Competitions: 2017 Cliburn Competition

Yury Favorin – Cliburn 2017 Quarterfinal Recital

YURY FAVORIN
Russia | Age 30

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Quarterfinal Round Recital – Monday, May 29, 2017 – 7:30 p.m.
Bass Performance Hall

Program:

BACH-BUSONI Ich ruf’ zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ, BWV 639
RACHMANINOFF Variations on a Theme by Corelli, op. 42
SCRIABIN Sonata No. 10, op. 70
LISZT Scherzo and March

Moscow native Yury Favorin started his music instruction at age 5, and pursued piano, clarinet, and composition at the Gnessins Moscow Secondary Special School. He continued his education at the Moscow Conservatory and at the Mozarteum in Salzburg. In 2016, he was invited to be on the faculty of the Moscow Conservatory. Mr. Favorin has won prizes at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels and the Olivier Messiaen International Piano Competition in Paris. He has played with conductors including Pierre Boulez and Marin Alsop, and given recitals in Russia, the United States, France, Germany, Austria, Norway, Hungary, Italy,  Sweden, Poland,  Japan, and more. He is a regular participant in music festivals such as Crazy Days in Nantes, France, and in Japan; and La Rocque-d’Anthéron in France. Mr. Favorin enjoys premiering works by contemporary composers. His many recordings include Liszt and 20th-century Russian composers, but also new music and improvisations. He has been part of several groups devoted to freely improvised music, including his own “ERROR 404”.

EunAe Lee – Cliburn 2017 Preliminary Recital

EUNAE LEE
South Korea | Age 29

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Preliminary Round Recital – Saturday, May 27, 2017 – 8:20 p.m.
Bass Performance Hall

Program:

HAYDN Sonata in B-flat Major, Hob. XVI:41
DEBUSSY Étude pour les arpèges composés
CHOPIN Sonata No. 3 in B Minor, op. 58
HAMELIN Toccata on “L’homme armé”

EunAe Lee, born in Seoul, made her solo debut at age 14, performing the Saint-Saëns Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra under Bong Kim. She won a full scholarship to The Juilliard School’s Pre-College Division and completed the five-year accelerated bachelor’s and master’s degree program. She earned a professional studies diploma at the Mannes School of Music, studying with Richard Goode, and is now at Northwestern University with James Giles. Ms. Lee won second prize and the Yehuda Meir memorial award for outstanding performance of a Chopin etude at the 2015 Bösendorfer and Yamaha USASU International Competition. She also won prizes at the 2014 Hilton Head International Piano Competition and the 2011 ARD International Music Competition in Munich, where she performed the Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3 with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. Performance highlights include solo and chamber appearances at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage, Merkin Hall, and the Mannes Concert Hall, among others. Away from the piano, Ms. Lee enjoys swimming, watching soccer games, and reading plays.

Ilya Shmukler – Cliburn 2017 Preliminary Recital

ILYA SHMUKLER
Russia | Age 22

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Preliminary Round Recital – Thursday, May 25, 2017 – 9:25 p.m.
Bass Performance Hall

Program:

HAMELIN Toccata on “L’homme armé”
HAYDN Sonata in F Major, Hob  XVI:23
BACH-SILOTI Prelude in B Minor, BWV 855a
RAVEL Gaspard de la nuit

Moscow native Ilya Shmukler studies piano with Elena Kuznetsova at the Moscow Conservatory. He has frequently performed in the leading concert halls of Russia, including in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Ekaterinburg, and Kazan, as well as in Austria, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Bulgaria, Germany, Lithuania, Moldova, and Kazakhstan. Mr. Shmukler has won awards at a number of piano competitions, including grand prizes of the 2009 Musica Classica and the 2012 Scriabin-Rachmaninoff competitions in Russia, and second prize in the 2012 International Rachmaninov Music Competition. He has played with several orchestras, most notably the Mariinsky Theatre Symphony Orchestra. When not playing piano, he enjoys cinema, literature, art, swimming, and table tennis.

Yutong Sun – Cliburn 2017 Quarterfinal Recital

YUTONG SUN
China | Age 21

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Quarterfinal Round Recital – Monday, May 29, 2017 – 8:20 p.m.
Bass Performance Hall

Program:

CHOPIN Impromptu No. 1 in A-flat Major, op. 29
CHOPIN Ballade No. 1 in G Minor, op. 23
BACH Prelude and Fugue in E-flat Minor, BWV 853
LIGETI Etude No. 13 “L’escalier du diable”
BARTÓK Sonata (1926)

Yutong Sun studies with Alexander Korsantia at the New England Conservatory. He has won awards at a number of competitions, including third prize at the 2016 Maria Canals International Piano Competition in Barcelona, first prize at the 2012 Jaén Award International Piano Competition (Spain), and second prize at the 2011 New Orleans International Piano Competition for Young Artists. He made his recital debut at age 10 in Beijing and his orchestra debut with the Orchestra of Granada in Spain at age 16. Mr. Sun has performed with orchestras and in recital in China, France, Spain, and the United States. In 2013, he released a recording of a recital performance as part of the Laureate Series on the Naxos label. When not playing music, he likes to watch movies and sports.

Tony Yike Yang – Cliburn 2017 Quarterfinal Recital

TONY YIKE YANG
Canada | Age 18

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Quarterfinal Round Recital – Tuesday, May 30, 2017 – 3:20 p.m.
Bass Performance Hall

Program:

SCRIABIN Sonata No. 2 in G-sharp Minor, op. 19
LISZT Sonata in B Minor

Tony Yike Yang is enrolled at Harvard University and the New England Conservatory of Music, where he studies with Wha Kyung Byun. He previously studied in the Pre-College Division at The Juilliard School and at the Taylor Academy of the Royal Conservatory in Toronto. Mr. Yang won fifth prize at the 2015 International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition as well as the Ewa & Włodzimierz Kamirski Award for the Youngest Finalist, and earned a Jury Discretionary Award at the First Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition in 2015. He also has won top prizes at Thomas & Evon Cooper, Hilton Head, Bösendorfer and Yamaha USASU International Junior, and Gina Bachauer International Junior piano competitions. He has appeared with The Cleveland Orchestra, Warsaw Philharmonic, Montreal’s Orchestre Metropolitain, and Toronto Sinfonietta. When he’s not playing piano, Mr. Yang loves badminton, ping-pong, video games, swimming, movies, and spicy food.

Yury Favorin – Cliburn 2017 Semifinal Recital

YURY FAVORIN
Russia | Age 30

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Semifinal Round Recital – Friday, June 2, 2017 – 7:30 p.m.
Bass Performance Hall

Program:

BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 29 in B-flat Major, op. 106 “Hammerklavier”
SHOSTAKOVICH Sonata No. 1, op. 12

Moscow native Yury Favorin started his music instruction at age 5, and pursued piano, clarinet, and composition at the Gnessins Moscow Secondary Special School. He continued his education at the Moscow Conservatory and at the Mozarteum in Salzburg. In 2016, he was invited to be on the faculty of the Moscow Conservatory. Mr. Favorin has won prizes at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels and the Olivier Messiaen International Piano Competition in Paris. He has played with conductors including Pierre Boulez and Marin Alsop, and given recitals in Russia, the United States, France, Germany, Austria, Norway, Hungary, Italy,  Sweden, Poland,  Japan, and more. He is a regular participant in music festivals such as Crazy Days in Nantes, France, and in Japan; and La Rocque-d’Anthéron in France. Mr. Favorin enjoys premiering works by contemporary composers. His many recordings include Liszt and 20th-century Russian composers, but also new music and improvisations. He has been part of several groups devoted to freely improvised music, including his own ERROR 404.

Rachel Cheung – Cliburn 2017 Quarterfinal Recital

RACHEL CHEUNG
Hong Kong | Age 25

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Quarterfinal Round Recital – Tuesday, May 30, 2017 – 11:55 a.m.
Bass Performance Hall

Program:

SIBELIUS Valse triste, op. 44, no. 1
CHOPIN 24 Preludes, op. 28

Rachel Cheung, who has been a Young Steinway Artist since 2011, has studied with Peter Frankl at the Yale School of Music and with Eleanor Wong at the Hong Kong Academy for the Performing Arts. She has won numerous prizes and awards, including fifth prize at the Leeds International Piano Competition, and was a semifinalist at the International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition. Last year, she won a Carnegie Weill Hall debut recital as a special prize in the New York Concert Artists Worldwide Debut Audition—that debut will take place in March 2018. She has collaborated with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra under Edo de Waart, Sydney Symphony with Vladimir Ashkenazy, London Chamber Orchestra, St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Beethoven Orchestra Bonn, and Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra. She has performed recitals at the Auditorium du Louvre in Paris, London’s Steinway Hall, and the Richmond Hill Centre for Performing Arts in Toronto, among others. Ms. Cheung has twice been honored by the Hong Kong government for her contributions to culture and performed in the gala concert in Kiev celebrating the centenary of Vladimir Horowitz.

Leonardo Pierdomenico – Cliburn 2017 Preliminary Recital

LEONARDO PIERDOMENICO
Italy | Age 24

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Preliminary Round Recital – Thursday, May 25, 2017 – 7:30 p.m.
Bass Performance Hall

Program:

CLEMENTI Sonata No. 5 in F-sharp Minor, op. 25
HAMELIN Toccata on “L’homme armé”
BRAHMS Variations on a Theme by Paganini, Books I and II, op. 35

Leonardo Pierdomenico is studying for his master’s degree under Benedetto Lupo at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome. Born in Pescara, he graduated from the Luisa D’Annunzio conservatory there, then studied at the Fiesole School of Music. Mr. Pierdomenico won the 2011 Premio Venezia piano competition in Venice and was a semifinalist at the 2016 Queen Elisabeth Competition, where his Chopin Ballade No. 1 in G Minor was included on the best-of-competition CD, released by harmonia mundi. Mr. Pierdomenico was named a fellow of the 2016 Music Academy of the West Festival in Santa Barbara, where he worked with artists such as Jeremy Denk, Jerome Lowenthal, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Julian Martin, and Leon Fleisher. He also has played solo recitals in Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands, and in the major venues of Italy, and his performances have been featured on the radio in Belgium, Italy, and Santa Barbara, California. In 2011, he was awarded a medal for his artistic achievements by Italian President Giorgio Napolitano. When not at the piano, Mr. Pierdomenico especially enjoys painting and soccer.

