Rounds: Preliminary Round

Preliminary Round Concert 6

8 of 48 competitors performing 15-minute recitals of repertoire of their choosing.
Seating for this event is general admission.

The Amateur Competition highlights the importance of music-making in everyday life, bringing together the world’s best non-professional pianists age 35 and older for seven days of performances, symposia, and social events. All rounds of competition are open to the public, as are many of the festival events. We hope you’ll join us and get swept up in this truly inspiring, international event, where everyday people become stars of the stage

GENERAL CONCERT INFORMATION

Patrons must be 8 years of age or older to attend Amateur Competition Performances.

For questions about ticketing please contact the Bass Hall Box Office at 817.212.4280.

There will be no late seating during any recital. Latecomers will be seated between performers. Audience members are encouraged to remain in their seats until the conclusion of each performance.

For information on parking please visit https://www.basshall.com/plan-your-visit/parking/

AMATEUR COMPETITION LINKS
ABOUT   I  TICKETS  I  APPLICATION AND RULES  I  JURY  I  ARTISTIC COLLABORATORS

Preliminary Round Concert 5

8 of 48 competitors performing 15-minute recitals of repertoire of their choosing.
Seating for this event is general admission.

The Amateur Competition highlights the importance of music-making in everyday life, bringing together the world’s best non-professional pianists age 35 and older for seven days of performances, symposia, and social events. All rounds of competition are open to the public, as are many of the festival events. We hope you’ll join us and get swept up in this truly inspiring, international event, where everyday people become stars of the stage

GENERAL CONCERT INFORMATION

Patrons must be 8 years of age or older to attend Amateur Competition Performances.

For questions about ticketing please contact the Bass Hall Box Office at 817.212.4280.

There will be no late seating during any recital. Latecomers will be seated between performers. Audience members are encouraged to remain in their seats until the conclusion of each performance.

For information on parking please visit https://www.basshall.com/plan-your-visit/parking/

AMATEUR COMPETITION LINKS
ABOUT   I  TICKETS  I  APPLICATION AND RULES  I  JURY  I  ARTISTIC COLLABORATORS

Preliminary Round Concert 4

8 of 48 competitors performing 15-minute recitals of repertoire of their choosing.
Seating for this event is general admission.

The Amateur Competition highlights the importance of music-making in everyday life, bringing together the world’s best non-professional pianists age 35 and older for seven days of performances, symposia, and social events. All rounds of competition are open to the public, as are many of the festival events. We hope you’ll join us and get swept up in this truly inspiring, international event, where everyday people become stars of the stage

GENERAL CONCERT INFORMATION

Patrons must be 8 years of age or older to attend Amateur Competition Performances.

For questions about ticketing please contact the Bass Hall Box Office at 817.212.4280.

There will be no late seating during any recital. Latecomers will be seated between performers. Audience members are encouraged to remain in their seats until the conclusion of each performance.

For information on parking please visit https://www.basshall.com/plan-your-visit/parking/

AMATEUR COMPETITION LINKS
ABOUT   I  TICKETS  I  APPLICATION AND RULES  I  JURY  I  ARTISTIC COLLABORATORS

Preliminary Round Concert 3

8 of 48 competitors performing 15-minute recitals of repertoire of their choosing.
Seating for this event is general admission.

The Amateur Competition highlights the importance of music-making in everyday life, bringing together the world’s best non-professional pianists age 35 and older for seven days of performances, symposia, and social events. All rounds of competition are open to the public, as are many of the festival events. We hope you’ll join us and get swept up in this truly inspiring, international event, where everyday people become stars of the stage

GENERAL CONCERT INFORMATION

Patrons must be 8 years of age or older to attend Amateur Competition Performances.

For questions about ticketing please contact the Bass Hall Box Office at 817.212.4280.

There will be no late seating during any recital. Latecomers will be seated between performers. Audience members are encouraged to remain in their seats until the conclusion of each performance.

For information on parking please visit https://www.basshall.com/plan-your-visit/parking/

AMATEUR COMPETITION LINKS
ABOUT   I  TICKETS  I  APPLICATION AND RULES  I  JURY  I  ARTISTIC COLLABORATORS

Preliminary Round Concert 2

8 of 48 competitors performing 15-minute recitals of repertoire of their choosing.
Seating for this event is general admission.

The Amateur Competition highlights the importance of music-making in everyday life, bringing together the world’s best non-professional pianists age 35 and older for seven days of performances, symposia, and social events. All rounds of competition are open to the public, as are many of the festival events. We hope you’ll join us and get swept up in this truly inspiring, international event, where everyday people become stars of the stage

GENERAL CONCERT INFORMATION

Patrons must be 8 years of age or older to attend Amateur Competition Performances.

For questions about ticketing please contact the Bass Hall Box Office at 817.212.4280.

There will be no late seating during any recital. Latecomers will be seated between performers. Audience members are encouraged to remain in their seats until the conclusion of each performance.

For information on parking please visit https://www.basshall.com/plan-your-visit/parking/

AMATEUR COMPETITION LINKS
ABOUT   I  TICKETS  I  APPLICATION AND RULES  I  JURY  I  ARTISTIC COLLABORATORS

Preliminary Round Concert 1

8 of 48 competitors performing 15-minute recitals of repertoire of their choosing.
Seating for this event is general admission.

The Amateur Competition highlights the importance of music-making in everyday life, bringing together the world’s best non-professional pianists age 35 and older for seven days of performances, symposia, and social events. All rounds of competition are open to the public, as are many of the festival events. We hope you’ll join us and get swept up in this truly inspiring, international event, where everyday people become stars of the stage

GENERAL CONCERT INFORMATION

Patrons must be 8 years of age or older to attend Amateur Competition Performances.

For questions about ticketing please contact the Bass Hall Box Office at 817.212.4280.

