2023 Festival Participants

Picture of Ariel ChienAriel Chien
Ariel Chien is a sixteen-year-old sophomore at Menlo-Atherton High School. She began piano studies at the age of 8 and currently studies with Sandra Wright Shen at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Pre-College. Ariel is a second-year scholarship recipient of the Chopin Foundation of the United States. She is the prize-winner of numerous piano competitions, including the 2022 Marilyn Mindell Piano Concerto Competition, 2022 US Open Music Competition, 2021 San Jose International Piano Competition, 2018, 2019 and 2020 USIMC Young Artist Award, and 2019 Los Angeles Young Musician International Competition. As the winner of the GSYO Piano Concerto Competition, Ariel performed with the Camilla Kolchinsky Orchestra in the 2022-23 season. Ariel participated in the Young Performers Program at Music@Menlo and Piano Texas International Festival and Academy in the summer of 2022. Ariel has performed in masterclasses with great pianists, including Yuja Wang, John Perry, Ann Schein, Sasha Starcevich, Ning An, Ory Shihor, and Christopher O’Riley. In addition to her music studies, Ariel enjoys playing badminton and listening to music.
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Picture of Harry DingHarry Ding
Harry Ding, 16, has studied piano for 10 years. He was a finalist for the Ronald Sachs International Music Competition, the sole pianist. He has received top prizes in the SCMTA Pre-college Auditions, the Steinway Junior Piano Competition, the W. Darr Wise Competition, the SCGSAH Junior Piano Competition, and the OPUS Music Competition. He was chosen as the South Carolina representative for the MTNA Division Junior Piano Competition, becoming a finalist. Harry has performed in international festivals like Brevard Music Festival and Piccolo Spoleto and in masterclasses for Eteri Andjapridze and Marina Lomazov.
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Picture of Zhong An FengZhong An Feng
Born in 2006 in Hong Kong, Zhong An started the piano lessons at the age of four and currently studies with principal Ms. Rizzo Chung in the GMC Music Academy and has recently graduated from the Young Pianist Program. Zhong An is the scholarship recipient of the Robert Black Trust Fund, Grantham Scholarships Fund, and the Grantham Music Awards, and has won several prizes in local piano competitions. His recent achievements include winning the First Prizes in Piano Solo in the Gold Medal Award of the 74th Hong Kong Schools Music Festival, Recital Class 405 of the GMC Music Festival, Open Class of Hong Kong Children and Youth Piano Contest, five piano classes of Hong Kong International Music & Arts Festival and the HKIMAA Performer Award, in which he was selected to perform with the China Hong Kong Youth Symphony Orchestra in March 2023. He has also won first prizes in various online overseas solo and duet piano competitions in Bangkok, New Orleans, UK, Prague, Canada and China in 2021 and 2022. Zhong An had his debut piano solo recital in 2021 and has given duo and solo piano recitals in 2022 at Soiree Musique @Plaza 88/Friday Evening Concert.
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Picture of Vivian KaoVivian Kao
Vivian is the first-prize winner of the AADGT International Young Musicians Competition, American Fine Arts Festival Golden Era of Romantic Music Competition, Charleston Competition, Grand Metropolitan International Music Competition, Grand Prize Virtuoso International Competition, & the United States Open Music Competition. Vivian has also received top prizes in the Music Teachers’ Association of California (MTAC) Piano Solo Competition, California Association of Professional Music Teachers (CAPMT) Piano Honors Competition, American Protege Competition, Marilyn Mindell Piano Competition & the Korean-American Music Supporters' Association Competition, and was also a semi-finalist in the Seattle International Piano Competition. Additionally, Vivian also enjoys playing the cello. She is a section leader in her school's chamber orchestra and was accepted into the 2023 California All-State High School String Orchestra (CASMEC) and the California Youth Symphony Senior Orchestra. Vivian also enjoys performing chamber music, and her previous ensembles have placed in international competitions such as the European Elite International Competition. Vivian also has performed in nursing and rehabilitation centers, and retirement communities to share music with others. She has severe to profound hearing loss and wears hearing aids, but that won’t stop her from learning music.
