2016 Cliburn Amateur Archives

Michael Slavin– Cliburn Amateur 2016 Semifinal Round Recital

MICHAEL SLAVIN, M.D., 65
Ophthalmologist
Manhasset, New York
United States

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Semifinal Round – Thursday, June 23, 2016
Van Cliburn Recital Hall
Fort Worth, Texas, USA

Music has been a part of Michael Slavin’s life since he was 5, and at age 9, he attended The Juilliard School of Music’s preparatory division. When he was 11, he performed the Mozart Piano Concerto in D Major (“The Coronation”) with the Little Orchestra Society at Lincoln Center. He spent his undergraduate years at Cooper Union in New York, where he received a bachelor’s degree in physics, after which he attended medical school, and for the past 25 years, he has practiced ophthalmology and neuro-ophthalmology in Long Island. Following his retirement from medicine, Dr. Slavin has made time again for the piano. He was awarded first prize at the Chicago International Amateur Piano Concerto Competition in 2012, won the 12th Washington International Piano Artist’s Competition in 2014, and last year, he won first prize at both the Paris International Piano Competition for Amateurs and the Chopin International Amateur Piano Competition. Dr. Slavin is an avid reader, bridge player, and sports lover.

Program:
RAVEL, Le Tombeau de Couperin, op. 68

Gregory Knight– Cliburn Amateur 2016 Semifinal Round Recital

GREGORY KNIGHT, 53
Software engineer
Morganton, North Carolina
United States

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Semifinal Round – Thursday, June 23, 2016
Van Cliburn Recital Hall
Fort Worth, Texas, USA

Gregory Knight started playing piano at age 4, under his mother’s guidance. Formal instruction began seven years later, at Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory, North Carolina, where he went on to receive a bachelor’s degree in piano performance. While in school, he participated in a master class with Guido Agosti in 1981, and placed first in the Gardner-Webb College Concerto Competition one year later. Following graduation, Mr. Knight went on to pursue a career in software engineering, yet continued to take master classes and hone his musical hobby. He looks to the Amateur Competition as a means to test his aptitude: “It gives me not only a reason to learn new, challenging repertoire, but also an opportunity to perform it for people who truly understand and appreciate piano literature.” The motorcycle buff is a father of four and grandfather of three, and has been married 18 years to his wife, Cathy.

Program:
CHOPIN, Sonata No. 2 in B-flat Minor, op. 35

Ken Iisaka– Cliburn Amateur 2016 Semifinal Round Recital

KEN IISAKA, 47
Software engineer
Foster City, California
Japan/Canada

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Semifinal Round – Thursday, June 23, 2016
Van Cliburn Recital Hall
Fort Worth, Texas, USA

Ken Iisaka, a Cliburn Amateur finalist in 2007 and 2011, says his previous participation was during “the most tumultuous time of my life.” But he views competing as a necessary vehicle for his musical improvement, and for his soul. Born in Tokyo, he immigrated to Canada with his family and took private lessons while studying computer science at the University of Ottawa. In recent years, he has appeared at Fullerton College Piano Ensemble Festival (2014) and at the Newport Music Festival (2015). Most recently, he performed in an ensemble concert in Tokyo with his partner, Yvonne Liu, whom he met at the Amateur Competition in 2011. Currently, he is a lead engineer for a software company whose clients are advertisers and publishers, in Sunnyvale, California. Mr. Iisaka enjoys writing concert reviews, photography, cooking, and wines from Northern California.

Program:
BEETHOVEN, Sonata No. 32 in C Minor, op. 111

Xavier Aymonod– Cliburn Amateur 2016 Semifinal Round Recital

XAVIER AYMONOD, 40
Strategy consultant
Paris, France
France

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Semifinal Round – Thursday, June 23, 2016
Van Cliburn Recital Hall
Fort Worth, Texas, USA

Xavier Aymonod began his music studies at Aix-en-Provence Conservatory of Music, under the guidance of Monique Oberdoerffer and Michel Bourdoncle, and then went on to study science and technology at the prestigious École Polytechnique, outside Paris. He was a laureate of the International Competition for Outstanding Piano Amateurs from 1998–2000 in Paris, and in 2000, he was a semifinalist at “Piano20ème siècle” in Orléans. Mr. Aymonod has participated in master classes with William Aide, Jean-François Heisser, and Eric Heidsieck. Currently a principal at Roland Berger Strategy Consultants, his work involves advising transportation companies on strategic issues. In his free time, Mr. Aymonod enjoys playing with his children (ages 4 and 5), traveling, running, golfing, and indulging in fine wine.