There will be no late seating during any recital. Latecomers will be seated between performers. Audience members are encouraged to remain in their seats until the conclusion of each performance.

For information on parking please visit https://www.basshall.com/plan-your-visit/parking/

AMATEUR COMPETITION LINKS
ABOUT   I  TICKETS  I  APPLICATION AND RULES  I  JURY  I  ARTISTIC COLLABORATORS

Xiaoxuan Li – Cliburn Junior 2015 Quarterfinal Round Recital

XIAOXUAN LI
China  |  Age 13

2015 Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival
June 21–28, 2015  I  TCU
Fort Worth, TX, USA

Program:
BACH Prelude and Fugue in B-flat Major, Book I, BWV 866
CHOPIN Andante Spianato et Grande Polonaise brillante, op. 22
CHOPIN Nocturne in B Major, op. 32, no. 1
SHCHEDRIN Two Polyphonic Pieces, op. 20

Xiaoxuan Li began piano lessons at age 4. He has performed extensively throughout China, most recently at the Shanghai Concert Hall and Oriental Art Center, Suzhou Culture and Arts Centre, and Yangzhou Culture and Arts Centre. He has also appeared at the Osaka International Music Festivals, and with the Ashdod Orchestra at the Perugia International Music Festival. Competition credits include prizes at the Hilton Head International Piano Competition for Young Aritsts, Ettlingen Young Artist Piano Competition, Asia Youth Piano Competition, and Chinese National Young Artist Piano Competition. He currently studies with Zhe Tang at the Music Middle School Affiliated with the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. He listens to all kinds of music, and enjoys reading and football in his spare time.

Gregory Martin – Cliburn Junior 2015 Preliminary Round Recital

GREGORY MARTIN
United States |  Age 17

2015 Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival
June 21–28, 2015  I  TCU
Fort Worth, TX, USA

Program:
BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 4 in E-flat Major, op. 7: I. Allegro molto e con brio
TCHAIKOVSKY Dumka in C Minor, op. 59
LISZT Paganini Etude No. 6 in A Minor

Born in Houston, Gregory Martin began piano lessons at age 4 while in California. At age 7, he performed with a chamber group of the Colorado Symphony, and has since also appeared with the New Mexico, Albuquerque, San Juan Four Corners, Omsky, and Yaroslavsky Academic Symphony Orchestras, among others. He has studied at the Central School of Music at the Moscow State Conservatory since 2011, under the guidance of Mikhail Voskresensky and Andrei Diev. Gregory made his Carnegie Hall debut as part of the Golden Key Music Festival in 2007, and has also participated in the Vladimir Spivakov International Festival “Moscow Meets Friends,” PianoTexas International Academy and Festival, Euro Music Festival in Germany, and Summer Music Studies in Urbino, Italy. He is a scholar of the Vladimir Spivakov International Charity Foundation.

Evelyn Mo – Cliburn Junior 2015 Preliminary Round Recital

EVELYN MO
United States |  Age 16

2015 Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival
June 21–28, 2015  I  TCU
Fort Worth, TX, USA

Program:
HAYDN Sonata in C Major, Hob. XVI:50: I. Allegro
CHOPIN Etude in F Major, op. 10, no. 8
SCHUMANN Variations on the Name “Abegg,” op. 1
PROKOFIEV Sonata No. 2 in D Minor, op. 14: IV. Vivace

Evelyn Mo made her orchestra debut at age 13 with the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra, and has since performed with the Orchestra of Northern New York, Camerata New York, and Shenandoah University Symphonic Orchestra. Currently under the guidance of John O’Conor, she has previously studied with Thomas Mastroianni, and attended the Lee University and Southeastern Piano Festivals and the International Institute for Young Musicians. In addition to piano, Evelyn plays the violin and is active at her school as member of the yearbook staff, writer for the newspaper, and coordinator for Tomorrow’s Women in Science and Technology.

Youlan Ji – Cliburn Junior 2015 Preliminary Round Recital

YOULAN JI
China |  Age 16

2015 Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival
June 21–28, 2015  I  TCU
Fort Worth, TX, USA

Program:
HAYDN Sonata in G Major, Hob. XVI:40: I. Allegro innocente
CHOPIN Etude in A Minor, op. 25, no. 11 (“Winter Wind”)
RACHMANINOV Etude-Tableaux, op. 33, nos. 2, 6, 8, & 9

Born in Beijing, Youlan Ji moved to New York in 2012 to attend The Juilliard School’s Pre-College Division, where she studies with Yoheved Kaplinsky. She has won first prizes at the United States Open Music Competition (2011), Third International Rosario Marciano Piano Competition (2011), and Xinghai Cup Piano Competition (2008). She has been featured in recitals in Beijing, Shanghai, and New York, and performed the Beethoven Second Concerto with Juilliard’s Pre-College Orchestra as winner of its concerto competition. In her spare time, Youlan enjoys watching movies and swimming.

Anastasia Magamedov – Cliburn Junior 2015 Preliminary Round Recital

ANASTASIA MAGAMEDOVA
Tajikistan |  Age 17

2015 Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival
June 21–28, 2015  I  TCU
Fort Worth, TX, USA

Program:
LISZT Sonetto 104 del Petrarca
CHOPIN Etude in A Minor, op. 25, no. 11 (“Winter Wind”)
BEETHOVEN, Sonata No. 7 in D Major, op. 10, no. 3: I. Presto
RAVEL “Toccata” from Le tombeau de Couperin

Anastasia Magamedova made her Carnegie Hall debut at Weill Concert Hall in 2014 and performed with the Utah Symphony and several times with the American West Symphony. Competition awards include first prize at the International Keyboard Odyssiad, as well as finalist at the MTNA National and Yamaha USASU International Piano Competitions. A recipient of the Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award, she has been featured on From the Top and on BYU Radio. Born in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, Anastasia began studying piano at age 5 and is currently under the guidance of Dr. Heather Conner. Besides playing the piano, she studies violin and enjoys ceramic arts.

