Glossary: h

Huan Yang

Huan Yang

A native of China, pianist Huan Yang is an avid collaborator and educator—she loves to make music with her friends and students! She earned an undergraduate degree from the Central Conservatory of Music (Beijing) and moved to the United States to complete a master’s degree at Northwestern University in Chicago. Currently, she is an adjunct instructor at Tarrant County College and serves as a staff pianist at Texas Christian University, where she also received her DMA degree in piano performance.

Outside of classical music, Huan performs church music of various styles, including contemporary, pop, and jazz. When not practicing the piano, Huan likes to cultivate her succulent garden.

Hando Nahkur

Hando Nahkur

Described as “consistently amazing in his ability to blend both the technical and interpretive demands of his repertoire,” (WholeNote) internationally acclaimed pianist Hando Nahkur has captivated audiences around the globe in performances as a recitalist, soloist, and collaborative artist. He has appeared with orchestras in the United States, Canada, Costa Rica, Estonia, Sweden, and Germany. In recital, he has performed at major concert venues such as the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the National Theatre in Costa Rica, and the Casa de la Cultura de Reynosa in Mexico. Local audiences have enjoyed his performances at the Meyerson Symphony Center and Steinway Hall in Fort Worth.

Hando was the National Winner of the Eurovision International Competition for Musicians in Austria, and a special prize winner in the Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition. As a recording artist, Hando has seven solo albums to his credit. His recording DeusExClavier reached the top of the music charts in Europe and was named “Record of the Year” by ZEIT-ONLINE in Germany.

Passionate about inspiring students to express themselves musically at the highest level possible, Hando has 20 years of teaching experience. He has served on the faculties of the University of Dallas, Lexington Music School, and Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts.

A native of Estonia, Hando received his early training at the Tallinn Music High School and the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre. He relocated to the United States for additional studies and earned degrees from the New England Conservatory of Music, Yale University, and University of North Texas.

Hanna Kozyak

HANNA KOZYAK Ганна Козяк

Ukraine  I  16

Hanna Kozyak began piano lessons when she was 6 and currently studies with Oksana Rapita at the Lviv Krushelnytska State Music Lyceum in her hometown. Since 2015, she has won 14 prizes at national and international competitions. She has given solo performances in Germany, Sweden, Ukraine, and Poland, and made her orchestral debut in 2019 with the Lviv National Philharmonic. Last year, she was awarded a presidential scholarship “For the most gifted young artists of Ukraine.” Away from the piano, she enjoys Alpine skiing, scouting, and literature.

 

JUNIOR COMPETITION LINKS
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Honggi Kim

Honggi Kim

South Korea  I  Age 30

In Honggi Kim’s childhood home in Wonju, his sister played an electric keyboard; his parents then encouraged him to start learning the instrument after he played the same pieces she did, on his own, by ear. During his middle school years at art school in Seoul, he also studied composition, which he credits with deepening his understanding of music and its logic, so that he could develop his own interpretations.

He went on to graduate from the Seoul Arts High School and Korea National University of Arts; he has lived and studied in Germany since 2014, at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München and the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am Main, with Arnulf von Arnim and Antti Siirala.

Honggi has been awarded prizes at numerous international piano competitions, including Geneva, China International, Isang Yun (Korea), Jaén (Spain), and Géza Anda (Switzerland). He was a semifinalist in the 2017 Cliburn Competition and, in 2019, won the Hong Kong International Piano Competition.

He 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, Münchner Kammerorchester, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, and Korean Symphony Orchestra.

REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round

SCARLATTI Sonata in B Minor, K. 87
SCARLATTI Sonata in B Minor, K. 27
SCARLATTI Sonata in G Major, K. 13
SCARLATTI Sonata in G Major, K. 455
HOUGH Fanfare Toccata
TCHAIKOVSKY–PLETNEV Suite from The Nutcracker

Quarterfinal Round

SCHUMANN Carnaval, op. 9
LISZT Hungarian Rhapsody No. 9 “Pesther Carneval”

Semifinal Round – Recital

RACHMANINOV Ten Preludes, op. 23
ADAMS China Gates
BARBER Sonata for Piano, op. 26

Semifinal Round – Mozart concerto

MOZART Piano Concerto No. 20 in D Minor, K. 466

Final Round – Concerto I

BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major, op. 15

Final Round – Concerto II

RACHMANINOV Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor, op. 30

CLIBURN COMPETITION LINKS

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Haochen Zhang

HAOCHEN ZHANG
2009 Cliburn GOLD MEDALIST
Final Round Recital
webcast live from Bass Performance Hall on June 6, 2009

 

PROGRAM
BRAHMS Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel, op. 24
RAVEL Gaspard de la nuit

ABOUT HAOCHEN
Haochen’s star continues to rise since his 2009 Cliburn win—notable achievements include two lauded discs for BIS Records, a 2017 Avery Fisher Career Grant, an ongoing relationship with The Philadelphia Orchestra (at home and on tour), and debuts with the BBC Proms, New York Philharmonic, and Moscow’s Easter Festival, among others. He enjoys collaborations with the world’s foremost conductors, as well as chamber music with the Shanghai, Tokyo, and Brentano Quartets. Only 19 when he won Cliburn gold, he graduated from Curtis three years later; he continues to live in Philadelphia and also enjoys expressing his creativity through painting. haochenzhang.com

