Archives: Performers

Sun-A Park

Sun-A Park

United States | Age 29

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.

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COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Recital
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

Quarterfinal Recital
MOZART Sonata No. 2 in F Major, K. 280
CHOPIN Nocturne in B Major, op. 62, no. 1
CHOPIN Scherzo No. 4 in E Major, op. 54
SCRIABIN Sonata No. 5, op. 53

Semifinal Recital
CORIGLIANO Etude Fantasy
COUPERIN “L’exquise” from Vingt-septième ordre
DEBUSSY Images, Book I
BRAHMS Sonata No. 1 in C Major, op. 1

Semifinal Concerto
MOZART Piano Concerto No. 9 in E-flat Major, K. 271

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

Final Round Concerto
TCHAIKOVSKY Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat Minor, op. 23

 

Ilya Maximov

Ilya Maximov

Russia | Age 30

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.

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COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Recital
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)

Quarterfinal Recital
ALBÉNIZ “Evocación” from Iberia, Book I
ALBÉNIZ “El puerto” from Iberia, Book I
MUSSORGSKY Pictures at an Exhibition

Semifinal Recital
BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 9 in E Major, op. 14, no. 1
RACHMANINOFF Étude-tableau in C Minor, op. 33, no. 3
RACHMANINOFF Étude-tableau in D Minor, op. 33, no. 4
RACHMANINOFF Étude-tableau in C-sharp Minor, op. 33, no. 9
PROKOFIEV Sonata No. 8 in B-flat Major, op. 84

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
PROKOFIEV Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Major, op. 26

EunAe Lee

EunAe Lee

South Korea | Age 29

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.

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COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Recital
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”

Quarterfinal Recital
SCARLATTI Sonata in G Minor, K. 426
SCARLATTI Sonata in G Major, K. 455
BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 31 in A-flat Major, op. 110
LISZT Sonetto 104 del Petrarca
LISZT Hungarian Rhapsody No. 12 in C-sharp Minor

Semifinal Recital
WILD Hommage à Poulenc
BRAHMS Variations on a Theme by Handel, op. 24
RAVEL Sonatine
BARTÓK Sonata (1926)

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

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

Final Round Concerto
TCHAIKOVSKY Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat Minor, op. 23

 

Rachel Kudo

Rachel Kudo

United States | Age 30

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.

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COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

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

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

Semifinal Recital
MOZART Sonata No. 18 in D Major, K. 576
CHOPIN Nocturne in D-flat Major, op. 27, no. 2
CHOPIN Ballade No. 4 in F Minor, op. 52
BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 32 in C Minor, op. 111

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
BRAHMS Piano Concerto No. 1 in D Minor, op. 15

Julia Kociuban

Julia Kociuban

Poland | Age 25

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.

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COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Recital
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

Quarterfinal Recital
SCHUMANN Carnaval, op. 9
RAVEL La Valse

Semifinal Recital
MOZART Sonata No. 12 in F Major, K. 332
TCHAIKOVSKY Méditation, op. 72, no. 5
CHOPIN Sonata No. 3 in B Minor, op. 58

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
CHOPIN Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Minor, op. 21

Su Yeon Kim

Su Yeon Kim

South Korea | Age 23

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.

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COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Recital
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

Quarterfinal Recital
SCHUMANN Kreisleriana, op. 16
LISZT Vallée d’Obermann

Semifinal Recital
BACH-PETRI Schafe können sicher weiden, BWV 208
CHOPIN Sonata No. 3 in B Minor, op. 58
PROKOFIEV Sonata No. 6 in A Minor, op. 82

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

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

Final Round Concerto
CHOPIN Piano Concerto No. 1 in E Minor, op. 11

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

 

Dasol Kim

Dasol Kim

South Korea | Age 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.

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COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Recital
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

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

Semifinal Recital
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

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

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

Final Round Concerto
TCHAIKOVSKY Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat Minor, op. 23

 

Caterina Grewe

Caterina Grewe

Germany | Age 29

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.

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COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Recital
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”

Quarterfinal Recital
PROKOFIEV Sonata No. 2 in D Minor, op. 14
SCHUMANN Sonata No. 3 in F Minor, op. 14 (1836)

Semifinal Recital
TAKEMITSU Rain Tree Sketch II
SCHUMANN Davidsbündlertänze, op. 6
LISZT Après une lecture de Dante (Fantasia quasi sonata)

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

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

Final Round Concerto
RACHMANINOFF Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, op. 43

Nikolay Khozyainov

Nikolay Khozyainov

Russia | Age 24

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.

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COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Recital
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”

Quarterfinal Recital
BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 31 in A-flat Major, op. 110
RAVEL Pavane pour une infante défunte
STRAVINSKY Trois mouvements de Petrouchka

Semifinal Recital
CHOPIN Nocturne in C-sharp Minor, op. 27, no. 1
CHOPIN Ballade No. 2 in F Major, op. 38
SCHUMANN Fantasie in C Major, op. 17
LISZT-BUSONI Variations on Two Themes from Mozart’s Opera Marriage of Figaro

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

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

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

 

Alyosha Jurinic

Alyosha Jurinic

Croatia | Age 28

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.

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COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Recital
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

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

Semifinal Recital
SCHUBERT Sonata in A Major, D. 664, op. posth. 120
DORMAN Piano Sonata No. 5
CHOPIN Nocturne in D-flat Major, op. 27, no. 2
CHOPIN Mazurkas, op. 17 , nos. 1 and 2
CHOPIN Etudes, op. 25, nos. 1, 2, 6, 7, 11, and 12

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

 

Daniel Hsu

Daniel Hsu

United States | Age 19

A native of the San Francisco Bay area, Daniel Hsu began piano studies with Larisa Kagan at 6. He was accepted at age 10 to the Curtis Institute of Music, where he is the Richard A. Doran Fellow and studies with Gary Graffman and Eleanor Sokoloff. In 2016, Mr. Hsu was named a Gilmore Young Artist and won the bronze medal at the 9th Hamamatsu International Piano Competition. As first-prize winner of the 2015 Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition, Mr. Hsu made his Carnegie Hall debut in April 2017. He made his solo debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra in June 2016, and concerto appearances this season include concerts with the Grand Rapids Symphony, New Haven Symphony, and Symphonia Boca Raton. His notable recitals include appearances at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts; Chicago’s Dame Myra Hess Concert Series; and Merkin Concert Hall’s Tuesday matinee series in New York. Mr. Hsu also is a film buff and enjoys computer programming. He contributed to the creation of the Workflow productivity app, which won a 2015 Apple Design Award and has improved the experience of mobile devices for visually impaired users.

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COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Recital
BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 31 in A-flat Major, op. 110
HAMELIN Toccata on “L’homme armé”
LISZT Réminiscences de Don Juan

Quarterfinal Recital
BACH-BUSONI Chaconne in D Minor, BWV 1004
MUSSORGSKY Pictures at an Exhibition

Semifinal Recital
SCHUBERT Four Impromptus, D. 899, op. 90
BRAHMS Variations on a Theme by Handel, op. 24

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

Final Round Piano Quintet
FRANCK Piano Quintet in F Minor

Final Round Concerto
TCHAIKOVSKY Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat Minor, op. 23

 

Madoka Fukami

Madoka Fukami

Japan | Age 28

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.

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Recital
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

Quarterfinal Recital
STRAVINSKY Piano-Rag-Music
RAVEL Miroirs
SCHUBERT Sonata in A Major, D. 664, op. posth. 120

Semifinal Recital
C.P.E. BACH Keyboard Sonata in A Minor, Wq. 49, no. 1 “Württemberg”
DEBUSSY Études, Book II
MENDELSSOHN Rondo capriccioso, op. 14
LISZT Après une lecture de Dante (Fantasia quasi sonata)

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
LISZT Piano Concerto No. 2 in A Major

 

Yury Favorin

Yury Favorin

Russia | Age 30

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.

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COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

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

Quarterfinal Recital
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

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

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

Final Round Piano Quintet
FRANCK Piano Quintet in F Minor

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

 

Rachel Cheung

Rachel Cheung

Hong Kong | Age 25

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.

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COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Recital
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”

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

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

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

Final Round Piano Quintet
BRAHMS Piano Quintet in F Minor, op. 34

Final Round Concerto
BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, op. 58

 

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.

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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

Luigi Carroccia

Luigi Carroccia

Italy | Age 25

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.

FACEBOOK

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Recital
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”

Quarterfinal Recital
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

Semifinal Recital
SCHUBERT Sonata in B-flat Major, D. 960
BRAHMS Sechs Klavierstücke, op. 118

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
BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, op. 58

 

Kenneth Broberg

Kenneth Broberg

United States | Age 23

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.

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Recital
FRANCK-BAUER Prélude, Fugue et Variation, op. 18
HAMELIN Toccata on “L’homme armé”
BACH Toccata in C Minor, BWV 911
BARBER Sonata for Piano, op. 26

Quarterfinal Recital
SCRIABIN Sonata No. 4 in F-sharp Major, op. 30
CHOPIN Three Mazurkas, op. 59
CHOPIN Ballade No. 4 in F Minor, op. 52
LISZT Après une lecture de Dante (Fantasia quasi sonata)

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

Semifinal Concerto
MOZART Piano Concerto No. 25 in C Major, K. 503

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

Final Round Concerto
RACHMANINOFF Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, op. 43

 

Alina Bercu

Alina Bercu

Romania | Age 27

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.

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COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Recital
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

Quarterfinal Recital
LIEBERMANN Gargoyles, op. 29
SCHUMANN Carnaval, op. 9

Semifinal Recital
BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 30 in E Major, op. 109
CHOPIN Polonaise-Fantaisie in A-flat Major,op. 61
DEBUSSY Images, Book I
RACHMANINOFF Étude-tableau in F Minor, op. 33, no. 1
RACHMANINOFF Étude-tableau in D Major, op. 39, no. 9

Semifinal Concerto
MOZART Piano Concerto No. 9 in E-flat Major, K. 271

Final Round Piano Quintet
BRAHMS Piano Quintet in F Minor, op. 34

Final Round Concerto
PROKOFIEV Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Major, op. 26

 

Sergey Belyavskiy

Sergey Belyavskiy

Russia | Age 23

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.