Program:
BRAHMS, Rhapsody in G Minor, op. 79, no. 2
ROQUE ALSINA, Etudes Nos. 2 and 3 from Klaverstücke No. 7
LISZT, Mephisto Waltz No. 1

Lana C. Marina– Cliburn Amateur 2016 Semifinal Round Recital

LANA C. MARINA, 47
Stay-at-home mother
New York, New York
United States

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Semifinal Round – Thursday, June 23, 2016
Van Cliburn Recital Hall
Fort Worth, Texas, USA

Lana C. Marina spent her childhood practicing the piano, under the assumption she would become a pianist. When she was 14, she won the Van Cliburn scholarship to the National Music Camp at Interlochen, Michigan, where she met Mr. Cliburn at a ceremony: “He complimented my playing and, memorably, kissed my hand.” But an accident—in which she slipped on ice and broke her left wrist—during her junior year at Northwestern University sidelined her budding career, and Ms. Marina decided to pursue a law degree at Cornell Law School. For 20 years, she worked as a trademark lawyer until she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, which forced her to take a step back. In participating at the Amateur Competition, Ms. Marina hopes to achieve her personal best and to be a role model for her 9-year-old daughter, Sydney, showing her that one can accomplish dreams in the face of obstacles.

Program:
BRAHMS, Etude No. 5 (for left hand) after J.S. Bach’s Chaconne in D Minor, BWV 1016
SCHULZ-EVLER, Concert Arabesques on Motifs by Johann Strauss (“By the Beautiful Danube”)

Yasuo Kurimoto– Cliburn Amateur 2016 Semifinal Round Recital

YASUO KURIMOTO, M.D., 55
Ophthalmologist
Kobe, Japan
Japan

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Semifinal Round – Thursday, June 23, 2016
Van Cliburn Recital Hall
Fort Worth, Texas, USA

Dr. Yasuo Kurimoto says he has wanted to participate in the Cliburn Amateur Competition for 10 years, and his interest in the competition’s namesake goes back further: “Van Cliburn has been my hero since I was a child.” He took private piano lessons, but pursued medicine as a career, receiving his medical degree in 1986, and a Ph.D. in 1995 from Kyoto University. Currently, he is the director of the department of ophthalmology at Kobe City General Hospital. Dr. Kurimoto has found success competing in amateur contests around the world. In 2001, he was a semifinalist in the first Boston International Piano Competition for Outstanding Amateurs; a semifinalist in 2002 at the Paris Concours des Grands Amateurs de Piano; first-prize winner at the 14th Osaka International Music Competition and first-prize winner at the International (Tokyo) Amateur Piano Competition in 2014. An opera buff who also enjoys skiing and wine, he looks forward to meeting piano-lovers from around the world in Fort Worth.

Program:
SCHUMANN, Kreisleriana, op.16

Sean Sutherland– Cliburn Amateur 2016 Semifinal Round Recital

SEAN SUTHERLAND, 39
Entrepreneur/lecturer
Montréal, Québec
St. Vincent and The Grenadines/Canada

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Semifinal Round – Thursday, June 23, 2016
Van Cliburn Recital Hall
Fort Worth, Texas, USA

Born in St. Vincent and The Grenadines, Sean Sutherland serendipitously discovered the piano as a child and was instantly enamored. His opportunities for pursuing his studies were limited on St. Vincent, however, so he resumed his studies upon his arrival at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, while earning bachelor’s degree in music, and bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering and computer science; he went on to receive an MBA from McGill University in Montreal. Since graduating, he has founded a niche tutorial service and lectures at McGill University as an adjunct professor of international finance and information systems. Mr. Sutherland is keenly interested in “exploring opportunities for leveraging technology to promote learning” and is passionate about adapting classical music for the steelpan (drum).

Program:
CHOPIN, Preludes, op. 28, nos. 13-18, 20-24
GERSHWIN-SAY, Summertime Variations

Gorden Cheng– Cliburn Amateur 2016 Semifinal Round Recital

GORDEN CHENG, 35
Systems engineer
San Diego, California
United States

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Semifinal Round – Thursday, June 23, 2016
Van Cliburn Recital Hall
Fort Worth, Texas, USA

An information technology and network security executive, Gorden Cheng received a bachelor’s degree in computer science in 2003 from the University of Texas at Dallas, and worked at two Dallas-area computer companies until 2004 before relocating to Southern California. He has taken private piano lessons for years, and the practice has netted results: From 2011–2015, he placed in amateur competitions in Paris (2011), Chicago (2012), Colorado Springs (2012), Warsaw (2012), Washington, D.C. (2012), and Boston (2015). Currently head of technology operations for eMolecules, Inc., Mr. Cheng calls himself a computer nerd and Internet plumber. He enjoys spending time with his wife and children and is a huge fan of FC Barcelona and the UFC.