HIROKO TOYA

HIROKO TOYA

AGE 65  I  TOKYO, JAPAN  I  JAPAN
ATTORNEY

After a commitment to the piano in her childhood, which included a performance with the Sapporo Symphony Orchestra when she was 12, Hiroko Toya decided to pursue a career in law. After passing the National Bar Exam, she worked as a public prosecutor in Japan for many years, dealing with criminal cases. More recently, she taught for three years at Meiji University’s School of Law, transitioning in 2016 to become an attorney for the government of Japan. She recommitted to the piano in 2008, and finished third in the Osaka amateur competition in 2015 and won a prize at Warsaw’s Chopin amateur competition in 2018. It was at the latter that she heard of the Cliburn Amateur from other participants and decided to apply; Hiroko’s goals for the Competition include sharing joy with the audience and meeting and learning from fellow pianists.

 

Repertoire

Preliminary Round

HAYDN Sonata in G Minor, Hob. XVI:44 (I)
MOMPOU Prelude No. 7 “Palmier d’étoiles”
DEBUSSY “La Puerta del vino” and “Ondine” from Préludes, Book II

Semifinal Round 

BACH Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 903
CHOPIN Mazurkas, op. 24, nos. 1 and 4
GRANADOS Allegro de concierto, op. 46

Final Round 

BEETHOVEN Concerto No. 1 in C Major, op. 15 (I)

HAJIME KOBAYASHI

HAJIME KOBAYASHI

AGE 54  I  NIZA, JAPAN  I  JAPAN
MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT

Tokyo-born Hajime Kobayashi makes his third Cliburn Amateur appearance this year, and, though he never received any formal piano training, his commitment to the artform extends to all areas of his life; he seriously and regularly works out at OrangeTheory to keep himself in shape so that he can “continue to brush up my piano performance for the next half century, pursuing the never-ending journey to reach ever higher levels.” A management consultant who holds both a Master of Engineering from the University of Tokyo and an M.B.A. from the University of Michigan, Hajime is a partner at Gemini Strategy Group, which focuses on enhancing business values throughout the business lifecycle through talent development, innovation, and hands-on operation improvements. His broad array of academic interests include mathematics, astronomy, philosophy, and architecture.

HARMONY ZHU

HARMONY ZHU

Canada I Age 13

A Steinway Young Artist, Harmony Zhu has performed with such renowned conductors as Leonard Slatkin, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Arie Vardi, and John Giordano. Last year, Harmony toured with the Israel Philharmonic, appeared with the Detroit Symphony for three concerts, and made her debuts at the Ravinia Festival and Aspen Music Festival as a soloist. The year prior, she opened The Philadelphia Orchestra’s season under Yannick Nézet-Séguin. November 2019 marks her debut at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium. A pupil of Yoheved Kaplinsky at Juilliard since 2014, Harmony won the Concerto Competition in her first year there. She has distinguished herself by garnering first prizes from an early age while competing within older age categories, winning competitions like Canadian Music Competition at only 6 for three years in a row and the Grand Prix at Chopin International Competition in Connecticut. Her most recent wins include being the youngest winner of the Bachauer Scholarship Competition and the Aspen Music Festival concerto competition. Harmony is also an accomplished composer and improviser, and plays violin. Harmony holds the World Champion title in her age group after winning the World Youth Chess Championships.

“I can never imagine my life without music—I eat, sleep, and breathe classical music! It is a way to communicate with people who are from different parts of the world and don’t speak the same language. It is something that everyone can understand and relate to.”

COMPETITOR PROFILE

Repertoire

Preliminary Round
RACHMANINOV Élégie in E-flat Minor, op. 3, no. 1
CHOPIN Etude in C-sharp Minor, op. 10, no. 4
BACH Prelude and Fugue in D Major, BWV 874
CARTER Caténaires

 

Quarterfinal Round

CHOPIN Nocturne in D-flat Major, op. 27, no. 2

BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 7 in D Major, op. 10, no. 3 (I)

CHOPIN Andante spianato et Grande Polonaise brillante, op. 22

BARBER Sonata for Piano, op. 26 (IV)

 

Semifinal Round

CHOPIN Preludes, op. 28, nos. 14-24

RAVEL “Ondine” from Gaspard de la nuit

LIEBERMANN Gargoyles, op. 29

 

Final Round

CHOPIN Concerto No. 1 in E Minor, op. 11

Hao Rao

Hao Rao

China I Age 15

Hao Rao grew up in the mountainside town of Jishou, China. Every week, his mother would take him on a 16-hour train ride to his piano lesson; he never tired of the trip and instead saw it as “departing for a great music journey with unknown surprises.” He now attends the Middle School of Xinghai Conservatory of Music in the sprawling city of Guangzhou, but still studies with his teacher of almost seven years, Vivian Li (Suirong). He has won three major national competitions in China, received prizes at the 2018 Ettlingen Competition and the 2019 Aarhus Competition, and—at the age of 13—presented the complete Chopin etudes in recital. He listens to opera and enjoys reading fiction, playing sports, and sampling desserts.