Luigi Carroccia – Cliburn 2017 Quarterfinal Recital

LUIGI CARROCCIA
Italy | Age 25

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Quarterfinal Round Recital – Monday, May 29, 2017 – 9:25 p.m.
Bass Performance Hall

Program:

CHOPIN Barcarolle in F-sharp Major, op. 60
CHOPIN Two Nocturnes, op. 62
CZERNY Variations from a Theme by Rode in E-flat Major, op. 33
KABALEVSKY Rondo in A Minor, op. 59

Luigi Carroccia was born into a musical family, and his first piano teachers were his father and grandfather. He continued studies at the Claudio Monteverdi Conservatory in Bolzano, where he earned undergraduate and master’s degrees with honors. He has won prizes in many competitions, such as the Maria Herrero International Competition in Granada and the Premio Abbado, organized by the Italian Ministry of Culture in memory of Claudio Abbado.  He also was a finalist at the 2015 Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition and a semifinalist at the 2015 International Fryderyk Chopin Competition. Mr. Carroccia has given numerous recitals in Naples, Rome, and elsewhere in Italy, as well as in Poland, the United States, Great Britain, Bulgaria, and Germany. Besides music, his passions include cooking.

Alina Bercu – Cliburn 2017 Preliminary Recital

ALINA BERCU
Romania | Age 27

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Preliminary Round Recital – Thursday, May 25, 2017 – 8:20 p.m.
Bass Performance Hall

Program:

BACH Partita No. 4 in D Major, BWV 828
HAMELIN Toccata on “L’homme armé”
PROKOFIEV Sonata No. 7 in B-flat Major, op. 83

As a young teen, Alina Bercu was awarded a special prize by Romania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for promoting her nation through culture. She started piano lessons at age 7 in her native Campina, Romania, and her family soon moved to Brasov so she could study piano at Transylvania University. She went on to study in Germany with Grigory Gruzman (Weimar University) and Wolfgang Manz (Nuremberg University), among others. Ms. Bercu has performed at major concert venues including Carnegie Hall and in Zurich, Munich, Hamburg, Dusseldorf, Rome, and Bucharest. Her orchestra appearances include the Vienna Philharmonic, Orchestre de chambre de Lausanne, and Bremen Philharmonic Orchestra. Her Schubert-Brahms recording with violinist Ilian Garnet, winner of the Queen Elisabeth Competition, won the Golden Label prize in Belgium and the Cle d’Or in France. Ms. Bercu has won prizes at the Clara Haskil International Piano Competition, the European Piano Contest, and the World Piano Competition (Cincinnati), among others, as well as at chamber-music competitions as a member of Duo Enesco. In addition to music, Ms. Bercu is devoted to travel, running, and cooking.

Rachel Cheung – Cliburn 2017 Final Quintet

RACHEL CHEUNG
Hong Kong | Age 25

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Final Round Quintet – Thursday, June 8, 2017
Bass Performance Hall

Program:
BRAHMS Piano Quintet in F Minor, op. 34
with the Brentano String Quartet

Rachel Cheung, who has been a Young Steinway Artist since 2011, has studied with Peter Frankl at the Yale School of Music and with Eleanor Wong at the Hong Kong Academy for the Performing Arts. She has won numerous prizes and awards, including fifth prize at the Leeds International Piano Competition, and was a semifinalist at the International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition. Last year, she won a Carnegie Weill Hall debut recital as a special prize in the New York Concert Artists Worldwide Debut Audition—that debut will take place in March 2018. She has collaborated with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra under Edo de Waart, Sydney Symphony with Vladimir Ashkenazy, London Chamber Orchestra, St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Beethoven Orchestra Bonn, and Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra. She has performed recitals at the Auditorium du Louvre in Paris, London’s Steinway Hall, and the Richmond Hill Centre for Performing Arts in Toronto, among others. Ms. Cheung has twice been honored by the Hong Kong government for her contributions to culture and performed in the gala concert in Kiev celebrating the centenary of Vladimir Horowitz.

Georgy Tchaidze – Cliburn 2017 Final Quintet

GEORGY TCHAIDZE
Russia | Age 29

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Final Round Quintet – Thursday, June 8, 2017
Bass Performance Hall

Program:
DVOŘÁK Piano Quintet in A Major, op. 81
with the Brentano String Quartet

Georgy Tchaidze was born in St. Petersburg and earned his master’s degree at the Moscow Conservatory. He has won prizes at several competitions, including first at the 2009 Honens International Piano Competition, fourth at the 2016 Cleveland International Piano Competition, and first at the 2015 Top of the World International Piano Competition in Tromsø, Norway. Mr. Tchaidze has performed throughout Europe, North America, and Asia, including at Wigmore Hall in London, Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall, Konzerthaus Berlin, Het Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing. He performed with Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra under Pinchas Zukerman and with the Cleveland Orchestra with conductor Bramwell Tovey. As a chamber artist, he tours with the Cecilia and Borodin string quartets. Mr. Tchaidze has released three recordings on the Honens label: a live recording with the Cecilia String Quartet, an all-Schubert album, and a disc of works by Medtner, Mussorgsky and Prokofiev. He studies in Berlin, where his other passions include literature, cinema, and nature.

Yekwon Sunwoo – Cliburn 2017 Final Quintet

YEKWON SUNWOO
2017 CLIBURN GOLD MEDALIST
South Korea | Age 28

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Final Round Quintet – Wednesday, June 7, 2017
Bass Performance Hall

Program:
DVOŘÁK Piano Quintet in A Major, op. 81
with the Brentano String Quartet

Yekwon Sunwoo earned his bachelor’s degree at the Curtis Institute of Music and his master’s at The Juilliard School, and also studied with Richard Goode at the Mannes School of Music. He currently studies under Bernd Goetzke in Hannover. Mr. Sunwoo won first prizes at the 2015 International German Piano Award in Frankfurt, the 2014 Vendome Prize held at the Verbier Festival, the 2013 Sendai International Music Competition, and the 2012 William Kapell International Piano Competition. He has performed with the Juilliard Orchestra under Itzhak Perlman at Avery Fisher Hall, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra under Marin Alsop, Houston Symphony Orchestra, National Orchestra of Belgium, Sendai Philharmonic Orchestra, and others. He has given recitals at Carnegie Hall, Hamarikyu Asahi Hall in Tokyo, Wigmore Hall in London, Radio France and Salle Cortot in Paris, and Kumho Art Hall in Seoul. Mr. Sunwoo has been featured on WQXR’s McGraw-Hill Young Artists Showcase, and has performed chamber music for the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, with Ida Kavafian and Peter Wiley as part of Curtis On Tour, and with Roberto Diaz on the Bay Chamber Concerts.

Yury Favorin – Cliburn 2017 Final Quintet

YURY FAVORIN
Russia | Age 30

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Final Round Quintet – Wednesday, June 7, 2017
Bass Performance Hall

Program:
FRANCK Piano Quintet in F Minor
with the Brentano String Quartet

Moscow native Yury Favorin started his music instruction at age 5, and pursued piano, clarinet, and composition at the Gnessins Moscow Secondary Special School. He continued his education at the Moscow Conservatory and at the Mozarteum in Salzburg. In 2016, he was invited to be on the faculty of the Moscow Conservatory. Mr. Favorin has won prizes at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels and the Olivier Messiaen International Piano Competition in Paris. He has played with conductors including Pierre Boulez and Marin Alsop, and given recitals in Russia, the United States, France, Germany, Austria, Norway, Hungary, Italy,  Sweden, Poland,  Japan, and more. He is a regular participant in music festivals such as Crazy Days in Nantes, France, and in Japan; and La Rocque-d’Anthéron in France. Mr. Favorin enjoys premiering works by contemporary composers. His many recordings include Liszt and 20th-century Russian composers, but also new music and improvisations. He has been part of several groups devoted to freely improvised music, including his own ERROR 404.

Alyosha Jurinic – Cliburn 2017 Quarterfinal Recital

ALYOSHA JURINIC
Croatia| Age 28

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Quarterfinal Round Recital – Tuesday, May 30, 2017 – 9:25 p.m.
Bass Performance Hall

Program:

DEBUSSY Images, Book II
SCHUMANN Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp Minor, op. 11

Alyosha Jurinic won the International Robert Schumann Competition in 2012, and was a fifth-prize winner of the 2016 Queen Elisabeth Piano Competition and a finalist at the 2015 International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition. He won the Best Young Musician Award from the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra, and is the youngest-ever recipient of the Croatian Ministry of Culture’s Vladimir Nazor Award, given annually for highest achievement in the arts. Mr. Jurinic made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2015 and has performed with the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra, Croatian Radio-Television Symphony Orchestra, Warsaw Philharmonic, National Orchestra of Belgium, Royal Flemish Philharmonic Orchestra, Kosovo Philharmonic, and others. His festival appearances include Piano Fortissimo in Zagreb, Dubrovnik Summer Festival in Croatia, Kiev Summer Music Evenings, and Serate Musicali in Milan, as well as Chopin festivals in Serbia, France (the George Sand House), and Chopin’s birthplace in Poland. Mr. Jurinic is currently studying with Grigory Gruzman at the Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt in Weimar. His passions include film, TV, pop music, books, fitness, and soccer tactics.

Rachel Kudo – Cliburn 2017 Quarterfinal Recital

RACHEL KUDO
United States | Age 30

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Quarterfinal Round Recital – Tuesday, May 30, 2017 – 8:20 p.m.
Bass Performance Hall

Program:

BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 18 in E-flat Major, op. 31, no. 3
SCHUMANN Carnaval, op. 9

A winner of the Gilmore Young Artist Award, Rachel Kudo gave her first performances with orchestra at age 16 in Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and De Falla’s Nights in the Gardens of Spain with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. She has since performed with the Warsaw Philharmonic in Poland and the RTE National Symphony Orchestra in Ireland, among others. She has appeared in recital at Chopin’s birthplace in Poland, Salle Cortot in Paris, Musikverein in Vienna, Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Aspen Music Festival, Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series in Chicago, and Avery Fisher Hall, Alice Tully Hall, and Carnegie Hall in New York. Born in Washington, D.C., to Japanese-Korean parents, Ms. Kudo began studying piano at age 4 with Emilio del Rosario and continued at The Juilliard School and the Mannes College of Music. Her past teachers include Richard Goode, Yoheved Kaplinsky, and Gilbert Kalish, and she currently studies with Leon Fleisher. She enjoys yoga, cooking, and traveling.

