CURTIS-PHILL HSU, 19
USA
14

Curtis was born in the USA and took up the piano at age 4. He began his studies with Prof. Andreas Weber at 12 at the Mozarteum Pre-College and was nominated for the Leopold Mozart Institute’s High Talent Program. He is now studying at Hanover University of Music with Prof. Arie Vardi. Curtis won third prize at the 16th Ettlingen International Piano Competition and first prize at the Merci, Maestro! International Piano Competition in Brussels.

HYELIM KIM, 27
SOUTH KOREA
21

Hyelim started playing the piano at five. After winning numerous competitions in South Korea, she moved to Germany to study with Georg Friedrich Schenck. She studied at the Robert Schumann Hochschule in Düsseldorf and is now studying with Claudio Martinez Mehner at the Hochschule in Köln. She has won prizes including the Clara Haskil Competition in Vevey and the 8th Annarosa Taddei International Competition. She is a scholarship holder of Clavarte Foundation in Bern.

DEREK WANG, 25
USA
34

Derek holds BA and MA degrees from the Juilliard School, where his teachers included Stephen Hough, Yoheved Kaplinsky, and Matti Raekallio. His playing has been described as “pure poetry” (Seen and Heard International). He was awarded second prize at the 12th International Liszt Competition, first prize at the inaugural New York International Liszt Competition and at the La Ciudad de Las Ideas conference in Puebla, Mexico. He is currently studying at Yale School of Music with Boris Slutsky.

CHENGYAO ZHOU, 16
CHINA
39

Chengyao was born in Zhejiang, and began playing the piano at the age of three. At 9 she joined the pre-college of Shanghai Conservatory of Music and was later admitted to the Juilliard School Pre-college studying with Dr. Ernest Barretta. She won the Grand Metropolitan International Piano Competition, the Juilliard Pre-College Prokofiev and Beethoven Competitions, and first prize of the Fifth Manhattan International Music Competition.

HARMONY ZHU, 18
CANADA
40

Born in China, Harmony moved to Canada as a child and now lives in the USA. She won the Gilmore Young Artist Award and Young Concert Artists International Auditions, and was awarded first place in competitions including the Gina Bachauer Scholarship Competition, Aspen Music Festival Concerto Competition, VI Chopin International Competition (Connecticut), the Juilliard Concerto Competition, and the Canadian Music Competition. She has been studying at Juilliard since age 8 with Emanuel Ax and Veda Kaplinsky. She is also a world-class chess player.

JINWOO BAE, 22
KOREA
03

Jinwoo was born in Korea and began piano lessons at a young age. He won the Mompou Special Prize at the Maria Canals Competition and was a prizewinner at the Korea Herald Competition and the Korea Chopin Competition as well as the grand prize at Eumaksekye Competition. Jinwoo is a fourth-year student at the Korea National University of Arts studying with Minsoo Sohn.

NIKITA BURZANITSA, 23
UKRAINE
05

Nikita was born into a family of musicians in Donetsk, Ukraine, playing the piano from the age of seven with Prof. Nataliya Chesnokova. He won a full Scholarship to Wells Cathedral School studying with Prof. John Byrne and then received a Double Scholarship which includes the Milstein Medal Award to the Royal College of Music studying with Dmitrii Alexeev. Awarded the Talent Unlimited scholar and the ABRSM Overseas Postgraduate Scholarship.

ROBERT BROOKS CARLSON, 25
USA
06

From Virginia, Robert won the special prize at the Seattle International Piano Competition and second prize in the National Federation of Music Clubs’ Young Artist Competition. As a chamber musician, Carlson has been coached by violinist Kristin Lee and pianist Julio Elizalde. He currently studies at the City University of New York Graduate Center with Soyeon Kate Lee. Prior teachers include Paulo Steinberg, Emily Chua, and Nicholas Ross.

JUNYAN CHEN, 23
CHINA
07

After BA and MA degrees, Junyan was awarded a full scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music with Professor Joanna MacGregor CBE. She was a prize winner at the Osaka International Music Competition and reached the semi-finals of the Sydney International Piano Competition in 2023. She is an enthusiastic performer of contemporary music. Her debut solo album “It’s Time” was recorded at the Royal Academy of Music in 2022 and released by Linn Records.

DIDA CONDRIA, 21
IRELAND
08

Originally from Romania, Dida moved to Ireland and studied at the Royal Irish Academy with Prof. Reamonn Keary. An ABRSM Scholar, Dida is studying with Prof. Aaron Shorr at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. She was a keyboard finalist in the 2023 BBC Young Musician of the Year, and won the Scottish International Youth Piano Competition and the Edinburgh Festival Concerto Competition. As a chamber musician, Dida performs in the UK and Ireland with various duos and trios.