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COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Recital
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

Quarterfinal Recital
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

Semifinal Recital
TCHAIKOVSKY Grand Sonata in G Major, op. 37
DEBUSSY La plus que lente
SIBELIUS Valse triste, op. 44, no. 1
LISZT Réminiscences de Don Juan

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

Final Round Piano Quintet
FRANCK Piano Quintet in F Minor

Final Round Concerto
TCHAIKOVSKY Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat Minor, op. 23

 

Martin James Bartlett

Martin James Bartlett

United Kingdom | Age 20

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.

FACEBOOK  Ι  TWITTER  Ι  INSTAGRAM  Ι  WEBSITE

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Recital
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

Quarterfinal Recital
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

Semifinal Recital
BACH Partita No. 2 in C Minor, BWV 826
BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 18 in E-flat Major, op. 31, no. 3
LISZT Sonetto 104 del Petrarca
PROKOFIEV Sonata No. 3 in A Minor, op. 28

Semifinal Concerto
MOZART Piano Concerto No. 24 in C Minor, K. 491

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

Final Round Concerto
TCHAIKOVSKY Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat Minor, op. 23

 

Joel Goodman

Joel Goodman, 67
Cell biologist/professor of pharmacology
Carrollton, Texas
United States

Joel Goodman’s first teacher was his mother, who taught him as a young boy. At college—where he petitioned the dean to have a piano in his dorm room—he minored in music. He took piano for a few years after college, and started up again in 1999 with Adam Wodnicki (University of North Texas) after being inspired by the first Cliburn Amateur Competition. Dr. Goodman plays regularly with the DFW Amateur Piano Club and often attends PianoTexas, where he has had the opportunity to perform with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra three times. Meanwhile, Dr. Goodman is on the faculty of University of Texas Southwestern Medical School (Dallas), where he directs a research program to understand how cells store fat, teaches medical and Ph.D. students, and administers the STARS outreach office to promote science education in secondary schools. Dr. Goodman enjoys riding his bicycle, attempts to read the New York Times Ten Best Books each year, and relaxes with his wife, daughter, and two young grandchildren.

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
BACH   Prelude and Fugue in E Major, WTC II, BWV 878
LISZT   Hungarian Rhapsody No. 10 in E Major

Quarterfinal Round
CHOPIN   Barcarolle in F-sharp Major, op. 60
RAVEL   “Une barque sur l’océan” from Miroirs

Semifinal Round
BRAHMS   Seven Fantasies, op. 116
GRANADOS   “El pelele: Escena Goyesca” from Goyescas, op. 11

Final Round
SCHUMANN   Piano Concerto in A Minor, op. 54: I. Allegro affetuoso

Jorge Zamora

Jorge Zamora, 43
Sales director
Mexico City, Mexico
Mexico

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

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
CHOPIN   Scherzo No. 2 in B-flat Minor, op. 31

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

Semifinal Round
SCHUMANN   Fantasie in C Major, op. 17

Final Round
BEETHOVEN   Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat Major, op. 73: III. Rondo (allegro)

Eberhard Zagrosek

Eberhard Zagrosek, 73
Retired physicist
Berlin, Germany
Germany

Eberhard Zagrosek, a retired physicist from Berlin, competed at the Cliburn Amateur in 2011. Growing up in Bavaria, he began playing piano at age 6, but gave up his musical pursuits for a career as a physicist. For nearly 30 years, Mr. Zagrosek worked in the electronics field, primarily for Siemens. Since his retirement in 1999, he has resumed piano lessons and has participated in amateur competitions in Colorado Springs, Colorado (second place), Washington, D.C. (second), and Boston (first). Mr. Zagrosek is the founder of an international piano competition in Berlin, which is supported by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. In recent years, he has also organized festivals and over 60 recitals in Berlin, Munich, and Stuttgart as an impresario for amateur pianists.

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
CHOPIN   Scherzo No. 1 in B Minor, op. 20

Quarterfinal Round
PROKOFIEV   Sonata No. 4 in C Minor, op. 29

Semifinal Round
CHOPIN   Polonaise-Fantaisie in A-flat Major, op. 61
LISZT   Variationen über ein Thema von Bach Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen

Final Round
BEETHOVEN   Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat Major, op. 73: III. Rondo (allegro)

Thomas Yu

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

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

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
McINTYRE   Butterflies and Bobcats 

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

Semifinal Round
DURAND   Prelude No. 1
BEETHOVEN   Sonata No. 32 in C Minor, op. 111  

Final Round
SAINT-SAËNS   Piano Concerto No. 5 in F Major, op. 103 (“Egyptian”): III. Molto allegro

Mari Yoshihara

Mari Yoshihara, 48
Professor of American studies
Honolulu, Hawaii
United States/Japan

Mari Yoshihara, a 2011 Cliburn Amateur competitor, has studied piano since childhood. Upon entering graduate school, she took a break, she says, and kept music compartmentalized, away from her professional life—until she began research that led to the publication of two works: Musicians from a Different Shore: Asians and Asian-Americans in Classical Music and a Japanese-language book about the 2009 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. Currently a professor of American studies at the University of Hawaii, she conducts research, teaching and writing on U.S. cultural history and United States-Asian relations. She was awarded first prize in the amateur division of the Aloha International Piano Festival in 2014; currently, she studies with Thomas Yee. Dr. Yoshihara has many great memories of her experience in Fort Worth, and she looks forward to reuniting with friends she made here. On a romantic note, she also met her current boyfriend, Jun Fujimoto, while participating in the 2011 Cliburn Amateur Competition.

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
BARBER   Excursions, op. 20: III. Allegretto
BATES   White Lies for Lomax

Quarterfinal Round
BEACH   “Dreaming” from Four Sketches, op. 15
BERNSTEIN   Touches: Chorale, Eight Variations and Coda
BOLCOM   “The Serpent’s Kiss” from Garden of Eden

Semifinal Round
BUNCH   Etudes Nos. 3, 7, & 11 from Monica’s Notebook
BACH-BUSONI   Chaconne in D Minor

Final Round
SAINT-SAËNS   Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, op. 22: I. Andante sostenuto

Kuan-Chuen Wu

Kuan-Chuen Wu, 42
Mechanical engineering Ph.D. student
Ames, Iowa
Taiwan/United States

Kuan-Chuen Wu was born in Taipei, Taiwan, in 1973, and nine years of piano lessons constitute his musical studies. Mr. Wu has excelled in academia, receiving his bachelor’s degree in electrical computer systems engineering from Harvard University in a five-year honors program, an MBA from Iowa State University, and a master’s degree in computational and mathematical engineering from Stanford University. He is currently pursuing his doctorate in mechanical engineering from Iowa State. (After graduating from Harvard, he spent five years surfing the dot-com wave before returning to school.) Mr. Wu competed in university-wide competitions at Iowa State. In 2014, he placed third in the American Protégé International Concerto Competition and in December 2015, performed at Carnegie Hall as part of a winner’s recital. Besides classical piano, Mr. Wu counts chess, mathematics, engineering, and physics among his interests.

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
CHOPIN   Prelude in B-flat Minor, op. 28, op. 16
LISZT   Transcendental Etude No. 4 in D Minor “Mazeppa”

Quarterfinal Round
CHOPIN   Prelude in D Minor, op. 28, no. 24
BEETHOVEN   Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp Minor, op. 27, no. 2: III. Presto agitato
CHOPIN   Etude in C Minor, op. 25, no. 12 (“Ocean”)
CHOPIN   Ballade No. 3 in A-flat Major, op. 47

Semifinal Round
LISZT   Liebesträum No. 3
BEETHOVEN   Sonata No. 23 in F Minor, op. 57 (“Appassionata”)

Final Round
MOZART   Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major, K. 467           I. Allegro maestoso

Rebecca Kao Wang

Rebecca Kao Wang, 47
Actuary
Tokyo, Japan
United States

Rebecca Kao Wang was born in Hong Kong and lives in Tokyo, but she grew up in the Boston area, studying music under Jade Lin in Newton, Massachusetts and Beatrice Erdely in Concord, Massachusetts. She minored in music and majored in computer science engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, graduating in 1990. In the ensuing 25 years, Ms. Wang has worked in the corporate world, became an actuary, and then married and became the mother of two now-teenage boys. Asia beckoned again for Ms. Wang, so the family moved in 2007 for her husband’s job. She took some time off from work to stay home with her kids (including one who has learning difficulties), but now that they’re nearly grown, Ms. Wang has found herself with more time to devote to playing the piano. She currently studies with Kaoru Fukuda in Tokyo. Entering the Amateur Competition is a dream of hers, giving her the incentive to return her music to performance-level, she says.

