Rounds: Semifinal Recital

Alessandro Deljavan- Cliburn 2013 Semifinal Recital

ALESSANDRO DELJAVAN
Italy | Age 26

Fourteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Semifinal Round Recital
Bass Performance Hall

Program:

SOLER Sonata in F-sharp Major, R. 90 I Sonata in F Major, R. 89
MENDELSSOHN Variations serieuses, op. 54
THEOFANIDIS Birichino
BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 23 in F Minor, op. 57 (“Appassionata”)

Alessandro Deljavan began studying piano before he was two years old, and went on to win top prizes at national and international competitions as a child and teenager. He has since performed in the major cities of Italy, as well as in Argentina, Colombia, France, Germany, Greece, Poland, Slovakia, Switzerland, and the United States, and with the Haydn Orchester, as well as the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra. He has recorded the works of Alkan, Brahms, Busoni, Cramer, Rubinstein, Satie, Schubert, and Schumann for the Naxos, Brilliant, OnClassical, Piano Classics, and Stradivarius labels. He will also be featured alongside Evgeny Kissin, Antonio Pappano, and Charles Rosen in a film about Liszt, produced and broadcast by Italian RAI TV. An avid chamber musician, he has performed with the Sine Nomine Quartet, the Takács Quartet, and the Orchestra Sinfonica Verdi, with which he also conducted. He plays regularly with his violinist partner Daniela Cammarano as well. Mr. Deljavan makes his home in Pescara, Italy, and is currently a Theo Lieven Scholar at the Conservatory of Lugano.

Nikolay Khozyainov- Cliburn 2013 Semifinal Recital

NIKOLAY KHOZYAINOV
Russia | Age 20

Fourteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Semifinal Round Recital
Bass Performance Hall

Program:
BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 31 in A-flat Major, op. 110
PROKOFIEV Sonata No. 7 in B-flat Major, op. 83
THEOFANIDIS Birichino
LISZT-BUSONI Fantasy on Two Themes from Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro

Nikolay Khozyainov made his debut at age seven in the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory. He has since garnered numerous prizes, including top prizes at the Dublin and Sydney International Piano Competitions and the Moscow International Frederick Chopin Piano Competition for Young Pianists. Additionally, he was the youngest finalist competing in the International Chopin Piano Competition in 2010. He has appeared with the Sydney Symphony, Tokyo Symphony, and Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestras, among others. Mr. Khozyainov released his first CD, featuring works by Chopin and Liszt, on the Accord label in 2010. He followed this in 2012 with an all-Chopin disc released by the Chopin Institute in Warsaw and another recording on the JVC Victor label in Japan. He is currently enrolled at the Moscow P.I. Tchaikovsky Conservatory.

Jayson Gillham- Cliburn 2013 Semifinal Recital

JAYSON GILLHAM
Australia-United Kingdom | Age 26

Fourteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Semifinal Round Recital
Bass Performance Hall

Program:
THEOFANIDIS Birichino
CHOPIN Rondo in E-flat Major, op. 16
DEBUSSY From Études, Book II
No. 7: Pour les degrés chromatiques
No. 11: Pour les arpegés composes
No. 12: Pour les accords
BRAHMS Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel, op. 24

Jayson Gillham has performed with the United Kingdom’s Hallé Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, China’s Wuhan Philharmonic Orchestra, and in major venues throughout Germany, Italy, Scotland, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. He plays regularly in Australia, returning each year for recital, concerto, chamber music, and festival appearances. Mr. Gillham was named Commonwealth Musician of the Year in 2012, upon winning the Over-Seas League Annual Music Competition, and received a gold medal from HRH Princess Alexandra. A graduate of Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University, he relocated to London in 2007 to pursue a master’s degree at the Royal Academy of Music. Mr. Gillham is also a cultural ambassador for the Hearts for Africa (Amani) Foundation.