Tony Yike Yang – Cliburn Junior 2015 Preliminary Round Recital

TONY YIKE YANG
Canada |  Age 16

2015 Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival
June 21–28, 2015  I  TCU
Fort Worth, TX, USA

Program:
BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 4 in E-flat Major, op. 7: I. Allegro molto e con brio
CHOPIN Etude in A Minor, op. 25, no. 11 (“Winter Wind”)
CHOPIN Barcarolle in F-sharp Major, op. 60

Tony Yike Yang has appeared with The Cleveland Orchestra under Jahja Ling, Hilton Head Symphony with Chelsea Tipton, and the Royal Conservatory of Music’s Academy Symphony Orchestra and Toronto Sinfonietta. He has performed throughout Canada, and was honored to play for Her Royal Highness Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall. He has won top prizes at the Thomas & Evon Cooper International Piano, Hilton Head International Piano, Bosendorfer and Yamaha USASU International Junior Piano, and Gina Bachauer International Junior Piano Competitions. Tony enrolled in the Pre-College Division at The Juilliard School in 2014 under the guidance of Julian Martin, having previously attended the Glenn Gould School at the Royal Conservatory of Music under the tutelage of James Anagnoson and taken master classes with Richard Goode, Dang Thai Son, and Dan Zhaoyi.

Gavin Bala – Cliburn Junior 2015 Preliminary Round Recital

GAVIN BALA
Singapore  |  Age 16

2015 Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival
June 21–28, 2015  I  TCU
Fort Worth, TX, USA

Program:
HAYDN Sonata in D Major, Hob. XVI:51
MENDELSSOHN Rondo capriccioso in E Major, op. 14
LIZST Concert etude No. 3 “Un sospiro”

Born in Singapore, Gavin Bala has won top prizes at the Malta International Music, Thailand Mozart International, and Singapore Steinway Youth Piano Competitions. Top prize winner of the 2015 American Protégé International Concerto Competition, he will make his Carnegie Hall debut in December 2015. He has performed with the Torun Symphony Orchestra and Philharmonic Orchestra of the University of Alicante, and in recitals in Perugia. Gavin currently studies with Rita Sze in Singapore and Stefano Miceli, the music director and piano chair of the Milano Metropolitan Orchestra. An avid chess player—including international, Chinese (xiangqi), and Japanese (shogi) chess—Gavin is also active in the school choir, has won many prizes for mathematics, and is fluent in English, Chinese, and French.

Wai Yuen Won – Cliburn Junior 2015 Preliminary Round Recital

WAI YUEN WON
Hong Kong  |  Age 17

2015 Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival
June 21–28, 2015  I  TCU
Fort Worth, TX, USA

Program:
HAYDN Sonata in A-flat Major, Hob. XVI:46: I. Allegro moderato
CHOPIN Etude in G-sharp Minor, op. 25, no. 6
GRANADOS Allegro de concierto, op. 46

Wai Yuen Wong has won top prizes in the Hong Kong General Next Arts Music Competition (2014), Korea International Competition for Young Artists (2013), International Piano Competition for Young Musicians in Enschede, Netherlands (2012, also winning the Press and Audience Prizes), and the Steinway & Sons International Youth Piano Competition (2011). Recitals have taken her to Beijing, Xiamen, and Hamburg, and she was invited to perform in the 42nd Hong Kong Arts Festival. Wai Yuen has also appeared as soloist with the Hong Kong Children and Pan Asia Symphony Orchestras. Currently studying with Eleanor Wong at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, she has also taken master classes with Graham Scott, Fanny Waterman, Joyce Yang, and Giuseppe Andaloro.

Anna Larsen – Cliburn Junior 2015 Preliminary Round Recital

ANNA LARSEN
United States  |  Age 15

2015 Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival
June 21–28, 2015  I  TCU
Fort Worth, TX, USA

Program:
HAYDN Sonata in F Major, Hob. XVI:23
CHOPIN Etude in A-flat Major, op. 25, no. 1
CHOPIN Etude in A Minor, op. 25, no. 11 (“Winter Wind”)
CHOPIN Etude in C Minor, op. 25, no. 12

Anna Larsen has released albums of Bach’s complete Well-Tempered Clavier and Chopin’s Etudes, op. 25. Under the auspices of the Lang Lang International Music Foundation, she has been featured in performances at Carnegie Hall in New York, Millenium Park in Chicago, National Aquatics Center “Water Cube” in Beijing; the Oprah Winfrey Show, and NPR’s From the Top. Currently studying with Alexander Korsantia, she has previously taken lessons with Hung-Kuan Chen and Tema Blackstone, and played in master classes at the Aspen Summer Music and Oxford Philomusica Piano Festivals. Also an active composer, she has won two ASCAP awards as well as state MTNA Composition Competition awards seven years in a row. In addition to her musical activities, Anna is passionate about writing and singing.

Clayton Stephenson – Cliburn Junior 2015 Preliminary Round Recital

CLAYTON STEPHENSON
United States  |  Age 16

2015 Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival
June 21–28, 2015  I  TCU
Fort Worth, TX, USA

Program:
CHOPIN Etude in B Minor, op. 25, no. 10 (“Octave”)
BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 3 in C Major, op. 2, no. 3: I. Allegro con brio
CHOPIN Scherzo No. 1 in B Minor, op. 20

Born in New York, Clayton Stephenson enrolled in The Juilliard School’s Music Advancement Program in 2007 and graduated to its Pre-College Division in 2009. He has attended the Morningside Music Bridge Festival in Calgary and the International Keyboard Festival in Manhattan, receiving lessons and master classes with Marc Durant, Krysztof Jablonski, André Laplante, and Alexander Braginsky, among others. He made his concerto debut with the Juilliard Pre-College Symphony Orchestra at Lincoln Center, and has performed with the Midwest Young Artists Symphony Orchestra as part of Chicago’s Ravinia Festival, and in concerts in Munich, Calgary, and New York. Currently a student at the Dalton School, he is involved in the Boys Club of New York, Men of Color Club, and the math team and Transformation Geometry Club at his school.

