his students have been awarded top prizes in national and international piano competitions such as Van Cliburn Junior, Cleveland International, Bösendorfer-Yamaha, Canadian Chopin, Canadian Music Competition, among others. Graduates from his studio went on to study at top schools such as the Juilliard School, Yale University, New England Conservatory, among others.

Michael frequently collaborates with numerous chamber groups and award winning musicians, including Jasper string quartet and musicians from the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Toronto Opera Company. Michael is involved in the cultural life of his community in Toronto and often performs with local groups like the Kindred Spirit Orchestra, York Symphony Orchestra and many others. In addition he is also actively engaged in piano duo recitals with his wife, Coral Berkovsky-Solomon.

Michael serves as artistic advisor for the Canadian Music Competition and is regularly invited to adjudicate competitions around the country, as well as for masterclasses and teacher workshops. Most recently, he has served as president of the Canadian chapter of the George Enescu International Music Festival. He was a guest artist at numerous international festivals, including Arts Naples and Music Niagara Festival.

Born in the former Soviet Union, Michael immigrated to Israel in 1990. He has studied with Nataly Litvinova and was mentored by Alexander Slobodyanik and Ilya Itin. In 2001, his family moved to Toronto, Canada. He received his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees from Juilliard where he studied with Yoheved Kaplinsky and Julian Martin. He was a recipient of the America Israel Cultural Foundation Scholarships from 1994-2001, and with the recommendation of Maestro Valery Gergiev, was awarded White Nights Foundation Scholarships while studying at the Juilliard School. In 2011, he completed his Doctoral degree at the Peabody Conservatory of the John Hopkins University while under the
tutelage of Professor Yong Hi Moon.

You can contact Professor Berkovsky through e-mail at: mi***************@rc*****.ca

2024 Piano StaR International Competition Judge

Dr. Cathal Breslin

Piano Professor, Arizona State University; Pianist; Artistic Director

Cathal Breslin has been praised worldwide with critical acclaim such as “superb intensity and passion” and “energized and energizing.” Born in Derry, N. Ireland, he has performed solo recitals in major concert halls throughout North and South America, Europe and Asia, including Carnegie Hall in New York, Wigmore Hall in London, Kumho Hall in Seoul, and the Beijing National Center for the Performing Arts.

Recent concerto performances have included with the RTE National Symphony Orchestra, BBC Ulster Orchestra, Greensboro Symphony, Memphis Symphony, Turin Philharmonic and the Arizona Music Fest Orchestra.

He has performed extensively in duos with flutist Sir James Galway, soprano Measha Brueggergosman, violinists Augustin Dumay, Anne Akiko Meyers and Dmitry Sitkovetsky, cellists Jan Vogler, Raphael Wallfisch and Jeffrey Zeigler, and pianist Awadagin Pratt.  

In addition to his performing career, Cathal and his wife, flutist Dr. Sabrina Hu, are the Festival Directors of Walled City Music, a major arts organization in N. Ireland which has regenerated classical music with its innovative programming since 2008.

Cathal moved to the U.S. as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Michigan, where he received a DMA Degree studying with Arthur Greene. He is currently an Associate Professor of Piano at Arizona State University and he is an exclusive Yamaha Artist.

2024 Piano StaR International Competition Judge

Dr. Kai-Li Ho

Concert Pianist

Dr. Kai-Li Ho made her professional solo debut at the age of 6 at Taiwan’s National Concert Hall and has since captivated audiences across the United States, Asia, and Europe. Dr. Ho was sought out by the Taiwanese government to perform at the Taiwan Art Vision Festival. She also received an invitation as a Grand Prize winner of The Metropolitan International Piano Competition to perform at the Weill Concert Hall of Carnegie Hall in New York.

Dr. Ho has garnered numerous accolades throughout her career, including First Prize at the MTNA International State Piano Competition, First Prize at the Kawai International Piano Competition, “Best Performance of Taiwanese Repertoire” at the Young Musician International CompetitionCitta di Barletta, Second Prize at the Taiwan National Piano Competition, and Third Prize at the
Virtuoso and Bel Canto Music Competition in Italy. Furthermore, she was selected as one of the top ten pianists to participate in the Ninth Moscow International Frederick Chopin Competition for Young Pianists.

