Orbifold Music Festival X Sicily

Mingfu Han is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance at the University of Kansas, where he studies under Dr. Yi-Yang Chen and serves as a Graduate Teaching Assistant. He has garnered prizes in several international and national competitions, including the IAPMT (International Association of Professional Music Teachers) Competition and the MTNA Steinway Young Artist Piano Competition. He has performed solo recitals and collaborative works across the U.S., Italy, and China. Mingfu also serves as the president of the Mu Phi Epsilon chapter at the University of Kansas.

Graduated from the Conservatory of Santa Cecilia in Rome, Dee perfected her technique in Switzerland with the soprano Leontina Vaduva. She debuted in 2009 in Haydn's Stabat Mater as a soloist, singing with the Filarmonica Romana orchestra. She then performed in Rome and Lausanne in various concerts: A tribute to Gershwin, Rossini's Soirees Musicales and starred as Dorinda in Handel's Orlando at Lausanne BCV Hall.
She played the main role of Mozart in W.A.M Irony of Death, a monologue including piano and singing parts by Carlo Picchiotti and The Nun in Kafka's Trial adaptation, for whom she was nominated for best actress in a supporting role at Teatro La Cometa's contest.
Willing to expand her musical repertoire, she gained a Master of Arts in Musical Theatre at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. She made her debut in musical theatre playing the role of Mileva in Love is not a Science, a show with original music by Joshua Rosenblum.
Dee alternated singing and acting, she played the gentlewoman in Macbeth at the London Theatre, she was featured as a refugee in Richard Eyre's King Lear for BBC and as the mother in Look at your palm at the Oval House in 2019. In 2020 she was offered the role of Francesca Conti in Jack Stall Dead.
Her latest role was in the second season of Dead man's phone, a new live action videogame available on Netflix from December 2022.
Dee also has QTS status and teaches singing, piano and music theory as Head of Creative Arts at St Anthony's School in Hampstead.

Dr.JenTao Yu, pianist born in Taiwan, has been described as “elegantly, tastefully performance of Viennese style interpretation” by New York Times critique David Dubal for his performance of Franz Schubert's piano impromptu D.946. Martha Argerich also commented “ Very good, interesting interpretation” for his private piano salon concert in Boston 2018.
Dr. Yu enjoy numerous international competition prizes, including First Prize winner of 2018 Concert Artists International Virtuoso Competition, 2020 American Price Winner, Boston University Richmond Piano Competition prize winner, First Prize for China Xinhai National Music Competition Suzhou Division etc. Dr. Yu concertizes internationally, giving both solo and chamber concerts in venues of Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, Beijing National Performing Center, Taipei National Concert Hall etc.
In addition to his solo performances, Dr.Yu is also passionate about promoting chamber music and collaborative piano arts performances, he worked as a collaborative pianist in the Piano Accompanying Department at the Manhattan School of Music while studying in New York. During this time, he was appointed as the piano art director for the school's arts festival and participated in rehearsals and performances of various Broadway musicals and dance productions.
He is also dedicated to music education and promotion. In 2016, he was invited by the Macau Rui Cunha Foundation to hold a concert and symposium. The performance and interview were recorded and broadcast on television in Hong Kong and Macau. As a frequent music competition judge and artistic director, Dr.Yu has been invited to judge competitions including 2018 and 2020 China National Xinghai Cup National Piano Competition, China-US International Youth Music Competition held in Beijing in 2018, 2023 Pearl River Kayserburg International Youth Piano Competition. In 2019, he was invited to serve as the artistic director for the Encore/Coda Music Festival in the United States. In 2022, He was invited to give a Masterclass in the Fuzhou Cross-Strait Music and Art Festival, and a masterclass at the University of Kansas, School of Music in 2023.
Dr. Yu has actively conducted various lectures, workshops, and concerts related to music across the country. These activities include multiple invitations to hold music lectures at the Wenzhou Library, art workshops and chamber music concerts at the Wenzhou Cultural Center, a series of solo and chamber music concerts held at the TianRui Concert Hall of Wenzhou University College of Music, public performances at the National Library in Beijing during the Covid-19 pandemic, and master classes.
Born in Taiwan, Dr. Yu was primarily trained by the renowned American pianist Jeffrey Cohen at the Lincoln Center in New York, the Russian piano master Pavel Nersessian, and the Italian pianist Roberto Plano. He also received guidance and reviews from many other great masters, including Martha Argerich, Nelita True, Richard Goode, Stephen Hough, and Jeffrey Swann. Dr. Yu graduated from the Central Conservatory of Music Affiliated High School and the China Conservatory of Music with outstanding grades, master's degree from the Manhattan School of Music in New York, Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the Boston University College of Music. He has previously taught in the Department of Music at Boston University and Wenzhou University, China. He is now Piano Faculty at Jiangxi University of Technology, Department of Music and Dance.

Lin Chen, pianist,Soloist of Hochschule fuer Musik und Theater Hannover, professor of Tianjin Conservatory of Music in China and jury member of International Piano Competitions.Artist of “Weltklassik am Klavier” performance company in Germany.
Lin Chen was drawn to piano at the age of four. In 2005, she was enrolled into Hochschule fuer Musik und Theater Hannover, Germany; under prof. Bernd·Goetzke (the last student of Arturo·Benedetti·Michelangeli) in solo class, and graduated in July of 2011 from Solo class (the highest level in music institution). Her public performances were throughout Asia, America and many European countries. In 2003, she has concert tour in China; in 2004 she performed concert tour in Japan; and in the year of 2007, Lin Chen played Piano concerto with Oslo Orchestra in Oslo, Norway. After that, in 2007,many concerts and recitals were performed in Germany; As well as at 'Mozart festival' in Augsburg, Germany, in 2008; From 2009, Lin Chen was became an artist of the performace company “Weltklassik am Klavier!”, and held many recitals in Germany. She had consistently played the New-Year Concert since 2009. In 2009 and 2010, Lin Chen played "Beethoven pur" recitals in many cities of Germany. The repertoire had included the “33 Variations on a Waltz by Anton Dianelli”, Mussorsky “the pictures of the exhibition”,Granados “Goyascas” etc. In 2011, Lin Chen played Beethoven Piano Concerto No.3 with Hannover Young Orchestra in Hanover, Germany, and in 2012, she played Mozart Piano Concerto K.449 with Moravian Philharmony Olomouc in Smetana Hall, Prague. In 2013, Lin Chen has her concert with Maestro conductor Mischa Darmev, and played Beethoven Piano Concerto No.2, in the same year, she played 12 recitals in Germany, Holland, Switzerland and China. In 2014, Lin Chen held the concert with Japanese violinist Ryu Goto (younger brother of Midori Goto). In 2015, she played Brahms Piano Concerto No.2 with Maestro conductor Muhai Tang and Tianjin Symphony Orchestra, after that she played concert tour in America and gave master classes in Colorado. In 2017, Lin Chen played concerts with Roman Simovic who is the concert master of London Symphony Orchestra in China.
Lin Chen got prizes in many competitions. She won the 2nd prize in the 'Kwok Renyuan sight reading competition in Taiwan. In 1999, she got the prize in Hongkong '--the 10th Hong Kong piano open competition-- the memory of Chopin'; in 2000, Lin Chen won Yamaha Student Awards. In 2007, she won the 4th prize and 'the best interpretation of Carl Vine Sonata 'in Grieg international piano competition in Norway. Lin Chen entered the Semi-final list of Vienna Beethoven International piano competition in 2009.
Lin Chen is jury member of many piano competitions include “Young Chang” International Piano Competition (Korea), Grotrain International Piano Competition (Germany), “Boya” International Piano Competition, etc.
•'Lin Chen is a talented pianist that has world class performance with superb skills and rich and varied playing style. '
•'Lin Chen is such a sensitive pianist which has lots of different playing style to express music.'
•'For her piano playing, like a piano master ability, no one could imagine that these music are playing out from such an exile Chinese girl.'
- German critic
•'Reine Artistik auf der Tastatur erlebte das Publikum bei Beethovens 33 Variationen über einen Walzer von Diabelli, die als Herausforderung für jeden Interpreten gilt: lyrische Erhebungen, scharfe Kontraste, sakrale Erhabenheit, dumpfes Bassgemurmel, draengende Crescendi, eine gewisse Widerborstigkeit und sogar ein spukhaftes Scherzo - all das wurde im Spiel der Pianistin tiefgehend erlebbar.
- Newspaper in Bad Oeynhausen
•'Ganz zu Recht, denn was die kleine Frau den Tasten entlockte, war wirkliche Weltklasse.'
- Newspaper in Oldenburg
'Die junge Pianistin füllte nicht nur mit ihrer Musik den grossen Raum, sondern auch mit ihrem Charme.'
- Newpaper in Altena
•'Only few people can reach such a high level in both technical and artistic way, as Lin Chen had done. '
- German critic