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
LISZT   Concert Etude No. 3 in D-flat Major (“Un Sospiro”)
RACHMANINOV   Prelude in E-flat Major, op. 23, no. 6

Quarterfinal Round
SCARLATTI   Sonata in D Minor, K. 9
MENDELSSOHN   Rondo Capriccioso in E Minor, op. 14
BARTÓK   Dances in Bulgarian Rhythm, from Mikrokosmos, Vol. 6, nos. 148-151

Semifinal Round
BEETHOVEN   Piano Sonata No. 21 in C Major, op. 53 (“Waldstein”)

Final Round
MOZART   Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major, K. 467: III. Allegro vivace assai

Shinji Wada

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

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

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
SCRIABIN   Poѐm in F-sharp Major, op. 32, no. 1
RACHMANINOV   Etude-Tableau in D Major, op. 39, no. 9

Quarterfinal Round
SCHUMANN-LISZT   Widmüng
RAVEL   La Valse

Semifinal Round
CHOPIN   Sonata No. 3 in B Minor, op. 58

Final Round
SCHUMANN   Piano Concerto in A Minor, op. 54: I. Allegro affetuoso

Clark Vann Griffith

Clark Vann Griffith, 52
Retired database programmer
Fort Worth, Texas
United States

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

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
BACH   Prelude and Fugue in F-sharp Minor, WTC I, BWV 859
BRAHMS   Intermezzo in A Major, op. 76, no. 6

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

Semifinal Round
WAGNER-GOULD   Siegfried-Idyll
VANN GRIFFITH   Largo, after Chopin (2016)
MENDELSSOHN   Rondo capriccioso, op. 14

Final Round
SHOSTAKOVICH   Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Major, op. 102: I. Allegro

Jasmin Tiodang

Jasmin Tiodang, 44
Stay-at-home mother
Carolina, Puerto Rico
Indonesia

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

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
GINASTERA   Suite de Danzas Criollas, op. 15

Quarterfinal Round
BACH-BUSONI   Chaconne in D Minor
SCHUMANN-LISZT   Widmüng

Semifinal Round
CHOPIN   Andante Spianato et Grande Polonaise Brillante, op. 22
MOZART   Sonata No. 10 in C Major, K. 330

Final Round
BEETHOVEN   Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, op. 37: I. Allegro con brio

J. Spencer Thompson

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

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

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
RACHMANINOV   Etude-Tableau in E-flat Minor, op. 39, no. 5
GERSHWIN-WILD   I’ve Got Rhythm

Quarterfinal Round
RAVEL   “Alborada del gracioso” from Miroirs
RACHMANINOV   Prelude in D Major, op. 23, no. 4
RACHMANINOV   Etude-Tableau in D Major, op. 39, no. 9

Semifinal Round
HAYDN   Sonata in A-flat Major, Hob. XVI:46
CHOPIN   Etude in A-flat Major, op. 25, no. 1 (“Aeolian Harp”)
GERSHWIN-WILD   Fascinatin’ Rhythm
RACHMANINOV   Prelude in E-flat Major, op. 23, no. 6
DUTILLEAUX   Choral et variations from Sonata, op. 1

Final Round
SHOSTAKOVICH   Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Major, op. 102: III. Allegro

Madalyn Taylor

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

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

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
CHOPIN   Mazurka in B-flat Minor, op. 24, no. 1
CHOPIN   Mazurka in B-flat Major, op. 7, no. 1
CHOPIN   Mazurka in F Minor, op. 7, no. 3
BACH-KEMPFF   “Siciliano” from Sonata No. 2 for Flute and Harpsichord, BWV 1031

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

Semifinal Round
SCHUBERT   Impromptu in B-flat Major, op. 142, no. 3
SCHUBERT   Impromptu in F Minor, op. 142, no. 4
MUCZYNSKI   Desperate Measures (Paganini Variations), op. 48
COLES-RICH   A Poor Wayfaring Man

Final Round
MENDELSSOHN   Piano Concerto No. 1 in G Minor, op. 25; III. Presto

Utako Tanigawa

Utako Tanigawa, 61
Computer science advisor
Dawsonville, Georgia
United States/Japan

Utako Tanigawa, a native of Japan, started playing the piano at the age of 3, but she stopped after 10 years. Later, she came to the United States and earned degrees in mathematics, computer science, software engineering, management science and engineering, and a Ph.D. in information systems. Dr. Tanigawa, who competed at the Cliburn Amateur in 2011, has been engaged in executive positions at global corporations such as American Express and Walmart for more than two decades, and she is also passionate about leadership development. About five years ago, she was diagnosed with cancer; at the same time, her love of music returned and provided what she calls a “tangible lifeline.” Today, music continues to play a key healing role as her recovery continues.

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
HAYDN   Sonata in E-flat Major, Hob. XVI:52: I. Allegro
SCHUMANN-LISZT   Widmüng 

Quarterfinal Round
SCARLATTI   Sonata in D Minor, K. 1
MENDELSSOHN   Rondo Capriccioso in E Minor, op. 14
LISZT   Concert Etude No. 3 in D-flat Major (“Un Sospiro”) 

Semifinal Round
MOZART   Fantasy in C Minor, K. 475 
BEETHOVEN   32 Variations in C Minor, WoO 80

Final Round
MOZART   Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major, K. 467: I. Allegro maestoso

David Swenson

David Swenson M.D., 64
Physician
Butler, Pennsylvania
United States

David Swenson studied the piano for 12 years with Earle C. Voorhies. In 1972, he placed first in the Amateur Championship Concerto Competition, but then chose to embark on a medical career. He graduated from the University of Virginia School of Medicine in 1982, and completed a residency in internal medicine. Dr. Swenson practiced medicine for 32 years, during which time he completely stepped away from the piano. Now semi-retired, he has redoubled his musical efforts, having been inspired by the extensive piano community he has found online. A new piano teacher aided him in preparing his application to this Competition. Dr. Swenson, who is active in his church, is looking forward to meeting other amateur piano acquaintances here whom he has connected with online.

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
CHOPIN   Scherzo No. 3 in C-sharp Minor, op. 39

Quarterfinal Round
BACH   “Sinfonia” from Partita No. 2 in C Minor, BWV 826
DEBUSSY   “Toccata” from Pour le piano
RACHMANINOV   Prelude in D Major, op. 23, no. 4
RACHMANINOV   Prelude in B-flat Major, op. 23, no. 2

Semifinal Round
BEETHOVEN   Sonata No. 30 in E Major, op. 109
LISZT   Concert Etude No. 2 in F Minor (“La Leggierezza”) 

Final Round
BEETHOVEN   Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, op. 37: I. Allegro con brio

Sean Sutherland

Sean Sutherland, 39
Entrepreneur/lecturer
Montréal, Québec
St. Vincent and The Grenadines/Canada

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

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
SCRIABIN   Sonata No. 4 in F-sharp Major, op. 30

Quarterfinal Round
SCHUBERT-LISZT   Soirée de Vienne No. 6 in A Minor
LISZT   Mephisto Waltz No. 1

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

Final Round
BEETHOVEN   Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, op. 37: I. Allegro con brio

Max Sung

Max Sung, M.D., 63
Physician
New York, New York
United States

In the early ’70s, Max Sung was the beneficiary of a German Academic Exchange Fellowship to study piano with Helmut Roloff at the College of Music and Dramatic Arts in Berlin, Germany. However, the call of medicine was too strong, and he left after one year to pursue premedical and medical studies at Harvard University and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Since completing fellowships in hematology and medical oncology, Dr. Sung has been in full-time practice as a physician. He has continued playing the piano as much as his schedule allows and finds participating in amateur piano competitions stimulating. He was a semifinalist in the Chopin, Berlin, and Boston amateur competitions and a finalist in the Washington, D.C. amateur competition. A lifelong learner, Dr. Sung enjoys studying different cultures around the world.

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
BACH   Prelude and Fugue in D Major, WTC II, BWV 874
SCHUBERT-LISZT   Gretchen am Spinnrade 

Quarterfinal Round
BACH   Prelude and Fugue in A-flat Major, WTC I, BWV 862
SCHUMANN  “In der Nacht” from Fantasiestücke, op. 12
BRAHMS   Intermezzo in E Major, op. 116, no. 4
SCHOENBERG   Klavierstück, op. 33b
DEBUSSY   “Poissons d’or” from Images, Book II 

Semifinal Round
BEETHOVEN   Sonata No. 26 in E-flat Major, op. 81a (“Les adieux”)
CHOPIN   Polonaise-Fantaisie in A-flat Major, op. 61 

Final Round
SAINT-SAËNS   Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, op. 22: I. Andante sostenuto

Stephen Stouder

Stephen Stouder, 59
Healthcare executive
Apple Valley, Minnesota
United States

Stephen Stouder grew up performing music as a cellist, singer, and pianist. He began college as the principal cellist of the William and Mary College Community Orchestra, before transferring to the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, Maryland, where he studied under Julio Esteban and Edward Polochick, among others. Mr. Stouder graduated in a class of 10 student-pianists from Peabody and received his diploma from Leonard Bernstein in 1980. Currently, he studies with Julia Elkina and performs regularly at MacPhail Center for Music in Minneapolis. A return competitor from 2011, Mr. Stouder, a benefits consultant from Apple Valley, calls the competition “the greatest show on earth.” His diverse list of hobbies includes reading, traveling, golfing, and supporting the World Wildlife Fund.

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
BRAHMS   Intermezzo in B Minor, op. 119, no. 1
LISZT   Transcendental Etude No. 8 in C Minor “Wild Jagd”

Quarterfinal Round
BEETHOVEN   Sonata No. 22 in F Major, op. 54
RAVEL   “Alborada del gracioso” from Miroirs

Semifinal Round
BEETHOVEN   Sonata No. 27 in E Minor, op. 90
CHOPIN   Fantaisie in F Minor, op. 49

Final Round
BEETHOVEN   Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, op. 37: I. Allegro con brio

Summer Stone

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

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

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
GINASTERA   Suite de Danzas Criollas, op. 15

Quarterfinal Round
SOLER   Sonata in D-flat Major, R. 88
CHOPIN   Ballade No. 4 in F Minor, op. 5

Semifinal Round
RAVEL   Le Tombeau De Couperin, op. 68

Final Round
BEETHOVEN   Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat Major, op. 73: III. Rondo (allegro)

J. Todd Spangler

J. Todd Spangler, 54
Administrative law judge
Knoxville, Tennessee
United States

This year marks Todd Spangler’s fourth entry into the Cliburn Amateur Competition, having participated in 2002, 2004, and 2007. In his last appearance here, he was a semifinalist. Mr. Spangler received a bachelor’s degree in piano performance and a master’s degree in music education from Morehead State University (Morehead, Kentucky), before embarking on a career in law. He is a graduate of the Chase College of Law at Northern Kentucky University and, for most of his professional life, has worked in all facets of litigation. Currently an administrative law judge working with the Social Security Administration in Knoxville, Mr. Spangler enjoys outdoor summer activities such as cycling, devotes time to his church choir, and likes to read.