Raised in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, Dr. Ho received a full scholarship studying at The Colburn School in Los Angeles. Subsequently, she was awarded another four-year full scholarship for her Joint Honors Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance, conferred by Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, National University of Singapore, and The Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University. She further obtained both her Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance at The Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University. Throughout both her Master’s and Doctoral studies, she has been offered Full Assistantships, which enables her to collaborate extensively with professors, instrumentalists and vocalists under the tutelage of Marian Hahn.

2024 Piano StaR International Competition Judge

Dr. Fantee Jones

Pre-College Faculty, San Francisco Conservatory of Music

Taiwanese-American pianist Fantee Jones, of Roseville, California, gave her first solo recital at the age of seven, and her concerto debut at age ten performing Mozart’s Piano Concerto in A Major, K. 488. Most recently, she was the 1st prize winner and awarded the “Best Execution of a Classical Piece” in the Città di San Donà di Piave International Piano Competition and 5th prize winner of the 2022 XII Darmstadt International Chopin Piano Competition in Germany.  She has received top prizes in the Gina Bachauer Young Artists, Lagny-sur-Marne, Los Angeles International Piano Competitions and a winner of the PianoTexas International Young Artists Concerto Competition. Upon winning the PianoTexas Concerto Competition, she performed with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Lio Kuokman.

Miss Jones made her first Carnegie Weill Hall appearance in May 2005 and has also performed at Benaroya Hall and Lied Center of Kansas in the United States, National Recital Hall in Taiwan, Sendai City Cultural Center in Japan, Seoul Arts Center in South Korea, Temppeliaukion Kirkko “Rock Church” in Finland and Verbrugghen Hall in Australia, as well as on Cunard and Princess Cruise Lines.

Fantee began studying with her mother at age three. She received her Bachelor of Music and the Roy M. Rubinstein Prize from Manhattan School of Music, and her Master of Music from The Juilliard School. She was awarded the Elizabeth Parisot Prize along with a Master of Musical Arts from Yale School of Music, under the tutelage of Hung-Kuan Chen. Most recently, she received her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance and Literature and a minor in Piano Pedagogy in May 2022, where she studied with Alexander Kobrin and served as a Teaching Assistant to Alexander Kobrin and Vincent Lenti.

She currently serves on the faculty at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (Pre-College division) and Legato Music School in San Jose and maintains a private piano studio in the Sacramento area. For more information, please visit www.fanteejones.com.

2024 Piano StaR International Competition Judge

Dr. EunAe Lee

Assistant Professor of Piano, University of Mary

Renowned pianist Richard Goode has praised EunAe Lee as “a performer of great communicative power,” while the Cleveland Plain Dealer lauds her as “a pianist with bold intensity.” EunAe Lee stands among the most decorated, critically acclaimed Korean pianists of our time.

Dr. Lee’s achievements include being selected as a top prize winner in prestigious competitions, including the ARD International Music Competition, Bösendorfer USASU International Piano Competition, Hilton Head International Piano Competition, Vienna International Music Competition, the WPTA International Piano Competition, and Juilliard Concerto Competition, among others. She was also advanced to the final rounds of distinguished competitions, including the Queen Elisabeth International Piano Competition, Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition, and the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.

In addition to her captivating performances, Dr. Lee has shared her knowledge and expertise through master classes conducted at universities and music festivals. She has also served as an adjudicator in competitions such as the Elite International Music Competition, the Oregon MTNA (Music Teachers National Association) Competition, and Seattle International Competition – Virtuoso Artists Festival. Dr. Lee earned her accelerated bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the Juilliard School under the tutelage of Mr. Martin Canin, received a performance diploma at Mannes College of Music with Mr. Richard Goode, and completed her doctoral degree at Northwestern University under the guidance of Dr. James Giles.

Dr. Lee will start serving as an assistant professor at the University of Mary in the fall. In addition to her teaching responsibilities, she holds the title of Manhattan Concert Artist.

 

2024 Piano StaR International Competition Judge

Dr. Igor Lipinski

Associate Professor of Piano, University of Oklahoma

Polish-born pianist Igor Lipinski is an Associate Professor of Piano at the University of Oklahoma School of Music. A graduate of Eastman and Northwestern, Lipinski maintains an active concert career since his orchestral debut with the Buffalo Philharmonic on NPR’s Performance Today. A passionate recording artist, Lipinski has released multiple albums under his own record label Vanishing Records. Lipinski’s students have won numerous competitions including Oklahoma MTNA Young Artist and Oklahoma Civic Orchestra Concerto Competition. Recognized for his creative programming, Lipinski reimagined the traditional format of a piano recital with his “Piano Illusions,” a hybrid recital of music and magic, featured in concert venues across the world including New York City, Hong Kong, Lisbon, and Vienna.