Honggi Kim – Cliburn 2017 Quarterfinal Recital

HONGGI KIM
South Korea | Age 25

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Quarterfinal Round Recital – Tuesday, May 30, 2017 – 7:30 p.m.
Bass Performance Hall

Program:

HAYDN Sonata in E Major, Hob. XVI:31
RACHMANINOFF Sonata No. 1 in D Minor, op. 28

Honggi Kim won the Isang Yun International Music Competition in Korea and also has earned top prizes at the Geneva International Music Competition and China International Piano Competition. He was born in Seoul and pursued music at the Seoul Arts High School and Korea National University of Arts. He is a graduate of the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München and is now studying at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt with Arnulf von Arnim. Mr. Kim has given recitals in Switzerland, Italy, Germany, China, Singapore, Japan, and Korea, and performed with orchestras including Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Macau Orchestra, Changwon Symphony Orchestra, Wonju Symphony Orchestra, and Korean Symphony Orchestra. Away from the piano, Mr. Kim enjoys jogging and cooking.

Han Chen – Cliburn 2017 Quarterfinal Recital

HAN CHEN
Taiwan| Age 25

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Quarterfinal Round Recital – Tuesday, May 30, 2017 – 5:15 p.m.
Bass Performance Hall

Program:

SHOSTAKOVICH Prelude and Fugue in D-flat Major, op. 87, no. 15
ADÈS Three Mazurkas, op. 27
LISZT Sonata in B Minor

Han Chen, a native of Taichung, Taiwan, studied with Yoheved Kaplinsky at The Juilliard School, where he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees, in part on a Van Cliburn Alumni Scholarship. He continues his studies at the New England Conservatory with Wha Kyung Byun. As first-prize winner of the Sixth China International Piano Competition, Mr. Chen released his debut CD, of Liszt opera transcriptions, on Naxos Records. He has performed with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (under Vladimir Ashkenazy), Aspen Music Festival Brass Ensemble, China Symphony Orchestra, Macao Orchestra, Juilliard Orchestra, Lexington Philharmonic Orchestra, and National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, and given recitals in New York, Taiwan, and China. A modern-music enthusiast, Mr. Chen collaborated closely with Juilliard’s new-music ensemble, AXIOM (as in John Cage’s Concerto for Prepared Piano), and is on the roster of the New York-based Ensemble Échappé. His program of all New York-based composers at the new-music venue Spectrum was a Time Out New York critic’s pick. Mr. Chen also is an avid composer whose works have been performed in Taiwan, New York, Aspen, and beyond.

Yekwon Sunwoo – Cliburn 2017 Quarterfinal Recital

YEKWON SUNWOO
2017 CLIBURN GOLD MEDALIST
South Korea | Age 28

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Quarterfinal Round Recital – Tuesday, May 30, 2017 – 4:25 p.m.
Bass Performance Hall

Program:

SCHUBERT Sonata in C Minor, D. 958
RAVEL La Valse

Yekwon Sunwoo earned his bachelor’s degree at the Curtis Institute of Music and his master’s at The Juilliard School, and also studied with Richard Goode at the Mannes School of Music. He currently studies under Bernd Goetzke in Hannover. Mr. Sunwoo won first prizes at the 2015 International German Piano Award in Frankfurt, the 2014 Vendome Prize held at the Verbier Festival, the 2013 Sendai International Music Competition, and the 2012 William Kapell International Piano Competition. He has performed with the Juilliard Orchestra under Itzhak Perlman at Avery Fisher Hall, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra under Marin Alsop, Houston Symphony Orchestra, National Orchestra of Belgium, Sendai Philharmonic Orchestra, and others. He has given recitals at Carnegie Hall, Hamarikyu Asahi Hall in Tokyo, Wigmore Hall in London, Radio France and Salle Cortot in Paris, and Kumho Art Hall in Seoul. Mr. Sunwoo has been featured on WQXR’s McGraw-Hill Young Artists Showcase, and has performed chamber music for the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, with Ida Kavafian and Peter Wiley as part of Curtis On Tour, and with Roberto Diaz on the Bay Chamber Concerts.

Sergey Belyavskiy – Cliburn 2017 Quarterfinal Recital

SERGEY BELYAVSKIY
Russia | Age 23

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Quarterfinal Round Recital – Tuesday, May 30, 2017 – 2:30 p.m.
Bass Performance Hall

Program:

BEETHOVEN Variations and Fugue in E-flat Major, op. 35 (“Eroica”)
LISZT Faribolo Pasteur in G Minor
PROKOFIEV Sonata No. 2 in D Minor, op. 14

Born in Moscow to a family of musicians, Sergey Belyavskiy began playing piano at age 5 and enrolled at Central Music School under the Moscow State Conservatory at age 9. He won his first piano competition at 11, and has since won prizes at the Liszt, Sydney, Canals, and eMuse competitions, among others. His concerto appearances include the Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, Israel Sinfonietta Beer Sheva, the Symphony Orchestra of Valles, and the Moscow and Kazakhstan state orchestras. His recitals at major concert venues include Carnegie Hall in New York, Tchaikovsky Hall in Moscow, and Salle Cortot in Paris. Mr. Belyavskiy has attended master classes with Van Cliburn (in Moscow in 2011), Andrzej Jasinski, Leslie Howard, Yoheved Kaplinsky, and András Schiff, and completed studies at the Moscow Conservatory with Eliso Virsaladze in 2016. He now studies with Arie Vardi at the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music at Tel Aviv University. Mr. Belyavskiy has released three solo CDs, most recently of Chopin’s 24 Etudes. Besides music, his passions include swimming, running, dancing, and reading.

Georgy Tchaidze – Cliburn 2017 Quarterfinal Recital

GEORGY TCHAIDZE
Russia | Age 29

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Quarterfinal Round Recital – Tuesday, May 30, 2017 – 10:00 a.m.
Bass Performance Hall

Program:

SCHUBERT Impromptu in A-flat Major, D. 935, op. 142, no. 2
SCHUBERT Impromptu in B-flat Major, D. 935, op. 142, no. 3
PROKOFIEV Sonata No. 8 in B-flat Major, op. 84

Georgy Tchaidze was born in St. Petersburg and earned his master’s degree at the Moscow Conservatory. He has won prizes at several competitions, including first at the 2009 Honens International Piano Competition, fourth at the 2016 Cleveland International Piano Competition, and first at the 2015 Top of the World International Piano Competition in Tromsø, Norway. Mr. Tchaidze has performed throughout Europe, North America, and Asia, including at Wigmore Hall in London, Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall, Konzerthaus Berlin, Het Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing. He performed with Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra under Pinchas Zukerman and with the Cleveland Orchestra with conductor Bramwell Tovey. As a chamber artist, he tours with the Cecilia and Borodin string quartets. Mr. Tchaidze has released three recordings on the Honens label: a live recording with the Cecilia String Quartet, an all-Schubert album, and a disc of works by Medtner, Mussorgsky and Prokofiev. He studies in Berlin, where his other passions include literature, cinema, and nature.

Martin James Bartlett – Cliburn 2017 Quarterfinal Recital

Martin James Bartlett
United Kingdom | Age 20

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Quarterfinal Round Recital – Monday, May 29, 2017 – 4:25 p.m.
Bass Performance Hall

Program:

SCARLATTI Sonata in E Major, K. 380
SCARLATTI Sonata in B Minor, K. 27
GRANADOS “El amor y la muerte” from Goyescas, op. 11
SCHUMANN-LISZT Widmung
PROKOFIEV Sonata No. 7 in B-flat Major, op. 83

Martin James Bartlett won the title of BBC Young Musician in 2014 and has since appeared regularly on BBC TV and radio broadcasts. In 2016, he performed as part of Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th birthday Thanksgiving Service at St. Paul’s Cathedral, broadcast live on BBC One. He also was one of 27 international artists, including Elton John and Stevie Wonder, chosen by the BBC to record a cover of the Beach Boys’ classic God Only Knows. Mr. Bartlett is currently studying with Vanessa Latarche at the Royal College of Music as a Foundation Scholar. He has performed at the Royal Albert Hall, Barbican Centre, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Wigmore Hall, Cadogan Hall, Usher Hall, and Steinway Hall in London. Internationally, he has performed across France, Monaco, Italy, Russia, and Serbia. He made his BBC Proms debut in 2015 with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. He also has performed with the BBC Concert, BBC Symphony, Bournemouth Symphony, and European Union Chamber orchestras. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, traveling, and wine collecting.

Tristan Teo – Cliburn 2017 Quarterfinal Recital

TRISTAN TEO
Canada | Age 20

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Quarterfinal Round Recital – Monday, May 29, 2017 – 3:20 p.m.
Bass Performance Hall

Program:

BACH Toccata in D Minor, BWV 913
RAVEL Gaspard de la nuit
KAPUSTIN Variations, op. 41

Tristan Teo was born in Vancouver, where he started piano lessons at age 6. He graduated from high school with honors at 15 and is now enrolled in the accelerated bachelor’s/master’s program at The Juilliard School, studying with Jerome Lowenthal. He is a proud recipient of a Kovner Fellowship at Juilliard, where he is also a Secondary Piano Teaching Fellow, teaching instrumentalists at all degree levels. Since his orchestral debut at age 10, Mr. Teo has performed with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, and Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. He has won awards at several international piano competitions, including second place at the 2016 Hilton Head International Piano Competition, and prizes at the Virginia Waring, ePiano International, Bösendorfer and Schimmel USASU, Cooper, and PianoArts competitions. Mr. Teo has given recitals in the United States, Canada, France, Germany, and Italy in venues such as Salle Cortot in Paris and the McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert, California. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, cooking, and watching movies.