Program:
PROKOFIEV, “Young Juliet;” “Mercutio;” and “Montagues and Capulets” from Romeo and Juliet, op. 75
STRAVINSKY, Trois Mouvements de Petrouchka

Deirbhile Brennan– Cliburn Amateur 2016 Semifinal Round Recital

DEIRBHILE BRENNAN, 46
Accountant
Dublin, Ireland
Ireland

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Semifinal Round – Thursday, June 23, 2016
Van Cliburn Recital Hall
Fort Worth, Texas, USA

At age 5, Deirbhile Brennan began her piano studies at the Royal Irish Academy of Music and later studied with Frank Heneghan at the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama for 10 years, winning many prizes and awards. Ms. Brennan holds a degree in music from Trinity College Dublin after which she took a lengthy break that included forging a career as an accountant; she currently works as senior operations manager at the National Treasury Management Agency. Ms. Brennan returned to the piano in 2009 studying with Dr. Hugh Tinney. She has won a number of awards at piano competitions including in the United Kingdom (finalist 2012), Ile De France, Paris (first prize 2012), and Chicago (first prize 2014). She performs regularly; but notably in 2014, she performed at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, and last year she performed at the Les Amateurs Piano Festival in Morocco. The mother of four children ages 8 to 16, she enjoys spending time with family and friends as well as attending concerts and plays.

Program:
MOZART, Variations on “Ah, vous dirai-je, Maman,” K. 265 (300e)
SCHUBERT, Impromptu in A-flat Major, op. 142, no. 2
CHOPIN, Ballade No. 4 in F Minor, op. 52

Thomas Yu– Cliburn Amateur 2016 Semifinal Round Recital

THOMAS YU, D.M.D., 38
Periodontist
Calgary, Alberta
Canada

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Semifinal Round – Thursday, June 23, 2016
Van Cliburn Recital Hall
Fort Worth, Texas, USA

It is Thomas Yu’s belief that one can balance both a career and one’s passions. To that end, the periodontist from Calgary, Alberta, has maintained a private dental practice for seven years while successfully competing at amateur contests around the world. Dr. Yu has taken top honors at the Paris International Piano Competition for Outstanding Amateurs (2006), Chetham’s International Amateur Piano Competition in Manchester, United Kingdom (2012), Honens Pro Am Competition in Calgary (2014), and Canada’s CBC Piano Hero contest (2015). Dr. Yu hopes to grow public awareness about amateur piano pursuits through his continued participation in contests. Dr. Yu’s greatest joy, however, is spending time with his wife. Having recently lost his mother to cancer, he is dedicating every note of his performance here to her.

Program:
DURAND , Prelude No. 1
BEETHOVEN, Sonata No. 32 in C Minor, op. 111

Jeanne Backofen Craig– Cliburn Amateur 2016 Semifinal Round Recital

JEANNE BACKOFEN CRAIG, 46
Homemaker/part-time minister of music and liturgy
Forest, Virginia
United States

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Semifinal Round – Thursday, June 23, 2016
Van Cliburn Recital Hall
Fort Worth, Texas, USA

Piano studies and competitions took up most of Jeanne Backofen Craig’s childhood, but after graduating from Virginia Tech, she stopped performing. In the ensuing 20 years, Ms. Craig stayed home with her three children while pursuing cooking, sewing, gardening, and home-improvement projects. At the encouragement of her husband and now-teenage children, Ms. Craig started to play again, and when she learned about amateur competitions, she says she was inspired to “dig out my old music and see if I could still play those pieces.” A self-taught webmaster, she designed and maintains websites for the Lynchburg Symphony Youth Orchestra as well as her church, where she is a part-time minister of music and liturgy. In her spare time, Ms. Craig enjoys long-distance running, and she qualified and ran in the 2011 Boston Marathon.

Program:
BRAHMS, Intermezzo in A Major, op. 118, no. 2
LISZT, “Vallée d’Obermann” from Années de Pèlerinage
LISZT, Hungarian Rhapsody No. 11 in A Minor

Matthias Fischer– Cliburn Amateur 2016 Quarterfinal Round Recital

MATTHIAS FISCHER, 42
Physician
Würzburg, Germany
Germany

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Semifinal Round – Thursday, June 23, 2016
Van Cliburn Recital Hall
Fort Worth, Texas, USA

Born in 1973, in Bad Kissingen, Germany, Matthias Fischer received his first piano lessons from his parents at age 5. Throughout his childhood, he won prizes in the German youth competition, Jugend Musiziert, and briefly studied the piano at Munich Musikhochschule with Karl-Hermann Mrongovius from 1993–1994. One year later, he began his career in medicine as a student at the University of Würzburg. He finished his medical thesis in 2000 and pursued an M.D./Ph.D. thesis on mental retardation. Since 2007, he has been an assistant doctor and researcher at the university hospital for psychiatry in Würzburg. Throughout his work in medicine, however, Dr. Fischer continued to hone his piano skills. In 1996, he placed second at the first amateur competition in which he participated, in Utrecht, Netherlands, and he looks forward to this Competition and the possibility of playing with an orchestra.