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
CHOPIN   Ballade No. 4 in F Minor, op. 52

Quarterfinal Round
BACH   Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 903
KREISLER-RACHMANINOV   Liebesfreud

Semifinal Round
SCARLATTI   Sonata in G Major, K. 427
BEETHOVEN   32 Variations in C Minor, WoO 80
LISZT   Hungarian Rhapsody No. 15 in A Minor

Final Round
BEETHOVEN   Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major, op. 15: I. Allegro con brio

Janet Sommerfeld

Janet Sommerfeld, 53
Freelance writer/producer
Palos Verdes Estates, California
United States

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

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
RAVEL   Jeux d’eau 
PROKOFIEV   “Mercutio” from Romeo and Juliet, op. 75

Quarterfinal Round
BEETHOVEN   Sonata No. 26 in E-flat Major, op. 81a (“Les Adieux”): II. Abwesenheit; III. Das Wiedersehen
PROKOFIEV   “Romeo bids Juliet Farewell” from Romeo and Juliet, op. 75 

Semifinal Round
LYADOV   Barcarolle in F-sharp Major, op. 44
PROKOFIEV   “Young Juliet” from Romeo and Juliet, op. 75
CHOPIN   Fantaisie in F Minor, op. 49

Final Round
SCHUMANN   Piano Concerto in A Minor, op. 54: I. Allegro affetuoso

Michael Slavin

Michael Slavin, M.D., 65
Ophthalmologist
Manhasset, New York
United States

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

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
CHOPIN   Scherzo No. 2 in B-flat Minor, op. 31

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

Semifinal Round
RAVEL   Le Tombeau de Couperin, op. 68

Final Round
BEETHOVEN   Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, op. 37: I. Allegro con brio

Robert Seppy

Robert Seppy, 58
Healthcare executive
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
United States

Robert Seppy began piano lessons at age 9 and went on to study at the Peabody Conservatory of Music and The Philadelphia College of the Performing Arts. Since 1993, he has worked at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia as a charge entry manager. In 2011, Mr. Seppy placed first in the Music Minus One YouTube Video Contest. He looks to the Cliburn Amateur Competition as an opportunity to improve his playing, since it provides motivation to practice. He is also looking forward to meeting other like-minded competitors at this year’s event. Besides playing the piano, Mr. Seppy enjoys spending time with his wife and family. He also likes to attend concerts and values the increasingly important role social media plays in performing arts.

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
BACH-BUSONI   Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ, BWV 639
BEETHOVEN   Sonata No. 18 in E-flat Major, op. 31, no. 3: II. Scherzo: Allegretto vivace

Quarterfinal Round
CHOPIN   Ballade No. 3 in A-flat Major, op. 47
RACHMANINOV   Prelude in G Minor, op. 23, no. 5
CHOPIN   Etude in C Minor, op. 10, no. 12 (“Revolutionary”)

Semifinal Round
BACH-SILOTI   Prelude in B Minor, BWV 855a
CHOPIN   Nocturne in B-flat Minor, op. 9, no. 1
BACH   “Sarabande” and “Bourrée I & II” from English Suite No. 2 in A-Minor, BWV 807
MOZART   Sonata No. 11 in A Major, K. 331: III. Rondo alla turca
KAPUSTIN   Concert Etude No. 3, op. 40 (“Toccatina”)

Final Round
MENDELSSOHN   Piano Concerto No. 1 in G Minor, op. 25: III. Presto

Julie Saito

Julie Saito, 57
International civil servant
Ile-de-France, France
Japan

Julie Saito began playing the piano in Tokyo at age 6. She studied with great American pianists during her upbringing in several countries, including Carol Colburn in Nairobi, Kenya, Gary Hammond in New York, and Ada Kopetz-Korf at the Manhattan School of Music in 1983–1984. After receiving her bachelor’s degree in musicology from Hunter College, she decided to change direction and attend Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. During her 20-year career, she won an Emmy Award for NBC News and worked for The Asahi Shimbun in Japan. She moved to Paris in 2006 with her three children and is currently working at UNESCO. Her passion for piano was rekindled only three years ago; she met her partner who is also an amateur pianist. Ms. Saito gives regular recitals in homes for the elderly. She also enjoys ballet and still writes articles on dance and music.

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
TAKEMITSU   Rain Tree Sketch II
LISZT   Concert Etude No. 3 in D-flat Major (“Un Sospiro”)

Quarterfinal Round
SCHUBERT   Impromptu in B-flat Major, op. 142, no. 3
DEBUSSY   Feux d’artifice from Preludes, Book II

Semifinal Round
BACH   French Suite No. 2 in C Minor, BWV 813
FAURÉ   Nocturne No. 4 in E-flat Major, op. 36
RAVEL   Sonatine

Final Round
MOZART   Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major, K. 488: III. Allegro assai

Bruce Pfeffer

Bruce Pfeffer, 65
Cell biologist
Amherst, New York
United States

Bruce Pfeffer began piano lessons at age 7, and continued to study throughout his schooling at Pomona College in Claremont, California (bachelor’s in biochemistry). He went on to earn a Ph.D. in cell biology at the University of California at Santa Barbara. The research scientist studies the field of ophthalmology, currently working at SUNY Buffalo and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs-Western New York Research Service. As an amateur pianist, Dr. Pfeffer brings his scientific process to music: “My commitment is such that, as much as I have achieved ‘high-flow states’ in practicing…I feel obliged to find opportunities to perform these masterpieces.” He looks forward to the challenge and excitement live performance brings, and hopes to express his gratitude through his participation here, “to former teachers whose insights took decades to dawn on me.”

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
BACH   Prelude and Fugue in D Major, WTC II, BWV 874
SCRIABIN   Etude in C-sharp Minor, op. 42, no. 5 (“Affannato”)

Quarterfinal Round
BRAHMS   Rhapsody in E-flat Major, op. 119, no. 4
CHOPIN   Etude in G-sharp Minor, op. 25, no. 6
SCHOENBERG   Klavierstück, op. 33b
DEBUSSY   L’Isle joyeuse

Semifinal Round
BEETHOVEN   Sonata No. 29 in B-flat Major, op. 106 (“Hammerklavier”): II. Scherzo: Assai vivace; III. Adagio sostenuto; IV. Introduzione: Largo – Fuga: Allegro risoluto

Final Round
BACH   Keyboard Concerto in D Minor, BWV 1052: III. Allegro

Debby Pearlberg

Debby Pearlberg, 68
Math tutor
Southfield, Michigan
United States

Debby Pearlberg, from Southfield, Michigan, currently studies with 1981 Cliburn Competition Silver Medalist Panayis Lyras and previously studied with Mischa Kottler, pianist with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. A graduate from Wayne State University and the University of Michigan, she worked as a librarian at the New York Public Library and then stayed home full time to raise three children. Since learning about the Cliburn Amateur Competition, Ms. Pearlberg became determined to participate here, and she did just that in 2007. Four years later, she was also accepted into the Competition, but a tendonitis flare-up a few weeks before the event caused her to withdraw. Now, five years later, she is looking forward to performing for her grandchildren at the Competition. A math tutor who is taking some time off from crunching numbers, Ms. Pearlberg enjoys photography, reading, and dog training.

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
BARBER   Nocturne, op. 33 “Hommage to John Field”
LISZT   Paganini Etude No. 3 in G-sharp Minor (“La Campanella”)

Quarterfinal Round
BACH-BUSONI   Chaconne in D Minor

Semifinal Round
SCHUMANN   Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp Minor, op. 11: I. Introduzione: Un poco adagio–Allegro vivace
BALAKIREV   Scherzo No. 2 in B-flat Minor
POULENC   “Toccata” from Trois piѐces

Final Round
SCHUMANN   Piano Concerto in A Minor, op. 54: I. Allegro affetuoso

Kazuyuki Ohmura

Kazuyuki Ohmura, 49
Software engineering manager
Tokyo, Japan
Japan

Kazuyuki Ohmura began studying the piano at age 3. Upon entering college in 1985, he began studying viola and joined an amateur orchestra where he gained valuable experience in chamber music performance. In 1991, he joined GE Healthcare as a software engineer. His passion for chamber music led him to begin studying piano again under the guidance of Utami Kaneko in 2006. One year later, Mr. Ohmura performed the complete Beethoven cello sonatas, and in 2009, he recorded the piano trios of Fauré, Saint-Saëns, and Ravel. In 2011, he won the top prize in the amateur division of the Chopin International Competition in Asia. He was a participant at the Cliburn Amateur Competition in 2011.

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
CHOPIN   Barcarolle in F-sharp Major, op. 60

Quarterfinal Round
BEETHOVEN   Sonata No. 28 in A Major, op. 101

Semifinal Round
BACH   “Overture” from Partita No.4 in D Major, BWV 828
RAVEL   Le Tombeau de Couperin, op. 68

Final Round
SCHUMANN   Piano Concerto in A Minor, op. 54: I. Allegro affetuoso

Joann Oh

Joann Oh, 41
Office manager
Irvine, California
United States

Born in Los Angeles, Joann Oh earned degrees in German studies and pre-med at Pomona College (Claremont, California) and Wesleyan University (Middletown, Connecticut). She was the winner of the Elizabeth Tishler prize in piano and a grant recipient of the Yale-Griffith Scholarship to study music and language in Vienna and Munich; in the former city, she studied piano with Rosario Marciano. Previously, Ms. Oh performed with orchestra in San Jose, California with the California Concerto Weekend Orchestra. Ms. Oh performed in recitals and participated in master classes at PianoTexas in Fort Worth this June. In addition to these honors, Ms. Oh was awarded a scholarship from the Korean-American Foundation for academic excellence. Currently a student of Anna Gliadkovskaya, Ms. Oh resides in Orange County, California, and works as an office manager. In high school, Ms. Oh was a nationally ranked synchronized swimmer.

