2026 Competitors
Meet the pianists: A-C
Yanfeng (Tony) Bai, 27
CHINA
Yanfeng (Tony) Bai won first prize at the China Shenzhen International Piano Concerto Competition and the China Central Television piano competition. Tony has performed with orchestras, including Calgary Philharmonic, China Philharmonic and New Mexico Philharmonic and collaborated with leading conductors, including James Conlon, Peter Bay and Daye Lin. He graduated with an Artist Diploma of Music at the Colburn School, where he studied with Fabio Bidini.
Susanna Braun, 26
SWITZERLAND
Susanna Braun studied at the RNCM and the Hochschule für Musik, Weimar. She is currently in the “Soloist” programme at Zurich University of the Arts with the support of an Excellence Scholarship. She reached the semifinals of the 2025 Liszt Utrecht Competition and has won prizes at numerous other competitions. In 2024 she made her debut at the Tonhalle, Zürich and in 2025 at the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, with a live recording for BBC Radio 3.
Nikita Burzanitsa, 25
UKRAINE
Nikita Burzanitsa studied in Donetsk with Nataliya Chesnokova, then at Wells Cathedral School with John Byrne. He continued his education at the Royal College of Music completing his Bachelor of Music as a Milstein Medal Scholar and most recently the Artist Diploma under the guidance of Dmitri Alexeev. A prize-winner of more than 30 international competitions, Nikita has recently won 1st Prize and Audience Prize at the 2025 Sheepdrove Piano Competition. He reached the semi finals of the 2024 Hastings International Piano Competition and also took part in 2022.
Yangrui Cai, 25
CHINA
Yangrui Cai studied with Jay Sun and later Dr. Vivian Li at the Xinghai Conservatory, before graduating with a Bachelor of Music from Oberlin Conservatory. He now studies with Stanislav Ioudenitch at Park University’s International Center for Music. Yangrui has performed at major competitions including the Sendai, Bösendorfer & Yamaha USASU, Sydney, Gina Bachauer, Enescu, and Busoni competitions. He won First Prize at the 2023 Japan Piano Open and in 2025 was a semi-finalist at the Cliburn International Piano Competition.
Hans Chan, 27
USA
Hans Chan is a graduate student at New England Conservatory studying with Alexander Korsantia. He has won numerous awards and has performed in masterclasses for teachers including Douglas Humpherys, Gilbert Kalish, and Boris Slutsky. Hans has performed as soloist with the Alicante Symphony in Italy, as well as recitals in Spain and the USA. He received a dual degree in Piano Performance and Economics at Eastman/University of Rochester.
Kuan-Wei Chen, 26
TAIWAN
Kuan-Wei Chen entered the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin to study with Prof. Konrad Maria Engel and is now pursuing a master’s degree at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna under Prof. Anna Malikova. In 2025 he participated in the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels, at the 14th Rosario Marciano Competition in Vienna, and was selected as a finalist for the 65th Ferruccio Busoni Competition. Chen has performed across Europe and Asia.