Program:
SCHUMANN, Davidsbündlertänze, op. 6

Michael Slavin– Cliburn Amateur 2016 Quarterfinal Round Recital

MICHAEL SLAVIN, M.D., 65
Ophthalmologist
Manhasset, New York
United States

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Quarterfinal Round – Wednesday, June 22, 2016
Van Cliburn Recital Hall
Fort Worth, Texas, USA

Program:
CHOPIN Impromptu in A-flat Major, op. 29, no. 1
LISZT Hungarian Rhapsody No. 12 in C-sharp Minor

Gregory Knight– Cliburn Amateur 2016 Quarterfinal Round Recital

GREGORGY KNIGHT, 53
Software engineer
Morganton, North Carolina
United States

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Quarterfinal Round – Wednesday, June 22, 2016
Van Cliburn Recital Hall
Fort Worth, Texas, USA

Program:
LISZT Mephisto Waltz No. 1
LISZT Paganini Etude No. 3 in G-sharp Minor (“La Campanella”)

Jorge Zamora – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Quarterfinal Round Recital

JORGE ZAMORA, 43
Sales director
Mexico City, Mexico
Mexico

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Quarterfinal Round – Wednesday, June 22, 2016
Van Cliburn Recital Hall
Fort Worth, Texas, USA

Jorge Zamora studied piano privately for years before earning his bachelor’s degree in electronics and communications engineering at the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Studies in Monterrey, Mexico. When he was 25, he entered the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he studied piano performance and audio recording for three years. Mr. Zamora returned to Mexico and embarked on a career in telecommunications. Currently, he is a sales director at Qualcomm International Inc. Mr. Zamora took a 10-year break from the piano prior to the 2011 Cliburn Amateur Competition, in which he was a semifinalist. Last year, he took first prize (2nd category) in the 2015 Piano Bridges Amateur International Piano Competition in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Program:
CHOPIN Ballade No. 3 in A-flat Major, op. 47
SCRIABIN Etude in C-sharp Minor, op. 42, no. 5
RAVEL “Ondine” from Gaspard de la nuit

Janet Sommerfeld – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Quarterfinal Round Recital

JANET SOMMERFELD, 53
Freelance writer/producer
Palos Verdes Estates, California
United States

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Quarterfinal Round – Wednesday, June 22, 2016
Van Cliburn Recital Hall
Fort Worth, Texas, USA

Janet Sommerfeld began her studies at 6 and played throughout high school in California. During her sophomore year in college, she became an exchange student at Waseda University in Tokyo, where she studied with Hideo Sakoda and Hiroko Nakamura. While in Asia, she performed Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue with the Edelweiss Symphony Orchestra. Upon her return to the United States, she completed her degree in broadcast journalism from USC and pursued a career in television news and marketing for Fox Broadcasting and CBS. After a nearly 25-year absence from the piano, Ms. Sommerfeld has returned to music making. Recent performances include appearances as a soloist with the California Concerto Weekend Festival Orchestra at the West Valley College Theater (Saratoga, California). Away from the piano, Ms. Sommerfeld also enjoys reading, traveling, watching anything related to Star Trek, and spending time with her husband and daughter.

Program:
SCHUBERT-LISZT Soirée de Vienne No. 6 in A Minor
LISZT Mephisto Waltz No. 1

Jasmin Tiodang – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Quarterfinal Round Recital

JASMIN TIODANG, 44
Stay-at-home mother
Carolina, Puerto Rico
Indonesia

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Quarterfinal Round – Wednesday, June 22, 2016
Van Cliburn Recital Hall
Fort Worth, Texas, USA

Born in Indonesia, Jasmin Tiodang began private piano lessons at age 4, studied with Iravati M. Sudiarso in Indonesia, and continued to play until she moved to the United States to pursue her undergraduate studies. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in piano performance from Winthrop University (South Carolina), where she studied with Dr. Eugene Barban, and a master’s in music and an MBA from the University of Louisville. After several years teaching children at a local music academy and serving as music director at a Catholic church in Louisville, she relocated to Puerto Rico in 2003 with her husband. Now, she is focused on caring for her daughter full time, and she recognizes the importance of being a strong role model: “I need to set an example for my daughter,” she says. Competing at the Cliburn Amateur is Ms. Tiodang’s way of paying tribute to the special people who have encouraged her: her late parents as well as her husband, daughter, teachers, and mentors.

Program:
BACH-BUSONI Chaconne in D Minor
SCHUMANN-LISZT Widmüng

Ken Iisaka – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Quarterfinal Round Recital

KEN IISAKA, 47
Software engineer
Foster City, California
Japan/Canada

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Quarterfinal Round – Wednesday, June 22, 2016
Van Cliburn Recital Hall
Fort Worth, Texas, USA

Program:
MESSIAEN, “La colombe” from Preludes
SCRIABIN, Sonata No. 5, op. 53
MEDTNER, “Danza rustica” from Vergessene Weisen, op. 38

Clark Vann Griffith – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Quarterfinal Round Recital

CLARK VANN GRIFFITH, 52
Retired database programmer
Fort Worth, Texas
United States

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Quarterfinal Round – Wednesday, June 22, 2016
Van Cliburn Recital Hall
Fort Worth, Texas, USA

Clark Vann Griffith was the third-prize winner here at 2007 and took second prize in 2011. The Fort Worth resident’s Cliburn connection doesn’t end there: As a child in Phoenix, he was a student of 1977 Cliburn Gold Medalist Steven De Groote. Mr. Vann Griffith was a composition major at the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, and in ensuing years, has worked as a programmer, website developer, classical music announcer, and orchestral pianist. A chamber-music aficionado, Mr. Vann Griffith is motivated to compete again this year because he enjoys being a performing conduit for the audience, enjoying helping “someone I’ve never met hear something familiar in an utterly new way.” When he’s not playing piano, Mr. Vann Griffith enjoys watching movies, solving puzzles, and the perks of being married and owning cats.