2024 Piano StaR International Competition Judge

Dr. Alex McDonald

Faculty, McDonald Music Studios; Concert Pianist

Pianist Alex McDonald has soloed with the Orquesta Sinfónica del Estado de Mexico, the Louisiana Philharmonic, the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Orquesta Sinfonica de Yucatan, and the Utah Symphony Orchestra. He was a featured performer on PBS, WRR, NPR, and WQXR. Awards include second prize at the 2007 New Orleans International Piano Competition and second prize at the 2001 Gina Bachauer International Young Artist Piano Competition, and was a competitor in the 2013 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.

Dr. McDonald is the artistic director for the Basically Beethoven Festival, a thriving summer concert series in downtown Dallas’ Arts District. His students have been admitted to Juilliard and Eastman. Texas Music Teacher’s Association recently awarded him the 2017 Outstanding Achievement Award in teaching. He was a juror for the 2023 Van Cliburn International Amateur Competition.

Dr. 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 research in sources for Liszt’s Sonata in B Minor has been cited by Alfred Publishers recent edition of the sonata.

Dr. McDonald met his wife Rachel McDonald, who is a violist, at Juilliard. In addition to their collaboration in various chamber music concerts, their collaboration also includes a wonderful boy named Micah (who has his mother’s eyes and his daddy’s hair) and a little girl named Ella (who looks an awful lot like Micah).

2024 Piano StaR International Competition Judge

Dr. Elena Nezhdanova

Piano Faculty, Hamilton College; Solo and Collaborative Pianist

Dr. Elena Nezhdanova, has performed in United States, China, and Europe, as an orchestral soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician. In October 2015, Elena performed Peter Tchaikovsky’s 1st Piano Concerto with Sichuan Philharmonic Orchestra in Chengdu, China. As a solo performer, Elena was a guest artist at the Civic Morning Musicals concert series in Syracuse, NY; Music House Recital Series in Greenville, SC; performed at the Interlochen Center for the Arts Summer Camp, Music by Women Festival at the Mississippi University for Women, La Frontera International Piano Conference (Brownsville, TX), performed four times at the Lives of the Piano concert series at Manhattan School of Music in NYC.

(AS) An avid chamber musician, Elena is a co-founding member of the Nezhdanova-Placzek Duo (piano/cello). Their professional engagements include the American East Coast, London U.K., Dresden, and Chemnitz’s performances in Germany, and four prominent Czech cities, including Prague.

As an educator, Dr. Nezhdanova was commissioned to write a published review of Irina Gorin’s “Tales of a Musical Journey” books (The Piano Magazine, 2017). She was a guest workshop clinician for The Brownsville Piano Studio music school’s Teachers Professional Development week, North Carolina Music Teachers Association, Central New York Music Teachers Association, taught masterclasses for The Piano League, Opus Ithaca School of Music,
and East Tennessee State University. She presented for European Piano Teachers Association in Guimarães, Portugal, presented in Olomouc, Czech Republic and gave masterclasses at the North London Collegiate School in the U.K. Dr. Nezhdanova is a Lecturer in Piano at Hamilton College, Clinton NY, and teaches privately from her home in Manlius, NY. She holds BM from Syracuse University, MM from Ithaca College, and DMA from UNC-Greensboro.

2024 Piano StaR International Competition Judge

Dr. SUN-A PARK

Assistant Professor of Piano, University of Central Florida

Korean-American pianist Sun-A Park has won First Prize at the Kosciuszko Foundation Chopin Competition, and the Olga & Serge Koussevitzky Young Artists Awards, top prizes at the 2020 Jaen International Piano Competition, 4th Sendai International Music Competition and the 58th Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition. She has been a soloist with the Yale Philharmonia, the Sendai Symphony Orchestra, the Houston and Albany Symphonies, the Haydn Orchestra of Bolzano and Trento, the Castilla y León Symphony Orchestra, and other ensembles. 