Chinese soprano Zhengyingyue (Elaine) Huang has been an apprentice with Russia International Art Festival in Moscow P. I. Tchaikovsky Conservatory, Russia, San Miguel Institute of Bel Canto in Mexico. She also perform several roles in LAH-SOW Minneapolis opera, Crittenden Opera Workshop, and the Landlocked Opera in the U.S.A. Her past roles include Baba in The Medium, Cio-Cio-san in Madama Butterfly, 2nd Witch in Dido and Aeneas, Mutter in Hänsel und Gretel, the second lady in Die Zauberflöte, Mrs. Gobineau in The Medium, and the title role in Suor Angelica. Dr. Huang has participated in a variety of music festivals and competitions and has won top prizes in the Russian International Opera Competition, Minnesota NATS competition, Kansas City Musical Club Miller Scholarship Award, Ordin International Competition , London International Classical Music Competition, and Charleston International Contemporary Music Competition. In addition to opera, she has been working as a pianist at Tyrolean International Piano Academy, Austria. Dr. Huang is an active member of the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) and the National Association of Teachers of Singing(NATS). A new music enthusiast, she has world-premiered the chamber opera Snow Angel which explores the rediscovery and reclamation of personal identity and agency following a sexual assault of the sole female protagonist. As a musician who is passionate about social justice and ethnic diversity, she founded the Asian Classical Music Initiative in 2021. Asian Classical Music Initiative aims to create a platform for the recognition and celebration of the contributions made by Asian, Asian American and Pacific Islander classical music composers. This organization is focused on presenting diverse musical styles and traditions, including both classical and contemporary genres, to promote a greater understanding and appreciation of the rich and varied cultural heritage of the Asian and Pacific Islander communities. Since its founding in the summer of 2021, KU ACMI has already produced several concerts and hosted three international conferences, which brought together scholars, composers, performers, and music enthusiasts from around the world to share their insights and perspectives on AAAPI classical music. The initiative is also engaged in outreach efforts to raise awareness of AAAPI music and provide educational opportunities for musicians and students who are interested in exploring this genre. Through its various activities, the KU Asian Classical Music Initiative seeks to build bridges between cultures and communities and to foster greater understanding and appreciation of the unique artistic expressions of the AAAPI communities. Dr. Huang holds degrees from East China Normal University(B.A), Temple University(M.M), and the University of Kansas(D.M.A).

Laurel McCloskey is a performer, educator, innovator, and administrator, with a passionate focus on contemporary and emerging classical music. Laurel has performed the title role of Suor Angelica in Denver, CO; and been in productions of Amleto, Don Giovanni, Madame Butterfly, and Otello, with Opera Southwest. In addition, she has trained at the Bel Canto Institute, Wintergreen Music Festival, Potomac Vocal Institute, and recently attended the Vienna Summer Music Festival. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Washington University in St. Louis and a Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University. Laurel founded the thriving health-focused non-profit organization, the Chronic Disease Prevention Council and she was the Development Director for the National Dance Institute. Ms. McCauley has advised arts organizations nationwide on funding and grant opportunities widely increasing access to classical music opportunities for emerging artists.

Born in Turin (Italy), Luisella Germano graduated with honors in Piano at the Conservatorio Statale “G.Verdi” in Torino (State Conservatory of Music in Turin). After receiving a scholarship from “De Sono” Associazione per la musica in Torino (De Sono Association for Music in Turin), she specialized in chamber music with “Trio di Trieste” at the Accademia Ducale in Genoa, and “Trio di Milano” at the High Music School in Fiesole (Florence).
Before turning her attention to the operatic repertoire, Ms Germano won many prizes in several international competitions as soloist and as part of chamber ensembles.
After graduating with honors from the highly prestigious Accademia Teatro “La Scala” in Milan, as “vocal coach”, she worked at the Opera houses in Frankfurt, in Nice and in Turin (2003 till 2012).
In 2012 won an audition at the Vienna State Opera as “vocal coach”.
She worked there as responsible of the italian repertoire from 2012 till 2020. After 2020 she worked regularly as guest at “Theater an der Wien”(Vienna), at “Teatro Massimo” Palermo (Italy), at „Teatro Regio“ Torino (Italy), at “La Monnaie“ Opera house (Brussels), at the Berlin State Opera.
From 2006 till 2017 she also regularly worked with the RAI Symphony National Orchestra as “vocal coach” and pianist. During the summers 2016 and 2017 she served on the artistic staff at the Salzburger Festspiele (Salzburg Opera Festival) as a vocal coach and musical Assistant.
Ms Germano has worked alongside conductors such as Alain Altinoglu, Marco Armiliato, Semyon Bychkov, Jesus Lopez Cobos, James Conlon, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Myung-Whung Chung, Christoph Eschenbach, Vladimir Ivanovič Fedoseev, Michele Mariotti, Riccardo Muti, Gianandrea Noseda, Juraj Valčuha, Zubin Mehta, Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Evelino Pidó, Pinchas Steinberg, Jeffrey Tate.
From 2016 on she worked several times with M° Riccardo Muti as “vocal coach” and “fortepiano player” for the Mozart-Da Ponte trilogy. Since 2018 Ms Germano has held a collaborative pianist position at the “Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien” (the University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna) - Department of Vocal Studies.