Program:
CHOPIN Ballade No. 3 in A-flat Major, op. 47
SCHUMANN Arabeske in C Major, op. 18

Jane Gibson King – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Quarterfinal Round Recital

JANE GIBSON KING, 60
Stay-at-home mother
Provo, Utah
United States

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Quarterfinal Round – Wednesday, June 22, 2016
Van Cliburn Recital Hall
Fort Worth, Texas, USA

Jane Gibson King is a familiar face at this Competition; she was named a finalist in 2011 and received the Press Jury Award. After earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in piano from Brigham Young University, where she performed in recitals, master classes, and piano competitions, she went on to appear as a soloist with the Utah Symphony, the BYU Orchestra, and the Music Academy of the West Orchestra in Santa Barbara, where she was a student of Jerome Lowenthal. In 1982, she studied with Van Cliburn gold medalist Steven de Groote at Arizona State University. She currently studies with Eugene Watanabe. With four children, Ms. King spent 30 years as a full-time mother and is an advocate for her youngest son, Michael, who has autism. An avid reader and book club-goer, she also revels in being a grandmother, and she volunteers for “Days For Girls International,” where she contributes her skills as a seamstress.

Program:
RACHMANINOV, Variations on a Theme of Corelli, op. 42

Xavier Aymonod – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Quarterfinal Round Recital

XAVIER AYMONOD, 40
Strategy consultant
Paris, France
France

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Quarterfinal Round – Wednesday, June 22, 2016
Van Cliburn Recital Hall
Fort Worth, Texas, USA

Program:
CHOPIN, Ballade No. 4 in F Minor, op. 52
RAVEL, “Alborada del gracioso” from Miroirs

John Gutheil – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Quarterfinal Round Recital

JOHN GUTHEIL, M.D., 59
CEO/Medical oncologist
La Jolla, California
United States

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Quarterfinal Round – Wednesday, June 22, 2016
Van Cliburn Recital Hall
Fort Worth, Texas, USA

John Gutheil recently returned to playing the piano after an absence of several decades. Originally on a musical track—he completed two years as a piano performance major at California State University Northridge—he went on to medical school and became an oncology clinical physician. Currently, he is president and CEO of SciQuus Oncology Inc. in La Jolla, California. Looking for a goal, and to give focus to his piano practice, Dr. Gutheil entered this Competition and says he has achieved much already just by preparing for the event. He notes his music has improved steadily and hopes the event will “give him additional ideas about how to continue improving my piano playing.” The avid marathoner and woodworker also enjoys Italian literature and the work of Caravaggio.

Program:
RACHMANINOV, Prelude in B Minor, op. 32, no. 10
LISZT, Concert Etude No. 3 in D-flat Major (“Un sospiro”)
ALBÉNIZ, “Asturias (Leyenda)” from Suite Española, op. 47

Lana C. Marina – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Quarterfinal Round Recital

LANA C. MARINA, 47
Stay-at-home mother
New York, New York
United States

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Quarterfinal Round – Wednesday, June 22, 2016
Van Cliburn Recital Hall
Fort Worth, Texas, USA

Program:
BEETHOVEN, Sonata No. 3 in C Major, op. 2, no. 3: I. Allegro con brio
BALAKIREV, Islamey (Oriental Fantasy)

Yasuo Kurimoto – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Quarterfinal Round Recital

YAUSO KURIMOTO, M.D., 55
Ophthalmologist
Kobe, Japan
Japan

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Quarterfinal Round – Wednesday, June 22, 2016
Van Cliburn Recital Hall
Fort Worth, Texas, USA

Program:
SCRIABIN, Two Poѐmes, op. 32
CHOPIN, Fantaisie in F Minor, op. 49

Sean Sutherland – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Quarterfinal Round Recital

SEAN SUTHERLAND, 39
Entrepreneur/lecturer
Montréal, Québec
St. Vincent and The Grenadines/Canada

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Quarterfinal Round – Wednesday, June 22, 2016
Van Cliburn Recital Hall
Fort Worth, Texas, USA

Program:
SCHUBERT-LISZT, Soirée de Vienne No. 6 in A Minor
LISZT, Mephisto Waltz No. 1

Brad Dunn – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Quarterfinal Round Recital

BRAD DUNN, 43
General manager/sommelier
Bloomington, Indiana
United States

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Quarterfinal Round – Wednesday, June 22, 2016
Van Cliburn Recital Hall
Fort Worth, Texas, USA