Park completed her undergraduate and graduate studies at The Juilliard School with Yoheved Kaplinsky and Matti Raekallio. In 2014, she completed the prestigious Konzertexamen program in Hannover Musikhoschule (Germany) in Bernd Goetzke’s class.  Park is a recipient of the Parisot Prize at the Yale School of Music, where she studied with Boris Berman from 2014 to 2017. She received her Doctor of Musical Arts degree under the tutelage of Boris Slutsky at the Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University in 2020. Currently, Park is an Assistant Professor of Piano at University of Central Florida.

2024 Piano StaR International Competition Judge

DR. Keiko Sekino

Faculty, East Carolina University School of Music

Pianist Keiko Sekino has performed throughout the United States, Europe, and Japan, at such venues as Carnegie Weill Recital Hall, Steinway Hall, Bennett-Gordon Hall at Ravinia Park, Palacio de Festivales de Cantabria, and Meguro Persimmon Hall, and at festivals including Ravinia, Norfolk, and Yellow Barn in the United States and Kuhmo, Encuentro de Música y Academia de Santander, and Pontino in Europe. 

A frequent chamber musician, Keiko Sekino has collaborated with violinists Ana Chumachenko and MinJung Kang, soprano Awet Andemicael, and with members of Boston Symphony Orchestra, Enso Quartet, and Daedalus Quartet. Recent projects include performances of Schubert Winterreise with bass-baritone Marc Callahan and world premiere of the piano concerto Meloscuro (2018) by Matthew Ricketts. She has recorded for Delos label with cellist Emanuel Gruber and has an album of songs by Gerald Finzi forthcoming on Albany label with baritone Marc Callahan.

Keiko Sekino completed a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University and holds additional degrees from Yale University in economics and music. Among her teachers are Peter Frankl and Robert McDonald. She has also worked closely with Elisso Virsaladze, Claude Frank, Boris Berman, and Margo Garrett. Sekino currently serves as Associate Professor of Piano and Chair of Keyboard Studies at the East Carolina University School of Music and as Artistic Director of the East Carolina Piano Festival. In 2021, she was nominated and inducted to the Steinway Teacher Hall of Fame.

2024 Piano StaR International Competition Judge

Dr. Shijun Wang

Assitant Professor of Piano, Baylor University

As the Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung Heidelberger described, “Shijun Wang is a fascinating, serious and sensitive musician” As a solo pianist and orchestral soloist, Shijun Wang has performed in California, Pennsylvania, New York, Arizona, Oklahoma, Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, Utah, Texas, Michigan, Idaho, Connecticut, New Jersey, as well as Germany, France, Norway, Spain, Bulgaria, Israel, China, Mexico, South Korea, and Japan. He was appointed as visiting professor of Xi’an Conservatory where he would give concerts and master classes for one month each summer. He also teaches at Puigcerda Music Festival in Spain, East/West International Piano Festival in South Korea, and Lancaster International Music Festival in Pennsylvania in the summer. Amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, when all music events were forced to shut down, Dr. Wang took the initiative to self-produce complete performances and tutorials of Chopin Etudes, sharing them for free on YouTube and other online platforms. His educational videos have garnered millions of views and have been instrumental in aiding both amateur and professional musicians.

Professor Wang is currently an Assistant Professor of Piano at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. He received his Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from The Juilliard School studied with Oxana Yablonskaya and Joseph Kalichstein. He also completed his Doctoral of Musical Arts degree from the Eastman School of Music under the guidance of Nelita True. His musical mentors have also included Thomas Schumacher, Dan-Wen Wei, Alfred Brendel, Emanuel Ax, and Richard Goode.

2024 Piano StaR International Competition Judge

Dr. alan wOO

Assistant Professor of Piano, University of Georgia

Praised by the New York Times as a pianist with “assurance and vitality,” Alan Woo made his Lincoln Center debut at Alice Tully Hall performing with the Juilliard Orchestra under the baton of Yannick Nézet-Séguin. He has since collaborated with conductors Daniel Hege, Miguel Harth-Bedoya, and Tito Muñoz in solo appearances with the Houston and Fort Worth Symphonies, and the Music Academy of the West Festival Orchestra. Other recent performances include solo recital engagements throughout the US, Puerto Rico, and Europe.

Woo has been featured on The McGraw Hill Financial Young Artists Showcase broadcasted on WQXR in New York and has performed in venues such as Carnegie’s Weill and Zankel Recital Halls. An avid chamber musician, he has made appearances at the Brooklyn Chamber Music Society, La Jolla Music Society’s SummerFest, Gamper Festival of Contemporary Music, Bowdoin International Music Festival, and Juilliard’s ChamberFest. Other accolades include prizes at the High Point University, Ima Hogg, Iowa and Juilliard’s Gina Bachauer piano competitions.