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
LISZT   Concert Etude No. 3 in D-flat Major (“Un Sospiro”)
KORNGOLD   “Die Prinzessin auf der Erbse ” from Märchenbilder, op. 3

Quarterfinal Round
BEETHOVEN   Sonata No. 31 in A-flat Major, op. 110: I. Moderato cantabile molto espressivo
CHOPIN   Ballade No. 3 in A-flat Major, op. 47

Semifinal Round
SCHUMANN   Papillons, op. 2
GRANADOS   Allegro de Concierto, op. 46

Final Round
BEETHOVEN   Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat Major, op. 73: III. Rondo (allegro)

Joseph Mercuri

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

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

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
RACHMANINOV   Prelude in D Major, op. 23, no. 4
RACHMANINOV   Etude-Tableau in E-flat Minor, op. 39, no. 5

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

Semifinal Round
CHOPIN   Sonata No. 3 in B Minor, op. 58

Final Round
BEETHOVEN   Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, op. 37: I. Allegro con brio

Thomas Maurice

Thomas Maurice, 56
Senior program manager
Baltimore, Maryland
Canada

Returning to this competition for the third time, Thomas Maurice is currently semi-retired from his career as a senior program manager at General Dynamics Information Technology. Mr. Maurice earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in piano performance at Towson University and the University of Maryland, College Park, respectively, and worked as a network engineer for years while also attaining honors at amateur competitions like the Bradshaw & Buono International Piano Competition (2004) and the Vienna International Amateur Piano Competition (2008). In 2007 and 2011, he was a Cliburn Amateur semifinalist. Mr. Maurice says he was thrilled to learn the 2016 Cliburn Amateur features a concerto round, “as there are so few opportunities for amateur pianists to perform with an orchestra.” An active feral cat rescuer, Mr. Maurice also dabbles in home renovation and piano tuning, and is involved in his community association.

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
TCHAIKOVSKY-PLETNEV   “Andante maestoso (Pas de deux)” from Concert Suite from The Nutcracker
SCHUMANN   Toccata in C Major, op. 7

Quarterfinal Round
BACH   Prelude and Fugue in G Minor, WTC II, BWV 885
CHOPIN   Ballade No. 4 in F Minor, op. 52

Semifinal Round
BEETHOVEN   32 Variations in C Minor, WoO 80
BRAHMS   Intermezzo in E Major, op. 116, no. 4
LISZT   Mephisto Waltz No. 1

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

Lana C. Marina

Lana C. Marina, 47
Stay-at-home mother
New York, New York
United States

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

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
HOROWITZ   Variations on Themes from Bizet’s Carmen
LISZT   Paganini Etude No. 3 in G-sharp Minor (“La Campanella”)

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

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

Final Round
MENDELSSOHN   Piano Concerto No. 1 in G Minor, op. 25: III. Presto

Yvonne Liu

Yvonne Liu, 45
Preschool music teacher
Foster City, California
China/United States

Born in Shanghai, China, in 1970, Yvonne Liu began private piano lessons at age 3. After immigrating to the United States as a teenager, she obtained a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the California Institute of Technology and a master’s degree in international policy studies from Stanford University. Ms. Liu enjoyed being a full-time mother, but when her son was diagnosed with autism at 2, she discovered the healing power of music and began a career as an early childhood music educator. A competitor in 2011, she enjoys setting goals for herself and feels the Amateur Competition offers her an opportunity to become more disciplined in her practice, and she finds it inspirational. Ms. Liu likes to garden, hike, and cook in her free time.

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
BACH   “Sinfonia” from Partita No. 2 in C Minor, BWV 826
SCHUMANN-LISZT   Widmüng 

Quarterfinal Round
BACH-BUSONI   Chaconne in D Minor

Semifinal Round
FRANCK   Prélude, Choral et Fugue
DEBUSSY   L’Isle joyeuse

Final Round
MOZART   Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major, K. 488: I. Allegro

David Lee

David Lee, 37
Software engineer
San Francisco, California
Taiwan/United States

David Lee asked his parents for piano lessons at age 12, and since then, his love for the instrument has only deepened. He studied with Marion Zarzeczna, whom Mr. Lee still calls one of his great friends. While pursuing his bachelor’s in computer science at Stanford University, he studied with Thomas Schultz. He also enjoyed master classes with John Perry, 1997 Cliburn Gold Medalist Jon Nakamatsu, and 1993 Cliburn Competition alum Frederic Chiu at Stanford from 1999­–2000. After an interlude that saw Mr. Lee receive his master’s degree in predictive analytics from Northwestern University, the software engineer resumed lessons three years ago with Corey McVicar of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. An avid traveler who loves pursuing new adventures, Mr. Lee comes to the Amateur Competition eager to refine the focus of his musical pursuits. While in Fort Worth, the avid cyclist also likely will be found checking out area museums and restaurants.

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
CHOPIN   Barcarolle in F-sharp Major, op. 60

Quarterfinal Round
BACH-SILOTI   Prelude in B Minor, BWV 855a
BACH-BUSONI   Chaconne in D Minor

Semifinal Round
CHOPIN   Sonata No. 3 in B Minor, op. 58

Final Round
BEETHOVEN   Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, op. 37: I. Allegro con brio

Yasuo Kurimoto

Yasuo Kurimoto, M.D., 55
Ophthalmologist
Kobe, Japan
Japan

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

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
GRANADOS   Allegro de concierto, op. 46

Quarterfinal Round
SCRIABIN   Two Poѐmes, op. 32
CHOPIN   Fantaisie in F Minor, op. 49

Semifinal Round
SCHUMANN   Kreisleriana, op.16

Final Round
BEETHOVEN   Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat Major, op. 73: III. Rondo (allegro)

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

Tessa Knipe

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

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

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
BACH   “Sinfonia” from Partita No. 2 in C Minor, BWV 826
DOHNÁNYI   Rhapsody in C Major, op. 11, no. 3

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

Semifinal Round
SCARLATTI   Sonata in D Major, K. 29
BEETHOVEN   Sonata No. 21 in C Major, op. 53 (“Waldstein”): I. Allegro con brio
CHOPIN   Ballade No. 3 in A-flat Major, op. 47
LISZT   Transcendental Etude No. 5 “Feux follets”
ALBENIZ   “Castilla” from Suite Española, op. 47

Final Round
SCHUMANN   Piano Concerto in A Minor, op. 54: I. Allegro affetuoso

Gregory Knight

Gregory Knight, 53
Software engineer
Morganton, North Carolina
United States

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

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
GERSHWIN-WILD   Embraceable You
BEETHOVEN   Sonata No. 7 in D Major, op. 10, no. 3: I. Presto

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

Semifinal Round
CHOPIN   Sonata No. 2 in B-flat Minor, op. 35

Final Round
BEETHOVEN   Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, op. 37: I. Allegro con brio

Keiko Kircher

Keiko Kircher, 35
College physics instructor
Champaign, Illinois
Japan

A physics instructor at Parkland College, Dr. Keiko Kircher’s area of study is astrophysics, and her long-term research goal is to understand the final moments of black-hole evaporation. Her goal for participating in the Amateur Competition is to increase the enjoyment in her life. Dr. Kircher began learning music by playing the organ (called the “electone” in Japan), and she switched to the piano at 19. After having children, she put her practice on hold, finding she did not have the time. She recently returned to playing because she “had forgotten how satisfying it is to practice an instrument,” and her kids are older. Not lost on Dr. Kircher is the effect her playing has on her brain, she says. Other hobbies she finds equally stimulating are composing music for her family and practicing magic tricks.

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
RAVEL   “Fugue” from Le Tombeau de Couperin
RAVEL   Jeux d’eau 

Quarterfinal Round
RACHMANINOV   Prelude in G-sharp Minor, op. 32, no. 12
TAKEMITSU   Rain Tree Sketch
CHOPIN   Ballade No. 1 in G Minor, op. 23

Semifinal Round
BEETHOVEN    Sonata No. 23 in F Minor, op. 57 (“Appassionata”)

Final Round
SAINT-SAËNS   Piano Concerto No. 5 in F Major, op. 103 (“Egyptian”): I. Allegro animato

Jane Gibson King

Jane Gibson King, 60
Stay-at-home mother
Provo, Utah
United States

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

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
CHOPIN   Barcarolle in F-sharp Major, op. 60

Quarterfinal Round
RACHMANINOV   Variations on a Theme of Corelli, op. 42

Semifinal Round
HADYN   Sonata in A-flat Major, Hob. XVI:46
BACH-BUSONI   Chaconne in D Minor
QUILTER-HOUGH   Now Sleeps The Crimson Petal

Final Round
BEETHOVEN   Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat Major, op. 19: I. Allegro con brio

Mihono Kawamata

Mihono Kawamata, 47
Web designer
Yokohama City, Japan
Japan

Mihono Kawamata, a web designer from Yokohama City, Japan, began her musical education with private piano lessons at age 3, and as an adult has augmented her practice by participating in amateur competitions and master classes in Tokyo. Her dedication has paid off, netting Ms. Kawamata outstanding performance awards at the PTNA Piano Competition in 2013 and 2014. Other events she has attended include the Washington International Piano Festival in 2009, a master class with Michel Michalakakos (viola) of the Paris Conservatory in 2012, master classes at the Boston Conservatory in 2013 and 2014, a chamber music master class with Markys Placci and Andrew Mark, and a piano solo master class in Japan with Nikita Fitenco and Katerina Zaitseva in 2014. Away from the piano bench, Ms. Kawamata goes to the movies, travels, and enjoys cooking and fine food.

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
RACHMANINOV   Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat Minor, op. 36 (1931): I. Allegro agitato

Quarterfinal Round
BEETHOVEN  Sonata No.12 in A-Flat Major, op. 26: I. Andante con Variazioni
MONTSALVATGE   Sonatina pour Yvette (1961): I. Vivo e spiritoso; II. Moderato molto; III. Allegretto

Semifinal Round
BACH   Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 903
SZYMANOWSKI  Variations, op. 3

Final Round
SCHUMANN   Piano Concerto in A Minor, op. 54: I. Allegro affetuoso

Adrienne Johnson

Adrienne Johnson, 62
Elementary music school teacher/playwright
Minneapolis, Minnesota
United States

Around the time Adrienne Johnson’s fourth and youngest son left home five years ago, she realized she wanted to return to the piano. Thirty years ago, armed with a master’s from The Juilliard School where she studied under Adele Marcus, Ms. Johnson went on to forge a career as a playwright and elementary school music teacher while raising her children. Each year at her school, she writes two plays, one in the fall, one during spring; her most recent work focuses on tolerance and freedom, and highlights the music of Beethoven, The Supremes, and Woody Guthrie. As she inspires the next generation of music-makers, Ms. Johnson is humbled to have been nominated for a 2017 Grammy® Music Educator award. She placed second in solo piano at the Chicago Amateur Competition in 2014, and last year, she participated in PianoTexas International Academy & Festival.