Washington National Opera, Opera Singer/Producer A regular performer at major opera houses, he has performed a wide range of roles such as Assur in Semiramide, Selim in Il turco in Italia, Mustafa' in L'Italiana in Algeri, Don Basilio in Barbiere di Siviglia, Alidoro in La Cenerentola, Gaudenzio in Il Signor Bruschino, Orbazzano in Tancredi di G.Rossini,Don Bartolo in Barbiere di Siviglia di G. Paisiello, Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor, Don Pasquale in Don Pasquale, Dulcamara in L'Elisir d'Amore di G. Donizetti,Colline in La Bohème di G. Puccini, Oroveso in Norma, Il Conte Rodolfo in La Sonnambula di V. Bellini Conte di Walter in Luisa Miller, Silva in Ernani, Il Re and Ramfis in Aida Messa di Requiem, Zaccaria in Nabucco, Attila in Attila, Ferrando in Il Trovatore di G. Verdi e various oratori of Mozart, Haydn, Bach, Händel, Rossini, Verdi, Boccherini.
His most important international engagements have included: Liceu Barcelona, Münchner Rundfunk Orchester (Live Recording of Alidoro in La Cenerentola with Sony Classical RCA), Bolshoi Theatre, Tchaikovsky Concert Hall Moscow, Queen Elisabeth Hall, Holland Park, Grange Park, Glyndebourne, Covent Garden London, Washington DC, Pittsburgh, Dallas, Austin, Chicago, Seattle, Carnegie Hall USA. Concertgebow Amsterdam, Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Teatro Regio Turin, Teatro Carlo Felice Genoa, Opera Ireland, Semperoper Dresden, Puccini Festival Torre del Lago and Teatro Arcimboldi Milan.
He has worked with conductors such as Zubin Mehta Riccardo Chailly Alberto Zedda, Eve Queler Paolo Olmi Esa-Pekka Salonen Alan Curtis Carlo Rizzi Bruno Campanella Romano Gandolfi Emanuel Villaume Stefano Ranzani Riccardo Frizza Jonathan Webb.

Chinese born pianist Yun Wei has appeared in notable halls around the world, including Alice Tully Hall and Paul Hall in Lincoln Center, Merkin Hall, The Green Space in WQXR and Carnegie Hall's Weill Hall in New York, and Shanghai Oriental Hall in Shanghai, and the Tel Aviv Museum of Art in Israel, and the Great Hall and the Town Hall in Leeds, United Kingdom. Born in Hunan, China, Yun Wei began her piano studies at the age of 6. She received her bachelor's degree (2014), master's degree (2016) and the prestigious Artist Diploma program(2018) from The Juilliard School under the guidance of Robert McDonald. Yun Wei is currently a faculty member in the piano department of the Zhejiang Conservatory of Music in Hangzhou, China.
Having made her professional orchestral debut at age of 16 with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra as winner of the Piano Texas concerto competition, Miss Wei has gone on to garner additional honors and awards. Her many awards include winner of New York's Ensemble 212 Young Artist Competition and the Kosciuszko Chopin Competition, laureate of the 2015 Leeds International Piano Competition, where she worked with Conductor Sir Mark Elder and the Halle Orchestra, and winner, the 2014/2015 The Juilliard School Bachauer Piano Competition.
Miss Wei has given interviews and performances for public media including the BBC radio 3, WQXR radio, Houston Public Radio and China's Hubei classical radio station. She was also invited to give masterclasses and performances by West Virginia University, Kansas University, Houston University, Rockefeller University and the Tianjin Juilliard School

Mr. Dahao Guo, pianist and music activist based in the United States; President of Perfect Pitch Global Arts Center in New York, Founder and Co-Director of North Coast International Piano Festival & Competition in California. Mr. Guo received B.M. and M.M. degrees in Piano Performance from Eastman School of Music, as well as M.M. degree in Business Management from Nazareth University.
He studied under the renowned piano educator and Gold Prize winner of the Busoni Piano Competition, Thomas Schumacher; and the world-famous piano performer, chamber music performer and educator, Silver Prize winner of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, Barry Snyder. Mr. Guo has exchanged and studied with many world-renowned musicians such as Christian Zimmermann and Alfred Brendel, and has collaborated with famous musicians from various countries.
North Coast International Piano Festival and Competition founded by Mr. Guo was named one of the ten most influential music festivals in the United States, has invited many top musicians such as Jerome Lowenthal, Douglas Humpherys, Logan Skelton, Olga Kern, Alexander Kobrin, Barry Snyder, Thomas Schumacher, Bruce Brubaker, Daniela Mineva, etc. and winners of the competition are invited to perform in distinguished venues such as Carnegie Hall.
Since 2013, Mr. Guo has continuously invited world-famous musicians and educators to China to present concerts, lecture-recitals and master classes. He has served as judge in many piano competitions, such as MTNA National Piano Competition, North Coast Piano Competition, Empire State Competition, National Federation Piano Competition, etc.
Mr. Guo is committed to helping young Chinese pianists study in the U.S. Up to now, Mr. Guo has sent more than one hundred outstanding young pianists to top professional music schools in the United States, such as Eastman School of Music, the Juilliard School, New England Conservatory of Music, Peabody Institute of Music, Manhattan School of Music, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Mannes School of Music, Cleveland Institute of Music, Boston Conservatory of Music, Boston University and NYU Steinhardt, University of Miami Frost School of Music, etc.
"Mr. Guo's performance fully demonstrates all the talents that a modern pianist should possess. With exquisite performance skills and unparalleled tone control, he swept through the United States like a whirlwind compared to other Chinese pianists today."
——Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

Born in Italy in 1996, Alberto Ferro achieved his Master's degree (2018) under the guidance of Prof. Epifanio Comis, at the "Vincenzo Bellini" State Conservatoire of Music in Catania. He also attended several piano masterclasses held by very important pianists such as Leslie Howard, Elisso Virsaladze, Joaquín Achúcarro, Richard Goode, Boris Berezovsky, Jörg Demus and Vladimir Ashkenazy.

He won a lot of prizes in international competitions, including: 1st Prize and Audience Prize at the International Telekom Beethoven Competition in Bonn (2017); 2nd Prize, International Press Prize and Haydn Prize at the "Ferruccio Busoni" International Piano Competition in Bolzano (2015); 6th Prize and Musiq'3 Prize of the public at the “Queen Elisabeth” International Piano Competition in Brussels (2016); 2nd Prize at the "Premio Jaén" International Piano Competition (2022); Finalist Prize at the "Arthur Rubinstein" International Piano Competition in Tel Aviv (2023); Finalist Prize and Children's Corner Prize at the "Clara Haskil" International Piano Competition in Vevey (2017).