Born in Arlington, Virginia, Woo is a graduate of The Juilliard School and Peabody Institute, where he completed degrees in piano performance under Robert McDonald and Yong Hi Moon. Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Georgia, he served on the faculty at Elizabeth City State University.

2024 Piano StaR International Competition Judge

Han Chen

Concert Pianist

A fearless performer with seemingly limitless imagination and possessed with uncanny energy, pianist Han Chen plays scores old and new with rare rigor and insight. Attending Mr. Chen’s recent traversal of the 18 Ligeti Etudes and 18 accompanying world premieres, George Grella titled his review:  Han Chen’s remarkable playing equal to the genius of Ligetis Etudes and went on to exclaim: “ he is astonishing, with some of the finest pianism one has ever witnessed.”–– New York Classical Review, September 25, 2023

Gold Medalist at the 2013 China International Piano Competition and a prizewinner at the 2018 Honens International Piano Competition, Mr. Chen has also been praised by Gramophone as “impressively commanding and authoritative” and further cited by The New York Times for his “graceful touch,” “rhythmic precision” and “hypnotic charm.” 

Mr. Chen’s musical vision is manifest in his four solo Naxos CDs focusing on Franz Liszt, Anton Rubinstein, Thomas Adès, and György Ligeti’s Complete Piano Études. He has appeared as soloist with the Calgary Philharmonic, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Lexington Philharmonic, Hong Kong Philharmonic, National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, China Symphony Orchestra, and Xiamen Philharmonic. Mr. Chen has performed as solo recitalist internationally. He is a core member of Ensemble Échappé while regularly collaborating with The Metropolis Ensemble. In 2021, Chen launched Migration Music, an ongoing series of performances and interviews with immigrant composers.

Han Chen has studied with Yoheved Kaplinsky, Wha Kyung Byun, and Ursula Oppens at The Juilliard School, New England Conservatory, and CUNY Graduate Center. He is represented by Black Tea Music.

2024 Piano StaR International Competition Judge

Saeyoon Chon

Concert Pianist; Adjunct Faculty of Piano Studies at New York University

 

South Korean pianist Saeyoon Chon won First Prize at the 2018 Dublin International Piano Competition and has been a major prize winner at several international piano competitions, including Maria Canals, Vendome, Valencia, Hanoi, Los Angeles, Orford, Cooper, Isidor Bajić, Seoul, and Hilton Head International Piano Competitions. He has performed at the Verbier Festival, where he received the prestigious Tabor Award for the best pianist in the Verbier Festival soloist programs.

Chon made his New York debut at Carnegie Hall and has given solo recitals at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Seoul Arts Center, Koerner Hall in Toronto, National Concert Hall in Dublin, Hong Kong City Hall, and many other venues.

Chon regularly performs chamber music at the Verbier Festival, Ravinia Festival, Four Seasons Chamber Music Festival, Rockport Chamber Music Festival, and Hamburg Chamber Music Festival at Elbphilharmonie. He has collaborated with esteemed artists including Midori Goto, Barry Shiffman, Nicholas Kitchen, Denis Goldfeld, Michael Kannen, Thomas Carroll, Jens Lindemann, the Calidore String Quartet, and more.

Chon graduated from the Juilliard School, where he studied piano with John O’Conor, Leon Fleisher, Jeffrey Swann, and Robert McDonald. He is currently an adjunct faculty member in piano studies at New York University.

Chon has performed with many orchestras, including those of Cleveland, Seoul, Hong Kong, Valencia, Hilton Head, Astana, the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra in Dublin, and many others.

2024 Piano StaR International Competition Judge

Susanne Son

Concert Pianist

Canadian born pianist, Susanne Son made her debut with the Toronto Symphony at the age of 12. Since then, she has appeared as soloist with several orchestras including the Philadelphia and Minnesota Orchestras. In North America, she has performed at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Merkin Hall, Jordan Hall, Academy of Music, Kimmel Center, Kravis Center, Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis, and Roy Thomson Hall. She has also performed throughout Canada and Japan.

Festival appearances include the Tanglewood Music Center, Music Academy of the West, Kneisel Hall Summer Chamber Music Festival, and Banff Centre School of Fine Arts.