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Picture of Noah KimNoah Kim
Noah Kim, 16, is a Scholarship Fellow at the Music Institute of Chicago’s Academy, a training center for advanced pre-college musicians. Noah studies with Academy faculty member and MIC Artist-in-Residence Marta Aznavoorian. Noah was a first-place winner of the 2022 Crain-Maling Foundation Chicago Symphony Orchestra Young Artists Competition and will appear as a soloist in a Chicago Symphony Orchestra Youth Concert during the 2022/23 season. He has also performed with the Oistrakh Symphony of Chicago as the 2020 DePaul Concerto Festival winner. In addition, he is a first-prize winner of numerous other competitions, including Sejong Music Competition, ISMTA, Clara Schumann International Piano Competition, CAMTA Roberta Savler, and Walgreens National Concerto Competition. He is also a second-prize winner of the David D. Dubois Piano Competition. Noah has been featured in WFMT’s “Introductions". Noah is also a member of the Goya Trio at the Academy. The Goya Trio recently won first prize in the Rembrandt High School and Chicago National Chamber Music Competition in the strings and piano division. Noah has performed in master classes with John O’Conor, Alan Chow, Christopher Harding, Jon Kimura Parker, Azaf Zohar, Gilles Vonsattel, and Jerome Lowenthal.
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Picture of Brian LinBrian Lin
Brian Lin, 15, lives in Fremont, California. He started learning piano at age of 6 and is currently studying with Professor Hans Boepple. He has found learning new repertoire to be much more satisfying than anything else. He is a 2022-2023 first-year scholarship recipient of the Chopin Foundation of the United States and was invited to perform with the renowned Orchestra Filarmonica Pugliese-OFP in Bari, Italy, as the Grand Prize Winner of the 2022 Elevato International Piano Competition, Concerto Category. He has received top prizes in numerous piano competitions, including the Weatherford International Piano Competition, Chicago International Piano Competition, Steinway Piano Competition Regionals, Marilyn Mindell Piano Competition, the Pacific Music Society & Foundation Competition, James Ramos International Video Competition, Sylvia M. Ghiglieri Piano Competition, CAPMT Honors District and State Finals, San Francisco Chopin Competition, USIMC, MTNA, and MTAC. His honors also include participating in the 2021 Southeastern Piano Festival and the 2022 Vivace Music Festival. Throughout the years, Brian has found inspiration to keep improving by participating in Masterclasses offered by pianists Ruth Slencynska, Professor Armen Babakhanian, Alexander Kobrin, Arthur Greene, Michelle Cann, Sasha Starcevich, Haewon Song, Jason Kwak, Emily White, Mikhail Lidsky, Vladimir Khomyakov, and Polina Fedotova.
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Picture of Sophia LinSophia Lin
Sophia Lin, 16, a student of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, has studied piano with Dr. Marjorie Lee for 9+ years. She is a National Young Arts Competition Winner, three-time First-Prize Winner of MTNA Virginia State Competition (2022, 2021 and 2020), two-time First-Prize Winner of Virginia State Concerto Competition (2022, 2020), and the First-Prize winner of many national/ international piano competitions including Marian-Garcia International Piano Competition (Pennsylvania), International Young Artist Piano Competition(D.C.), Ylda Novik Concerto Competition(D.C.), Robert Spencer Piano Concerto Competition(Virginia), Achievement Competition, and Honorable Mention for 2023 Dubois Piano Festival and Competition (Ohio), 2023 Nashville International Piano Competition(Tennessee) etc. Since her Mozart Concerto debut at age 12, Sophia has performed concerto as soloist with two Symphony Orchestras. Most recently, she performed as soloist with Liberty University Symphony Orchestra at the 2022 Virginia Music Teachers Association Conference. As the pianist of National Symphony Orchestra Youth Fellowship Chamber Music Program and Young Artist Musicale, Sophia performed at Kennedy Center, George Mason University Performing Arts Center, and the Hungarian Ambassador’s residence. She has won numerous national math and writing awards. A passionate volunteer and Chief Intern of the Tacy Foundation, Sophia performs, organizes performances for seniors, and teaches math weekly.
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Picture of James LiuJames Liu
James Liu was born in Texas and began studying piano with his current teacher, Lisheng Xu, at the age of 7. James won his first piano competition at the age of 10 at the Dallas Symphonic Festival Solo Competition in 2016. He has received other 1st prize awards in Texas, such as the gold medal prize at North Texas Young Artist Piano Competition in 2021. James has also received awards like the alternate winner prize in the Texas MTNA Competition in 2021, Silver Hands Award in the Milan International Piano Competition, 2nd prize at the Dallas Symphonic Festival Concerto Competition in 2021, and the "Commended" award in the 2nd ArtePiano International Competition in 2022. In the May of 2022, James was honored to perform at the Merkin Concert Hall in New York City after he won Gold Prize in the Music International Grand Prix Teen Piano. A few months later, James won the 1st J. Earl Lee Piano Contest, receiving a scholarship award as well as the opportunity to perform with the Augustana Symphony Orchestra. Outside of studying piano, James’ hobbies include playing piano for the elderly, playing board games, baking, and listening to music.