He has performed many concerts throughout Europe: State Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow, University of the Arts in Berlin, Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest, National Philharmonic in Warsaw, Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona, Herkulessaal in Munich, Centre for Fine Arts, Flagey and Royal Conservatoire in Brussels, Ilija M. Kolarac Endowment in Belgrade, Teatro Massimo in Palermo, Liederhalle in Stuttgart, Gewandhaus in Leipzig, Meistersingerhalle in Nuremberg, Charles Bronfman Auditorium in Tel Aviv, Rudolf-Oetker-Halle in Bielefeld, Teatro Petruzzelli in Bari, Teatro Massimo Bellini in Catania, National Opera and Ballet Theatre in Constanța, Musikhuset in Aarhus, Kurhaus in Wiesbaden, Teatro La Fenice and Teatro Malibran in Venice, Philharmonic Hall in Liège, Philharmonie in Luxembourg, Concertgebouw in Bruges, LAC in Lugano, Regentenbau in Bad Kissingen, Festspielhaus in Erl.

Festival and associations appearances have included the Copenhagen Summer Festival, Unione Musicale di Torino, Bologna Festival, Ravello Festival, Amici della Musica di Firenze, Società dei Concerti and Società del Quartetto di Milano, Tyrolean Festival Erl, Kissinger Sommer, Beethovenfest, Piano aux Jacobins, Gent Festival van Vlaanderen, and many others.

He has performed with several orchestras such as the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, National Orchestra of Belgium, the Málaga Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestra Filarmonica della Fenice, the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, the Klassische Philharmonie Bonn, the Royal Chamber Orchestra of Wallonia, the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, under renowned conductors such as Arvo Volmer, Dirk Kaftan, Heribert Beissel, Günter Neuhold, Paul Meyer, Thierry Fischer, Marin Alsop, Christian Zacharias and many others.

Many of his recordings were broadcast by radio and television broadcasters in Italy (Rai 3, Rai 5, Rai Radio 1, Rai Radio 3, Rai Südtirol, Radio Popolare, Venice Classic Radio) and abroad (RTBF, VRT, Musiq'3, Klara, ORF III, MDR Kultur, RTS, arte, Deutsche Welle). Furthermore, some important music magazines (Suonare News, Amadeus, Crescendo, Andante, Pizzicato) have published many articles about him.

He recorded for some important labels such as Brilliant, Warner, Da Vinci and Muso. He is currently Professor of Piano at the “Alessandro Scarlatti" State Conservatoire of Music in Palermo.

“Her performance was incredibly expressive… effortlessly moving from delicate flourishes to pounding intensity…” (Toronto Star).

 

Pianist Yang Liu captivates audiences worldwide with her profound musicianship and extraordinary virtuosity. Since making a successful concerto debut at the age of fourteen with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, she has performed in some of the most renowned concert halls in North America, Europe, and Asia, including the Lincoln Center in New York City, Koerner Hall in Toronto, Beijing Concert Hall, Hong Kong City Hall, the Château de Fontainebleau in France.

 

Ms. Liu's musical prowess has garnered her many prestigious awards, including First Prize in the Toronto International Piano Competition, First Prize in the professional category of the Chopin International Piano Competition in Hartford, Second Prize in the Serge & Olga Koussevitzky Young Artist Awards, Fourth Prize of the International Chopin Competition for Young Pianist, among others. She has also participated in many international music festivals such as the Aspen Music Festival, PianoTexas, Fontainebleau School of Music, International Musical Artistry Goslar, and Imola Summer Music Academy and Festival. In 2014, she became a member of the Musicians Club of New York.

 

In 2022, Naxos Records released her album “Schubert: German Dances, Ländlers, and Écossaises”, featuring Schubert's dances performed on both a modern piano and a fortepiano. The album includes world premiere recordings and a Ländler completed by Yang Liu based on Schubert's fragment. Later in the same year, her album “Dancing on the Keys, Volume I” showcased waltzes by Chopin, Grünfeld/Johann Strauss Jr., Schubert/Richard Strauss, and Ravel, was released on QQ Music in China.

 

Ms. Liu's musical journey began in her hometown of Fuzhou, China. She earned both Bachelor's and Master's of Music degrees from The Juilliard School under the tutelage of Dr.  Yoheved Kaplinsky, Master of Musical Arts degree from Yale School of Music with Dr. Melvin Chen, and Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Peabody Institute - Johns Hopkins University with Prof. Yong Hi Moon. In addition, she has been studying at The Imola International Academy Foundation “Incontri con il Maestro” in Italy with Prof. Vovka Ashkenazy.

 

In addition to her performing career, Ms. Liu is also deeply committed to sharing her passion and expertise with the next generation of musicians. As an avid educator, she is on the piano faculty at Smith College,  actively teaching in the New York region, and has served as the assistant of keyboard studies at the Peabody Institute. Her students have achieved success in international competitions and have been accepted into prominent music conservatories such as the Eastman School of Music, Manhattan School of Music, Mannes School of Music, and Peabody Institute. 

 

Yang Liu is the founder and director of the Ocean Music Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in New York City devoted to presenting concert series and educational programs. She is a Steinway Artist.

Praised by the New York Times for his “revelatory” performances, and by the Toronto Star for his “technically flawless, poetically inspired and immensely assured playing,” pianist Jiayan Sun has performed with the Cleveland Orchestra, the Hallé Orchestra, the Chinese and RTÉ (Ireland) National Symphony Orchestras, the Fort Worth and Toledo Symphony Orchestras, the Toronto and Aspen Concert Orchestras, and the Suwon Philharmonic Orchestra, and he has conducted from the keyboard the Meiningen Court Orchestra. He has collaborated with prominent conductors such as Sir Mark Elder, Michail Jurowski, Stefan Sanderling, Leon Fleisher, David Hayes, Thomas Crawford, Daejin Kim, Kerry Stratton and Xincao Li. His performances have been broadcast by the BBC, the RTÉ, China Central Television, and classical music radio stations in North America. He has performed at and participated in the Verbier Festival, the Gstaad Menuhin Festival, the Klavier-Festival Ruhr, the Aspen Music Festival, the Sarasota Music Festival, and PianoTexas. Under the mentorship of Sir András Schiff, he was invited to give a number of solo recitals in Europe as part of Schiff's “Building Bridges” project.

Mr. Sun has been awarded prizes at many of the major international piano competitions, including third prize at the Leeds International Piano Competition, second prize at the Dublin International Piano Competition, fourth prize and the audience prize at the Cleveland International Piano Competition, first prize at the inaugural CCC Toronto International Piano Competition. Playing early keyboard instruments and studying historical performance practice have played a significant role in Mr. Sun's musical activities, with critically acclaimed appearances with the American Classical Orchestra in Alice Tully Hall.

Hailing from Yantai, China, he received Bachelor's, Master's and the Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from The Juilliard School under the tutelage of Yoheved Kaplinsky and Stephen Hough. His other mentors include pianists Malcolm Bilson, Richard Goode, Robert Levin, and harpsichordist Lionel Party. His devotion to the art of composition led him to study with the composer Philip Lasser. Currently Assistant Professor of Music and Associate Chair for Performance Activities at Smith College, he presented Beethoven's complete piano sonatas in chronological order, in addition to yearlong series devoted to the music of Schubert and Chopin. Jiayan Sun is a Steinway Artist.