Dasol Kim – Cliburn 2017 Quarterfinal Recital

DASOL KIM
South Korea | Age 28

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Quarterfinal Round Recital – Monday, May 29, 2017 – 2:30 p.m.
Bass Performance Hall

Program:

SCRIABIN Sonata No. 4 in F-sharp Major, op. 30
CHOPIN 24 Preludes, op. 28

Dasol Kim has performed with the New York Philharmonic, Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, Berlin Konzerthaus Orchestra, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, and many more, and with notable conductors including Alan Gilbert, Marin Alsop, and David Zinman. He was a first-prize winner of the 2015 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, 2010 Young Concert Artists European Auditions, and 2011 Epinal International Piano Competition. Mr. Kim has appeared at festivals including La Roque-d’Anthéron in France, the Kissinger Sommer in Germany, and the PyeongChang Music Festival in Korea. His chamber-music collaborators include cellists Gautier Capuçon and Myung-wha Chung, violinist Svetlin Roussev, and violist Maxim Rysanov, among others. His debut CD, Dasol Kim Plays Schumann, was released on Deutsche Grammophon in 2015. He currently studies at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover with Arie Vardi. Away from the piano, Mr. Kim loves literature, movies, and running, as well as restaurants and wine.

Ilya Shmukler – Cliburn 2017 Quarterfinal Recital

ILYA SHMUKLER
Russia | Age 22

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Quarterfinal Round Recital – Monday, May 29, 2017 – 11:55 a.m.
Bass Performance Hall

Program:

BACH-BUSONI Chaconne in D Minor, BWV 1004
RAVEL Pavane pour une infante défunte
STRAVINSKY Trois mouvements de Petrouchka

Moscow native Ilya Shmukler studies piano with Elena Kuznetsova at the Moscow Conservatory. He has frequently performed in the leading concert halls of Russia, including in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Ekaterinburg, and Kazan, as well as in Austria, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Bulgaria, Germany, Lithuania, Moldova, and Kazakhstan. Mr. Shmukler has won awards at a number of piano competitions, including grand prizes of the 2009 Musica Classica and the 2012 Scriabin-Rachmaninoff competitions in Russia, and second prize in the 2012 International Rachmaninov Music Competition. He has played with several orchestras, most notably the Mariinsky Theatre Symphony Orchestra. When not playing piano, he enjoys cinema, literature, art, swimming, and table tennis.

Leonardo Pierdomenico – Cliburn 2017 Quarterfinal Recital

LEONARDO PIERDOMENICO
Italy | Age 24

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Quarterfinal Round Recital – Monday, May 29, 2017 – 10:50 a.m.
Bass Performance Hall

Program:

LISZT Ballade No. 2 in B Minor
RACHMANINOFF Variations on a Theme by Chopin, op. 22

Leonardo Pierdomenico is studying for his master’s degree under Benedetto Lupo at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome. Born in Pescara, he graduated from the Luisa D’Annunzio conservatory there, then studied at the Fiesole School of Music. Mr. Pierdomenico won the 2011 Premio Venezia piano competition in Venice and was a semifinalist at the 2016 Queen Elisabeth Competition, where his Chopin Ballade No. 1 in G Minor was included on the best-of-competition CD, released by harmonia mundi. Mr. Pierdomenico was named a fellow of the 2016 Music Academy of the West Festival in Santa Barbara, where he worked with artists such as Jeremy Denk, Jerome Lowenthal, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Julian Martin, and Leon Fleisher. He also has played solo recitals in Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands, and in the major venues of Italy, and his performances have been featured on the radio in Belgium, Italy, and Santa Barbara, California. In 2011, he was awarded a medal for his artistic achievements by Italian President Giorgio Napolitano. When not at the piano, Mr. Pierdomenico especially enjoys painting and soccer.

Su Yeon Kim – Cliburn 2017 Quarterfinal Recital

SU YEON KIM
South Korea | Age 23

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Quarterfinal Round Recital – Monday, May 29, 2017 – 10:00 a.m.
Bass Performance Hall

Program:

SCHUMANN Kreisleriana, op. 16
LISZT Vallée d’Obermann

Su Yeon Kim began playing piano at age 5 and studied at the Korean Institute for the Gifted in Arts at Korea National University of Arts. Since 2013, she has continued her studies with Pavel Gililov at the Mozarteum University of Salzburg. Ms. Kim was a semifinalist at the 17th Chopin International Piano Competition in 2015 and at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in 2016. She also won first prize at the 2014 Johann Nepomuk Hummel International Piano Competition. In 2015, Ms. Kim performed a recital at Hercules Hall in Munich, Germany. She has appeared on KBS Classic FM (the Korean Broadcasting System) and performed extensively in Korea, Japan, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Spain, Italy, and Slovakia, including on a concert series sponsored by Kawai Piano.

Alyosha Jurinic – Cliburn 2017 Preliminary Recital

ALYOSHA JURINIC
Croatia| Age 28

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Preliminary Round Recital – Sunday, May 28, 2017 – 4:25 p.m.
Bass Performance Hall

Program:

DEBUSSY Rêverie
BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 13 in E-flat Major, op. 27, no. 1 (“Quasi una fantasia”)
HAMELIN Toccata on “L’homme armé”
SCHUMANN-LISZT Widmung
LISZT Concert Etude No. 2 in F Minor “La Leggierezza”
LISZT Hungarian Rhapsody No. 11 in A Minor

Alyosha Jurinic won the International Robert Schumann Competition in 2012, and was a fifth-prize winner of the 2016 Queen Elisabeth Piano Competition and a finalist at the 2015 International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition. He won the Best Young Musician Award from the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra, and is the youngest-ever recipient of the Croatian Ministry of Culture’s Vladimir Nazor Award, given annually for highest achievement in the arts. Mr. Jurinic made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2015 and has performed with the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra, Croatian Radio-Television Symphony Orchestra, Warsaw Philharmonic, National Orchestra of Belgium, Royal Flemish Philharmonic Orchestra, Kosovo Philharmonic, and others. His festival appearances include Piano Fortissimo in Zagreb, Dubrovnik Summer Festival in Croatia, Kiev Summer Music Evenings, and Serate Musicali in Milan, as well as Chopin festivals in Serbia, France (the George Sand House), and Chopin’s birthplace in Poland. Mr. Jurinic is currently studying with Grigory Gruzman at the Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt in Weimar. His passions include film, TV, pop music, books, fitness, and soccer tactics.

Rachel Kudo – Cliburn 2017 Preliminary Recital

RACHEL KUDO
United States | Age 30

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Preliminary Round Recital – Sunday, May 28, 2017 – 3:20 p.m.
Bass Performance Hall

Program:

BACH Overture in the French Style in B Minor, BWV 831
HAMELIN Toccata on “L’homme armé”
BARBER Sonata for Piano, op. 26

A winner of the Gilmore Young Artist Award, Rachel Kudo gave her first performances with orchestra at age 16 in Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and De Falla’s Nights in the Gardens of Spain with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. She has since performed with the Warsaw Philharmonic in Poland and the RTE National Symphony Orchestra in Ireland, among others. She has appeared in recital at Chopin’s birthplace in Poland, Salle Cortot in Paris, Musikverein in Vienna, Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Aspen Music Festival, Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series in Chicago, and Avery Fisher Hall, Alice Tully Hall, and Carnegie Hall in New York. Born in Washington, D.C., to Japanese-Korean parents, Ms. Kudo began studying piano at age 4 with Emilio del Rosario and continued at The Juilliard School and the Mannes College of Music. Her past teachers include Richard Goode, Yoheved Kaplinsky, and Gilbert Kalish, and she currently studies with Leon Fleisher. She enjoys yoga, cooking, and traveling.

Honggi Kim – Cliburn 2017 Preliminary Recital

HONGGI KIM
South Korea | Age 25

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Preliminary Round Recital – Sunday, May 28, 2017 – 2:30 p.m.
Bass Performance Hall

Program:

HAMELIN Toccata on “L’homme armé”
CHOPIN Rondo in E-flat Major, op. 16
RAVEL Gaspard de la nuit
LISZT-VOLODOS Hungarian Rhapsody No. 13 in A Minor

Honggi Kim won the Isang Yun International Music Competition in Korea and also has earned top prizes at the Geneva International Music Competition and China International Piano Competition. He was born in Seoul and pursued music at the Seoul Arts High School and Korea National University of Arts. He is a graduate of the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München and is now studying at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt with Arnulf von Arnim. Mr. Kim has given recitals in Switzerland, Italy, Germany, China, Singapore, Japan, and Korea, and performed with orchestras including Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Macau Orchestra, Changwon Symphony Orchestra, Wonju Symphony Orchestra, and Korean Symphony Orchestra. Away from the piano, Mr. Kim enjoys jogging and cooking.

Han Chen – Cliburn 2017 Preliminary Recital

HAN CHEN
Taiwan| Age 25

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Preliminary Round Recital – Sunday, May 28, 2017 – 11:55 a.m.
Bass Performance Hall

Program:

CARTER Caténaires (2006)
RACHMANINOFF Étude-tableau in G Minor, op. 33, no. 8
RACHMANINOFF Étude-tableau in C-sharp Minor, op. 33, no. 9
HAYDN Sonata in D Major Hob.XVI:42
HAMELIN Toccata on “L’homme armé”
LISZT Réminiscences de Don Juan

Han Chen, a native of Taichung, Taiwan, studied with Yoheved Kaplinsky at The Juilliard School, where he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees, in part on a Van Cliburn Alumni Scholarship. He continues his studies at the New England Conservatory with Wha Kyung Byun. As first-prize winner of the Sixth China International Piano Competition, Mr. Chen released his debut CD, of Liszt opera transcriptions, on Naxos Records. He has performed with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (under Vladimir Ashkenazy), Aspen Music Festival Brass Ensemble, China Symphony Orchestra, Macao Orchestra, Juilliard Orchestra, Lexington Philharmonic Orchestra, and National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, and given recitals in New York, Taiwan, and China. A modern-music enthusiast, Mr. Chen collaborated closely with Juilliard’s new-music ensemble, AXIOM (as in John Cage’s Concerto for Prepared Piano), and is on the roster of the New York-based Ensemble Échappé. His program of all New York-based composers at the new-music venue Spectrum was a Time Out New York critic’s pick. Mr. Chen also is an avid composer whose works have been performed in Taiwan, New York, Aspen, and beyond.