An avid chamber musician, Ms. Son has performed with members of the Philadelphia Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, and in the Minnesota Orchestra’s Sommerfest series.

Ms. Son is a top-prize winner of the Canadian Music Competition and has received the Canada Council Grant and Chalmers Award from the Ontario Arts Council.

She is the former Director of the Bard College Conservatory of Music Preparatory Division where she also served as Chair of the Piano Department for the past 17 years.

A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and The Juilliard School, her principal teachers include Seymour Lipkin, Stephanie Brown, Paul Shaw, James Anagnoson, and Jerome Lowenthal. In masterclasses, she has worked with Leon Fleisher, Peter Serkin, Karl Ulrich Schnabel, Emanuel Ax, Jane Coop, Eugene List, and Misha Dichter.

Ms. Son currently resides in New York City with her husband and two daughters.

2024 Piano StaR International Competition Judge

Yukimi Song

Classical Pianist; CEO of Yukimi Song Studio LLC

Yukimi is a devoted educator with a distinguished teaching career spanning over 25 years, from a 7-year tenure at a private college in FL to 15+ years as a CEO of Yukimi Song Studio, committed to guiding students on their unique musical journeys. Specializing in nurturing gifted students, she believes in tailoring her approach to empower learners of all ages and abilities. In her studio, echoes of Bartok, Liszt, Beach, Scarlatti, and Chopin intertwine with the successes of her students, who have earned accolades such as top honors at renowned competitions like the Chopin International Piano Competition in Hartford, CT, the Franz Liszt Center International Piano Competition, and Honors Program at The Piano Teachers Congress of NY. Some of her students have also been accepted into prestigious music programs such as NYU and the Eastman School of Music.

Aside from traditional teaching methods, Yukimi has taught music production to high-school students, and their original compositions have been shared on global streaming platforms. Twice a year, she organizes concerts that showcase her students’ progress and unite families and friends in the lively atmosphere of her neighborhood in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Venturing into new territory, Yukimi has taken on the role of Executive Producer for The Piano Pod, a thriving podcast and YouTube show dedicated to exploring the captivating world of classical piano. At the heart of it all, Yukimi’s mission remains steadfast: to instill joy, self-expression, and a profound connection to music in every student she encounters.

2024 Piano StaR International Competition Judge

Phu Koanantakool

Concert Pianist

Phu Koanantakool was born in 1985. He was a speed metal drummer before he began to study piano at 17 with Ajarn Khomkam Chaleypoj.

He was admitted to Silpakorn University in 2003 and studied under Jun Komatsu and Jamorn Supapol respectively. Phu passed the entrance examination at the prestigious Mozarteum in 2005 and studied under Prof. Gereon Kleiner.

Despite the relative brevity of his formal studies, his devotion to the instrument has become one of the most sought-after pianists in both Thailand and abroad.

He has taken master classes receiving the valuable influence of many great artists, such as L. Grychtołowna, K. Popowa- Zydroń, R. Levin, A. Schiff, K.H. Kämmerling, A.Jasinski, H. Leygraf, D. Bashkirov, G. Steinschaden, G. Romero, O. Łazarska, S. Kutrzeba, S. Dorenski, M. Szczepanski, R. Plagge, M. Mollova and J.F. Antonioli. He has also taken private classes with many artists, such as D. Parakhina, V.Krainev, P. Zereu, S. Koch, M. Ivanova, B. Lerner, Eri Nakagawa, W. Schmitt-Leonardy, C. Keller and S. Bhanomyong. He was also one of the last pupils of the late Thailand National Artist Piyabhand Sanitwongse na Ayutthaya.

He obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Piano Performance from HEMU Haute Ecole de Musique (University of Music Lausanne) and studied with J.F. Antonioli and R. Castro. He also received chamber music lessons from Vincent Coq. He went on to study his Master’s degree at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music under the tutelage of P. Paleczny and chamber music under the guidance of K. Jankowska.

Phu has performed in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Poland, Russia, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Hungary and France. He had made his native debut in Bangkok back in 2010, performing the whole 24 Chopin’s études and is still the only Thai pianist who has achieved this feat. In 2022 He became the first Thai pianist who performed the complete set of Liszt’s 12 Études d’exécution transcendante.

In 2023 Phu has founded Thailand International Piano Festival in Bangkok and is currently its artistic director, in the same season Phu just made his Belgium and Hungary debuts by performing solo recitals in Ghent and at the Franz Liszt Memorial Museum in Budapest.