Active as a soloist, with orchestra and in chamber ensembles, Carlo Palese has cooperated with outstanding musicians. All the ensembles featuring his presence mirror his interests in multiple aspects of musical expression; from the classic duet with bow instruments to organ, harmonium, theremin, percussions, actors, and wider groups. In the field of contemporary music, he has often performed works dedicated to him.

He has made collaborations with R.A.I. (Italian Television ) and recorded for Camerata Tokyo and EMA Vinci.

Carlo Palese obtained his Diploma in piano at the Conservatoire “L. Boccherini” in Lucca, summa cum laude, and honorable mention under the guidance of Itala Balestri Del Corona. He then studied for a period of time with Maria Tipo and, for some years, under the guidance of Pietro Rigacci. Subsequently, he was a student of Aquiles delle Vigne, obtaining the "Diplome Supérieur d Exécution" at the Ecole Normale de Musique “A. Cortot” in Paris. He has also worked with the teacher and musicologist Piero Rattalino upon various aspects of musical performance and piano repertoire. He has attended masterclasses with Jean Fassina, Murray Perahia, and others.

During these years he wins several prizes in important national and International Piano Competitions (Viotti-Valsesia, Rome, Milano, Caltanissetta, Treviso, Torrefranca prize, Taranto, Udine, Marsala among many others). In 1992 he got the second prize at the Cincinnati World Piano Competition.

Currently, he is a piano professor in Lucca at Conservatoire “Luigi Boccherini”, where he also takes care of the organization of the Open Piano Festival. A sought-after teacher, he regularly holds masterclasses in Italy and abroad ( Katowice K. Szymanowski Academy International Masterclasses, Miami Piano Festival Academy, etc.). His students are often winners in important competitions.

He is often invited to serve as jury member in international piano competitions. The intent of spreading musical culture has led Carlo Palese to be active also in the field of music promotion. He is the artistic consultant of “Classica con Gusto”, a concert series in Teatro Goldoni in Livorno; he is President of “Livornoclassica”and Artistic Director of Livorno Piano Competition and of PerPIANO concerts.

Pianist Tian Tian began her piano training at the age of four in her native China. Upon arriving in the United States, she studied with Logan Skelton and quickly began amassing top prizes at national and international competitions. These included 2nd prize at the MTNA Baldwin Junior High school Piano Competition, 2nd prize at the Cooper International Piano Competition (Oberlin), 1st prize at the Idyllwild Arts Academy Young Artist Competition, 2nd prize at the Missouri Southern International Competition, and 3rd place at the Eastman Young Artists International Piano Competition.
She continued her training at the Juilliard School, where she received B.M. and M.M. degrees under the tutelage of Robert McDonald. In the fall 2011 Tian completed a D.M.A. in Piano Performance and Literature with a minor in Chamber Music and Accompanying at the Eastman School of Music where she was a student of (and served as teaching assistant to) Nelita True. Dr. Tian maintains a busy performance schedule in the U.S and abroad. Solo appearances have included music festivals such as Piano Texas, the Gilmore Festival, and Summer Courses with Arie Vardi (Germany). Recent concerto appearances included the Windsor Symphony and the Idyllwild Chamber Orchestra. As a member of the Studzinsky Trio, she has recently performed in the U.S., China, and Korea.
Dr. Tian is an Associate Professor of Piano and the area coordinator at Oakland University. Prior to that, she was on the faculty of the University of Central Missouri. Her students have repeatedly performed well in competitions and festivals. Since 2008, she has returned to China annually to present concerts, lectures and masterclasses, which have earned her the title of Honorary Professor at Shandong Normal University and Yunnan Institute for the Arts (in 2008), Shaoxing Academy of the Arts (2009), Weifang Academy, Mudanjiang Teacher's University, Ludong University, Qufu University (2010), Qingdao University (2012), and Shandong University of Technology (2015).

Hailed by Olin Chism of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram as “a highly musical person, a master not only of technique but of interpretation” and Lyn Bronson of Peninsula Reviews as having “a masterful technical control that permitted him to go way beyond technical challenges and reveal the essential beauty and significance of each work he performed,” pianist NING ZHOU has been a laureate in several distinguished international piano competitions. A native of China, now residing in Texas, he has competed in the 2009 Van Cliburn Piano Competition in Fort Worth, the 2015 Chopin Competition in Warsaw, and was a semi-finalist in the 2015 Queen Elisabeth Piano Competition in Brussels, in addition to victories in several competitions while living in China and USA.
An avid chamber musician, Ning Zhou won first prize in the 3rd Coltman Chamber Music Competition in Austin Texas, and was invited to perform at the Zephyr International Chamber Music Festival 2014 in Courmayeur, Italy, and the Decoda Chamber Music Institute in 2016.
Ning holds master's degrees from the Shanghai Conservatory and the San Francisco Conservatory as well as an Artist Certificate in Chamber Music, while studying with Mack McCray and Sharon Mann, also at the San Francisco Conservatory. He is currently pursuing his DMA degree as a Teaching Fellow at the UNT College of Music, under the direction of Dr. Pamela Mia Paul. He joined the piano faculty at Zhejiang Conservatory of Music in 2020 and is the official recording engineer and artist with KNS Classic.