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Picture of Matthew LiuMatthew Liu
Matthew Liu has been studying piano for 9 years and is a student of Professor Jack Winerock at the University of Kansas. As a concerto competition winner, he performed twice with Kansas City Symphony under the baton of Michael Stern. After performing with Midwestern Chamber, KC Star commended him as “dazzling, …, the music played expressively, … a joy to hear,” and “was phenomenal.” In 2022, he was awarded the Best Performance of a Solo Work at Arthur Fraser International Piano Competition, and won the first prizes in both the solo and single concerto movement divisions at International Keyboard Odyssiad® & Festival. In previous years, he won the first prizes at International Young Artist Piano Competition in D.C., Chopin International Competition in Hartford, Paderewski International Piano Competition, Conero International Piano Competition, the best Chopin performance in MTNA junior piano, and was a semi-finalist at the 2021 Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition. He has performed in venues such as Merkin Concert Hall in New York, the Performing Arts Center in Carmel, IN, and Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center in Salt Lake. Aside from piano, Matthew enjoys playing tennis and chess, watching YouTube, and spending time with families and friends.
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Picture of Sigrid LiuSigrid Liu
Sigrid Liu is a 16-year-old Taiwanese, who is a grade 10 student of Kaohsiung American School in Taiwan. Sigrid started piano at the age of five and currently studies with professor Grace Chung in Tainan National University of Arts (Weiwuying). She performed her first recital at Kaohsiung Music Hall in 2019, then one recital at National Kaohsiung Center for the arts in 2021, and is expected to perform a recital at Weiwuying again and New York Carnegie Hall in 2023. Sigrid has won numerous international competitions, including 1st prize of Best Mendelssohn Performance Competition, 2nd Prize of London Classical Music Competition in 2023, 1st place of Medici International Music competition, 1st place of Tokyo International Youth Music Competition, Silver price of Amadeus International Music Awards, 2nd prize of American Virtuoso International Music Competition in 2022, and finalist of 5th Steinway Youth Competition Taiwan, etc. Sigrid also participated in serval music festivals, such as MDW (University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna) music festival in 2019, Maestro Arts Taiwan 2020, Young Pianists' Academy 2022, etc. Sigrid learnes from many internationally renowned pianists and masters in master classes during her piano career.
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Picture of Guanjie LuGuanjie Lu
Guanjie (Tony) is a rising 9th at St. Mark’s School of Texas, and has been practicing the piano since age 4. In elementary school, he qualified for the 2019 Liszt International Piano Competition, preliminary round in China by winning first place in Shanghai, and won first place at the 2019 Sino-German Invitational Competition at Shanghai; in the past few years, he studied under Dr. Alex McDonald and Mrs. Marcy McDonald at Dallas, Texas. He won first place at the Dallas Symphonic Festival, Intermediate Concerto division in 2021, and also first place at the 2022/2023 Collin County Junior Piano division. As the Texas first place winner and the regional first place winner, he qualified for the 2022 MTNA National Competition through the South Central region. Outside of practicing the piano, he enjoys reading, competitive math, policy debate, and photography, and also runs on his school’s cross country team. He is a two-time USAJMO qualifier and Math Olympiad Summer Program invitee and aspires to excel at both piano performance and mathematical olympiads in the future.
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Picture of Norman LuNorman Lu
Born in Boston, Norman began playing piano at 4, currently studying with Alexander Korsantia and Ya-Fei Chuang at NEC Prep School. He has been fortunate to participate in many master classes with Tamas Ungar, Robert Levin, Pascal Nemirovski, Victor Rosenbaum, HaeSun Paik, Max Levinson and others. Norman has been honored to win top prizes from many regional and international competitions, most recently, Norman was awarded the First Prize at the 2022 MTNA Piano Competition of Massachusetts. As a performer of the PianoTexas International Festival & Academy, Norman won the Junior Concerto Competition that earned him the honor to perform with the Las Colinas Symphony Orchestra at the Van Cliburn Concert Hall in Fort Worth. During the same year, Norman participated in the Internationale Mozarteum Salzburg and was awarded the opportunity to perform at the festival's final concert. Norman was the Grand Prize winner of 2020 XI Hartford Chopin International Piano Competition, First Prize winner of both Solo and Concerto Division of 2021 William Knabe International Piano Competition. Furthermore, Norman was also the First Prize winner of 2020 and 2023 RADDA RISE International Piano Competition, and bronze medalist of the 2020 Steinway Piano Competition for North America and Canada.