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
RAVEL   “Ondine” from Gaspard de la nuit
RACHMANINOV   Prelude in G-sharp Minor, op. 32, no. 12

Quarterfinal Round
SCHUBERT   Klavierstück No. 2 in E-flat Major, D. 946
RACHMANINOV   Etude-Tableau in G Minor, op. 33, no. 8
RACHMANINOV   Etude-Tableau in F Minor, op. 39, no. 1

Semifinal Round
FRANCK   Prélude, Choral et Fugue

Final Round
SCHUMANN   Piano Concerto in A Minor, op. 54: I. Allegro affetuoso

Ken Iisaka

Ken Iisaka, 47
Software engineer
Foster City, California
Japan/Canada

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

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
RAVEL   Sonatine

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

Semifinal Round
BEETHOVEN   Sonata No. 32 in C Minor, op. 111

Final Round
MOZART   Piano Concerto No. 9 in E-flat Major, K. 271 (“Jeunhomme”): III. Rondo (presto)

Lawrence Hsu

Lawrence Hsu, 58
Real estate agent
Seattle, Washington
United States

Lawrence Hsu began private piano lessons when he was 10, switched to the violin at 12, and then went back to piano at age 15. Mr. Hsu studied with Randolph Hokanson as a non-music major at the University of Washington, where he graduated with degrees in chemistry and chemical engineering. He worked at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the Veterans Administration in a variety of capacities until 2014, when he transitioned into a completely different career as a real estate agent. Since then, he has focused on his clients, as well as the piano. For the past three years, he has attended a summer piano academy in Victoria, British Columbia, as well as master classes with Paul Robert at the Portland Piano Company in Portland, Washington. Among his diverse interests, Mr. Hsu lists gardening, foreign languages, singing, traveling, and cooking.

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
BACH   “Praeludium” from Partita No. 5 in G Major, BWV 829
SCHUMANN   “Traumerei” from Kinderszenen, op. 15
DEBUSSY   “Reflets dans l’eau” from Images, Book I

Quarterfinal Round
SCHUBERT   Sonata No. 13 in A Major, op. 120

Semifinal Round
CHOPIN   Nocturne in B Major, op. 62, no. 1
CHOPIN   Ballade No. 1 in G Minor, op. 23
RAVEL   Sonatine

Final Round
MOZART   Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major, K. 48: I. Allegro

Kuei-Ling (Christine) Hsu

Kuei-Ling (Christine) Hsu, 39
Pediatric dentist/assistant professor
Columbia, Maryland
Taiwan/United States

Kuei-Ling “Christine” Hsu’s Cliburn connection began even before she was accepted into this Competition. After starting piano lessons at age 10, she continued them at a “casual pace”—her words—until dental school. A few years later, she resumed while doing her dental residency at the University of Alabama Birmingham, as the pupil of Tatiana Kasman—who happens to be the wife of Yakov Kasman, the silver medalist of the 1997 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. Dr. Hsu, who is now an assistant pediatric dentistry professor at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry, credits Ms. Kasman with renewing her passion for the instrument. A Baltimore Ravens and Orioles fan, she also loves exploring new restaurants with her husband, as well as cooking and knitting.

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
CHOPIN   Etude in E Major, op. 10, no. 3
MOZART   Sonata No. 8 in A Minor, K. 310: III. Presto

Quarterfinal Round
RACHMANINOV   “Elegie” from Morceaux de fantaisie, op.3
BACH   Prelude and Fugue in G Minor, WTC I, BWV 861
MOZART   Sonata No. 18 in D Major, K. 576: II. Adagio

Semifinal Round
SCHUBERT   Sonata in A Minor, D. 845: I. Moderato
RACHMANINOV   Prelude in E-flat Major, op. 23, no. 6
HAYDN   Sonata in F Major, Hob. XVI:23

Final Round
MOZART   Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major, K. 488: I. Allegro

Marisa Naomi Haines

Marisa Naomi Haines, 59
Technology commercialization strategist
Murphy, Texas
United States/Brazil

A familiar face at the Cliburn Amateur Competition, Marisa Naomi Haines was a finalist in 2004, and also competed in 1999, 2007, and 2011. A DFW-area resident—she lives in Murphy, just east of Plano—she began playing the piano as a child and studied at the Conservatorio Brasileiro de Music in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and later with Hans Boepple in California. An electrical engineer by training, her career in both corporate and public sectors includes roles in research and development, P&L management, and strategic partnerships. She currently works with early stage businesses and global organizations, developing commercialization strategies for emerging technologies in the fields of nanotechnology, advanced materials, and biomedical engineering. Ms. Haines’ greatest joy is spending time with her family and children—her oldest son recently earned a Ph.D., and the youngest, born shortly after her third appearance in the Amateur Competition, is now in elementary school. Away from the keyboard she also enjoys the sun and surf, cooking, and fine wines.

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
IVES   “The Alcotts” from Sonata No. 2 “Concord, Mass., 1840-60”
BACH   “Capriccio” from Partita No. 2 in C Minor, BWV 826

Quarterfinal Round
MEDTNER   Fairy Tale in B-flat Minor, op. 20, no. 1
BEETHOVEN   Sonata No. 22 in F Major, op. 54
VILLA-LOBOS   “Bruxa, a boneca de pano” from A prole do bebê, Suite No. 1

Semifinal Round
SHOSTAKOVICH   Fantastic Dance in C Major, op. 5, no. 1
BEETHOVEN   Fantasy in G Minor, op. 77
WAGNER-LISZT   Phantasiestück über Motive aus ‘Rienzi’

Final Round
BEETHOVEN   Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat Major, op. 19: I. Allegro con brio

John Gutheil

John Gutheil, M.D., 59
CEO/Medical oncologist
La Jolla, California
United States

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

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
BEETHOVEN   Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, op. 2, no. 1: I. Allegro
CHOPIN   Etude in A-flat Major, op. 25, no. 1 (“Aeolian Harp”)
CHOPIN   Etude in C Minor, op. 25, no. 12 (“Ocean”)

Quarterfinal Round
RACHMANINOV   Prelude in B Minor, op. 32, no. 10
LISZT   Concert Etude No. 3 in D-flat Major (“Un Sospiro”)
ALBENIZ   “Asturias (Leyenda)” from Suite Española, op. 47

Semifinal Round
BACH   Prelude and Fugue in C Minor, Book I, BWV 847
CHOPIN   Ballade No. 3 in A-flat Major, op. 47
CHOPIN   Nocturne in C-sharp Minor, op. posth.
BRAHMS   Rhapsody in B Minor, op. 79, no. 1
GERSHWIN   Preludes Nos. 2 and 3

Final Round
BEETHOVEN   Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat Major, op. 73: III. Rondo (allegro)

Kevin Grigsby

Kevin Grigsby, 41
Marketing executive
Trussville, Alabama
United States

Born in Birmingham, Alabama in 1975, Kevin Grigsby studied piano from a young age. He received a master’s degree in music from the University of Oklahoma in 1998, and then went on to become a member of the adjunct faculty as a keyboard harmony/theory professor at Birmingham Southern College for four years, as well as serve as an orchestral pianist for the Alabama Symphony Orchestra. A career in marketing followed—Mr. Grigsby is currently a market specialist at Alabama Power Co.—but he still makes plenty of time to practice the piano and to serve as a role model to his musically inclined son (10) and daughter (9). “Ultimately,” he says, “I hope that whatever the outcome for me [in this Competition], my children can appreciate the preparation, the experience, and the fact that one is always, always practicing the piano to improve.”

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
MOZART   Sonata No. 12 in F Major, K. 332: I. Allegro
BARBER   Sonata for Piano, op. 26: IV. Fuga: Allegro con spirito

Quarterfinal Round
MOZART   Sonata No. 12 in F Major, K. 332: III. Allegro assai
LISZT   Hungarian Rhapsody No. 11 in A Minor
PROKOFIEV   Sonata No. 2 in D Minor, op. 14: IV. Vivace

Semifinal Round
BEETHOVEN   Sonata No. 23 in F Minor, op. 57 (“Appassionata”): I. Allegro assai
BRAHMS   Intermezzo in A Major, op. 118, no. 2
CHOPIN   Scherzo No. 3 in C-sharp Minor, op. 39
RACHMANINOV   Etude-Tableau in D Major, op. 39, no. 9

Final Round
BEETHOVEN   Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major, op. 15: III. Rondo (allegro scherzando)

Alfredo Garcia Jr.

Alfredo Garcia Jr., 62
Financial advisor
Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey
Cuba/United States

Born in Cuba, Alfredo Garcia Jr. began studying piano when he was 8, and was preparing to enter the Amadeo Roldan Conservatory at 14 when his family relocated to Madrid, Spain. After studying briefly at the Conservatorio Real de Madrid, he moved to New York City in 1970 to further his musical pursuits at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music. But when his father became ill, he was drawn away from the piano and eventually became a financial analyst. Throughout his life—which has included a successful and busy career (he now serves as first vice president and senior international financial advisor for Merrill Lynch/Bank of America), marrying his college sweetheart and raising three daughters, and extensive travel—Mr. Garcia has never given up on his first love, the piano. He diligently practices daily and has continued to take lessons throughout his adult life. He is the winner of the 2014 Cliburn Amateur Piano Video Contest, which was determined by an online vote.