Praised as “sparkling” by The New York Times and “a rising star” by China Musical Weekly, pianist Hui Wu displays her versatility through a creative approach to programming, stemming from a contemporary/classical music duality. Her recent performance highlights include west coast premiere of Merrill Songs by Matthew Aucoin; multimedia project with artists Nova Jiang and Gaëlle Choisne in collaboration with the Los Angeles CleanTech Incubator(LACI) and The Mistake Room, as well as chamber music appearances at the Beverly Hills National Auditions Winners' concert series.
Hui serves as the Southern Festival Chair in California Association of Professional Music Teachers (CAPMT). She is also a frequent adjudicator in music competitions in the US. Currently, she teaches at the Colburn Community School of Performing Arts, Moorpark College, Cal Lutheran University, and Junior Chamber Music. Hui studied at The Juilliard School for her Bachelor and Master's degrees with full scholarship. She earned her Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music. Her teachers include Matti Raekallio, Jerome Lowenthal, Stewart Gordon, Philip Lasser, and Donald Crockett.
In the past seasons, her performances have included solo recital tours and master classes in China and Germany. Other highlights included premieres in Los Angeles Philharmonic Composer Fellowship Concert at Disney Concert Hall; “Art as Activism” concert with Christopher Rountree and contemporary ensemble wild Up; debut of her “Lone Journey” multimedia project in collaboration with the USC Thornton Arts Leadership Program, in addition to chamber music appearances in China with violinist Rainer Honeck, Stefan Dohr, and Stefán Ragnar Höskuldsson. She has also been invited to perform at the opening night concert in the Tully Scope Festival in Lincoln Center and chamber music appearances with choreographer Zach Winokur and the Juilliard Dance Division. She has also performed Nick Didkovsky's Zero Waste for pianist and computer on Beyond the Machine 12.1 series at the Music Technology Center in Rosemary and Meredith Willson Theater.
As an avid chamber musician, Hui has been invited to festivals such as at Taos School of Music, Yellow Barn Chamber Music Festival, Music Academy of the West, International Summer Music Festival in Goslar, Germany, PianoTexas Festival, and Beijing International Music Festival and Academy. She is the founder of ensemble demitasse and trio E'Toile. Her mentors and collaborators include Michel Beroff, Malcolm Bilson, Peter Donohoe, Peter Frankl, Margo Garrett, Joseph Kalichstein, Seymour Lipkin, Susan Narucki, Charles Neidich, Menahem Pressler, Gary Wedow, GuangRen Zhou, Robert McDonald, Michael Tree, as well as the Brentano, Borromeo, and the ShangHai Quartets among others.
A composer and advocate of new music, Hui has performed and premiered numerous contemporary works by composers such as Matthew Aucoin, Du Yun, Huang Ruo, Chen Yi, Jeffrey Parola, Eric Nathan, Paul Chihara, and Elliott Schwartz. Ms. Wu has collaborated with Juilliard's Dance Division on her composition Simogatas for soprano and piano four hands. In addition, Wu's Three Little Pieces for Orchestra (2011) was premiered by conductor Euntaek Kim and the Double Visions Orchestra. Her other compositions vocal and instrumental works have also been premiered and performed in New York, Los Angeles, and in China. Recently, she premiered her Aprés Notations (2015) to pay tribute to Pierre Boulez and That Light In My Dream (2017) at the 2017 unSUNg project with soprano Kyra Folk-Farber.
Born in China, Hui started her musical training at the age of four. At the age of thirteen, she made her debut recital in GuangDong Concert Hall with 12 Chopin Etudes and Liszt Rhapsodies. She has won numerous competitions including first prizes in the Kosciuszko Chopin Competition in New York, the Murray Dranoff International Artists Competition in Miami, the Beverly Hills National Auditions, and the 65th Steinway International Piano Competition. Hui has also won top prizes in the Ettlingen International Competition in Germany, the Corpus Christi International Competition, Ryoichi Sasakawa Young Leaders Fellowship Fund Award, Young Artists Concerto Competition in Texas, the National Youth Piano Competition of GulangYu International Piano Art Festival and the Golden Clock Piano Competition in China

Hailed by the New York Times as “a marvelous pianist,” Peter Takács has performed widely, receiving critical and audience acclaim for his penetrating and communicative musical interpretations. Takács was born in Bucharest, Romania, and started his musical studies before his fourth birthday. After his debut recital at age 7, he was a frequent recitalist in his native city until his parents' request for immigration to the West, at which point all his studies and performances were banned. He continued studying clandestinely with his piano teacher until his family was finally allowed to immigrate to France, where, at age 14, he was admitted to the Conservatoire de Paris.
Upon Takács' arrival in the United States, his outstanding musical talents continued to be recognized with full scholarships to Northwestern University and the University of Illinois, and a three-year fellowship for doctoral studies at the Peabody Conservatory, where he completed his artistic training with renowned pianist Leon Fleisher.
Takács has performed as guest soloist with major orchestras in the U.S. and abroad, as well as at important summer festivals such as Tanglewood, Music Mountain, Chautauqua Institution, ARIA International, Schlern Music Festival in the Italian Alps, Tel Hai International Master Classes in Israel, and Sweden's Helsingborg Festival. Since 2008, he has been a member of the faculty at the Montecito Summer Music Festival in Santa Barbara, California. He has performed and recorded the cycle of 32 Beethoven piano sonatas, which were released on the Cambria label to critical acclaim in 2011.
Takács' success as a teacher is attested to by the accomplishments of his students, who have won top prizes in competitions in the United States, Canada, Europe, and South Africa. They have been accepted at major graduate schools such as the Curtis Institute, Juilliard School, and Peabody Conservatory, among many others. Takács has given master classes in the U.S., Europe, and Asia, and has been a jury member at prestigious national and international competitions such as the San Antonio International Keyboard Competition, the Canadian National Competition, the Cleveland International Piano Competition, and the Hilton Head International Piano Competition. He has taught piano at Oberlin since 1976.

Pianist Hyoung Wuk Kim enjoys a versatile performing career as a recitalist as well as a chamber musician. He has garnered national acclaim for his "remarkable interpretation" in his performances. He won prizes in several competitions and played in numerous recitals throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. As a soloist, Hyoung appeared with several orchestras, such as Greece Symphony Orchestra and Los Angeles Sinfonietta. As a pianist who made the decision to pursue a professional career after his military service, Hyoung brings a unique perspective and approach into his teaching. His experience as a trumpeter in the military band added to his musicianship and ambition, leading him to return fully to his piano training. He also developed a deep understanding and knowledge of the technical mechanism of one's body in playing the piano and how to help young musicians interpret music. Over ten years of teaching experience at Eastman School of Music, The California School of the Arts, and Montecito Music Festival, many of his students have represented their developing musicianship and successes by winning competitions and performing with orchestras. Hyoung Kim received his Master of Music degree at University of Southern California, where he studied with Stewart Gordon and his Bachelor of Music and Doctorate of Musical Arts degrees in piano performance and literature at Eastman School of Music, where he studied with Nelita True.

“Stefano is a pianist with complete technical facility and a beautiful tonal palette. He possesses a natural charisma and an unforced, sophisticated sense of style in a wide range of repertoire. His dynamic range is wide and he orchestrates beautifully on the piano, with a varied tone which sings at all dynamic levels. He has brilliance, delicacy, drive and sense of architecture, all revelead in a fine artistic manner”
Garrick Ohlsson
Since his early years of study Stefano Andreatta has received numerous prizes in national and international competitions for young pianists, later establishing himself in major piano competitions in Italy and abroad. In 2016 he was the winner of the "Friuli Venezia Giulia” International Piano Competition, receiving from the jury also the special prizes for the best performance of Beethoven's sonata and for the 20th-century piece (Rachmaninov's Sonata No. 2).
In recent years, he has distinguished himself in competitions that are members of the Geneva Federation (WFIMC), such as “Casagrande” in Terni and “Honens” in Calgary. At the Cleveland Competition his performance of Beethoven was again recognised and awarded.
In 2017 he won third prize and a medal at the prestigious Montreal International Competition, in an edition with over 300 participants in the selections, with a final broadcasted on the medici.tv platform. His first recording project was released in 2018 for KNS Classical, dedicated to Sonatas by Scarlatti, Clementi, Beethoven and Rachmaninov.
He has performed as a soloist and in chamber ensembles in Italy, Germany, England, Spain, Denmark, Kazakhstan, Canada and the United States in prestigious halls such as: Sala dei Giganti (Padua), RDAM Concert Hall (Copenhagen), Tivoli Concert Hall (Copenhagen), Maison Symphonique (Montréal), Teatro Bon (Udine), Astana Opera Theatre (Astana), Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center (Salt Lake City), Hanns Eisler Concert Hall (Berlin), Fazioli Concert Hall (Sacile), Auditorium del Massimo (Rome), Auditorium Manuel de Falla (Madrid), Sony Auditorium (Madrid), Sala Ateneu (Bacau), Weinman Hall (Santa Barbara - California), Jack Singer Concert Hall (Calgary).
In 2023 he was invited by “La Società dei Concerti” in Milan with music by Beethoven, Bartòk, Bach and Rachmaninov, and he gave in Bologna the first Italian performance of J.D. Krynen's Sonata, entitled "Cantar de mio Cid" and inspired by the Spanish epic poem of the same name.
The same year, he won the International “Rovere d'Oro” Prize.
The Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia awarded him the “Giuseppe Sinopoli” prize in the presence of the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella.
Stefano Andreatta graduated at the Conservatorio “A. Steffani” in Castelfranco Veneto. After study experiences with Jerome Lowenthal and Anna Kravchenko, he subsequently specialised with Massimiliano Ferrati and at the Royal Danish Academy of Music with Niklas Sivelov. He graduated with top marks and honours under the guidance of Benedetto Lupo at the Courses of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia