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Picture of Ong Kai KitOng Kai Kit
Ong Kai Kit (Alfie), is an asipirng young classical pianist from Hong Kong. He has been honing his craft since he was three years old and has continued to develop his skills under the guidance of acclaimed pianists Dr. Alexandre Dossin and currently in the studio of Dr. Dmitri Shteinberg at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts High School. In addition to solo piano performance, Alfie has shown interest in organ and harpsichord performance, collaborative piano, and the humanities. He is a curious and open-minded musician who is always eager to explore different styles and genres. Alfie's passion for music and his commitment to his craft have led him to participate in several public master classes with renowned pianists like Andrew von Oeyen and Eva Polgar. He is also a member of the UNCSA Cantata Singers, which demonstrates his versatility and willingness to embrace different forms of musical expression.
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Picture of Jacob RockowerJacob Rockower
Jacob Rockower began studying piano performance at the age of three. He currently studies under the direction of Professor Hans Boepple and previously studied with Lena Grozman. Jacob has been a prizewinner of regional and international piano competitions, including Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Performance Competition, California and Southwest Division (2022, 2021), Music Teachers’ Association of California (MTAC) Concerto Solo Competition State Finals (2022, 2021), California Association of Professional Music Teachers (CAPMT) Contemporary Music Competition State Finals (2020, 2017, 2015), CAPMT Honors Competition State Finals (2022, 2021), Pacific Musical Society & Foundation Annual Competition (2022, 2021, 2020, 2019), Marilyn Mindell Piano Competition Junior Division (2022), Seattle International Piano Competition (2022), Chicago International Online Music Competition (2022, 2020), Franz Liszt Center International Piano Competition (2022), Steinway & Sons Junior Piano Competition Northern California Regionals (2020), ENKOR International Piano Competition (2022), and San Francisco Chopin Foundation Competition (2016). Jacob has performed at venues including Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York City. He has attended summer programs such as Music@Menlo Chamber Music Festival and Institute Young Performers Program and Atlantic Music Festival Young Artist Program and will attend the Young Artists Piano Program at the Tanglewood Music Festival this summer.
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Picture of Christina SungChristina Sung
Christina Sung, age 13, is a passionate young pianist from Salt Lake City, Utah. She has been studying piano for 4 ½ years and is a student of Professor Jihea Hong-Park at Brigham Young University. Christina made her orchestral debut with the Utah Symphony at Abravanel Hall as the winner of the Salute to Youth Competition in 2022. Most recently, she was awarded the Ebony Prize at the 2023 MTNA National Finals in Reno, Nevada. Christina is a prize-winner at numerous piano competitions, including first prizes at the 2023 Utah Music Teachers Association (UMTA) Concerto Competition, the 2022 University of Utah Summer Arts Piano Competition in both the Solo and Concerto divisions, and the 2021 OPUS State Music Competition. She has appeared as a soloist with the Utah Philharmonic Orchestra, the American West Symphony, and the Timpanogos Symphony Orchestra. Christina is the co-founder of the Hopeful Hands Trio, which was established to spread the joy of music in her community. She received the Gold Medal Prize of the President's Volunteer Service Award in 2021 and 2022 for her exceptional commitment to community service through music. She is fluent in four languages and enjoys figure skating.
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Picture of Celicia ThendeanCelicia Thendean
Celicia Thendean, age 15, started to learn piano with her mother, then continue studies with Ilana Vered and Anna Poklewski. Celicia had her first solo recital in October 2022 to raise money for her high school music program. She has won top prizes in numerous music competitions, including a grand prize at the Philadelphia International Music Festival, 2023 Marilyn Mindell Piano Competition Senior Division, Palo Alto Philharmonic Concerto competition, 2022 MTAC State Concerto Competition, 2021 Chicago Music Competition, 2021 MTAC VOCE State Competition in Voice plus Instrumental Category, and many more. Celicia has soloed with the Livermore-Amador Symphony, the Orchestra Virtuosi Brunenses in Italy, and the Palo Alto Philharmonic. Celicia was participant at the 2022 Southeastern Piano Festival. She won the Vivace Award at Vivace Music Festival in 2020 and had been invited to perform in Wilmington, North Carolina alongside with Prof. Marina Lomazov, Prof. Joseph Rackers, and Prof. Ara Gregorian. Besides piano, Celicia enjoys playing cello, oboe, and clarinet. She was selected in the 2021 and 2022 All-State Honor Ensembles on cello, oboe, and jazz piano, and was the recipient of the Ed Wolfe Scholarship for her outstanding performance in the All-State Middle School Band.