2024 Piano StaR International Competition Judge

Dr. Eri Nakagawa

Faculty, Mahidol University College of Music

Eri Nakagawa, a native of Osaka, Japan, has been on the piano faculty of College of Music, Mahidol University in Thailand since 1995. Prior to her appointment at Mahidol, she was Assistant Professor of Music Performance at Ball State University, Indiana, USA. She has been invited as a guest pianist and professor at the University of Northern Colorado in USA, Bruckner Conservatory in Linz, Bösendorfer Saal in Vienna, Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music in Singapore, Corfu Festival in Greece, Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts in Perth, Moulin d’Andé International Masterclasses in Normandy, France, Piano Plus Festival in Corfu, Greece, UCSI University in Kuala Lumpur, Beijing China Conservatory, Northwest Minzu University in Lanzhou, NanJing Xiaozhuang University, Zhejiang Conservatory of Music in Hangzhou, Sicily International Piano Festival in Catania, Italy, etc.

At Mahidol University, she gives solo recitals regularly; her programs have included Chopin 4 Scherzos, 4 Ballades, and 24 Etudes; Debussy 12 Etudes, Beethoven last three Sonatas and Diabelli Variations, J. S. Bach Goldberg Variations and Rachmaninoff Sonata No. 2 (1913); Schumann Sonata No. 3 and Brahms Sonata No. 3, and more. Besides solo recitals, she has performed more than ten concertos including Beethoven Concerto No. 4, Bartók Concerto No. 3, Brahms Concerto No. 1, Prokofiev Concerto No. 3, Rachmaninoff Concertos Nos. 2 and 3, etc. with numerous orchestras. Most recently, she performed Saint-Saëns Concerto No. 5 with the Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra in March 2021. She also enjoys working as a collaborative pianist and accompanist with her colleagues in Thailand and distinguished musicians abroad such as Frøydis Ree Wekre, Daniel Perantoni, Johann Kawrza, Joost Christiaan Flach, Gustavo Romero, Michael Vaiman, Asako Tamura, etc.

 

2024 Piano StaR International Competition Judge

Dr. Indhuon Srikaranonda

Concert Pianist

One of the most accomplished classical pianists in Thailand, Indhuon Srikaranonda is very active as a performer as well as a teacher. In addition to giving regular concerts in Bangkok, she has been invited to performed in many music festivals in Europe, America, Asia and New Zealand, where her appearances have included solo recitals, chamber music concerts, solo with orchestra as well as concerts for two pianos with her husband, Artas Balakauskas, a well-known Lithuanian pianist.

Indhuon received her early music education in Bangkok, Thailand, where she studied with M.L. Puangroy Apaiwongse and Ajarn Piyabhand Sanitwongse, and later in the United States and Switzerland. Having been given support and full scholarship from Her Majesty Queen Sirikit and Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirinthorn of Thailand, Indhuon Srikaranonda studied at Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan, Oberlin College/ Conservatory of Music and received her Master degree, Artist Diploma and Doctor of Musical Arts majoring in Piano Performance from Yale University, where she studied with Peter Frankl. She has also studied with Dominique Merlet in the classe de perfectionement et virtuosite at Geneva Conservatory of Music in Switzerland.

Having been invited regularly as a jury member in national and international piano competitions in Thailand and in Asia, Indhuon is one of the most sought-after piano teachers. With her husband, they create a strong private piano studio in Bangkok where their students have been very successful in national and International competitions, as well as in various exams and successful auditions to prestigious music festivals and schools around the world. She has also been very active in creating and organizing national piano competitions, music camps and other events for the young generation of Thai pianists.

2024 Piano StaR International Competition Director

Sherry Kim

Artistic Director, Piano Star International Competition

Korean-American pianist Sherry Kim is leading a multi-faceted career as a soloist, collaborative pianist, and private piano teacher. She recently graduated from Manhattan School of Music, studying under Alexandre Moutouzkine, with a Professional Studies certificate (May 2017) and with a Master of Music degree in Classical Piano (May 2016).
 
Previously, she graduated from Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music with a Bachelor of Music under Alan Chow. Most of her childhood was spent in Las Vegas, Nevada, where she studied with Jie Bu, founder and director of the Nevada Arts Academy.
 
