Day 5: Choice Works and American Post-1940

Sean Yeh chose Rachmaninoff’s Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor, Opus 36 because he likes the “intensity and tranquility” of the Rachmaninoff’s style, his use of chords, of density and melody. He selected the Rachmaninoff's own 1931 revision of the 1913 original which Sean said seems "long and redundant." The Steinway concert grand brought into Charles Allis Art Museum responded well to Sean’s various touches for color, and his performance revealed his passion for this music. It also boasted of a light, even, effortless, and powerful technique.

His second choice, movements II. Allegro vivace e leggiero and IV. Fuga: Allegro con spirito from Sonata Opus 26 by Samuel Barber, is a delightful and intricate piece which he played masterfully. As he described the second movement, it is in a 3-4/4-4 tempo, and “sounds like a person dancing a waltz is stumbling .” He captured the spirit of the playfully light and somewhat scattered music. Rhythmically, it felt unsettled, perhaps only because of the complicated meter. In the last movement, Sean managed the drama well with his technique, although like the Rachmaninoff he could have made more of phrases and rests between the exchanges of ideas. Practice rooms have a much faster sound decay than bigger concert halls, so even if he did practice this way he would need to slightly exaggerate to make it apparent in the hall.

Sejoon performed executed again a beautiful legato touch on Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody in A minor, no. 13, transcribed by Arcadi Volodos. In the first section, he brought out the melody well amidst light flourishes up and down the keyboard. When the piece really picked up, it became difficult for a few measures to hear any melody, but Sejoon catapulted into the finale with fire and fresh musicality.

As Sejoon said in his speech, "The Poltergeist (Rag Fantasy)" by William Bolcom is "the mother of all poltergeists" that, "instead of slipping in one banana trick, throws down twenty!" In other words, it is full of practical jokes. One major joke is its "frozen appoggiatura" form in which the piece concludes with the 3rd theme rather than the 1st theme. Bolcom also throws in "hand-slaps" to the keyboard in the middle of a bluesy section, which shocks the listener. It was a fun piece to listen to, difficult to play but polished.

Amy compared the sound of Ravel's "Jeux Deau" to Monet's Water Lillies. Her touch was crystalline, and her even, inner lines became the painted brush-strokes she imagined in the sound. She shaped the colors with an accurate and graceful interpretation of this beautiful piece.

From Joan Tower's contemporary set No Longer Very Clear, Amy performed "Vast Antique Cubes," a slow and distant work that "explores wide spaces on the piano." She wholly conveyed the "still, frozen, and fragile" aura she wished to convey. In "Or Like a...an Engine," Amy showed an attentive ear to harmony and a feel for space and time. As she said, the piece is "rapid, spiky, like a toccata... and perpetual... like train wheels."

Choo Choo gave a wonderful performance of the little-known Kabalevsky Rondo in A minor, Opus 59, which apparently Van Cliburn played when he won the Tchaichovsky Competition. She had a confident, direct touch and led the listener in the direction it seems the composer would have desired.

Barber's Excursions for the Piano are "altered versions of American folk, jazz, pop, and classical genres." The four movements essentially include a "boogie-woogie, blues, campfire song, and a hoe-down." Choo-Choo played III. Allegretto first, a rolling, smooth, affectionate piece reminiscent of the campfire songs. It is full of interesting ideas which change up the monotony a campfire song might develop. Last, she performed IV. Allegro molto, a blue-grass style dance with flair. For the musician and listener, they are intellectually stimulating as well as enjoyable to listen to. It will be a pleasure to hear her play the entire set some day.

Yoshiko's pieces were both from later in the composers' lives, at a point when they were in deep depression, as she informed the audience. The pieces show them "striving to conquer." Again, Yoshiko gave a very well-informed speech. Ravel's Le Tombeau de Couperin is a suite in honor of not only the composer Couperin, but a homage to whole French group of "Clavecinists" from the 17th century, where the "tombeau" was a common musical genre of composition. She performed movements I. Prelude, V. Menuet, and VI. Toccata. In the slower movements, her sound was velvet with sublime subtleties, and her light, breathy touch formed the colors. The busy, lively toccata was an adrenaline rush, and even when some notes did not project, they were not missed.