Chinese born pianist Jun Sun has showed his musical individuality and musicianship from various performing experiments and teaching experiences. Sun had successfully made appearance in notable halls around the world such as Alice Tully Hall and Peter Jay Sharp Theater in Lincoln Center, The Great Hall in Leeds, Chinese National Theater, Shanghai Concert Hall and China National Centre of the Performing Arts. Sun also was invited as a guest performer to universities such as the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music, Transylvania University and West Virginia University.
Having made his orchestral debut with Fou T'song in 2007 with Shanghai Conservatory orchestra, Sun's growing musicianship won him prizes such as Crescendo Music Award 2012, two special prizes in William Kapell International piano Competition, the second prize in the Young Concert Artists International Competition and also he is a laureate of the China International Piano Competition in 2010. In the Leeds International Piano Competition 2015, he received the semi-final prize. New York Concert Review hails Sun has “Unquestionable pianism” and “Unique music expression”.
Sun has also explored himself in modern art as he has given performances of the artwork Stop, Repair, Prepare: Variations on "Ode to Joy" for a Prepared Piano (2008) in MoMA at New York by artists Jennifer Allora (American, born 1974) and Guillermo Calzadilla (Cuban, born 1971) combine the mediums of performance art and sculpture.
Jun Sun received bachelor of music and master of music degree from the Juilliard School with full scholarship under Robert McDonald, also the artist diploma degree at the Manhattan School of Music with the guidance of Marc Silverman. While at Juilliard, Mr. Sun won the Brahms Piano Concerto no.1 competition which he performed it with the Juilliard Orchestra conducted and coached by Leon Fleisher. Jun Sun is a faculty member of the Zhejiang Conservatory of Music in China since 2015.

Antoinette Perry, born into a family of professional musicians, gave her first public performance at the age of four. Since then she has concertized extensively throughout the United States, Germany, France, England, and in over 15 cities of the People's Republic of China. She has been heard often on NPR and the Bravo! Channel, and has recorded for the Crystal, Harmonie, Pacific Rainbow, Pacific Serenades, Excelsior, and Navona/PARMA labels.

The First Prize winner and recipient of the Baroque Prize at the 2012 San Antonio International Piano Competition, Dr. Lo-An Lin, was born in Taipei, Taiwan. A pianist with “brilliance" and “thoughtfulness" (San Antonio Express), Lin has performed throughout the United States and abroad. She recently gave her debut recital at Carnegie, Weill Recital Hall as the recipient of Lowry Award at Eastman School of Music. Highlights of her solo performances include performances and recitals at the Seoul National Arts Center in Korea, National Recital Hall and Concert Hall in Taipei, Taiwan, the Steinway Hall in New York City, and the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. Lin has appeared as a soloist with several orchestras, such as the San Antonio Symphony, the Eastman School Symphony Orchestra, the Queensland Orchestra in Australia, the Glenn Gould School Orchestra in Canada, the San Francisco Conservatory Orchestra, the Interlochen Arts Academy Orchestra, Eastern Music Festival Orchestra, Suzhou National Orchestra, and the Evergreen Symphony Orchestra in Taipei, Taiwan.

Lo-An has received top prizes and acclaims from numerous international and national piano competitions. She was the recipient of the First Prize and the Baroque Performance Prize at the San Antonio International Piano Competition, First Prize at the collegiate division of MTNA Piano Competition in California and the First Prize at the National MTNA Senior division competition, Third Prize at the Corpus Christi International Piano Competition, Second Prize at the Lennox Young Artists International Competition, First Prize, and Audience prize, Concerto prize, and Best performance of an Australian work prize at the Lev Vlassenko Piano Competition, First Prize at the Viardo International Youth Piano Competition, Second Prize at the Missouri Southern International Piano Youth division, and Second Prize at the Kosciuszko Foundation Chopin Piano Competition.

A passionate teacher, Dr. Lin received her Doctor of Musical Arts degree majoring in Piano Performance with a minor in Piano Pedagogy at Eastman School of Music, where she served as a teaching assistant for class piano program, as well as a studio assistant for renown piano pedagogues Nelita True and Tony Caramia. In addition to her teaching assistantships, she has taught private and group lessons at Eastman Community Music School, served as a secondary piano lesson instructor at Yale School of Music and lecturer at the Nazareth School of Music. Lin has been invited to give recitals and masterclasses at many colleges and universities in America, including Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee, Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan, Nazareth College in Rochester, New York, East Tennessee State University, Denison University, University of Alabama, and San Francisco Conservatory.

Her students have received top prizes in many national and international piano competitions, including Liszt Memorial Prize International Piano Open Competition, London Young Musician Competition, Santa Cecilia International Piano Competition, Steinway Piano Competition East China division, Shanghai International Piano Competition, etc.

As an avid chamber musician, Lin has appeared as a guest artist at the Cactus Pear Music Festival. She has also performed chamber music at festivals such as Music Academy of the West, Bowdoin International Music Festival, and collaborated with Calder Quartet in Piano Texas Music Festival. Lin has held position as a collaborative pianist at Nazareth College and Pittsford School district.

Lo-An received her Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the Eastman School of Music in 2019, where she also received Master of Music degree studying with Dr. Nelita True. While she was a student at the Yale School of music, she was selected twice to represent the piano department to perform in Kennedy Center and Steinway Hall. She received Artist Diploma at Yale in 2014, as the recipient of the George W. Miles Scholarship studying with internationally acclaimed pianist Professor Hung-Kuan Chen. She received her Bachelor of Music degree studying with Professor Yoshikazu Nagai at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where she was awarded Outstanding Achievement in Piano.

Lo-An is on the roster of OPUS Music Management in Taiwan and currently serves as an Assistant Professor at the Soochow University School of Music in Suzhou, China.

Menghan Cao, Co-founder of The M Music Group, currently a piano faculty at Orange County Music and Dance. Ms.Cao originally from China, then moved to the United States for her high school education at Interlochen Arts Academy in 2010. Ms.Cao received her bachelor degree from Eastman School of Music in Piano Performance with Natalya Antonova. She graduated with a Master of Music and Graduate Certificate both at University of Southern California with Bernadene Blaha in 2021.