Eoín Flemin – Cliburn Junior 2015 Preliminary Round Recital

EOÍN FLEMING
Ireland  |  Age 17

2015 Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival
June 21–28, 2015  I  TCU
Fort Worth, TX, USA

Program:
BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 8 in C Minor, op. 13 (“Pathetique”): I. Grave: Allegro di molto e con brio
SCHOENBERG Sechs kleine Klavierstücke, op. 19
LIZST Paganini Etude No. 3 “La campanella”

Born in Dublin, Eoín Fleming began piano lessons at the age of 5 and gave his first public performance at age 7. He was honored to perform for Irish President Mary McAleese in 2009—the same year he played the part of “child pianist” in the film Parked. As a multiple prizewinner of the Feis Ceoil competitions in Dublin, he has performed in both the John Field Room and Main Auditorium of the National Concert Hall. He currently studies with John O’Conor and Réamonn Keary at the Royal Irish Academy of Music; he has played in master class for Martina Filjak, Christopher Elton, and Alexej Gorlatch. Outside of piano, Eoín is interested in languages, cooking, and film.

Yukine Kuroki – Cliburn Junior 2015 Preliminary Round Recital

YUKINE KUROKI
Japan  |  Age 16

2015 Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival
June 21–28, 2015  I  TCU
Fort Worth, TX, USA

Program:
BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 6 in F Major, op. 10, no. 2
LISZT Transcendental Etude No. 8 “Wild Jagd”
KAPUSTIN Prelude, op. 40, no. 1 (from Eight Concert Etudes)

Yukine Kuroki has performed with the Astana State Philharmonic, Tatarstan National Symphony, Lithuanian National Symphony, and Polish Silesian Philharmonic Orchestras. She has appeared at the International Music Festival “Stars on Baikal” in Irkusk, Russia at the invitation of Denis Matsuev, as well as the Vilnius Piano Festival and in recitals throughout her native Japan. Competition credits include top prizes at the International Balys Dvarionas, Hanoi International Piano, and International Festival “Astana Piano Passion” Competitions. Yukine studies with Fumiko Eguchi at the Showa Music University Piano Art Academy since 2008. She delights in spreading joy through music, and her hobbies include calligraphy and monochrome drawing.

Arsenii Mun – Cliburn Junior 2015 Preliminary Round Recital

ARSENII MUN
Russia  |  Age 16

2015 Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival
June 21–28, 2015  I  TCU
Fort Worth, TX, USA

Program:
MOZART Sonata No. 12 in F Major, K. 332
LISZT Paganini Etude No. 3 “La campanella”

Born in St. Petersburg, Arsenii Mun began studying music at age 6 and entered the Special Musical School-Lyceum of the State Conservatory in 2010. He gave his recital debut in 2012, and has since performed throughout Russia and with the St. Petersburg State Academic Symphony, Tchaikovsky Symphony, and Tallin Chamber Orchestras. He has won prizes in the 2011 Horowitz International Piano Competition, 2012 International Televised Competition for Young Musicians “Nutcracker” in Moscow, and the 2014 Yamaha Music Award. Also interested in chamber music, Arsenii has attended the Musica Mundi festival in Belgium—where he received feedback from Daniel Barenboim, Maxim Vengerov, and Itamar Golan—the Peter de Grote Festival in the Netherlands, and the Salzburg International Summer Academy.

Natasha Wu – Cliburn Junior 2015 Preliminary Round Recital

NATASHA WU
United States/Taiwan  |  Age 15

2015 Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival
June 21–28, 2015  I  TCU
Fort Worth, TX, USA

Program:
MOZART Sonata No. 18 in D Major, K. 576: I. Allegro
LISZT Paganini Etude No. 3 “La campanella”
CHOPIN Ballade No. 2 in F Major, op. 38

Born in California, Natasha Wu overcame idiopathic thrombocytopenia at an early age, which has informed her commitment to serving the community through music. Now living in Taiwan, Natasha has performed to raise funds for the Taiwan Fund for Children and Families and the Yong-Fu Elementary School education fund for the needy. She began lessons at age 6, at which age she also won her first national piano competition. At age 10, she won her first international prize at the Tureck International Bach Competition in New York, resulting in a performance at Lincoln Center. She has also won prizes in the Hong Kong Asian Piano Competition, Kawai Asia Piano Competition, International Chopin Piano Competition in Asia, and International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians in Moscow. Natasha currently studies with Grace Chung.

Amir Siraj – Cliburn Junior 2015 Preliminary Round Recital

AMIR SIRAJ
United States  |  Age 15

2015 Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival
June 21–28, 2015  I  TCU
Fort Worth, TX, USA

Program:
BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 4 in E-flat Major, op. 7: I. Allegro molto e con brio
CHOPIN Etude in G-flat Major, op. 10, no. 5 (“Black Key”)
CHOPIN Ballade No. 1 in G Minor, op. 23

Amir Siraj has performed at venues such as New York’s Carnegie Hall and Boston’s Symphony Hall. He made his concerto debut in 2012 with the Metrowest Symphony Orchestra, performing Beethoven’s Third Concerto, and most recently appeared with the Quincy Symphony Orchestra playing the Liszt’s First Concerto. He is the 2015 winner of the Ruth Davidson Competition, five-time winner of the Massachusetts Music Teachers Association Competition, and three-time prizewinner at the M. Steinert and Sons Competition. Also committed to new music, Amir has performed world premieres for Larry Bell and Stephen Feigenbaum, and U.S. premieres for Lera Auerbach. Currently studying with Helena Vesterman and at the New England Conservatory Preparatory School, he has taken master classes with Hung-Kuan Chen, Bruce Brubaker, and Wha-Kyung Byun. In addition to piano, he devotes his time to varsity men’s crew, choir, and Brookline High School’s Innovation Club, which he founded.