YUANG FANG, 18
CHINA
10

Started playing the piano at an early age and is now studying at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing with Professor Kong Jianing. Won the Gold Medal at the 18^th Oxford Music Festival Piano Competition. Gave 16 performances of an animated film and live piano programme, Magic Piano and Chopin Shorts around China. Recently won the Gold Medal of the professional group of Gulangyu International Piano Competition.

NICOLAS GIACOMELLI, 26
ITALY
41

Described as “a pianist who makes you think and dream” and praised for his “audacity and perfect mastery of the form”, Nicolas Giacomelli is the 1st prize winner of the 2023 Shigeru Kawai IPC (Tokyo). He held concerts in Europe, Asia, and America. He is the winner of more than 40 competitions, including the Concours International Piano Campus, the Premio Venezia, the NTD Competition, and the Friuli Venezia Giulia IPC. He is currently a student of Benedetto Lupo.

SAMUEL GLICKLICH, 23
USA
11

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Samuel Glicklich is currently at the Colburn Conservatory studying with Fabio Bidini and mentored by Jean-Yves Thibaudet. He won 2nd prize in the Casagrande International Piano Competition in Terni, and was winner of the Colburn School concerto competition. Recently awarded the Young Talents scholarship from the Musique & Vin au Clos Vougeot festival, co-directed by Jean-Yves Thibaudet and Gautier Capuçon and a solo finalist in the 2023 Busoni Piano Competition.

SICHENG GUO, 17
CHINA
12

Guo started studying the piano at eight, performing Prokofiev No. 3 with an Orchestra at age fourteen. Currently studying at the Tianjin Juilliard School with Ching-Wen Hsiao. Awards include Grand Prize and Outstanding Prize in the Toronto International Instrumental Competition, and 2^nd prize in both the Chicago International Piano Competition and the Lang Lang International Piano Festival and Competition. In 2021 Guo performed at the Grand Theatre of Tianjin.

KYOSHIRO HIRAMA, 25
JAPAN
13

Born in Japan, Kyoshiro began piano studies at age 4. At 18 he moved to the United States to study with Professor Stanislav Ioudenitch at the International Center for Music at Park University. Currently studying with Professor Severin von Eckardstein in Hochschule für Musik, Köln. Prizes include 5th prize at the 2019 Sendai International Music Competition and the special award for the best performance of a piece/pieces by a Polish composer at the 2023 International Baltic Competition. 

CURTIS-PHILL HSU, 19
USA
14

Curtis was born in the USA and took up the piano at age 4. He began his studies with Prof. Andreas Weber at 12 at the Mozarteum Pre-College and was nominated for the Leopold Mozart Institute’s High Talent Program. He is now studying at Hanover University of Music with Prof. Arie Vardi. Curtis won third prize at the 16th Ettlingen International Piano Competition and first prize at the Merci, Maestro! International Piano Competition in Brussels.

MARTIN JOLLET, 27
FRANCE
16

Born in France, Martin began playing the piano at five, studying with Marc Maier at the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Tours. He later studied at the Haute Ecole de Musique of Lausanne, studying with Christian Favre, and the Musik Akademie in Basel with Claudio Martinez Mehner. Martin also studies orchestration and conducting. He is a laureate of the Fritz Bach Prize 2020 and the Orpheus Competition. Martin is kindly supported by Rahn Kulturfonds.

SALOME JORDANIA, 27
GEORGIA
17

Winner of New York Concert Artists Worldwide Competition, Salome has appeared as a recitalist, chamber musician and concerto soloist in many cities including a successful debut recital at Berlin Philarmonie Hall in March 2023. Her first CD recorded by NAXOS came out in May 2022. She won 1st prize at the Chopin National Competition in Georgia and the Golden Key Competition in Frankfurt.

SIMON KARAKULIDI, 26
USA
18

Born in Siberia, Simon moved to the USA in 2016 and has a master’s degree from Yale University. In 2023 he moved to Germany studying with Professor Oliver Kern. He has prizes from many international competitions including first prize at the Piano Campus competition in Cergy-Pontoise, France, and the Archangelo Speranza Piano Competition, both in 2023. He is an aspiring polymath and is passionate about new music.

ASAKI IWAI, 23
JAPAN
15

Asaki is currently doing a master’s at Tokyo University of the Arts and studying with Noriko Ogawa and Hiroshi Arimori. She won first prize in the piano section of the Kanagawa Music Competition and the 4th Nohant Festival Chopin Piano Competition. She is a recipient of a scholarship from the Soji Angel Fund/Japan Federation of Musicians’ Associations Domestic Scholarship Program for Emerging Performers.