Yekwon Sunwoo – Cliburn 2017 Preliminary Recital

YEKWON SUNWOO
2017 CLIBURN GOLD MEDALIST
South Korea | Age 28

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Preliminary Round Recital – Sunday, May 28, 2017 – 10:50 a.m.
Bass Performance Hall

Program:

HAYDN Sonata in C Major, Hob. XVI:48
HAMELIN Toccata on “L’homme armé”
SCHUBERT-LISZT Litanei auf das Fest Aller Seelen
RACHMANINOFF Sonata No. 2 in B-flat Minor, op. 36 (1931)

Yekwon Sunwoo earned his bachelor’s degree at the Curtis Institute of Music and his master’s at The Juilliard School, and also studied with Richard Goode at the Mannes School of Music. He currently studies under Bernd Goetzke in Hannover. Mr. Sunwoo won first prizes at the 2015 International German Piano Award in Frankfurt, the 2014 Vendome Prize held at the Verbier Festival, the 2013 Sendai International Music Competition, and the 2012 William Kapell International Piano Competition. He has performed with the Juilliard Orchestra under Itzhak Perlman at Avery Fisher Hall, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra under Marin Alsop, Houston Symphony Orchestra, National Orchestra of Belgium, Sendai Philharmonic Orchestra, and others. He has given recitals at Carnegie Hall, Hamarikyu Asahi Hall in Tokyo, Wigmore Hall in London, Radio France and Salle Cortot in Paris, and Kumho Art Hall in Seoul. Mr. Sunwoo has been featured on WQXR’s McGraw-Hill Young Artists Showcase, and has performed chamber music for the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, with Ida Kavafian and Peter Wiley as part of Curtis On Tour, and with Roberto Diaz on the Bay Chamber Concerts.

Tony Yike Yang – Cliburn 2017 Preliminary Recital

TONY YIKE YANG
Canada | Age 18

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Preliminary Round Recital – Sunday, May 28, 2017 – 10:00 a.m.
Bass Performance Hall

Program:

BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 30 in E Major, op. 109
HAMELIN Toccata on “L’homme armé”
PROKOFIEV Sonata No. 7 in B-flat Major, op. 83

Tony Yike Yang is enrolled at Harvard University and the New England Conservatory of Music, where he studies with Wha Kyung Byun. He previously studied in the Pre-College Division at The Juilliard School and at the Taylor Academy of the Royal Conservatory in Toronto. Mr. Yang won fifth prize at the 2015 International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition as well as the Ewa & Włodzimierz Kamirski Award for the Youngest Finalist, and earned a Jury Discretionary Award at the First Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition in 2015. He also has won top prizes at Thomas & Evon Cooper, Hilton Head, Bösendorfer and Yamaha USASU International Junior, and Gina Bachauer International Junior piano competitions. He has appeared with The Cleveland Orchestra, Warsaw Philharmonic, Montreal’s Orchestre Metropolitain, and Toronto Sinfonietta. When he’s not playing piano, Mr. Yang loves badminton, ping-pong, video games, swimming, movies, and spicy food.

Sergey Belyavskiy – Cliburn 2017 Preliminary Recital

SERGEY BELYAVSKIY
Russia | Age 23

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Preliminary Round Recital – Saturday, May 27, 2017 – 9:25 p.m.
Bass Performance Hall

Program:

SCHUBERT Fantasie in C Major, D. 760, op. 15 (“Der Wanderer”)
HAMELIN Toccata on “L’homme armé”
TANEEV Prelude and Fugue in G-sharp Minor, op. 29
LISZT Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 in C-sharp Minor

Born in Moscow to a family of musicians, Sergey Belyavskiy began playing piano at age 5 and enrolled at Central Music School under the Moscow State Conservatory at age 9. He won his first piano competition at 11, and has since won prizes at the Liszt, Sydney, Canals, and eMuse competitions, among others. His concerto appearances include the Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, Israel Sinfonietta Beer Sheva, the Symphony Orchestra of Valles, and the Moscow and Kazakhstan state orchestras. His recitals at major concert venues include Carnegie Hall in New York, Tchaikovsky Hall in Moscow, and Salle Cortot in Paris. Mr. Belyavskiy has attended master classes with Van Cliburn (in Moscow in 2011), Andrzej Jasinski, Leslie Howard, Yoheved Kaplinsky, and András Schiff, and completed studies at the Moscow Conservatory with Eliso Virsaladze in 2016. He now studies with Arie Vardi at the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music at Tel Aviv University. Mr. Belyavskiy has released three solo CDs, most recently of Chopin’s 24 Etudes. Besides music, his passions include swimming, running, dancing, and reading.

Rachel Cheung – Cliburn 2017 Preliminary Recital

RACHEL CHEUNG
Hong Kong | Age 25

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Preliminary Round Recital – Saturday, May 27, 2017 – 7:30 p.m.
Bass Performance Hall

Program:

SCHUBERT Drei Klavierstücke, D. 946
DEBUSSY Voiles from Preludes, Book I
DEBUSSY Ce qu’a vu le vent d’ouest from Preludes, Book I
LISZT Mephisto Waltz No. 1
HAMELIN Toccata on “L’homme armé”

Rachel Cheung, who has been a Young Steinway Artist since 2011, has studied with Peter Frankl at the Yale School of Music and with Eleanor Wong at the Hong Kong Academy for the Performing Arts. She has won numerous prizes and awards, including fifth prize at the Leeds International Piano Competition, and was a semifinalist at the International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition. Last year, she won a Carnegie Weill Hall debut recital as a special prize in the New York Concert Artists Worldwide Debut Audition—that debut will take place in March 2018. She has collaborated with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra under Edo de Waart, Sydney Symphony with Vladimir Ashkenazy, London Chamber Orchestra, St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Beethoven Orchestra Bonn, and Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra. She has performed recitals at the Auditorium du Louvre in Paris, London’s Steinway Hall, and the Richmond Hill Centre for Performing Arts in Toronto, among others. Ms. Cheung has twice been honored by the Hong Kong government for her contributions to culture and performed in the gala concert in Kiev celebrating the centenary of Vladimir Horowitz.

Sun-A Park- Cliburn 2017 Preliminary Recital

SUN-A PARK
United States | Age 29

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Preliminary Round Recital – Saturday, May 27, 2017 – 4:25 p.m.
Bass Performance Hall

Program:

BACH Capriccio in B-flat Major, BWV 992 (“On the departure of a beloved brother”)
HAMELIN Toccata on “L’homme armé”
SCHUMANN Humoreske in B-flat Major, op. 20

Sun-A Park was born in Busan, South Korea, and grew up in New Jersey. She began piano at age 4 and studied at The Juilliard School, where she completed undergraduate and graduate programs. She currently studies with Boris Berman at the Yale School of Music. Ms. Park has won prizes at several competitions including the 2013 Sendai International Music Competition, 2011 Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition, and the 2000 Gina Bachauer Junior International Piano Competition. Concerto engagements have included performances with the Houston Symphony Orchestra, San Marino Republic Orchestra, Orchestra Haydn, New Jersey Symphony, and Albany Symphony. She has performed at Alice Tully Hall and Benaroya Hall in the United States, National Dublin Hall in Ireland, Sejong Arts Center in South Korea, the Miguel Delibes Cultural Center in Spain, and the Sendai Cultural Center in Japan. Ms. Park loves animals (especially dogs) and relishes traveling and visiting art galleries and museums.

Georgy Tchaidze- Cliburn 2017 Preliminary Recital

GEORGY TCHAIDZE
Russia | Age 29

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Preliminary Round Recital – Saturday, May 27, 2017 – 2:30 p.m.
Bass Performance Hall

Program:

SCARLATTI Sonata in D Minor, K. 77
BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 31 in A-flat Major, op. 110
HAMELIN Toccata on “L’homme armé”
RACHMANINOFF Étude-tableau in C Minor, op. 33, no. 3
RACHMANINOFF Étude-tableau in C-sharp Minor, op. 33, no. 9

Georgy Tchaidze was born in St. Petersburg and earned his master’s degree at the Moscow Conservatory. He has won prizes at several competitions, including first at the 2009 Honens International Piano Competition, fourth at the 2016 Cleveland International Piano Competition, and first at the 2015 Top of the World International Piano Competition in Tromsø, Norway. Mr. Tchaidze has performed throughout Europe, North America, and Asia, including at Wigmore Hall in London, Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall, Konzerthaus Berlin, Het Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing. He performed with Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra under Pinchas Zukerman and with the Cleveland Orchestra with conductor Bramwell Tovey. As a chamber artist, he tours with the Cecilia and Borodin string quartets. Mr. Tchaidze has released three recordings on the Honens label: a live recording with the Cecilia String Quartet, an all-Schubert album, and a disc of works by Medtner, Mussorgsky and Prokofiev. He studies in Berlin, where his other passions include literature, cinema, and nature.

Nikita Abrosimov- Cliburn 2017 Preliminary Recital

NIKITA ABROSIMOV
Russia | Age 28

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Preliminary Round Recital – Saturday, May 27, 2017 – 11:55 a.m.
Bass Performance Hall

Program:

RACHMANINOFF Variations on a Theme by Corelli, op. 42
HAMELIN Toccata on “L`homme armé”
STRAVINSKY Trois mouvements de Petrouchka

Nikita Abrosimov was born in the Urals in Russia and began studying piano at age 6. After earning his undergraduate degree at the M.A. Balakirev Music College in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, he studied at Indiana University and the Royal College of Music. In 2011, he won the World Piano Competition in Cincinnati, and the next year he was awarded the prestigious Gawon International Music Society Award in Seoul, South Korea. Mr. Abrosimov has performed at piano festivals in Russia, Europe, and the United States, and his notable concerto appearances include the Stars of the White Nights festival in St. Petersburg, where he performed with the Mariinsky Theatre Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Valery Gergiev. He also has played recitals in New York (Weill Recital Hall, Alice Tully Hall), Seoul (Yongsan Art Hall), and St. Petersburg (Mariinsky Concert Hall), among others. Mr. Abrosimov lives in Nizhny Novgorod with his wife and young son..