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, John Perry, Anton Nel, and Daniel Shapiro among others. She has also appeared in concerts at various festivals and master classes such as the Aspen Music Festival and School, Banff Centre Piano Master Class, Pianofest in the Hamptons, Miami Music Festival, and Washington International Piano Festival.
 
A laureate of many competitions, Sherry is the winner of the 2014 Dora Zaslavsky-Koch Concerto Competition at MSM and also the winner of the 2015 Jefferson Symphony International Young Artist Competition, where she received the opportunity to perform Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with MSM Symphony and Jefferson Symphony Orchestra. She was named second prize winner of the VI Chopin International Piano Competition in Hartford, CT, and a semi-finalist at the 2017 Dallas International Piano Competition. Some of her performances have been at notable venues including Weill Hall and Isaac Stern Hall at Carnegie Hall, Chicago Cultural Center, Liederkranz Hall, and Kennedy Center to name a few.
 
Some of Sherry’s other notable performances include: an orchestral performance of Chopin’s Concerto No. 2 with the Miami Music Festival Symphony Orchestra as the winner of the 2019 MMF Concerto Competition, an all-Chopin solo recital in New York City, and 2nd prize at the 2019 Washington International Piano Festival Competition (no first prize awarded). In 2020, she competed in the 14th UNISA International Piano Competition in South Africa and at the 2020 National Chopin Piano Competition in Miami, Florida.
 
In addition to her performances, Sherry holds a strong reputation as a private piano instructor in the NYC/NJ area. She established the Sherry Kim Piano Studio in September 2017 and is currently maintaining a full studio. She is the founder and the host of the Ensemble Extravaganza annual event which takes place in NYC, where local students get the opportunity to perform in piano ensembles. In addition to teaching, Sherry has been on the faculty at Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University as a collaborative pianist since 2022. Sherry is the Artistic Director of the Piano Star International Competition hosted by Piano League.

2024 Piano StaR International Competition Director

Dr. Brian Yuebing Lin

Executive Director, Piano Star International Competition
Founder & CEO, Piano League™

Chinese concert pianist Dr. Brian Yuebing Lin is a distinguished artist, educator, and entrepreneur whose career bridges high-profile performances, academic contributions, and innovative ventures in the music industry. As the Founder and CEO of Piano League and the Executive Director of the Piano Star International Competition, Dr. Lin is dedicated to shaping the future of piano music and education on a global scale.
 
Dr. Lin first gained national attention as one of only 20 young artists in the United States to receive the $100,000 Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Graduate Arts Award. This accolade launched his international career, leading to performances across the United States, China, Canada, Korea, France, Australia, and Russia. His artistry has been celebrated at renowned chamber music festivals such as the Taos School of Music, Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival, and the Four Seasons Winter Workshop. He has also performed in masterclasses with esteemed pianists including Stephen Hough, Leon Fleisher, Murray Perahia, Richard Goode, and Robert Levin.
 
On the competitive stage, Dr. Lin has secured first prizes at the Virginia Waring and Lennox International Piano Competitions, and achieved a top-four finish at the Hilton Head International Piano Competition. His talents have also been recognized with a Third Prize at the Houston Symphony’s Ima Hogg International Competition, highlighted by coverage in the Houston Chronicle.
 
Dr. Lin’s orchestral debut with the Gulf Coast Symphony Orchestra in Fort Myers, Florida, marked the beginning of his successful collaborations with prominent orchestras, including the Houston Symphony and the Richardson Symphony Orchestra in Dallas, Texas, under the direction of maestro Anshel Brusilow, former concertmaster of The Philadelphia Orchestra.
 
A passionate educator, Dr. Lin frequently judges competitions hosted by the Maryland State Music Teacher Association and teaches masterclasses at universities, nurturing the next generation of pianists. He is committed to sharing his knowledge and fostering musical excellence among young artists.
 
In addition to his musical achievements, Dr. Lin is an award-winning financial pundit. He was the 1st Place Winner of Seeking Alpha’s “Stock of Summer 2018” Competition, with his winning financial article being cited and translated by major Chinese financial outlets.
 
Originally from Shenzhen, China, Dr. Lin began his piano studies at the age of 4. He holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts from the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University, as well as Bachelor and Master of Music Diplomas from The Juilliard School in New York. His primary teachers have included Yong Hi Moon, Yoheved Kaplinsky, Joseph Kalichstein, Matti Raekallio, Tamas Ungar, Eleanor Wong, Zhaoyi Dan, Ping Li, and Walter Gui.