Barber's Ballade, Opus 46 is certainly "restless" as Yoshiko pointed out, and it was composed shortly after his partner had left him. She played delicately, sensitive to sonorities but also disaplyed strength in the tense middle section.

Brian also performed Rachmaninoff's Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor, Opus 36. But contrary to Sean, he felt the original 1913 signature feels more "full and complete." Brian has great dynamic control and finger clarity. In his performance, the sheer volume shook my chest, and yet it was not a harsh sound. Some difficult sections became too labored, however, where a lighter color might have been employed.

George Rochberg's Carnival Music was composed in 1971 and represents an American vernacular blues style. Rochberg had been a modernist-style composer until about 1964 when his son died. As Brian informed us, the beginning "floats around keys" and then in the middle has a section developmentally Brahmsian, then returns to the American style and fast key changes. It was an enjoyable bluesy ragtime that diverged into a repetitive and openly clashing material before its return.

"I don't normally play pieces that are showy and flashy, but for a competition this big, I figured, 'What the heck,' " was Hunter Jennings' final statement before performing Liszt's Polonaise No. 2. Too bad, because he captured the pompous, melodramatic, showy character needed for this type of piece. He displayed fine finger-work and a well-planned overall form with a climactic finale.

Hunter enlightened us about a little-known composer, Barrill Phillips, whose "wit and humor" in his later music was overshadowed by his early 1930's music, reviewed as "amateurish." At the Piano Promenades on Tuesday, he introduced the piece with a smile as "something you have probably never heard before and, after I play it, will probably never hear again." In his speech he referred, cleverly, to the form of this contemporary piece as a "parody on theme and variations." This is because the theme is manipulated each time upon return until, by the end, it is almost completely gone, "which is why I call it a 'parody' on theme and variations." Hunter has an aptness for this contemporary music and had a clear way of communicating the significance of certain moments. He also revealed several different touches and colors within a successful interpretation.

Alexander loves Chopin's Polonaise in A-flat major, Opus 53, ("Heroic"), because of the many emotions in it, such as "bravery, desire... hope, and passion." As he shared, it was written in Paris although it represents Polish patriotism. The difficult opening 4ths were strong, and he showed good taste in dynamic control and contrast. Especially notable were the light, impetuous left-hand octaves throughout the long middle section.

"As pianists," said Alexander, "it's all too easy to hit two notes with the thumb." But it is difficult to hit two notes with the index finger, and that is just what George Crumb calls for his Processional piece. Crumb writes six-note chords, two of the notes being played by the second finger curled under and playing with the knuckle. Afterward, while chatting backstage, it came out that Alexander forgot to mention that Crumb has an entire manual for prepared piano and playing inside the piano for this piece. During the speech itself, Alexander described the piece as "cosmic" and "out of our grasp... like the states of nature... not of emotion." The most contemporary of all the pieces in the competition, Alexander did a nice job of creating mystery with washes of tones and "sympathetic tones."

Yi An performed Liszt's Transcendental Etude IX. Ricordanza in A-flat major (Remebrance) because it is "incredibly musical, lyrical, and has firework-sparkling passages." She reminded us that Liszt practiced up to 12 hours each day, honing his technique with scales, arpeggios, and finger techniques - "things we all hate." He composed the piece at age 15, in 1826, and revised it in 1837. The "Remembrance" etude is a good choice for her modest approach - it is not as showy as other etudes, but it is just as technically demanding. It was not quite passionate; it was reflective, like a memory, like the title.

For "The Serpent's Kiss" by William Bolcom, from The Garden of Eden, Four Rags for the Piano, Yi An played a sample of the music: "As you can see, someone is up to no good." The theme is has a diabolical tinge to it, though still in an entertaining mood. The piece includes fun stomps, clicks with the mouth, and rhythmic knocking on the fall board. This was her most driving and passionate performance yet.

Paige, the last performer of the day, brought Chopin's Scherzo in C-sharp minor, Opus 39, no. 3. Despite her doubts as to whether she could interpret Chopin, she gave an accomplished performance. The chordal section in particular was beautiful and felt developed rather than repetitive in the repeat of that theme.