Adam Balogh – Cliburn Junior 2015 Preliminary Round Recital

ADAM BALOGH
Hungary  |  Age 17

2015 Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival
June 21–28, 2015  I  TCU
Fort Worth, TX, USA

Program:
HAYDN Sonata in B-flat Major, Hob. XVI:41
CHOPIN Etude in C Major, op. 10, no. 1
SCRIABIN Etude in D-flat Major, op. 8, no. 10
LISZT “Tarantella” from Venezia e Napoli

Adam Balogh has performed with the Budapest Festival (2010), Berlin Konzerthaus (2012), and Pannon Philharmonic (2010, 2012) Orchestras, working with such conductors as Iván Fischer and András Vass. He has been featured in recitals in Amsterdam, Basel, Berlin, Budapest, Dortmund, and Philadelphia, and gives both solo and chamber recitals annually in his hometown of Pécs, Hungary. Currently studying with Attila Némethy and Gábor Echkardt at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music’s Preparatory School for Exceptionally Gifted Children, he has participated in master classes and lessons with Dmitri Bashkirov, Zoltán Kocsis, and Jerome Lowenthal, among others. In addition to winning prizes in every major national piano competition in Hungary, he has garnered awards at the PianoTalents (Milan 2013), Jeno Takács (Graz 2010), and “Young Virtuoso” (Zagreb 2008) International Piano Competitions.

Roger Shen– Cliburn Junior 2015 Preliminary Round Recital

ROGER SHEN
United States  |  Age 16

2015 Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival
June 21–28, 2015  I  TCU
Fort Worth, TX, USA

Program:
PROKOFIEV Sonata No. 2 in D Minor, op. 14: IV. Vivace
HAYDN Sonata in C Minor, Hob. XVI:20: I. Moderato
LISZT Transcendental Etude No. 4 “Mazeppa”

A winner of top prizes at the Bradshaw & Buono International Piano Competition, Walgreens National Concerto Competition, Aloha International Piano Concerto Competition, and Chicago Steinway Young Artist Competition, Roger Shen has played with the Northbrook Symphony, Midwest Young Artist Symphony, Hawaii Youth, Phillips Exeter Academy, and Most Arts Orchestras. He made his Carnegie Hall debut at Weill Hall in 2010, and has been featured on WFMT’s Introductions. Currently enrolled at Phillips Exeter Academy, Roger is a student of Dr. Jon Sakata; when at home in Illinois, he studies with Dr. Matt Hagle. As an active member of the Academy’s student music outreach group, he performs bi-weekly concerts for various nursing homes around New Hampshire. In his spare time, he enjoys hiking, swimming, chess, fishing, and ping pong.

Misha Galant– Cliburn Junior 2015 Preliminary Round Recital

MISHA GALANT
United States  |  Age 17

2015 Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival
June 21–28, 2015  I  TCU
Fort Worth, TX, USA

Program:
HAYDN Sonata in C Major, Hob. XVI:50: I. Allegro
RACHMANINOV Etude-Tableau in C Minor, op. 39, no. 1
RACHMANINOV Prelude in B Minor, op. 32, no. 10
LISZT Transcendental Etude No. 10 in F Minor

Born in California to a family of musicians, Misha Galant has already performed with the Utah, Oakland, Peninsula, and Livermore Symphony Orchestras, as prizewinner of several concerto competitions. He is one of ten recipients of the Chopin Scholarship from the Chopin Foundation of the United States. Currently studying with both his mother, Olya Katsman, and Sharon Mann at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Misha has participated in the Music@Menlo and Foulger International Music Festivals. He has had lessons with Nelita True, Boris Berman, Yu-Jane Yang, and most recently has had coaching with Yoshikazu Nagai. He also enjoys math and is an accomplished swimmer.

Jeong Min Kim– Cliburn Junior 2015 Preliminary Round Recital

JEONG MIN KIM
South Korea  |  Age 17

2015 Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival
June 21–28, 2015  I  TCU
Fort Worth, TX, USA

Program:
BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 4 in E-flat Major, op. 7: I. Allegro molto e con brio
CHOPIN Etude in C Major, op. 10, no. 1
DUTILLEUX Choral et Variations from Piano Sonata

A prizewinner of several piano competitions throughout his native Korea, Jeong Min Kim has appeared in recitals throughout Seoul and as soloist with the Atlantic Music Festival and Han Eum Philharmonic Orchestras. He studied at the Korea National Institute for Gifted Artists from 2006 to 2010, when he moved to the United States to enroll in the pre-college division at The Juilliard School. He has participated in the Atlantic Music, Sergei Babayan International Piano, and Busan Music Festivals, receiving tutelage from Martin Canin and Sergei Babayan. In his spare time, Jeong Min enjoys table tennis and golf.

Wei Luo– Cliburn Junior 2015 Preliminary Round Recital

WEI LUO
China  |  Age 16

2015 Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival
June 21–28, 2015  I  TCU
Fort Worth, TX, USA

Program:
HAYDN Sonata in E-flat Major, Hob. XVI: 52
CHOPIN Etude in G-sharp Minor, op. 25, no. 6

Born in Shenzhen, Wei Luo began piano lessons at age 5, and gave her debut recital in Hong Kong at age 6. Winner of the 11th Chopin International Competition for Young Pianists in Poland (2010) and the 2nd Rachmaninov International Piano Competition for Young Pianists in Frankfurt (2010), she made her orchestra debut with the Shanghai Philharmonic in 2010 after winning its concerto competition. After studying at the Music Middle School Affiliated with the Shanghai Conservatory, Wei moved to Philadelphia in 2012 to learn from Gary Graffman and Robert McDonald at The Curtis Institute of Music, where she was selected in her second year as the only pianist in the annual Dean’s Honors Recital. She also has lessons from Eleanor Wong and has taken master classes with Leon Fleisher, Richard Goode, Seymour Lipkin, Abbey Simon, and Nelita True.