Brad Dunn began studying piano at age 5, and went on to become a pupil of both William Ransom at Emory University and Leonard Hokanson at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music. While at Emory, he received bachelor’s degrees in biology and in music, and a master’s degree in piano performance and electronic music. Mr. Dunn’s diverse interests span wine—he holds certifications from the Court of Master Sommeliers and the Society of Wine Educators—to scientific research, and when he isn’t working 60-hour-weeks as general manager and beverage director at The Uptown Cafe in Bloomington, Indiana, he can be found on the golf course or cooking in his kitchen. He looks to the Amateur Competition as an opportunity to “get his chops back,” and is excited about the prospect of performing again.

Program:
BACH, Partita No. 1 in B-flat Major, BWV 825

Saffet Bayka – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Quarterfinal Round Recital

SAFFET BAYKA, 57
Electrical engineer
Ankara, Turkey
Turkey

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Quarterfinal Round – Wednesday, June 22, 2016
Van Cliburn Recital Hall
Fort Worth, Texas, USA

Saffet Bayka started playing the piano at 11, studying with Tulga Cetiz, a renowned teacher at Ankara State Conservatory. After appearing in school recitals, he performed with the Baskent Chamber Orchestra and the Presidential Symphony Orchestra in his 20s. Mr. Bayka graduated with honors from a piano program for amateurs at Hacettepe University-Ankara State Conservatory; today, he continues his musical pursuits, giving community concerts as part of a duo with clarinetist Ekrem Oztan. Mr. Bayka, an electrical engineer, cites performing with a professional orchestra as a personal goal. An amateur sailor in the summer and skier during the winter, Mr. Bayka says competing in Fort Worth will become an “honorable memory” that he looks forward to sharing with his fellow engineers upon his return to Ankara.

Program:
CHOPIN, Ballade No. 1 in G Minor, op. 23
GINASTERA, “Danza de la moza donosa” and “Danza del gaucho marrero” from Danzas Argentinas, op. 2

Shinji Wada – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Quarterfinal Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Quarterfinal Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall
Fort Worth, Texas, USA
Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Shinji Wada, 40
Human resources director
Foster City, California
Japan

Largely self-taught, Shinji Wada learned how to read music himself and began playing piano in elementary school. By 13, he started private lessons, and he continued them after a move to the New York/New Jersey area. At that time, he met his longtime teacher, Seymour Bernstein, who continues to be a source of much inspiration for Mr. Wada. Back in Japan, he finished his bachelor’s degree (Keio University) in economics, and returned to the United States in 2014. A career loyalist to the Sony Corporation, Mr. Wada is a human resources director for Sony Interactive Entertainment (aka PlayStation) in Foster City, California. He views entering this Competition as a means to add balance to his work-heavy life. A father of two, he enjoys traveling to new places throughout the United States with his family in tow.

Program:
SCHUMANN-LISZT, Widmung
RAVEL, La Valse

Summer Stone – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Quarterfinal Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Quarterfinal Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall
Fort Worth, Texas, USA
Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Summer Stone, 39
Client relations
Woodland Hills, California
United States

Born in Dallas, Summer Stone started playing at the age of 4, and says she practiced relentlessly for decades, receiving a bachelor’s degree in piano performance from the University of Kansas. Her career took a tangential turn; she worked with composers and publishers at ASCAP in New York and negotiated music licenses for films at 20th Century Fox and Universal Studios in California. After years away from the piano—and watching They Came to Play, the 2007 Cliburn Amateur Competition documentary—she realized she wanted to play again too. Aside from the time she now devotes to practicing, Ms. Stone also enjoys being with her husband, 8-year-old son, and 5-year-old daughter. An “insane-but-charming” Rhodesian Ridgeback named Basil completes the familial quintet.

Program:
SOLER, Sonata in D-flat Major, R. 88
CHOPIN, Ballade No. 4 in F Minor, op. 52

Tessa Knipe – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Quarterfinal Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Quarterfinal Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall
Fort Worth, Texas, USA
Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Tessa Knipe, 53
Attorney
San Diego, California
South Africa/United States

Born in Cape Town, South Africa, Tessa Knipe achieved much pianistic success from ages 8 to 18. Highlights included appearing on the “Young South Africa” show at age 9; performing the first movement of the Kabalevsky Piano Concerto No. 3 with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra at 11; and receiving a four-year undergraduate scholarship at age 17 to the Royal College of Music in London—one of just eight offered per year. Instead of furthering her musical pursuits, Ms. Knipe turned the scholarship down to forge a career in law. Now a deputy attorney general for the department of justice in California, she has returned to music after 35 years away, realizing “how central the piano is to my life.” A mother of two grown daughters, Ms. Knipe is a lover of the performing arts, movies, and books, as well as a fan of good food and wine.