JEONGJIN KIM, 26
SOUTH KOREA
20

Born in Seoul, Jeongjin studied at Seoul National University with Prof. Aviram Reichert. She is now studying at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz in Köln with Prof. Severin von Eckardstein and Prof. Claudio Martinez Mehner. She has won first prize in the Karlrobert Kreiten Klavierwettbewerb, the International Campillos Piano Competition, and the International Verona Piano Competition. In 2023 she was chosen to receive the Steinway Förderpreis.

HYELIM KIM, 27
SOUTH KOREA
21

Hyelim started playing the piano at five. After winning numerous competitions in South Korea, she moved to Germany to study with Georg Friedrich Schenck. She studied at the Robert Schumann Hochschule in Düsseldorf and is now studying with Claudio Martinez Mehner at the Hochschule in Köln. She has won prizes including the Clara Haskil Competition in Vevey and the 8th Annarosa Taddei International Competition. She is a scholarship holder of Clavarte Foundation in Bern.

ALISIYA LEVINA, 17
RUSSIA
22

Alisiya began studying the piano aged five at the Central Music School at the Moscow State Conservatory with Daria Ryabova, and from eleven with Vadim Rudenko. Since 2019 she has attended the Gnessin Moscow School of Music and now studies with Prof. Andrey Diev. She is also studying at the Incontri col Maestoso Academy in Imola, Italy with Boris Petrushansky. Alisiya has participated in international competitions in Russia, Armenia and Italy. 

ZIXIAO LI, 29
CHINA
23

Born in China, Zixiao now lives in the United States. He began learning the piano at five with his parents. In 2013, joined the Oberlin Conservatory of Music studying with Professor Robert Shannon and Haewon Song. In 2017, he joined the Juilliard School. Currently studying with Dang Thai Son. Prizes include the Romania International Piano Competition and the John Elwin Scholarship.

XIAOXUAN LI, 22
CHINA
24

Born in China, Xiaoxuan Li started learning the piano at the age of four and gave his first public recital at the age of 11. Since 2015 he has been studying with Professor Robert McDonald at the Juilliard School. Prizes include the Carnegie Hall Debut Audition; the Gold Medal and the Beethoven prize in the Cleveland International Piano Competition; first prize in the Zhuhai Mozart International Competition for Young Musicians.

NIKITA LUKINOV, 25
RUSSIA
25

Heralded for “extraordinary breadth and freedom of imagination” (Gramophone), and praised as “Exceptional talent” (The Scotsman). Nikita won the “Walcer Prize” Competition at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Nikita’s debut CD “Kaleidoscope” was released by KNS Classical label in June 2023. Tracks from the album went on Radio 3, BBC Radio Scotland, Scala Radio. Nikita has a full scholarship to study for his artist diploma at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland where he also teaches piano.  

CALLUM McLACHLAN, 24
UK
27

Callum started piano lessons at the age of 7, entering Chetham’s School of Music at 11. He studies with Professor Jacques Rouvier at the Mozarteum Salzburg and Professor Claudio Martinez Mehner in Cologne. He was a finalist of both the 18th International Robert Schumann Competition and the Royal Over Seas League Piano Competition, and won 1st prize in the Welsh International Piano Competition, the Scottish International Piano Competition and the RNCM Chopin Competition.

ROSE McLACHLAN, 21
UK
28

Rose began piano lessons with her father and entered Chetham’s School of Music at the age of 8. She studyied at the Royal Northern College with Helen Krizos, and is currently at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with Charles Owen, Martin Roscoe, and Ronan O’Hora. She won the 11th “Dora Pejacevich“ competition and the concerto competition in the PianoTexas Festival and Academy. Her first commercial recording is issued by Divine Art.

KASPARAS MIKUŽIS, 22
LITHUANIA
29

At the age of 22, Lithuanian-born pianist Kasparas Mikužis has already released his debut CD.  Kasparas is a student at the Royal Academy of Music, completing his undergraduate studies with pianist Diana Ketler and postgraduate with Prof. Christopher Elton. He won both the Harold Craxton Chamber Music Competition and the Duo Competition at the RAM, Kasparas was invited to play for Sir Andras Schiff at the Riga Jurmala Music Festival.

BELLA SCHÜTZ, 21
FRANCE
30

Born in Paris, French pianist Bella Schütz is currently studying in Vienna with Jan Jiracek von Arnim and in Berlin with Björn Lehmann and is mentored by Cédric Tiberghien in Paris. Bella earned recognition in international piano competitions, including Piano Campus, Lyon International Piano Competition, and the Feurich Competition in Vienna. She was honoured with the Matilde Neri-Sclavo scholarship from the Accademia Chigiana in Siena.