Nikolay Khozyainov – Cliburn 2017 Preliminary Recital

NIKOLAY KHOZYAINOV
Russia| Age 24

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Preliminary Round Recital – Saturday, May 27, 2017 – 10:50 a.m.
Bass Performance Hall

Program:

HAYDN Sonata in D Major, Hob. XVI:33
CHOPIN Etude in C Major, op. 10, no. 1
RACHMANINOFF Étude-Tableau in C Minor, op. 39, no. 1
LISZT Après un lecture de Dante (Fantasia quasi sonata)
HAMELIN Toccata on “L’homme armé”

Nikolay Khozyainov was born in Blagoveshchensk in far eastern Russia and made his debut at the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory at age 7 in a Handel piano concerto. He won first prize at the Dublin International Piano Competition, second prize at the Sydney International Piano Competition, and was a finalist at the International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition. Mr. Khozyainov has performed at Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall in London, and Lincoln Center in New York, Kennedy Center in Washington, the Théâtre de Champs-Élysées and the Louvre in Paris, Tchaikovsky Hall in Moscow, and Suntory Hall in Tokyo. He has recorded several CDs and has performed concertos with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, Czech National Symphony Orchestra, Russian State Symphony Orchestra, and many others. Mr. Khozyainov is now pursuing an advanced degree at the Hochschule für Musik Theater und Medien Hannover, where he studies with Arie Vardi. When he’s not playing piano, he likes listening to opera and often visits opera theaters.

Luigi Carroccia – Cliburn 2017 Preliminary Recital

LUIGI CARROCCIA
Italy | Age 25

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Preliminary Round Recital – Saturday, May 27, 2017 – 10:00 a.m.
Bass Performance Hall

Program:

GLUCK-SGAMBATI “Mélodie” from Orfeo ed Euridice
CHOPIN Polonaise-Fantaisie in A-flat Major, op. 61
SCRIABIN Sonata No. 3 in F-sharp Minor, op. 23
HAMELIN Toccata on “L’homme armé”

Luigi Carroccia was born into a musical family, and his first piano teachers were his father and grandfather. He continued studies at the Claudio Monteverdi Conservatory in Bolzano, where he earned undergraduate and master’s degrees with honors. He has won prizes in many competitions, such as the Maria Herrero International Competition in Granada and the Premio Abbado, organized by the Italian Ministry of Culture in memory of Claudio Abbado.  He also was a finalist at the 2015 Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition and a semifinalist at the 2015 International Fryderyk Chopin Competition. Mr. Carroccia has given numerous recitals in Naples, Rome, and elsewhere in Italy, as well as in Poland, the United States, Great Britain, Bulgaria, and Germany. Besides music, his passions include cooking.

Yutong Sun – Cliburn 2017 Preliminary Recital

YUTONG SUN
China | Age 21

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Preliminary Round Recital – Friday, May 26, 2017 – 9:25 p.m.
Bass Performance Hall

Program:

HAMELIN Toccata on “L’homme armé”
SHOSTAKOVICH Prelude and Fugue in D Minor, op. 87, no. 24
CHOPIN Nocturne in C Minor, op. 48, no. 1
PROKOFIEV Sonata No. 7 in B-flat Major, op. 83

Yutong Sun studies with Alexander Korsantia at the New England Conservatory. He has won awards at a number of competitions, including third prize at the 2016 Maria Canals International Piano Competition in Barcelona, first prize at the 2012 Jaén Award International Piano Competition (Spain), and second prize at the 2011 New Orleans International Piano Competition for Young Artists. He made his recital debut at age 10 in Beijing and his orchestra debut with the Orchestra of Granada in Spain at age 16. Mr. Sun has performed with orchestras and in recital in China, France, Spain, and the United States. In 2013, he released a recording of a recital performance as part of the Laureate Series on the Naxos label. When not playing music, he likes to watch movies and sports.

Yury Favorin – Cliburn 2017 Preliminary Recital

YURY FAVORIN
Russia | Age 30

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Preliminary Round Recital – Friday, May 26, 2017 – 8:20 p.m.
Bass Performance Hall

Program:

PROKOFIEV Four Etudes, op. 2
TCHAIKOVSKY Two Pieces, op. 10
HAMELIN Toccata on “L’homme armé”
LISZT Réminiscences de Puritains de Bellini

Moscow native Yury Favorin started his music instruction at age 5, and pursued piano, clarinet, and composition at the Gnessins Moscow Secondary Special School. He continued his education at the Moscow Conservatory and at the Mozarteum in Salzburg. In 2016, he was invited to be on the faculty of the Moscow Conservatory. Mr. Favorin has won prizes at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels and the Olivier Messiaen International Piano Competition in Paris. He has played with conductors including Pierre Boulez and Marin Alsop, and given recitals in Russia, the United States, France, Germany, Austria, Norway, Hungary, Italy,  Sweden, Poland,  Japan, and more. He is a regular participant in music festivals such as Crazy Days in Nantes, France, and in Japan; and La Rocque-d’Anthéron in France. Mr. Favorin enjoys premiering works by contemporary composers. His many recordings include Liszt and 20th-century Russian composers, but also new music and improvisations. He has been part of several groups devoted to freely improvised music, including his own ERROR 404.

Ilya Maximov – Cliburn 2017 Preliminary Recital

ILYA MAXIMOV
Russia | Age 30

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Preliminary Round Recital – Friday, May 26, 2017 – 4:25 p.m.
Bass Performance Hall

Program:

FRANCK-BAUER Prélude, Fugue et Variations, op. 18
HAMELIN Toccata on “L’homme armé”
RACHMANINOFF Prelude in G-sharp Minor, op. 32, no. 12
RACHMANINOFF Sonata No. 2 in B-flat Minor, op. 36 (1931)

Ilya Maximov, winner of the 2015 G.B. Viotti International Piano Competition in Italy, has been a top prizewinner at more than 15 competitions, including the Maria Canals, Hilton Head, Jose Iturbi, and the Scottish international piano competitions. In 2011, he received the audience award at Musical Olympus festival in St. Petersburg. He has performed at top concert halls and festivals in Europe, Asia, and the United States, including Palau de la Musica in Barcelona, Salle Cortot in Paris, Carnegie Hall, Chamber Hall of Berlin Philharmonie, and more. He regularly performs as a recitalist and with orchestras such as Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Teatro Carlo Felice Orchestra, Wuhan Symphony Orchestra, Singapore Symphony Orchestra, and National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba. Born in Yekaterinburg, Russia, Mr. Maximov played his first concerto with the Yekaterinburg Philharmonic Orchestra at age 8. He graduated from Royal College of Music in London and Universität Mozarteum Salzburg. When not at the piano, Mr. Maximov enjoys chess.

Martin James Bartlett – Cliburn 2017 Preliminary Recital

Martin James Bartlett
United Kingdom | Age 20

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Preliminary Round Recital – Friday, May 26, 2017 – 3:20 p.m.
Bass Performance Hall

Program:

BACH Toccata in C Minor, BWV 911
HAMELIN Toccata on “L’homme armé”
SCHUBERT Impromptu in G-flat Major, D. 899, op. 90, no. 3
BARBER Sonata for Piano, op. 26

Martin James Bartlett won the title of BBC Young Musician in 2014 and has since appeared regularly on BBC TV and radio broadcasts. In 2016, he performed as part of Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th birthday Thanksgiving Service at St. Paul’s Cathedral, broadcast live on BBC One. He also was one of 27 international artists, including Elton John and Stevie Wonder, chosen by the BBC to record a cover of the Beach Boys’ classic God Only Knows. Mr. Bartlett is currently studying with Vanessa Latarche at the Royal College of Music as a Foundation Scholar. He has performed at the Royal Albert Hall, Barbican Centre, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Wigmore Hall, Cadogan Hall, Usher Hall, and Steinway Hall in London. Internationally, he has performed across France, Monaco, Italy, Russia, and Serbia. He made his BBC Proms debut in 2015 with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. He also has performed with the BBC Concert, BBC Symphony, Bournemouth Symphony, and European Union Chamber orchestras. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, traveling, and wine collecting.

Philipp Scheucher – Cliburn 2017 Preliminary Recital

PHILIPP SCHEUCHER
Austria | Age 24

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Preliminary Round Recital – Friday, May 26, 2017 – 2:30 p.m.
Bass Performance Hall

Program:

BEETHOVEN Fantasia in G Minor, op. 77
HAMELIN Toccata on “L’homme armé”
AUERBACH Prelude in D Minor, op. 41, no. 24
LISZT Consolation No. 3
LISZT Rhapsodie espagnole

Philipp Scheucher was born in Graz, Austria, and began music studies at age 5. He earned his bachelor’s degree at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz and is now in the master’s program there under the tutelage of Markus Schirmer. Mr. Scheucher has performed in some of Europe’s most important concert halls, including the Golden Hall at the Vienna Musikverein, Gewandhaus in Leipzig, Hercules Hall in Munich, and Konzerthaus Berlin. He also has performed in France, Italy, Spain, Denmark, Poland, Croatia, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. He won first prizes at the 2015 Aarhus International Piano Competition in Denmark and at the 2014 Cologne International Piano Competition, and second prizes at the 2015 Ferenc Liszt Competition in Italy and the 2016 UNISA International Piano Competition in South Africa. Mr. Scheucher has performed with the Graz Philharmonic, the K&K Philharmonic, and Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestras. His other passions include books, skateboarding, movies and TV, and driving.

Caterina Grewe – Cliburn 2017 Preliminary Recital

CATERINA GREWE
Germany | Age 29

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Preliminary Round Recital – Friday, May 26, 2017 – 11:55 a.m.
Bass Performance Hall

Program:

HAYDN Sonata in D Major, Hob. XVI:33
HAMELIN Toccata on “L’homme armé”
SCRIABIN Sonata No. 3 in F-sharp Minor, op. 23
LISZT Trübe Wolken (Nuages gris)
LISZT Transcendental Etude No. 8 “Wilde Jagd”

Born in Tokyo, German-Japanese pianist Caterina Grewe is a Steinway Artist who has given recitals at Royal Albert Hall, at Steinway Halls in London and Hamburg, and at venues in Dublin, Barcelona, and Moscow. Her recitals have been broadcast by the BBC, NDR in Hamburg, and Radio France in Paris. She has made concerto appearances with the Classic Philharmonic Orchestra Hamburg, Oldenburg State Orchestra, Jove Orquestra Nacional de Catalunya (Barcelona), and RTE National Symphony Orchestra (Ireland). She was a prize winner at the 2015 Maria Canals International Piano Competition and the 2015 Dublin International Piano Competition. Ms. Grewe was listed as “an artist to watch” by Gramophone after her debut CD (2016), which features Schumann’s Davidsbündlertänze and his Sonata No. 3. Ms. Grewe studied at Chetham’s School of Music and the Royal College of Music, where she was awarded the HRH Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Rose Bowl by the Prince of Wales for her achievements. She is completing her Konzertexamen under the tutelage of Alfredo Perl at the Hochschule für Musik in Detmold. Ms. Grewe enjoys travel and all forms of art, from painting to fashion, and is a big tennis fan.