Alim Beisembayev – Cliburn Junior 2015 Preliminary Round Recital

ALIM BEISEMBAYEV
Kazahkstan  |  Age 17

2015 Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival
June 21–28, 2015  I  TCU
Fort Worth, TX, USA

Program:
BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 7 in D Major, op. 10, no. 3: I. Presto
RACHMANINOV Prelude in G Major, op. 32, no. 5
DEBUSSY Feux d’artifice from Preludes, Book II
LISZT Paganini Etude No. 6 in A Minor

Born in Almaty, Kazakhstan, Alim Beisembayev has given recitals in London, Moscow, and Sacile (Italy), and performed with the Svetlanov Orchestra of Moscow, New Russia Orchestra, and the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra, working with conductors Mark Gorenstein, Evgeny Bushkov, and Dmitry Liss. Competition credits include third prize at the 2014 International Liszt Competition for Young Pianists in Weimar and first prize in the 2008 International Televised Competition for Young Musicians “Nutcracker” in Moscow. Alim began piano lessons at age 5, and moved to the United Kingdom in 2010 to attend the Purcell School for Young Musicians, first studying with Rustem Hayroudinoff and now with Tessa Nicholson. In his spare time, he pursues ballroom dancing, acting, and learning languages.

Anna Boonyanit – Cliburn Junior 2015 Preliminary Round Recital

ANNA BOONYANIT
United States |  Age 16

2015 Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival
June 21–28, 2015  I  TCU
Fort Worth, TX, USA

Program:
BACH Prelude and Fugue in E Minor, Book I, BWV 855
BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 3 in C Major, op. 2, no. 3: I. Allegro con brio
CHOPIN Etude in G-sharp Minor, op. 25, no. 6
STRAVINSKY “Chez Petrouchka” from Trois mouvements de Petrouchka

Anna Boonyanit made her Carnegie Hall debut in June 2014, as prizewinner of the International Russian Music Piano Competition in 2013. She has also won first prizes and numerous special awards at the Los Angeles International Liszt, Seattle International Piano, and Music Teacher’s Association of California State Concerto Competitions. Anna has performed with Nova Vista Symphony, El Camino Youth Senior, Diablo Symphony, and Palo Alto Philharmonic Orchestras. She has appeared on NPR’s From the Top and is a National YoungArts Foundation winner. A participant in the John Perry Academy of Music, and the Music@Menlo Chamber Music, California Summer Music, and Seattle International Piano Festivals, she has taken lessons with John Perry, Wu Han, Alessio Bax, Bruce Adolphe, and Peter Mack. She is currently studying with Hans Boepple. A fan of the San Francisco Giants, Anna also writes for an arts and lifestyle magazine published by her school.

Xiaoxuan Li – Cliburn Junior 2015 Preliminary Round Recital

XIAOXUAN LI
China  |  Age 13

2015 Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival
June 21–28, 2015  I  TCU
Fort Worth, TX, USA

Program:
HAYDN Sonata in E-flat Major, Hob. XVI: 52: I. Allegro
RACHMANINOV Élégie in E-flat Minor, op. 3, no. 1
RACHMANINOV Etude-tableau in E-flat Minor, op. 39, no. 5
CHOPIN Etude in G-sharp Minor, op. 25, no. 6

Xiaoxuan Li began piano lessons at age 4. He has performed extensively throughout China, most recently at the Shanghai Concert Hall and Oriental Art Center, Suzhou Culture and Arts Centre, and Yangzhou Culture and Arts Centre. He has also appeared at the Osaka International Music Festivals, and with the Ashdod Orchestra at the Perugia International Music Festival. Competition credits include prizes at the Hilton Head International Piano Competition for Young Aritsts, Ettlingen Young Artist Piano Competition, Asia Youth Piano Competition, and Chinese National Young Artist Piano Competition. He currently studies with Zhe Tang at the Music Middle School Affiliated with the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. He listens to all kinds of music, and enjoys reading and football in his spare time.

Zitong Wang – Cliburn Junior 2015 Preliminary Round Recital

ZITONG WANG
China  |  Age 16

2015 Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival
June 21–28, 2015  I  TCU
Fort Worth, TX, USA

Program:
BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 7 in D Major, op. 10, no. 3: I. Presto
CHOPIN Etude in G-sharp Minor, op. 25, no. 6
SCRIABIN Sonata No. 4 in F-sharp Major, op. 30

Born in Inner Mongolia of China, Zitong Wang was first introduced to piano at an early age, and made her solo recital debut at age 13 in Beijing’s Zhongshan Music Hall. She moved to Philadelphia from China three years ago to study with Meng-Chieh Liu and Eleanor Sokoloff at The Curtis Institute of Music. She has also taken frequent lessons with Beatrice Long, and master classes with Seymour Lipkin, Gary Graffman, and Ignat Solzhenitsyn. First-prize winner of the Tureck International Bach and Virginia Waring International Concerto Competitions, she most recently won second prize at the 2014 Thomas & Evon Cooper International Competition. She has appeared with the Cleveland, Hangzhou Philharmonic, Yakima Symphony, and Waring Festival Orchestras, among others. Also interested in early music, she studies harpsichord as a secondary major at Curtis with Leon Schelhase, and has participated in master class with Trevor Pinnock on antique harpsichords from the Flint Collection.