Program:
CHOPIN, Scherzo No. 2 in B-flat Minor, op. 31
RAVEL, Jeau d’eau

Colleen Adent – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Quarterfinal Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Quarterfinal Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall
Fort Worth, Texas, USA
Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Colleen Adent, 54
Homemaker
Vancouver, Washington
United States

A self-professed explorer, Colleen Adent enjoys “finding out how things were made, where they came from, and what I can learn that I didn’t know about before.” She received a bachelor’s degree in piano performance from Biola University (La Mirada, California) in 1983. After several years as a stay-at-home mom, Ms. Adent now dedicates her time to leading her church’s music program, where she schedules musicians for services and helps lead band rehearsals as director of music. In addition, she gives piano lessons. For the last two years, Ms. Adent has appeared in “Ten Grands,” an evening showcase featuring 10 grand pianos and 10 pianists, in Portland, Oregon, and in Seattle. In her free time, Ms. Adent likes to wander through used bookstores for treasure—usually biographies of composers, statesmen, and inventors—and enjoys quilting.

Program:
BEETHOVEN, Sonata No. 18 in E-flat Major, op. 31: I. Allegro
CHOPIN, Nocturne in E-flat Major, op. 55, no. 2
GOTTSCHALK, Pasquinade, op. 59

Noah DeGarmo – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Quarterfinal Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Quarterfinal Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall
Fort Worth, Texas, USA
Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Noah DeGarmo, M.D., 38
Physician
Dallas, Texas
United States

Noah DeGarmo began private piano lessons at 7, and started playing the oboe at age 10. In addition to performing with the Massachusetts Youth Wind Ensemble and Youth Philharmonic Orchestra, he took master classes at the New England Conservatory before entering medical school in New York. After a residency in emergency medicine at Northwestern University, he moved to Dallas, where he currently serves as medical director at Baylor Surgical Center at Las Colinas. Dr. DeGarmo was a semifinalist at the Chicago Amateur Piano Competition in 2010 (where he received Best Performance of a Contemporary Work) and a finalist at the contest in 2012. Since he was 18, Dr. DeGarmo has suffered from tendinitis, which he has lectured about as it relates to performing. In his downtime, he likes to cook, entertain, garden, travel, and spend time with his golden retriever, Mayzie.

Program:
SCARLATTI, Sonata in E Major, K. 380
CHOPIN, Fantaisie-Impromptu in C-sharp Minor, op. 66
WAGNER-LISZT, Isoldens Liebestod: Schlußszene aus Tristan und Isolde

Gorden Cheng – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Quarterfinal Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Quarterfinal Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall
Fort Worth, Texas, USA
Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Gorden Cheng, 35
Systems engineer
San Diego, California
United States

Program:
RAVEL, Jeux d’eau
CHOPIN, Andante Spianato et Grande Polonaise Brillante, op. 22

J. Spencer Thompson – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Quarterfinal Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Quarterfinal Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall
Fort Worth, Texas, USA
Tuesday, June 21, 2016

J. Spencer Thompson, 55
Radiation oncologist
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
United States

Born in Bountiful, Utah, J. Spencer Thompson studied piano with Lennox Larson and Gladys Gladstone Rosenberg at the University of Utah and received bachelor’s degrees in music, zoology, and Spanish from Brigham Young University in 1985. After attending the University of Utah School of Medicine, he completed his residency in radiation oncology at the University of Medicine and Dentistry in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Currently, he is an associate professor in the department of radiation and oncology at the University of Oklahoma Health Science Center in Oklahoma City. Dr. Thompson says: “Even though I chose not to make music my profession, I can’t really imagine my life without music in it,” and to that end, studies with Sergio Monteiro. A 2011 Cliburn Amateur competitor, he enjoys cooking, skiing, traveling, reading, and rooting for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Program:
RAVEL, “Alborada del gracioso” from Miroirs
RACHMANINOV, Prelude in D Major, op. 23, no. 4
RACHMANINOV, Étude-Tableau in D Major, op. 39, no. 9

Brianna Donaldson – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Quarterfinal Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Quarterfinal Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall
Fort Worth, Texas, USA
Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Brianna Donaldson, 35
Nonprofit director
Santa Cruz, California
United States

Brianna Donaldson began private piano lessons in 1988, and by the time she finished high school, her dream was to pursue a career as a piano teacher and performer. An injury during college, however, sidelined that goal, so Dr. Donaldson instead forged a career in cognitive psychology. She received her doctorate from Indiana University in 2008. When her husband’s job necessitated a move to Austin, she began studying under Dr. Betty Mallard at the University of Texas. Under Mallard’s tutelage, she realized: “Despite having a full and wonderful life as a working professional, wife, and mother of two young sons, it is the piano that completes me.” To that end, she says she looks forward to meeting other kindred spirits during the Amateur Competition. An avid reader and outdoorswoman, Dr. Donaldson enjoys spending time with her family and giving community concerts.