Tristan Teo – Cliburn 2017 Preliminary Recital

TRISTAN TEO
Canada | Age 20

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Preliminary Round Recital – Friday, May 26, 2017 – 10:50 a.m.
Bass Performance Hall

Program:

HAMELIN Toccata on “L’homme armé”
BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 31 in A-flat Major, op. 110
LISZT Totentanz for Solo Piano

Tristan Teo was born in Vancouver, where he started piano lessons at age 6. He graduated from high school with honors at 15 and is now enrolled in the accelerated bachelor’s/master’s program at The Juilliard School, studying with Jerome Lowenthal. He is a proud recipient of a Kovner Fellowship at Juilliard, where he is also a Secondary Piano Teaching Fellow, teaching instrumentalists at all degree levels. Since his orchestral debut at age 10, Mr. Teo has performed with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, and Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. He has won awards at several international piano competitions, including second place at the 2016 Hilton Head International Piano Competition, and prizes at the Virginia Waring, ePiano International, Bösendorfer and Schimmel USASU, Cooper, and PianoArts competitions. Mr. Teo has given recitals in the United States, Canada, France, Germany, and Italy in venues such as Salle Cortot in Paris and the McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert, California. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, cooking, and watching movies.

Dasol Kim – Cliburn 2017 Preliminary Recital

DASOL KIM
South Korea | Age 28

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Preliminary Round Recital – Friday, May 26, 2017 – 10:00 a.m.
Bass Performance Hall

Program:

HAYDN Sonata in E Major, Hob. XVI:31
ALBENIZ “Triana” from Iberia, Book II
HAMELIN Toccata on “L’homme armé”
RAVEL Gaspard de la nuit

Dasol Kim has performed with the New York Philharmonic, Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, Berlin Konzerthaus Orchestra, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, and many more, and with notable conductors including Alan Gilbert, Marin Alsop, and David Zinman. He was a first-prize winner of the 2015 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, 2010 Young Concert Artists European Auditions, and 2011 Epinal International Piano Competition. Mr. Kim has appeared at festivals including La Roque-d’Anthéron in France, the Kissinger Sommer in Germany, and the PyeongChang Music Festival in Korea. His chamber-music collaborators include cellists Gautier Capuçon and Myung-wha Chung, violinist Svetlin Roussev, and violist Maxim Rysanov, among others. His debut CD, Dasol Kim Plays Schumann, was released on Deutsche Grammophon in 2015. He currently studies at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover with Arie Vardi. Away from the piano, Mr. Kim loves literature, movies, and running, as well as restaurants and wine.

Su Yeon Kim – Cliburn 2017 Preliminary Recital

SU YEON KIM
South Korea | Age 23

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Preliminary Round Recital – Thursday, May 25, 2017 – 4:25 p.m.
Bass Performance Hall

Program:

SCRIABIN Sonata No. 2 in G-sharp Minor, op. 19
HAMELIN Toccata on “L’homme armé”
BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 21 in C Major, op. 53 (“Waldstein”)
KREISLER-RACHMANINOFF Liebesfreud

Su Yeon Kim began playing piano at age 5 and studied at the Korean Institute for the Gifted in Arts at Korea National University of Arts. Since 2013, she has continued her studies with Pavel Gililov at the Mozarteum University of Salzburg. Ms. Kim was a semifinalist at the 17th Chopin International Piano Competition in 2015 and at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in 2016. She also won first prize at the 2014 Johann Nepomuk Hummel International Piano Competition. In 2015, Ms. Kim performed a recital at Hercules Hall in Munich, Germany. She has appeared on KBS Classic FM (the Korean Broadcasting System) and performed extensively in Korea, Japan, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Spain, Italy, and Slovakia, including on a concert series sponsored by Kawai Piano.

Madoka Fukami – Cliburn 2017 Preliminary Recital

MADOKA FUKAMI
Japan | Age 28

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Preliminary Round Recital – Thursday, May 25, 2017 – 3:20 p.m.
Bass Performance Hall

Program:

GINASTERA Sonata No. 1, op. 22
BEETHOVEN Rondo in G Major, op. 51, no. 2
HAMELIN Toccata on “L’homme armé”
RAVEL “Ondine” from Gaspard de la nuit
CHOPIN Polonaise-Fantaisie in A-flat Major, op. 61

Madoka Fukami studied at the Tokyo National University of the Arts, then earned two master’s degrees at the Conservatoire national supérieur de musique de Paris, and a concert artist diploma at the Ecole normale de musique de Paris. She has been artist in residence at Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Belgium under the direction of Maria João Pires. Ms. Fukami has won prizes at more than 10 international competitions and has performed with the NHK Orchestra, Porto National Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Chamber Orchestra of Wallonia, and the Chamber Orchestra of Paris. Her recent recital and concerto appearances include the Théâtre des Champs Élysées in Paris and the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, among others. She has a particular passion for French music. She won the Maurice Ravel Foundation prize for her Ravel performances at the Long-Thibaud-Crespin competition, and her recital of Debussy’s complete etudes was broadcast by Radio France’s France Musique. She loves cooking, fitness, musical theater, and visiting art galleries.

Kenny Broberg – Cliburn 2017 Semifinal Recital

KENNY BROBERG
2017 CLIBURN SILVER MEDALIST
United States | Age 23

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Semifinal Round Recital – Monday, June 5, 2017 – 3:50 p.m.
Bass Performance Hall

Program:

SCHUBERT Four Impromptus, D. 899, op. 90
LISZT Sonata in B Minor

A native of Minneapolis, Kenneth Broberg studied piano from age 6 through high school under Dr. Joseph Zins. He continued his studies with Nancy Weems at the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music, where he earned a Bachelor of Music degree. He is now a graduate student working with 2001 Cliburn gold medalist Stanislav Ioudenitch at Park University in Parkville, Missouri. Mr. Broberg has won first prizes at the Hastings and Dallas international piano competitions, in addition to medals at the Sydney, Seattle, New Orleans, and Wideman (Shreveport) competitions. Several of his performances at last year’s Sydney International Piano Competition were released on CD on the Universal Music label. He has performed as soloist with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, Sydney Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Dallas Chamber Symphony, and the Louisiana Philharmonic, among others. Mr. Broberg has had solo, chamber, and concerto performances broadcast on NPR and ABC (Australia) radio. His passions include hockey, baseball, books, and movies.

Leonardo Pierdomenico – Cliburn 2017 Semifinal Recital

LEONARDO PIERDOMENICO
Italy | Age 24

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Semifinal Round Recital – Monday, June 5, 2017 – 2:30 p.m.
Bass Performance Hall

Program:

BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 4 in E-flat Major, op. 7
CHOPIN Ballade No. 1 in G Minor, op. 23
CHOPIN Ballade No. 2 in F Major, op. 38
CHOPIN Ballade No. 3 in A-flat Major, op. 47
CHOPIN Ballade No. 4 in F Minor, op. 52

Leonardo Pierdomenico is studying for his master’s degree under Benedetto Lupo at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome. Born in Pescara, he graduated from the Luisa D’Annunzio conservatory there, then studied at the Fiesole School of Music. Mr. Pierdomenico won the 2011 Premio Venezia piano competition in Venice and was a semifinalist at the 2016 Queen Elisabeth Competition, where his Chopin Ballade No. 1 in G Minor was included on the best-of-competition CD, released by harmonia mundi. Mr. Pierdomenico was named a fellow of the 2016 Music Academy of the West Festival in Santa Barbara, where he worked with artists such as Jeremy Denk, Jerome Lowenthal, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Julian Martin, and Leon Fleisher. He also has played solo recitals in Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands, and in the major venues of Italy, and his performances have been featured on the radio in Belgium, Italy, and Santa Barbara, California. In 2011, he was awarded a medal for his artistic achievements by Italian President Giorgio Napolitano. When not at the piano, Mr. Pierdomenico especially enjoys painting and soccer.

Rachel Cheung – Cliburn 2017 Semifinal Recital

RACHEL CHEUNG
Hong Kong | Age 25

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Semifinal Round Recital – Sunday, June 4, 2017 – 3:50 p.m.
Bass Performance Hall

Program:

SCHUMANN Kreisleriana, op. 16
PROKOFIEV Sonata No. 6 in A Major, op. 82

Rachel Cheung, who has been a Young Steinway Artist since 2011, has studied with Peter Frankl at the Yale School of Music and with Eleanor Wong at the Hong Kong Academy for the Performing Arts. She has won numerous prizes and awards, including fifth prize at the Leeds International Piano Competition, and was a semifinalist at the International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition. Last year, she won a Carnegie Weill Hall debut recital as a special prize in the New York Concert Artists Worldwide Debut Audition—that debut will take place in March 2018. She has collaborated with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra under Edo de Waart, Sydney Symphony with Vladimir Ashkenazy, London Chamber Orchestra, St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Beethoven Orchestra Bonn, and Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra. She has performed recitals at the Auditorium du Louvre in Paris, London’s Steinway Hall, and the Richmond Hill Centre for Performing Arts in Toronto, among others. Ms. Cheung has twice been honored by the Hong Kong government for her contributions to culture and performed in the gala concert in Kiev celebrating the centenary of Vladimir Horowitz.