Ms.Cao has been teaching piano students on all levels and ages since 2014, and is capable of teaching in both English and Mandarin. Plenty of students here who have participated and performed at the competition. Many of her students have successfully acquired the ABRSM & CM Certifications. In 2017, she was invited to be a teaching assistant in both Cadenza Beijing W-town International Chamber Music Summer Camp, and also, Steinway International Piano Preparatory Academy, Orange County, CA in 2019.

As an experienced piano performer, Ms.Cao has given solo piano recitals in Los Angeles CA, Rochester NY, Beijing China and Yingkou China. She also participated in many partner's recitals such as piano trio, duo piano and piano quartets. In 2016, Ms. Cao toured with Interlochen Orchestra as an orchestral and choral pianist to many cities in the east coast of the U.S.

Ms. Cao has won many competitions, domestically and internationally. Including Michigan Music Teacher Association (MMTA) Concerto Competition, the California Association of Professional Music Teachers (CAPMT). Social Music Works, James Ramos International Video Competition, Hong Kong Asia Piano Open Competition in Mozart Sonata Group, Grieg Group, and the Winner of her age group, and Xinghai Cup Competition.

Dr. Gao was born in the city of Nanjing, China and made her solo recital debut at the age of seven. She was winners of Jiangsu Piano Competition, Gulangyu Piano Competition, NTDTV Global Piano Competition, Grand Prize Virtuoso Global Music Competition, New York “Golden Classical Music Awards" Global Competition. She has participated and performed in Shanghai Global Piano Festival, Prague Global Music Festival, Eastman “Music for All" program, the Chautauqua Global Music Festival with orchestra and the tribute to legendary Vladimir Horowitz Concert, etc. Also, Dr. Gao can be heard through the CD release of Czerny Exercises, etc. Her CD recordings include repertoires of Czerny-Piano Technique Practice, Scarlatti, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Schumann, Schubert and Bartok, etc.

Dr. Yi-Yang Chen shot onto the international stage with back-to-back victories in the 2018 Sussex International Piano Competition, 2017 Washington International Competition, and the Warning International Piano Competition. The Worthing Herald music critic Richard Amey praised his recent performance “flair for the unusual and his technical and artistic capacity to deliver,” as well as his “musical and emotional intelligence, dexterity and virtuosity,” listening to Chen as soloist in Saint-Saëns' Piano Concerto No.5 “Egyptian” with the Worthing Symphony Orchestra. His vibrant playing at the Pacific International Piano Competition (Canada) was recognized by the judges, who selected him for the first prize (“…Yi-Yang showed an impressive breadth of emotional investment and natural affinity for the music he played. The informed individuality and command of his performance was immediately compelling to the judges. We feel this young man has a fine future as an artist. He seems to 'own' the piano as he plays, and this makes his performance extremely powerful” - Dr. Robin McCabe).
Yi-Yang Chen is an assistant professor of piano at the University of Kansas and the Artist Director of the Orbifold Music Festival in California. Born in Taipei, Taiwan, Chen has been playing the piano since the age of 8. Yi-Yang completed his Doctor of Musical Arts And Bachelor's of Music at the Eastman School of Music with Douglas Humpherys, and his Master's degree at The Juilliard School with Robert McDonald and Jerome Lowenthal. He also has solo/chamber masterclasses with Itzhak Perlman, Emanuel Ax, Daniel Pollack, Joseph Kalichstein, Glenn Dicterow, Thomas Sauer, and with members from the Cleveland, Shanghai, Borromeo, Brentano, Ying, and Guarneri String Quartets.
Yi-Yang has captivated audiences worldwide with his flamboyant playing. He has performed on five continents in acclaimed venues, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center in New York, Melbourne Recital Centre, National Concert Hall in Taipei, Banff Music Centre in Canada, ZK Matthews Great Hall in South Africa, and the Assembly Hall in Worthing, UK, with such orchestras as the Worthing Symphony Orchestra, Brevard Music Center Orchestra, Avanti Orchestra, Eastman Philharmonic Orchestra, National Chinese Orchestra, and the Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra. He has appeared at the Perlman Music Festival, Taos School of Music Summer Chamber Music Festival, Banff Music Centre, Music Academy of the West, Four Seasons Winter Workshop, and Brevard Music Center.
A wealth of experience enables Chen to become an outstanding teacher and performer. As the winner of the 2012 MTNA National Young Artist Piano Competition, Chen was given a Steinway piano and two concerts in Miami sponsored by the Chopin Foundation (USA) as his prize. In a review of his 2017 solo recital at Carnegie Weill Hall, New York Concert Review wrote, “He negotiated this difficult work with what appeared to be the greatest of ease. The passagework was sparkling, and the energy never flagging. Mr. Chen held the line and momentum throughout, challenges which many players struggle with in this work […]. It was a powerhouse performance. His bold, take-no- holds approach was all that one hopes for in this work. It is a high-risk proposition that demands a large technique, and Mr. Chen delivered. I've heard many performances of this sonata, and Mr. Chen's ranks among the best. “ Chen also received top prizes at the Hilton Head International Piano Competition, American Prize (Professional Division), UNISA International Piano Competition (South Africa), Kerikeri International Piano Competition (New Zealand), Seattle International Piano Competition, Thailand International Piano Competition, San Jose International Piano Competition, Roberto Melini International Piano Competition (Italy), Five Towns Piano Competition, Schubert Club Competition, Thousand Islands International Piano Competition, and Chopin International Piano Competition in Hartford.
Yi-Yang Chen is a member of the Music Teachers National Association, College Music Society, and Mu Phi Epsilon. He enjoys swimming, biking, traveling, and composing. Yi-Yang is currently working on a recording project with Champs Hill label (UK); the release is scheduled for 2025. Before joining KU (University of Kansas), Yi-Yang served on the faculty at East Tennessee State University as a tenure-track professor.
Dr. Chen is a Steinway Artist.

Chinese-born pianist Zhao Wang is currently the Director of Accompanying at Central Michigan University School of Music. Dr. Wang has performed as a soloist in the cities of Germany, Italy, Spain, Canada, Japan, the United States, and China. As an avid chamber musician, she frequently collaborates in concerts and recordings with renowned faculty members at prestigious universities and orchestras. She is a founding member of Circulo Trio, a clarinet-violin-piano trio which has been a featured guest ensemble at Thailand International Composition Festival, received the Verdehr Trio endowment at Michigan State University, and presented multiple interdisciplinary musical works alongside traditional repertoire in concert tours in the recent years. In addition to the appearances with Circulo trio, Dr. Wang has also performed regularly at Henri Selmer Summer Academy, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Music Festival at Walnut Hill, Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, and Chengjiang Chamber Music Series in China. As a dedicated educator, Dr. Wang is an active member of MTNA, and was invited to adjudicate the state final at MMTA in 2019 and 2023.

Dr. Wang received her bachelor's and master's degrees from Eastman School of Music, with a doctorate from Michigan State University, all in Piano Performance. She also received two additional master's degrees in Collaborative Piano and Piano Pedagogy from Michigan State University.