ALEXA STIER, 26
HUNGARY
31

Alexa Stier the Hungarian pianist described as “simply phenomenal” (New Britain Herald). Won competitions, such as the Sheepdrove Piano Competition and the Virtuoso & Belcanto Competition. Alexa received the “Maurice Ohana” Prize at the Orléans International Piano Competition. Alexa studied at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland with Prof. Fali Pavri. Completed her master’s at the Yale School of Music, studying with Prof. Boris Berman and Prof. Wei-Yi Yang.

ALEXANDRA STYCHKINA, 20
RUSSIA
32

Born in Moscow to a family of musicians, at fifteen Alexandra became the youngest finalist and prize-winner of the Marguerite Long International Piano Competition in Paris. She also won 1st prize at the Tbilisi and Astana competitions, and was a prizewinner at the International Chopin competition in China. At nine Alexandra studied at the Central Music School in Moscow with Mira Marchenko. Now with Kirill Gerstein at the Musikhochschule Hanns Eisler Berlin.

TIMOFEI VLADAMIROV, 22
RUSSIA
33

Timofei was born in Ufa, Russia. He began studying the piano at six and in 2012 joined the Vladimir Spivakov International Charity Foundation. He is currently studying with Andrei Pisarev. Prizes include the Vladimir Krainev Moscow International Piano Competition, the Astana Piano Competition for Young Pianists and the International Piano Competition Russian Season. He has performed in the Vladimir Spivakov Invites Festival. Timofei is also a prize-winning composer.

DEREK WANG, 25
USA
34

Derek holds BA and MA degrees from the Juilliard School, where his teachers included Stephen Hough, Yoheved Kaplinsky, and Matti Raekallio. His playing has been described as “pure poetry” (Seen and Heard International). He was awarded second prize at the 12th International Liszt Competition, first prize at the inaugural New York International Liszt Competition, and the La Ciudad de Las Ideas conference in Puebla, Mexico. He is currently studying at Yale School of Music with Boris Slutsky.

GABRIEL YEO, 25
GERMANY
36

Born in Münster, Germany, Gabriel started the piano aged 3, studying at Hanover University from 2008. Prizes include the Jugend musiziert and the GWK Music Prize, the Concours International André Dumortier and International Theodor Leschetizky Competition. He won first prize of the 2018 International Grotrian Competition and Gold Medal at the Manhattan Competition. He is also an accomplished violinist and was leader of the youth symphony orchestra of the Westphalian School of Music in 2013/14.

AKANE YOSHIDA, 30
JAPAN
37

Born in Hiroshima, Japan, Akane began piano lessons at aged three. She studied at the AICHI University of the Arts, and is now at the Berlin University of the Arts where she is studying with Björn Lehmann. She has won many prizes, including first prize and special prize at the Gifu International Music Festival, third prize at the Artur Schnabel Competition of the Udk, and finalist at the Brahms Piano Competition.

IDO ZEEV, 25
ISRAEL
38

Winner of several first prizes in his native Israel, as well as 3rd prizes at the Vigo International Piano Competition and the San-Remo International Piano Competition, Ido is also a laureate of the Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition in Novosibirsk.  He has appeared at festivals including the Oxford Music Festival, the Luzern Festival and Allgemeine Musikgesellschaft (Basel) and was commended by the celebrated pianist Martha Argerich as ‘a brilliant pianist, a very dedicated and sensitive musician.’.  He currently studies with Prof. Arie Vardi.

CHENGYAO ZHOU, 16
CHINA
39

Chengyao was born in Zhejiang, and began playing the piano at the age of three. At 9 she joined the pre-college of Shanghai Conservatory of Music and was later admitted to the Juilliard School Pre-college studying with Dr. Ernest Barretta. She won the Grand Metropolitan International Piano Competition, the Juilliard Pre-College Prokofiev and Beethoven Competitions and first prize of the Fifth Manhattan International Music Competition.

HARMONY ZHU, 18
CANADA
40

Born in China, Harmony moved to Canada as a child and now lives in the USA. She won the Gilmore Young Artist Award and Young Concert Artists International Auditions, and was awarded first place in competitions including the Gina Bachauer Scholarship Competition, Aspen Music Festival Concerto Competition, VI Chopin International Competition (Connecticut), the Juilliard Concerto Competition, and the Canadian Music Competition. She has been studying at Juilliard since age 8 with Emanuel Ax and Veda Kaplinsky. She is also a world-class chess player.

DIANA AREDO, 29
UKRAINE
01

JONAS AUMILLER, 25
GERMANY
02

RACHEL BREEN, 27
USA
04

BOYI FA, 26
CHINA
09

ALON KARIV, 24
ISRAEL
19

ANASTASIYA MAGAMEDOVA, 26
TAJIKISTAN
26

HSIN-HAO YANG, 25
TAIWAN
35