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Picture of Rachel WeiRachel Wei
A virtuosic performer of a triad of instruments, Rachel is an aspiring musician and a distinctively talented artist. Her dynamic instantiation of emotion and colour, and enrapturing panache and serenity in performance have earned her recognition at the national and international levels. She is the youngest winner of the Steinway Competition Canada Grand Prize for both the under-14 and under-18 categories, a finalist in the Canadian Music Competition Nationals and the International Piano-e-Competition, and a recipient of the Royal Conservatory of Music National Gold Medal. Beyond her overwhelming musicality, Rachel is an altruistic philanthropist, hosting annual personal concerts through which she has garnered over thirty-one thousand dollars for charity. She also founded the Maple Music Club, an initiative that has connected over 300 musicians over six years of weekly concerts for senior residences. Rachel’s musical passions and gifts have embellished lasting impacts on her community, and she hopes to continue her efforts of effectuating change and refining her artistic palette both on and off the stage.
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Picture of Samantha WuoSamantha Wuo
Samantha Wuo (16) is a junior at Homestead High School in Cupertino, California. Since the age of five, she has been studying piano with Ms. Rose Chen. Most recently, Samantha was awarded first prizes in the 2022 Pacific Musical Society Competition, 2022 KAMSA Competition, and 2021 United States New Star Piano Competition. She was also a winner of the 2020 Golden State Youth Orchestra Piano Concerto Competition, and has received top prizes from numerous other competitions such as the 2023 Henry and Carol Zeiter Piano Competition, 2021 United States International Music Competition, 2021 Spotlight International Music Competition, and the 2021 ENKOR International Music Competition. This past summer, Samantha had the pleasure of being a participant in the 2022 Vivace Summer Music Festival in Wilmington, North Carolina. During the festival, she performed in masterclasses with distinguished world-class artists such as Alexander Kobrin, Jerome Lowenthal, Marina Lomazov, Michelle Cann, and Dimitri Vorobiev. In her free time, Samantha likes speedcubing, watching YouTube, watching Peppa Pig in Spanish, learning about chemistry, and eating cookies.
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Picture of Keliang YaoKeliang Yao
Keliang Yao is a 16-year-old pianist and a sophomore at Seven Hills School in Cincinnati, Ohio. She is a student of Professor Soyeon Kate Lee and has studied with Kathleen Sadoff. She participated and won top prizes at numerous piano competitions including the 2023 Bosendorfer and Yamaha USASU International Piano Competition, the 2022 David DuBois International Piano Competition, the 2022 BMSO concerto competition, the 2022 Overture Awards, the 2022 East Carolina University concerto competition, the 2022 Dayton Symphony concerto competition, the 2021 Ohio MTNA State competition, the 2020 New Albany Symphony concerto competition, the 2019 Ohio MTNA State competition, the 2019 OMTA competition, the 2019 CMTA competition, the 2017 Central East Ohio Buckeye audition, the 2017 State Buckeye auditions. She has recently performed as a soloist with the Blue Ash Montgomery Symphony Orchestra in 2023. In addition to competitions and recitals, Keliang also plays in nursing homes, and serves the community with her music. When not playing piano, she enjoys reading, swimming, and plays clarinet in the school band.
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Picture of Ziyue ZengZiyue Zeng
Ziyue Zeng, 16, is a junior from Aptos, Santa Cruz. She began to learn piano at age of 6 and has been studying with Dr. Chia-Lin Yang since she came to America in 2018. A four-times recipient of Santa Cruz Symphony Muller Scholarship, Ziyue has won in many national and International competitions, including: Cesar Frank International Piano Competition, Costa Rica Piano Competition & festival, Celia Mendez Young Pianist Beethoven Competition, BIMC, KAMSA, USIMC, Silicon Valley Music Competition, Pacific International Piano Competition, France Music Com petition of Les Musicale du Centre. She has performed in Junior Bach Festival 2018-2023. She performed as a soloist with Santa Cruz County Youth Symphony in 2022 and will perform with GSYO Senior Symphony in 2023. A member of Young Chamber Musicians in Burlingame since 2021. She had masterclasses with Hans Boepple, Jeff LaDeur, John Blacklow, Ronald Brautigam, Sonia Leong, Vladimir Khomyakov and Anna Dmytrenko. In 2022, she was invited to perform as San Francisco International piano Festival and Annual Sparkling Musicale hosted by American Beethoven Society. She attended BUTI Young Artist Piano Program in summer 2022. recently, she has been invited to participate in Music@Menlo and Colburn Piano Seminar in summer 2023.
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