Program:
MOZART, Sonata No. 15 in F Major, K. 533/494: III. Rondo: Allegretto
CHOPIN, Ballade No. 4 in F Minor, op. 52

Simon Finlow – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Quarterfinal Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Quarterfinal Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall
Fort Worth, Texas, USA
Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Simon Finlow, 60
Retired IT project manager/database engineer
Washington, D.C.
United Kingdom/United States

Born in Lincoln, England, Simon Finlow began playing piano at age 4 and studied with Imogen Cooper in his late teenage years. He received a bachelor’s degree in music from Oxford University in 1977, and a doctorate in musicology from Cambridge University in 1985. Highlights for Dr. Finlow during this time included performances of the Brahms B-flat Major Concerto and Rhapsody in Blue with orchestra. “Hard reality,” he says, forced him along another path towards a career in IT engineering and management, following his move to the United States in 1985. Two key events in 2013 changed the direction of Dr. Finlow’s life: He quit his high-stress job that was taking a serious toll on his health, and he attended the Fourteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. After learning about the Amateur Competition, he was inspired to find a new piano teacher, to rebuild his repertoire, and to perform again. When he is not playing, Dr. Finlow enjoys running marathons, delving into theories of cosmology and quantum physics, playing Gran Turismo on PlayStation, and helping his wife maintain a delicate peace between their 14-year-old twins.

Program:
CHOPIN, Fantaisie in F Minor, op. 49
PROKOFIEV, Sonata No. 7 in B-flat Major, op. 83: III. Precipitato

Deirbhile Brennan – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Quarterfinal Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Quarterfinal Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall
Fort Worth, Texas, USA
Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Deirbhile Brennan, 46
Accountant
Dublin, Ireland
Ireland

Program:
RAMEAU, “Gavotte et six doubles” from Suite in A Minor
JANÁČEK, Piano Sonata 1.X.1905, “From the Street”

Thomas Yu – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Quarterfinal Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Quarterfinal Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall
Fort Worth, Texas, USA
Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Thomas Yu, D.M.D., 38
Periodontist
Calgary, Alberta
Canada

Program:
DEBUSSY, “Reflets dans l’eau” from Images, Book I
CHOPIN, Scherzo No. 3 in C-sharp Minor, op. 39
SCHUMANN-LISZT, Widmung

Jeanne Backofen Craig – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Quarterfinal Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Quarterfinal Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall
Fort Worth, Texas, USA
Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Jeanne Backofen Craig, 46
Homemaker/part-time minister of music and liturgy
Forest, Virginia
United States

Program:
GRIEG, “Notturno” from Lyric Pieces, op. 54
HAYDN, Sonata in E-flat Major, Hob. XVI:52: I. Allegro
LISZT, Concert Etude No. 3 in D-flat Major (“Un sospiro”)

Madalyn Taylor – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Quarterfinal Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Quarterfinal Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall
Fort Worth, Texas, USA
Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Madalyn Taylor, 66
Retail store owner
Ogden, Utah
United States

A mother of six and grandmother of 24, Madalyn Taylor firmly believes in making challenges. “They help you push yourself towards higher levels of achievement,” she says. While she took private piano lessons as a child and studied music for two years at Weber State University, Ms. Taylor changed her focus to raising her children and helping with her family business, a tire store, for 46 years. Since resuming her studies, she was won awards at the 2008 Seattle International Amateur Competition and the Bradshaw & Buono International Competition. She has studied with Eugene Watanabe, which she calls a highlight of her musical pursuits, and was a Cliburn Amateur semifinalist in 2011. In her downtime, Ms. Taylor’s large family consumes most of her time but she is also a seamstress and a professional candy maker.

Program:
BACH-KEMPFF, Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ, BWV 639
SCHUMANN, Kinderszenen, op. 15

Matthias Fischer – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Quarterfinal Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Quarterfinal Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall
Fort Worth, Texas, USA
Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Matthias Fischer, 42
Physician
Würzburg, Germany
Germany

Program:
CHOPIN, Ballade No. 3 in A-flat Major, op. 47
MENDELSSOHN, Variations sérieuses, op. 54

Joseph Mercuri – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Quarterfinal Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Quarterfinal Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall
Fort Worth, Texas, USA
Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Joseph Mercuri, M.D., 56
Hospitalist physician
Saint Joseph, Minnesota
United States

Born in Washington, D.C., Joseph Mercuri came to Texas for his schooling, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in piano performance from the University of Texas at Austin in 1983 and 1986. He turned his attention to medicine, however, graduating from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston in 1994, and then completing a residency in internal medicine in Wisconsin. Since 2001, he was been a hospitalist in St. Cloud, Minnesota. In the many years since he stepped away from music, Dr. Mercuri has come to realize how intrinsic it is in his life and he began practicing again six years ago. A 2011 Cliburn Amateur semifinalist, he looks forward to the chance to grow artistically and personally. When he is not practicing his repertoire, Dr. Mercuri is an avid amateur golfer who enjoys road biking and all that Minnesota has to offer—especially in the summer.

Program:
LISZT, Sonnetto 104 del Petrarca
MENDELSSOHN, Fantasy in F-sharp Minor, op. 28