Joseph Mercuri – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Quarterfinal Round Recital

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

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

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

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

Stephen Stouder – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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.

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

Michael Slavin – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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.

Program:
CHOPIN, Scherzo No. 2 in B-flat Minor, op. 31

Utako Tanigawa – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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

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.

Program:
HAYDN, Sonata in E-flat Major, Hob. XVI:52: I. Allegro
SCHUMANN-LISZT, Widmung

Gregory Knight – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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.

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

Kuei-Ling Hsu – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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.

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

Jorge Zamora – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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.

Program:
CHOPIN, Scherzo No. 2 in B-flat Minor, op. 31

Bruce Pfeffer – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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.”

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

Janet Sommerfeld – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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.

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

Jasmin Tiodang – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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.

Program:
GINASTERA, Suite de Danzas Criollas, op. 15

Ken Isaka – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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.

Program:
RAVEL, Sonatine

Clark Vann Griffith

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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

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

Program:
BACH, Prelude and Fugue in F-sharp Minor, BWV 859
BRAHMS, Intermezzo in A Major, op. 76, no. 6

Jane Gibson King – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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.

Program:
CHOPIN, Barcarolle in F-sharp Major, op. 60

Eberhard Zagrosek – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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.

Program:
CHOPIN, Scherzo No. 1 in B Minor, op. 20

David Swenson – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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.

Program:
CHOPIN, Scherzo No. 3 in C-sharp Minor, op. 39

Lawrence Hsu – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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.

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

Xavier Aymonod – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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 “Piano20ème siècle” in Orléans. Mr. Aymonod has participated in master classes with William Aide, Jean-François Heisser, and Eric Heidsieck. Currently a principal at Roland Berger Strategy Consultants, his work involves advising transportation companies on strategic issues. In his free time, Mr. Aymonod enjoys playing with his children (ages 4 and 5), traveling, running, golfing, and indulging in fine wine.

Program:
CHOPIN, Etude in G-flat Major, op. 10, no. 5 (“Black Key”)
ALBÉNIZ, “El Albaicín” from Iberia, Book 3

John Gutheil – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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.

Program:
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”)

Kuan-Chuen Wu – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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.

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

Lana C. Marina – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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.

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

David Caldine – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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.

Program:
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

Julie Saito – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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 1985–1986. 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.

Program:
TAKEMITSU, Rain Tree Sketch II
LISZT, Concert Etude No. 3 in D-flat Major (“Un sospiro”)

Yasuo Kurimoto – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Preliminary Round Performance

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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.

Program:
GRANADOS, Allegro de concierto, op. 46

Serena Costa – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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.

Program:
CHOPIN, Ballade No. 3 in A-flat Major, op. 47

Sean Sutherland – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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).

Program:
SCRIABIN, Sonata No. 4 in F-sharp Major, op. 30

Steven Boyce – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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

Severe tendinitis 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.

Program:
CHOPIN, Barcarolle in F-sharp Major, op. 60

Brad Dunn – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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.

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

Debby Pearlberg – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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 tendinitis 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.

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

Saffet Bayka – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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.

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

Keiko Kircher – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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.

Program:
RAVEL, “Fugue” from Le Tombeau de Couperin
RAVEL, Jeux d’eau

Shinji Wada – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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

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

Program:
SCRIABIN, Poѐme in F-sharp Major, op. 32, no. 1
RACHMANINOV, Étude-Tableau in D Major, op. 39, no. 9

Rebecca Kao Wang – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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.

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

Alfredo Garcia Jr. – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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.

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

Hajime Kobayashi – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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.

Program:
MENDELSSOHN, Variations sérieuses, op. 54

Ipek Bozkurt – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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.

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

James Carter Cathcart

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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.

Program:
CHOPIN Etude in A-flat Major, op. 25, no. 1 (“Aeolian Harp”)
CHOPIN Etude in E-flat Minor, op. 10, no. 6

Marisa Naomi Haines – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

Marisa Naomi Haines, 59
Emerging 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 & 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.

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

Robert Biber – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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.

Program:
CHOPIN Scherzo No. 1 in B Minor, op. 20

Thomas Maurice – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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.

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

Summer Stone – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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

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

Program:
GINASTERA Suite de Danzas Criollas, op. 15

Sandra Baumgarten – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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.

Program:
SCARLATTI Sonata in E Major, K. 380
LISZT Concert Etude No. 3 in D-flat Major (“Un sospiro”)

Tessa Knipe – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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

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

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

Colleen Adent – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

Colleen Adent, 54
Homemaker
Vancouver, Washington
United States

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

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

Adrienne Johnson – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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.

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

Noah DeGarmo – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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

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

Program:
PROKOFIEV, Sarcasms, op. 17, nos. 1-4

Yvonne Liu – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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.

Program:
BACH, “Sinfonia” from Partita No. 2 in C Minor, BWV 826
SCHUMANN-LISZT, Widmung

Gorden Cheng – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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 the UFC.

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

J. Spencer Thompson – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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

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

Program:
RACHMANINOV, Étude-Tableau in E-flat Minor, op. 39, no. 5
GERSHWIN-WILD, I’ve Got Rhythm

Mari Yoshihara – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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.

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

Joel Goodman – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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 10 Best Books each year, and relaxes with his wife, daughter, and two young grandchildren.

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

Brianna Donaldson – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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

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

Program:
MEDTNER, “Phrygian Mode” from Fairy Tales, op. 42
MEDTNER, Two Fairy Tales, op. 20

Kevin Grigsby – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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.”

Program:
RACHMANINOV, Étude-Tableau in E-flat Minor, op. 39, no. 5
GERSHWIN-WILD, I’ve Got Rhythm

Simon Finlow – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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

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

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

Andrea Davide Bonotto – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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.