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
RACHMANINOV   Moment musical in C Major, op. 16, no. 6
SCRIABIN   Etude in D-sharp Minor, op. 8, no. 12

Quarterfinal Round
CHOPIN   Andante Spaniato and Grand Polonaise Brillante, op. 22

Semifinal Round
SCHUBERT   Fantasy in C Major, op. 15 (“Der Wanderer”)
CERVANTES   “Mensaje;” “Interrumpida;” and “La Carcajada” from Danzas Cubanas

Final Round
SCHUMANN   Piano Concerto in A Minor, op. 54: I. Allegro affetuoso

Matthias Fischer

Matthias Fischer, 42
Physician
Würzburg, Germany
Germany

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

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
RACHMANINOV   Étude-Tableau in E-flat Minor, op. 39, no. 5
SCRIABIN   Etude in D-sharp Minor, op. 8, no. 12

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

Semifinal Round
SCHUMANN   Davidsbündlertänze, op. 6

Final Round
BEETHOVEN   Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major, op. 15: I. Allegro con brio

Simon Finlow

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

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

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
BACH   “Sarabande” from Partita No. 2 in C Minor, BWV 826
DEBUSSY   L’Isle joyeuse

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

Semifinal Round
BEETHOVEN   Six Bagatelles, op. 126
BALAKIREV   Islamey (Oriental Fantasy)

Final Round
SAINT-SAËNS   Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, op. 22: I. Andante sostenuto

Brad Dunn

Brad Dunn, 43
General manager/sommelier
Bloomington, Indiana
United States

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

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
DEBUSSY   La plus que lent
RACHMANINOV   Étude-Tableau in C Minor, op. 39, no. 1

Quarterfinal Round
BACH   Partita No. 1 in B-flat Major, BWV 825

Semifinal Round
RAVEL   Miroirs

Final Round
BEETHOVEN   Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat Major, op. 19: III. Rondo (molto allegro)

Brianna Donaldson

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

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

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
MEDTNER   “Phrygian Mode” from Fairy Tales, op. 42
MEDTNER   Two Fairy Tales, op. 20

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

Semifinal Round
BRAHMS   Intermezzo in A Minor, op. 118, no. 1
BRAHMS   Intermezzo in A Major, op. 118, no. 2
BRAHMS   Intermezzo in E-flat Minor, op. 118, no. 6
BARTÓK   Eight Improvisations on Hungarian Peasant Songs, op. 20

Final Round
MOZART   Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major, K. 467: I. Allegro maestoso

Marco Di Marzio

Marco Di Marzio, 43
Clinical pharmacist
Dublin, Ireland
Italy

Marco Di Marzio credits his new teacher, Dr. Archie Chen at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, for reigniting his passion for piano, which began at age 8 after hearing Beethoven’s Für Elise. Born in Atri, Italy, Mr. Di Marzio was accepted into the Luisa d’Annunzio Conservatory in Pescara, Italy at age 10, but by 18 his enthusiasm waned for the instrument after studying under a difficult teacher. When he was 28, he left Italy to pursue a master’s degree in organic chemistry at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, and was excited that the Royal Academy was nearby. He began to study the instrument again, receiving his Licentiate diploma in piano from Trinity College in 2014, and entered amateur competitions, master classes, and festivals. Three years ago, Mr. Di Marzio, who works as a senior clinical pharmacist at a Dublin hospital, took a six-week course at the Buddhism Centre. Since then, he has practiced meditation daily as well as yoga, both of which he says have had a huge impact on his piano practice.

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
SCARLATTI   Sonata in B Minor, K. 27
GRANADOS   “Los requiebros” from Goyescas, op. 11

Quarterfinal Round
BACH-SILOTI   Prelude in B Minor, BWV 855a
LISZT   “Vallée d’Obermann” from Années de Pèlerinage

Semifinal Round
MOZART   Sonata No. 18 in D Major, K. 576
CHOPIN   Andante Spianato and Grand Polonaise Brillante, op. 22

Final Round
SAINT-SAËNS   Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, op. 22: I. Andante sostenuto

Jeanne Backofen Craig

Jeanne Backofen Craig, 46
Homemaker/part-time minister
Forest, Virginia
United States

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

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
BACH   Prelude and Fugue in G-sharp Minor, WTC I, BWV 863
DEBUSSY   Arabesque No. 1 in E Major

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

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

Final Round
MENDELSSOHN   Piano Concerto No. 1 in G Minor, op. 25: III. Presto

Noah DeGarmo

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

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

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
PROKOFIEV   Sarcasms, op. 17, nos. 1-4

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

Semifinal Round
RACHMANINOV   Prelude in D Major, op. 23, no. 4
BEETHOVEN   Sonata No. 31 in A-flat major, op. 110

Final Round
SHOSTAKOVICH   Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Major, op. 10: I. Allegro

Serena Costa

Serena Costa, 36
Homemaker
Milan, Italy
Italy

Serena Costa graduated from law school in Milan in 2005, and from 2005–2006, she worked in a civil law practice. But then musical aspirations took hold, and she obtained a piano degree from Mantova Conservatory and a master’s from Bergamo Conservatory in 2011. Despite the intensive musical training, Ms. Costa has never entered a competition—until now. The mother of three, who had a great passion for music as a child, says “the piano is back as a star in my life.” In addition to practicing for amateur competitions, she has performed as part of the Piano City Milano House Concert Series and at Bergamo Conservatory-associated benefits. Ms. Costa, a homemaker, makes time for skiing in the Alps during the winter and weekly tennis games during the summer. She also relaxes by cooking and reading with her children, as well as savoring good food and wine with her husband.

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
CHOPIN   Ballade No. 3 in A-flat Major, op. 47

Quarterfinal Round
SCHUMANN   Sonata No. 2 in G Minor, op. 22

Semifinal Round
SCRIABIN   Sonata No. 2 in G-sharp Minor, op. 19
PROKOFIEV   Sonata No. 4 in C Minor, op. 29

Final Round
SCHUMANN   Piano Concerto in A Minor, op. 54: I. Allegro affetuoso

Gorden Cheng

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

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

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
SCHUMANN   Variations on the Name “Abegg,” op. 1
BRAHMS   Hungarian Dance No. 1 in G Minor, WoO 1

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

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

Final Round
MOZART   Piano Concerto No. 9 in E-flat Major, K. 271 (“Jeunhomme”): III. Rondo (presto)

James Carter Cathcart

James Carter Cathcart, 62
Scriptwriter/voice actor
Fort Lee, New Jersey
United States

A graduate of the Interlochen Arts Academy in 1971, James Carter Cathcart won a Young Artist award as well as the concerto competition at the school; he also studied with Mollie Margolies at Roosevelt University in Chicago from 1969–1970. While piano has been a vital part of his life since “being in the womb,” he says, his professional pursuits led to scriptwriting and voice-acting. In the latter line of work, Mr. Cathcart’s voice has graced Pokémon, Sonic X, and Yu-Gi-Oh! projects. For the past two years, he has worked to raise money for soup kitchens and community centers across the country by giving benefit recitals. A fan of jazz and rock music, Mr. Cathcart also enjoys cooking and being a husband to his wife, Martha Jacobi, and father to his son, daughter, and stepdaughter.

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
CHOPIN   Etude in A-flat Major, op. 25, no. 1 (“Aeolian Harp”)
CHOPIN   Etude in E-flat Minor, op. 10, no. 6
CHOPIN   Etude in C Minor, op. 25, no. 12 (“Ocean”)

Quarterfinal Round
DEBUSSY   Bruyeres and General Lavine, Eccentric from Preludes, Book II
CHOPIN   Ballade No. 4 in F Minor, op. 52

Semifinal Round

HAYDN   Sonata in F Major, Hob. XVI:23
SCRIABIN   Etude in B-flat Minor, op. 8, no. 11
SCRIABIN   Poèm in F-sharp Major, op. 32, no. 1
SCRIABIN   Etude in C-sharp Minor, op. 42, no. 5

Final Round
BEETHOVEN   Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat Major, op. 73: III. Rondo (allegro)

David Caldine

David Caldine, 61
Software engineer
Fairfax, Virginia
United States

“Expressing myself in music is my primary goal in the Cliburn Amateur Competition,” says David Caldine, a 2004 Amateur competitor who is returning to Fort Worth after the inspirational experience of meeting Van Cliburn. In addition, Mr. Caldine hopes to show others that one can come back from serious hand injury, which he suffered in December 2014. Initially, cubital tunnel syndrome caused a loss of strength in his left hand, but after surgery, he found the best therapy in practicing Blumenfeld’s Etude for Left Hand. After obtaining a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from George Mason University that included a minor in music, Mr. Caldine pursued electronics and software engineering. He is a nutrition fanatic as well as a writer, artist manager, and composer.

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
GRIFFES   The Night Winds, op. 5, no. 3
BLUMENFELD   Etude for Left Hand, op. 36
RACHMANINOV   Moment musical in E Minor, op. 16, no. 4

Quarterfinal Round
SCARLATTI   Sonata in F Major, K. 82
DEBUSSY   L´Isle joyeuse
TANEYEV   Prelude and Fugue in G-sharp Minor, op. 29

Semifinal Round
HADYN   Sonata in C Major, Hob. XVI:50
LISZT   Hungarian Rhapsody No. 14 in F Minor

Final Round
BEETHOVEN   Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat Major, op. 19: I. Allegro con brio

Deirbhile Brennan

Deirbhile Brennan, 46
Accountant
Dublin, Ireland
Ireland

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

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
SOLER   Sonata in D Major, R. 84
LISZT   “Les jeux d’eaux à la Villa d’Este” from Années de Pèlerinage

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

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

Final Round
SCHUMANN   Piano Concerto in A Minor, op. 54: I. Allegro affetuoso

Ipek Bozkurt

Ipek Bozkurt, 36
Professor
Seabrook, Texas
Turkey

Ipek Bozkurt began her piano studies at age 6 in Ankara, Turkey, at the Aran Music Center, but after 16 years moved to the United States to obtain her master’s and doctorate degrees in engineering management at Old Dominion in Norfolk, Virginia. Currently an associate professor of engineering management at the University of Houston-Clear Lake, Dr. Bozkurt’s passion for piano was reignited after attending the Fourteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2013. A subsequent purchase of a grand piano she has nicknamed “Black Beauty” followed. When she is not playing the piano she deems too big for her living room, Dr. Bozkurt can be found attending events in the Museum District, the Theater District, or with the Sherlock Holmes Society in Houston. She feels she was pre-destined to participate in a competition bearing the Cliburn name: Her Turkish teachers, the Aran Duo, studied at The Juilliard School under Rosina Lhévinne, who also taught Van Cliburn.