Han Chen – Cliburn 2017 Semifinal Recital

HAN CHEN
Taiwan| Age 25

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Semifinal Round Recital – Sunday, June 4, 2017 – 2:30 p.m.
Bass Performance Hall

Program:

BACH-BUSONI Chaconne in D Minor, BWV 1004
SCRIABIN Fantasie in B Minor, op. 28
JANÁČEK Piano Sonata 1 .X. 1905 (“From the Street”)
SCHUBERT Fantasie in C Major, D. 760, op. 15 (“Der Wanderer”)

Han Chen, a native of Taichung, Taiwan, studied with Yoheved Kaplinsky at The Juilliard School, where he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees, in part on a Van Cliburn Alumni Scholarship. He continues his studies at the New England Conservatory with Wha Kyung Byun. As first-prize winner of the Sixth China International Piano Competition, Mr. Chen released his debut CD, of Liszt opera transcriptions, on Naxos Records. He has performed with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (under Vladimir Ashkenazy), Aspen Music Festival Brass Ensemble, China Symphony Orchestra, Macao Orchestra, Juilliard Orchestra, Lexington Philharmonic Orchestra, and National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, and given recitals in New York, Taiwan, and China. A modern-music enthusiast, Mr. Chen collaborated closely with Juilliard’s new-music ensemble, AXIOM (as in John Cage’s Concerto for Prepared Piano), and is on the roster of the New York-based Ensemble Échappé. His program of all New York-based composers at the new-music venue Spectrum was aTime Out New York critic’s pick. Mr. Chen also is an avid composer whose works have been performed in Taiwan, New York, Aspen, and beyond.

Yekwon Sunwoo – Cliburn 2017 Semifinal Recital

YEKWON SUNWOO
2017 CLIBURN GOLD MEDALIST
South Korea | Age 28

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Semifinal Round Recital – Saturday, June 3, 2017 – 3:20 p.m.
Bass Performance Hall

Program:

BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 30 in E Major, op. 109
STRAUSS-GRAINGER “Ramble on the Last Love-duet” from Richard Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier
PROKOFIEV Sonata No. 6 in A Major, op. 82

Yekwon Sunwoo earned his bachelor’s degree at the Curtis Institute of Music and his master’s at The Juilliard School, and also studied with Richard Goode at the Mannes School of Music. He currently studies under Bernd Goetzke in Hannover. Mr. Sunwoo won first prizes at the 2015 International German Piano Award in Frankfurt, the 2014 Vendome Prize held at the Verbier Festival, the 2013 Sendai International Music Competition, and the 2012 William Kapell International Piano Competition. He has performed with the Juilliard Orchestra under Itzhak Perlman at Avery Fisher Hall, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra under Marin Alsop, Houston Symphony Orchestra, National Orchestra of Belgium, Sendai Philharmonic Orchestra, and others. He has given recitals at Carnegie Hall, Hamarikyu Asahi Hall in Tokyo, Wigmore Hall in London, Radio France and Salle Cortot in Paris, and Kumho Art Hall in Seoul. Mr. Sunwoo has been featured on WQXR’s McGraw-Hill Young Artists Showcase, and has performed chamber music for the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, with Ida Kavafian and Peter Wiley as part of Curtis On Tour, and with Roberto Diaz on the Bay Chamber Concerts.

Tony Yike Yang – Cliburn 2017 Semifinal Recital

TONY YIKE YANG
Canada | Age 18

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Semifinal Round Recital – Saturday, June 3, 2017 – 2:30 p.m.
Bass Performance Hall

Program:

SCARLATTI Sonata in A Major, K. 212
SCARLATTI Sonata in D Minor, K. 9
CHOPIN Sonata No. 2 in B-flat Minor, op. 35
MUSSORGSKY Pictures at an Exhibition

Tony Yike Yang is enrolled at Harvard University and the New England Conservatory of Music, where he studies with Wha Kyung Byun. He previously studied in the Pre-College Division at The Juilliard School and at the Taylor Academy of the Royal Conservatory in Toronto. Mr. Yang won fifth prize at the 2015 International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition as well as the Ewa & Włodzimierz Kamirski Award for the Youngest Finalist, and earned a Jury Discretionary Award at the First Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition in 2015. He also has won top prizes at Thomas & Evon Cooper, Hilton Head, Bösendorfer and Yamaha USASU International Junior, and Gina Bachauer International Junior piano competitions. He has appeared with The Cleveland Orchestra, Warsaw Philharmonic, Montreal’s Orchestre Metropolitain, and Toronto Sinfonietta. When he’s not playing piano, Mr. Yang loves badminton, ping-pong, video games, swimming, movies, and spicy food.

Georgy Tchaidze – Cliburn 2017 Semifinal Recital

GEORGY TCHAIDZE
Russia | Age 29

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Semifinal Round Recital – Friday, June 2, 2017 – 8:50 p.m.
Bass Performance Hall

Program:

SCHUMANN Waldszenen, op. 82
MEDTNER “Alla Reminiszenza” from Forgotten Melodies, op. 38
MUSSORGSKY Pictures at an Exhibition

Georgy Tchaidze was born in St. Petersburg and earned his master’s degree at the Moscow Conservatory. He has won prizes at several competitions, including first at the 2009 Honens International Piano Competition, fourth at the 2016 Cleveland International Piano Competition, and first at the 2015 Top of the World International Piano Competition in Tromsø, Norway. Mr. Tchaidze has performed throughout Europe, North America, and Asia, including at Wigmore Hall in London, Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall, Konzerthaus Berlin, Het Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing. He performed with Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra under Pinchas Zukerman and with the Cleveland Orchestra with conductor Bramwell Tovey. As a chamber artist, he tours with the Cecilia and Borodin string quartets. Mr. Tchaidze has released three recordings on the Honens label: a live recording with the Cecilia String Quartet, an all-Schubert album, and a disc of works by Medtner, Mussorgsky and Prokofiev. He studies in Berlin, where his other passions include literature, cinema, and nature.

Honggi Kim -Cliburn 2017 Semifinal Recital

HONGGI KIM
South Korea | Age 25

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Semifinal Round Recital – Friday, June 2, 2017 – 3:50 p.m.
Bass Performance Hall

Program:

VINE Sonata No. 1
SCHUMANN Kreisleriana, op. 16
TCHAIKOVSKY-FEINBERG Scherzo from Symphony No. 6 “Pathétique”

Honggi Kim won the Isang Yun International Music Competition in Korea and also has earned top prizes at the Geneva International Music Competition and China International Piano Competition. He was born in Seoul and pursued music at the Seoul Arts High School and Korea National University of Arts. He is a graduate of the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München and is now studying at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt with Arnulf von Arnim. Mr. Kim has given recitals in Switzerland, Italy, Germany, China, Singapore, Japan, and Korea, and performed with orchestras including Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Macau Orchestra, Changwon Symphony Orchestra, Wonju Symphony Orchestra, and Korean Symphony Orchestra. Away from the piano, Mr. Kim enjoys jogging and cooking.

Yutong Sun – Cliburn 2017 Semifinal Recital

YUTONG SUN
China | Age 21

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Semifinal Round Recital – Friday, June 2, 2017 – 2:30 p.m.
Bass Performance Hall

Program:
BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 26 in A-flat Major, op. 81a (“Les Adieux”)
LISZT Un sospiro
MUSSORGSKY Pictures at an Exhibition

Yutong Sun studies with Alexander Korsantia at the New England Conservatory. He has won awards at a number of competitions, including third prize at the 2016 Maria Canals International Piano Competition in Barcelona, first prize at the 2012 Jaén Award International Piano Competition (Spain), and second prize at the 2011 New Orleans International Piano Competition for Young Artists. He made his recital debut at age 10 in Beijing and his orchestra debut with the Orchestra of Granada in Spain at age 16. Mr. Sun has performed with orchestras and in recital in China, France, Spain, and the United States. In 2013, he released a recording of a recital performance as part of the Laureate Series on the Naxos label. When not playing music, he likes to watch movies and sports.

Dasol Kim – Cliburn 2017 Semifinal Recital

DASOL KIM
South Korea | Age 28

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Semifinal Round Recital – Thursday, June 1, 2017 – 8:50 p.m.
Bass Performance Hall

Program:

MENDELSSOHN Fantasie in F-sharp Minor, op. 28 (“Scottish Sonata”)
KAPUSTIN Intermezzo in D-flat Major, op. 40, no. 7
SCHUBERT Sonata in B-flat Major, D. 960

Dasol Kim has performed with the New York Philharmonic, Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, Berlin Konzerthaus Orchestra, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, and many more, and with notable conductors including Alan Gilbert, Marin Alsop, and David Zinman. He was a first-prize winner of the 2015 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, 2010 Young Concert Artists European Auditions, and 2011 Epinal International Piano Competition. Mr. Kim has appeared at festivals including La Roque-d’Anthéron in France, the Kissinger Sommer in Germany, and the PyeongChang Music Festival in Korea. His chamber-music collaborators include cellists Gautier Capuçon and Myung-wha Chung, violinist Svetlin Roussev, and violist Maxim Rysanov, among others. His debut CD, Dasol Kim Plays Schumann, was released on Deutsche Grammophon in 2015. He currently studies at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover with Arie Vardi. Away from the piano, Mr. Kim loves literature, movies, and running, as well as restaurants and wine.

Julia Kociuban – Cliburn 2017 Preliminary Recital

JULIA KOCIUBAN
Poland | Age 25

Preliminary Round Recital – Thursday, May 25, 2017 – 2:30 p.m.

Program:
BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 13 in E-flat Major, op. 27, no. 1 (“Quasi una fantasia”)
HAMELIN Toccata on “L’homme armé”
SZYMANOWSKI Etude in B-flat Minor, op. 4, no. 3
PROKOFIEV Sonata No. 7 in B-flat Major, op. 83

Born in Krakow, Julia Kociuban started her piano education at age 5 and graduated from the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw. She currently studies with Pavel Gililov at Universität Mozarteum Salzburg. In 2015, she was the first Polish semifinalist in the history of the International Tchaikovsky Competition, and in 2016 she won third prize at the International Mozart Competition in Salzburg. Ms. Kociuban has performed at venues in Europe (Hercules Hall in Munich, Konzerthaus in Vienna, and Laeiszhalle in Hamburg), North America, and Asia. She has collaborated with the NDR Symphony Orchestra and Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, among others, and worked with conductors including Hans Graf, Neeme Jarvi, and Kristjan Jarvi. In 2015, her debut solo album, Schumann, Chopin, Bacewicz, was released on the Polish classical label Dux. Her album Karneval der Tiere with the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra and Lahav Shani was released in 2016. Her other interests include art, books, movies, and cooking.