“I’ve been to several competitions or festivals abroad, and every time it was a life-changing inspiration with unforgettable memories, but the Cliburn Fort Worth… that’s almost like the Vatican for pianists. For me, it almost seems like a fairy tale, and I will treasure every moment of this journey.”

Competitor Profile

Repertoire

Preliminary Round
MENDELSSOHN Songs without Words, op. 67, nos. 1 & 5
BACH Prelude and Fugue in C Major, BWV 870
CHOPIN Etude in G-sharp Minor, op. 25, no. 6
LISZT Valse de l’opéra Faust (after Gounod)

Quarterfinal Round
CHOPIN Nocturne in D-flat Major, op. 27, no. 2
BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 4 in E-flat Major, op. 7 (I)
DEBUSSY Revêrie
DEBUSSY Les collines d’Anacapri from Preludes, Book I
BRAHMS Variations on a Theme by Paganini, Book II, op. 35

Semifinal Round

LIEBERMANN Nocturne No. 4, op. 38

SCHUBERT Four Impromptus, op. 90, D. 899

BIZET-HOROWITZ “Carmen” Fantasy

 

Final Round

CHOPIN Concerto No. 1 in E Minor, op. 11

Hao-Wei Lin

Hao-Wei Lin

Taiwan I Age 14

Hao-Wei Lin enjoys studying geography in his free time, which fits with one of his favorite results of playing the piano: “Music takes me all over the world to meet new friends.” He gave his first recital at the age of 10, and has performed in Taiwan, Canada, China, the United States, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland. His international young artist competition achievements include first-place finishes at Bradshaw & Buono in New York and Grotrian-Steinweg in Germany, as well as prizes at Cleveland, Aarhus, Ettlingen, and Fryderyk Chopin (Poland). He currently attends Taipei Municipal Zhongzheng Junior High School and studies piano with Chun-Chieh Yen.

“Music is like air to me. It can calm my mind and allows me to mature. I love the French composer Ravel, whose music reflects the real world we live in—his work has vibrant emotions and vivid colors, full of imagination.”

Competitor Profile

Repertoire

Preliminary Round
COUPERIN Le Tic-Toc-Choc ou Les Maillotins
BACH Prelude and Fugue in G-sharp Minor, BWV 863
SCRIABIN Etude in B Major, op. 8, no. 4
RACHMANINOV Prelude in G Major, op. 32, no. 5
DEBUSSY Pour les huit doigts from Etudes, Book I
LISZT La leggierezza from Three Concert Etudes

Quarterfinal Round
CHOPIN Nocturne in D-flat Major, op. 27, no. 2
HAYDN Sonata in B Minor, Hob. XVI:32
SCHUMANN Kinderszenen, op. 15

Semifinal Round

LIEBERMANN Nocturne No. 4, op. 38

RAVEL Miroirs

 

Final Round

RAVEL Concerto in G Major

Honggi Kim

Honggi Kim

South Korea | Age 25

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.

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Recital
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

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

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

Semifinal Concerto
MOZART Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major, K. 488

Final Round Piano Quintet
SCHUMANN Piano Quintet in E-flat Major, op. 44

Final Round Concerto
PROKOFIEV Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, op. 16

 

Han Chen

Han Chen

Taiwan | Age 25

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.

INSTAGRAM  Ι  WEBSITE

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Recital
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

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

Semifinal Recital
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”)

Semifinal Concerto
MOZART Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major, K. 467

Final Round Piano Quintet
DVOŘÁK Piano Quintet in A Major, op. 81

Final Round Concerto
RACHMANINOFF Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor, op. 30

Hajime Kobayashi

Hajime Kobayashi, 50
Management consultant
Niiza, Japan
Japan

Hajime Kobayashi, a 2011 Cliburn Amateur competitor, did not receive any formal music education, but was exposed to classical music as a child. He majored in architecture at the University of Tokyo, earning his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering. Later, he received an MBA from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. After a long interval away from the piano, he resumed playing in 2007 and has since won the Piano Teachers National Association Competition as well as the audition for the Artus Music Society. Mr. Kobayashi is looking forward to reuniting with competition friends this year, as well as brushing up on his piano skills. In his free time, he is interested in a broad array of academic concerns, from mathematics to Western history, and he likes to work out at his local gym, watch American television series, and garden.

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
MENDELSSOHN   Variations sérieuses, op. 54

Quarterfinal Round
CHOPIN   Mazurka in C-sharp Minor, op. 50, no. 3
RAVEL-GHINDIN   La Valse

Semifinal Round
SZYMANOWSKI   “L’ile des Sirenes ” from Metopes, op. 29
BACH   Prelude and Fugue in B Major, WTC II, BWV 892
SCRIABIN   Sonata No. 7, op. 64 “Messe blanche”

Final Round
SCHUMANN   Piano Concerto in A Minor, op. 54: III. Allegro vivace