Claire Huangci- Cliburn 2013 Semifinal Recital

CLAIRE HUANGCI
United States | Age 24

Fourteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Semifinal Recital
Bass Performance Hall

Program:
THEOFANDIS Birichino
BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 26 in E-flat Major, op. 81a (“Les adieux”)
SCHUMANN Symphonic Études, op. 13
PROKOFIEV Romeo and Juliet before Parting, op. 75, no. 10

Born in Rochester, New York, Claire Huangci has made debuts with the Munich Chamber Orchestra, the St. Petersburg Symphony, The Philadelphia Orchestra, the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, and with various other orchestras across Europe and the United States. She has appeared in recital as part of the Ravinia, Verbier, International Keyboard Institute, and Kissinger Summer Festivals, and at the Salle Cortot in Paris, Carnegie Hall in New York, Bonn Beethovenhaus, and in other venues throughout Europe, Asia, and the United States. She recently recorded her first CD for Berlin Classics, which will be released in fall of 2013. Ms. Huangci graduated from the Curtis Institute of Music in 2007 and has studied at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover since 2007.

Nikita Mndoyants- Cliburn 2013 Semifinal Recital

NIKITA MNDOYANTS
Russia | Age 24

Fourteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Semifinal  Recital
Brentano String Quartet
Bass Performance Hall

Program:
SCARLATTI Sonata in G Minor, K. 476 Sonata in B Minor, K. 87 Sonata in G Major, K. 125
THEOFANIDIS Birichino
DEBUSSY From Preludes, Books I and II La cathedrale englouitie La puerta del vino Feux d’artifice
MUSSORGSKY Pictures at an Exhibition

Born into a family of professional musicians, Nikita Mndoyants began to play piano and compose music at an early age. He gave his first public recital when he was ten, and one year later released his first recording of a live performance at the Sibelius Academy Concert Hall in Helsinki. Since then, Mr. Mndoyants has toured throughout China, Estonia, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, and the United States. He has been invited to perform in several festivals, including the Chopin Festival in Duszniki-Zdroj, the International Keyboard Institute and Festival in New York, and a festival dedicated to the World Economic Forum in Davos. His compositions are featured on two recordings released by Classical Records in 2007. Mr. Mndoyants is currently pursuing postgraduate studies at the Moscow P.I. Tchaikovsky Conservatory, where he also received a degree in piano and composition.

Tomoki Sakata- Cliburn 2013 Semifinal Recital

TOMOKI SAKATA
Japan | Age 19

Fourteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Semifinal Round Recital
Bass Performance Hall

Program:
THEOFANIDIS Birichino
DEBUSSY Etudes, Book I
VERDI-LISZT Danza sacra e duetto finale di “Aida”
RACHMANINOV Sonata No. 2 in B-flat Minor, op. 44

Born in Nagoya, Tomoki Sakata received his first piano lesson at the age of five. A prizewinner at various competitions throughout Asia and Europe, Mr. Sakata has appeared in concert in Osaka, Tokyo, and Yokohama, as well as in Geneva, Lugano, Paris, Prague, Utrecht, Vienna, and in Moscow for the twelfth International Festival “Musical Kremlin.” He has also performed as soloist with the Hamamatsu Symphony, Lubrin Philharmonic, and Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestras. Mr. Sakata currently studies at both the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music and at the International Piano Academy Lake Como.

Nikita Abrosimov- Cliburn 2013 Semifinal Recital

NIKITA ABROSIMOV
Russia | Age 24

Fourteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Semifinal Round  Recital
Bass Performance Hall

Program:
RACHMANINOV Variations on a Theme of Corelli, op. 42
THEOFANIDIS Birichino
SCRIABIN Vers la flamme, op. 72
STRAVINSKY Trois mouvements de Petrouchka

Nikita Abrosimov began studying piano at the age of six and made his recital debut when he was fourteen. He has since made appearances at La Scala in Milan, Alice Tully Hall in New York, Mariinsky Concert Hall in St. Petersburg, and in venues throughout France, Italy, Portugal, Russia, Switzerland, South Korea, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the United States. He has recently performed with the Nizhny Novgorod Symphony, Kostroma Symphony, and Stanford Symphony Orchestras, as well as with the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra under the baton of Valery Gergiev in St. Petersburg’s Stars of the White Nights Festival. Mr. Abrosimov earned degrees at the Balakirev Music College and at Indiana University South Bend. He currently lives in London, where he studies at the Royal College of Music.