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
CHOPIN   Mazurka in C-sharp Minor, op. 6, no. 2
RACHMANINOV   Prelude in C-sharp Minor, op. 3, no. 2

Quarterfinal Round
BACH   Italian Concerto, BWV 971

Semifinal Round
BEETHOVEN   Sonata No. 17 in D Minor, op. 31, no. 2 (“Tempest”)

Final Round
BEETHOVEN   Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major, op. 15: I. Allegro con brio

Steven Boyce

Steven Boyce, 64
Risk manager
New York, New York
United States

Severe tendonitis in both arms curtailed a budding piano career for Steven Boyce, who began studying at 10 and attended Manhattan School of Music. As a result, Mr. Boyce went on to attain an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business, and to pursue a career in financial services. Currently chief risk officer of broker-dealer services at Bank of New York Mellon, Mr. Boyce returned to the piano in 2013, and was rewarded for his diligent focus: he won first prize at The Bradshaw & Buono International Piano Competition in New York in 2014, and last year, was a semifinalist at the Boston Piano Amateurs Competition. He enjoys the news of the budding careers of his two children as well as his wife’s expert bread baking and other food explorations. In addition to music-making and risk-avoidance, Mr. Boyce is a tree lover who teaches a semi-annual program through Trees New York on how to perform basic pruning and tree care.

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
CHOPIN   Barcarolle in F-sharp Major, op. 60

Quarterfinal Round
LISZT   “Vallée d’Obermann” from Années de Pèlerinage
SHCHEDRIN   Basso Ostinato (1961)

Semifinal Round
MUSSORGSKY   Pictures at an Exhibition

Final Round
SAINT-SAËNS   Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, op. 22: I. Andante sostenuto

Andrea Davide Bonotto

Andrea Davide Bonotto, 49
User interface engineer
New York, New York
United States

Born in Venice, Italy, Andrea Davide Bonotto received a diploma in piano performance from the Conservatory of Music in Milan, earned a master’s degree in electrical engineering, and then continued his musical pursuits at NYU in the late ’90s, taking classes in piano, harmony, and composition while pursuing a master’s in music technology. But, as Mr. Bonotto says, “life went in another direction,” and he gave up the idea of being married to music for a career in the field of user-interface engineering. A 2007 Cliburn Amateur competitor (at the time, he practiced on a Yamaha keyboard), Mr. Bonotto has since moved to a larger apartment and purchased a Baldwin baby-grand piano. Fluent in Italian and English and conversant in Spanish and French, Mr. Bonotto is a linguist and prolific writer whose work “fills whole drawers,” he says.

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
CHOPIN   Ballade No. 1 in G Minor, op. 23

Quarterfinal Round
BEETHOVEN   Sonata No. 31 in A-flat Major, op. 110: III. Adagio ma non troppo; IV. Fuga: Allegro ma non troppo
RAVEL   Jeux d’eau

Semifinal Round
BACH-BUSONI   Chaconne in D Minor
CHOPIN   Ballade No. 4 in F Minor, op. 52

Final Round
SCHUMANN   Piano Concerto in A Minor, op. 54: I. Allegro affetuoso

Robert Biber

Robert Biber, M.D., 64
Retired physician
Evergreen, Colorado
United States

During Dr. Robert Biber’s 37-year medical career, there was little time for regular piano practice or performance. He and his wife of 38 years have four daughters—three of whom are triplets and two of whom are professional musicians (cello and clarinet). Dr. Biber’s musical pursuits were limited to collaboration with his two daughters throughout high school and college recitals, the pinnacle of which, he says, was performing the Beethoven piano, cello, and clarinet trio for their respective senior college recitals. Upon his retirement as a urologic surgeon and a move to Colorado, Dr. Biber refocused his time with the goal of competing in amateur piano competitions to raise the level of his musicianship. Dr. Biber loves “all Colorado mountain pursuits”—hiking, biking, skiing, and snowshoeing—and revels in spending time with the six of his eight grandchildren who live nearby.

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
CHOPIN   Scherzo No. 1 in B Minor, op. 20

Quarterfinal Round
CHOPIN   Scherzo No. 2 in B-flat Minor, op. 31
SCHUBERT   Impromptu in E-flat Major, op. 90, no. 2

Semifinal Round
MOZART   Variations on “Ah, vous dirai-je, Maman,” K. 265 (300e)
CHOPIN   Scherzo No. 4 in E Major, op. 54
DEBUSSY   Arabesque No. 1 in E Major

Final Round
SCHUMANN   Piano Concerto in A Minor, op. 54: I. Allegro affetuoso

Saffet Bayka

Saffet Bayka, 57
Electrical engineer
Ankara, Turkey
Turkey

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

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
CHOPIN   Nocturne in B Major, op. 9, no. 3
CHOPIN   Etude in C-sharp Minor, op. 10, no. 4

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

Semifinal Round
BEETHOVEN   Sonata No. 3 in C Major, op. 2, no. 3
CHOPIN   Prelude in D Minor, op. 28, no. 24

Final Round
MOZART   Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major, K. 488: III. Allegro assai

Sandra Baumgarten

Sandra Baumgarten, 37
Stay-at-home mother
Brush Prairie, Washington
United States

Sandra Baumgarten received a degree in piano performance from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks in 2001, worked briefly as a flight attendant, and then, as a stay-at-home mother, became active in her church. Inspired by the Amateur Competition, she aims to prove to herself that she is not a “has-been pianist,” but rather one who continues to grow and refine her skills. Also a voice soloist, Ms. Baumgarten is a fan of musical theater and sacred choral music. In addition to her musical pursuits, she enjoys running, dancing, and painting. An avid baker, she maintains a cooking blog and has reviewed recipes for Clean Eating magazine. Her own recipe for chocolate-covered candy canes was featured in A Taste of Home magazine in 2013.

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
SCARLATTI   Sonata in E Major, K. 380
LISZT   Concert Etude No. 3 in D-flat Major (“Un Sospiro”)

Quarterfinal Round
BACH   Fantasia in C Minor, BWV 906
MOZART   Sonata No. 12 in F Major, K. 332: I. Allegro
CHOPIN   Ballade No. 3 in A-flat Major, op. 47

Semifinal Round
BACH   Prelude and Fugue in E Major, WTC II, BWV 878
MOMPOU   Cancion y Danza No. 6
BRAHMS   Two Rhapsodies, op. 79

Final Round
SCHUMANN   Piano Concerto in A Minor, op. 54: I. Allegro affetuoso

Xavier Aymonod

Xavier Aymonod, 40
Strategy consultant
Paris, France
France

Xavier Aymonod began his music studies at Aix-en-Provence Conservatory of Music, under the guidance of Monique Oberdoerffer and Michel Bourdoncle, and then went on to study science and technology at the prestigious École Polytechnique outside Paris. He was a laureate of the International Competition for Outstanding Piano Amateurs from 1998–2000 in Paris, and in 2000, he was a semifinalist at “Piano 20ème siècle” in Orléans. Mr. Aymonod has participated in master classes with William Aide, Jean-François Heisser, and Eric Heidsieck. Currently a principal at Roland Berger Strategy Consultants, his work involves advising transportation companies on strategic issues. In his free time, Mr. Aymonod enjoys playing with his children (ages 4 and 5), traveling, running, golfing, and indulging in fine wine.

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
CHOPIN   Etude in G-flat Major, op. 10, no. 5 (“Black Key”)
ALBENIZ   “El Albaicin” from Iberia, Book 3

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

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

Final Round
BEETHOVEN   Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, op. 37: I. Allegro con brio

Colleen Adent

Colleen Adent, 54
Homemaker
Vancouver, Washington
United States

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

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
BARBER   Excursions, op. 20: III. Allegretto
DEBUSSY   L’Isle joyeuse

Quarterfinal Round
BEETHOVEN   Sonata No. 4 in E-flat Major, op. 7: I. Allegro
CHOPIN   Nocturne in E-flat Major, op. 9, no. 2
GOTTSCHALK   Pasquinade, op. 59

Semifinal Round
SCHUBERT-LISZT   Ständchen
CHOPIN   Barcarolle in F-sharp Major, op. 60
SCARLATTI   Sonata in D Major, K. 29
BARBER   Excursions, op. 20: I. Un poco allegro; IV. Allegro molto

Final Round
SCHUMANN   Piano Concerto in A Minor, op. 54: I. Allegro affetuoso

Yumi Ahn

Yumi Ahn, 35
Attorney
Singapore
South Korea

Yumi Ahn began her piano studies at age 5. Originally from Seoul, South Korea, she moved to suburban London to study at the Purcell School for Young Musicians with Tessa Nicholson. From 1996–1999, she gave performances in London at the Purcell Room (Southbank Centre), St. John’s Smith Square, and Buckingham Palace for Prince Charles’ 50th birthday celebration. She received the gold prize at the Hankook Ilbo National Piano Competition (Korea) in 1990 and the concerto award at the Ealing Festival of Music (United Kingdom) in 1998. However, Ms. Ahn, an energy infrastructure lawyer practicing in Singapore, took a break from the piano for 17 years, and it wasn’t until last year that she resumed playing: She was inspired after watching They Came to Play, the documentary about the 2007 Cliburn Amateur Competition.

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
CHOPIN   Ballade No. 3 in A-flat Major, op. 47

Quarterfinal Round
CHOPIN   Waltz in A-flat Major, op. 42, no. 5
MENDELSSOHN   Variations sérieuses, op. 54

Semifinal Round
MOZART   Sonata No. 17 in B-flat Major, K. 570: I. Allegro
BERG   Sonata in B Minor, op. 1
RACHMANINOV   Etudes-Tableaux, op. 39, no. 5 in E-flat Minor; no. 6 in A Minor

Final Round
BEETHOVEN   Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, op. 37: I. Allegro con brio