Program:
CHOPIN, Ballade No. 1 in G Minor, op. 23

Deirbhile Brennan – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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, and last year she performed at the Les Amateurs Piano Festival in Morocco. The mother of four children ages 8 to 16, she enjoys spending time with family and friends as well as attending concerts and plays.

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

David Lee – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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.

Program:
CHOPIN, Barcarolle in F-sharp Major, op. 60

Thomas Yu – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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.

Program:
McINTYRE, Butterflies and Bobcats

Janne Backofen Craig – 2016 Cliburn Amateur Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

Jeanne Backofen Craig, 46
Homemaker/part-time minister of music and liturgy
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, Ms. Craig enjoys long-distance running, and she qualified and ran in the 2011 Boston Marathon.

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

Marco Di Marzio – 2016 Cliburn Amateur Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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.

Program:
GRANADOS, “Los requiebros” from Goyescas, op. 11

Max Sung – 2016 Cliburn Amateur Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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.

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

Mihono Kawamata – 2016 Cliburn Amateur Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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.

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

Madalyn Taylor – 2016 Cliburn Amateur Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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

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

Program:
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

Kazuyuki Ohmura – 2016 Cliburn Amateur Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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.

Program:
CHOPIN, Barcarolle in F-sharp Major, op. 60

Yumi Ahn – 2016 Cliburn Amateur Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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.

Program:
CHOPIN, Ballade No. 3 in A-flat Major, op. 47

Matthias Fischer – 2016 Cliburn Amateur Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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.

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

Robert Seppy – 2016 Cliburn Amateur Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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.

Program:
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

J. Todd Spangler – Cliburn Amateur 2016 Preliminary Round Recital

2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition
Preliminary Round
Van Cliburn Recital Hall

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.

Program:
CHOPIN, Ballade No. 4 in F Minor, op. 52

Miyu Shindo – Cliburn Junior 2019 Preliminary Round Recital

Miyu Shindo
Japan | Age 17

Preliminary Round Recital – Saturday, June 1, 2019 – 8:54 p.m.
Caruth Auditorium, SMU I Dallas, Texas, USA

Program:
BACH Prelude and Fugue in C Major, BWV 870
LISZT La campanella from Paganini Etudes
TCHAIKOVSKY Theme and Variations in F Major, op. 19, no. 16

In addition to recitals in her home country of Japan, Miyu Shindo has performed in the Great Hall at the Moscow Conservatory and at Carnegie Hall, and in Austria and Italy. She has collaborated with the Nagoya Philharmonic, Central Aichi Symphony, and Obu Philharmonic Orchestras, and placed in several international competitions. Miyu recently moved to Russia to study with Valery Piassetski at the Central Music School in Moscow, where she notes that there are many different people from many different places. They speak Russian to each other, but “sometimes we can’t understand what the other person wants to say. When we talk about music, though, we can talk forever!” Outside of piano, she likes to listen to music and read books.

“If every human in this world will love music and tell each other ‘thank you for giving me wonderful happiness,’ we would not hate anyone. I believe that music has a big power to change the world.”

Ishan Loomba – Cliburn Junior 2019 Preliminary Round Recital

Ishan Loomba
United States | Age 17

Preliminary Round Recital – Saturday, June 1, 2019 – 8:14 p.m.
Caruth Auditorium, SMU I Dallas, Texas, USA

Program:
BACH Prelude and Fugue in C-sharp Minor, BWV 873
SCHUBERT Sonata in A Major, D. 664 (III)
CHOPIN Mazurka in C-sharp Minor, op. 63, no. 3
CHOPIN Etude in G-flat Major, op. 10, no. 5 (“Black Key”)

Born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Ishan Loomba made his solo recital debut at the age of 8 and orchestral debut at age 10. A student of Carol Leone since age 11, he is a pre-college student in SMU’s Gifted Students Institute and attends high school at Early College Academy. Ishan has given public performances in his home state and in Texas, Florida, California, New York, and Colorado, with appearances at the Aspen Music Festival, Texas State International Piano Festival, and Colburn Music Academy Piano Festival, among others. A three-time Chopin Foundation Scholarship recipient, he has been “enraptured” by the piano since his first encounter—so much so that his parents would threaten him with “no more piano until you finish dessert!” Ishan also enjoys singing, learning languages, and running.

“I feel that music is the most important part of my life for reasons that are innate and unquantifiable, but also because music has given me a purpose beyond my own passions. This purpose is grounded in the need to communicate with others and to move them.”

Shuan Hern Lee – Cliburn Junior 2019 Preliminary Round Recital

Shuan Hern Lee
Australia | Age 16

Preliminary Round Recital – Saturday, June 1, 2019 – 7:52 p.m.
Caruth Auditorium, SMU I Dallas, Texas, USA

Program:
BACH Prelude and Fugue in E-flat Minor, BWV 853
CHOPIN Etude in G-sharp Minor, op. 25, no. 6
BARTÓK Three Etudes, op. 18

Australian pianist Shuan Hern Lee has performed across his country and Europe, and in the United States, China, Russia, and Indonesia, including appearances with the Minnesota, Moscow State, Ukraine, Armenia, Western Australia, and Jakarta Symphony Orchestras. He has been with his teacher, Yoon Sen Lee, for 14 years—since he was 2½ years old. He currently studies at the University of Western Australia, and also with Ingrid Fliter at the International Piano Academy Incontri Col Maestro in Imola, Italy. Among his many accolades are 11 first-place finishes at international piano competitions around the world. In his time away from the piano, he likes playing table tennis and with nerf guns, writing poetry, and studying philosophy.

“I believe that classical music and art will be one of the most important subjects in life for centuries to come. Technology is advancing at a terrifying and amazing speed, but no matter how advanced AI or robotics will turn out to be, music can never be substituted.”