Alexey Chernov- Cliburn 2013 Semifinal Recital

ALEXEY CHERNOV
Russia | Age 30

Fourteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Semifinal Round Recital
Bass Performance Hall

Program:
THEOFANIDIS Birichino
BARTOK Étude, op. 18, no. 3
SCRIABIN Sonata No. 5, op. 53
PURCELL Suite in C Major, Z. 666
SCHUMANN Symphonic Études, op. 13

Born in Moscow to a family of musicians, Alexey Chernov began studying music at the age of four. A graduate of the Moscow P.I. Tchaikovsky Conservatory and the Royal College of Music in London, he has won prizes at more than twenty international piano competitions, including first prize at the 2012 International Competition for Piano and Orchestra in Cantù, Italy; second prize at the 2011 Cleveland International Piano Competition; and fifth prize at the XIV International Tchaikovsky Competition, also in 2011. Since his 2005 debut in Moscow’s Rachmaninov Hall, Mr. Chernov has performed under the batons of Mikhail Pletnev, Enrique Bátiz, Alexander Sladkovsky, and Dmitry Orlov, among others. He maintains a busy concert schedule, performing solo recitals and with orchestras throughout Russia and Europe.

Fei-Fei Dong- Cliburn 2013 Semifinal Round Recital

FEI-FEI DONG
China | Age 22

Fourteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Semifinal Round Recital
Bass Performance Hall

Program:
MOZART Sonata in D Major, K. 576
THEOFANIDIS Birichino
CHOPIN Twenty-four Preludes, op. 28

Born in Shenzhen, Fei-Fei Dong gave her first recital at age ten; this was followed three years later by her orchestral debut with the Macau Youth Symphony Orchestra. She has since made debuts in Alice Tully Hall and the Louvre Auditorium, and with the Aspen Music Festival, Hong Kong, Juilliard, Shanxi, and Shenzhen Symphony Orchestras. Ms. Dong is a first-prize winner of several competitions in China, including the Schumann International Piano Competition for Young Musicians, the Asia-Pacific International Chopin Piano Competition, and the 65th Steinway & Sons International Youth Piano Competition. Ms. Dong currently lives in New York, where she is pursuing her Master of Music degree at The Juilliard School.

Beatrice Rana- Cliburn 2013 Semifinal Recital

BEATRICE RANA
2013 Silver Medalist
Italy | Age 20

Fourteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Semifinal Recital
Bass Performance Hall

Program:

SCRIABIN Sonata No. 2 in G-sharp Minor, op. 19 (“Sonata-Fantasy”)
THEOFANIDIS Birichino
CHOPIN Twenty-four Preludes, op. 28

Born into a family of musicians, Beatrice Rana began musical studies at the age of four and made her concerto debut when she was nine. She has been invited to perform at the Busoni, La Folle Journée, La Roque d’Antherón, Lanaudière, and Radio-France Festivals, and as soloist with the Aarhus Symfoniorkester, Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Kuala Lumpur Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra Internazionale d’Italia, and Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. First prize winner of the 2011 Montreal International Musical Competition, Ms. Rana also took first prize at the Muzio Clementi and Bang & Olufsen Piano Competitions. She released her first CD in 2012 of works by Scriabin and Chopin on ATMA Classique. She currently studies at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover, having previously graduated from the Nino Rota Conservatory of Music.

Kenny Broberg – Cliburn 2017 Semifinal Recital

KENNY BROBERG
2017 CLIBURN SILVER MEDALIST
United States | Age 23

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

Program:

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

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

Yekwon Sunwoo – Cliburn 2017 Semifinal Recital

YEKWON SUNWOO
2017 CLIBURN GOLD MEDALIST
South Korea | Age 28

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

Program:

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

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

Daniel Hsu – Cliburn 2017 Semifinal Recital

DANIEL HSU
2017 CLIBURN BRONZE MEDALIST
United States | Age 19

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Semifinal Round Recital – Thursday, June 1, 2017 – 7:30 p.m.
Bass Performance Hall

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

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