Like Yi An, Paige gave a thrilling performance of Bolcom's "The Serpent's Kiss." She also depicted the themes vividly in her speech: first theme, the king snake; second, the queen snake; third, the young miss snake with curious love; and fourth, a party with all the snakes. At the end, Paige humorously and clearly depicted the snake chilling up in the tree as she whistled with the notes that interrupted the heated party just before a pointed and exuberant finish.

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Following the day of performances, the judges met privately to select three finalists for the 2008 PianoArts National Bienniel Piano Competition and Music Festival. They chose:

Paige Chun Li; Sejoon Park; Sean Yeh

Day 4: Chopin; Duos; Speeches & Concertos

On a day that lasted a grueling 9 hours, the moment arrived which contestants had been waiting a long time for. It was an enjoyable day, getting to know each individual's style, their take on the concertos, and also to learn from their insightful comments.

Choo Choo began with an emotionally sincere, technically solid, and melodious performance of Chopin's Nocturne No. 17 in B major, Opus 62, No. 1. The musical lines flowed out of one another, revealing her ability to play expressively and balance many musical lines. In the Mozart sonata for violin and piano in A major, K. 305, the duo was tight and together, though at times the piano sounded bottom heavy, and the violinist had to work hard for its own accompaniment passages to be heard. Finally came Mozart's Concerto No. 23 in A major, K. 488. She had obviously done research on the work about the spirit of the piece, more than the analytical side. Then, she compared it to the journey of a wise old man's reminiscence and illustrated her points well, as well as compared it to a garden. Her performance sounded nice, and she shined in the cadenza, though short, with her light phrases and technical execution.

Yoshiko's performance of Chopin Nocturne No. 5 in F-sharp major, Opus 15, No. 2 showed her full understanding of the form. She opened meekly, then matched the fullness needed in an agitato. Her return of the main theme was stronger and more emotional. By the end, one felt rested. She had a fine balance with the cello in Beethoven's Seven Variations from Mozart's Magic Flute. She passed off thematic material smoothly. In her speech, Yoshiko gave a nice historical background and a fine analysis comparing opera and Mozart's Concerto No. 17 in G major, K. 453. It was a clever, cute speech that expressed her joy for the music. Her playing was nice and light, with good voicing between hands and a good sense of temporal space, though in some difficult passages, notes were occasionally lost. Her cadenza was thoughtful, the phrases tastefully stretched and shaped.

Amy enveloped the spirit of this Chopin Nocturne No. 7 in C-sharp minor, Opus 27, no. 1. Her transitions were particularly well-played from a subdued character to victorious and to dark. In Beethoven's Seven Variations on "Bei Mannern, welche Liebe Fuhlen" from Mozart's Magic Flute, the bass could have been brought down for cello solos. Yet Amy was very expressive and sensitive to her quality of tone and the overall dynamic. Her speech was sincere, personal, and well-planned. One of her great points was that "the rests are as important as the notes" - something that many young pianists are unaware of. She presented the themes clearly and told why they were significant to her. A solid performance of Mozart's Concerto No. 23 in A major, K. 488 was tarnished by a memory slip, but her touch and phrasing were elegant throughout.

Brian performed Chopin Nocturne No. 8 in D-flat major, Opus 27, No. 2. He was good at implementing a wash of sonorities with long pedals, still avoiding blurriness. Brian also led the ear by skillfully highlighting harmony changes. Though the melody was fluid, the octave flourishes seemed labored. The climax seemed anticipated and did not come across as redeeming as the harmony begs. In effect, the special quality of the ending - which he played well - was less pronounced. Brian was fully committed in his Mozart duo's performance of the E minor, K. 304 sonata. It sounded like two soloists, and not a background accompanist. The music was full of direction and dynamics, the soloists feeding off each other. Last, he performed Beethoven's Concerto No. 1 in C major, Opus 15. His speech was brisk and intellectually driven, as he vividly laid out Beethoven's theoretical map: He gave examples how in the first movement piano and orchestra contrast, in the second they accompany, and in the third they get to close and clash. His strong technique produced clear, full runs and his playing was lively and confident. Some spots could have used some softening to add grace to this relatively early Beethoven work.

Paige's Chopin Nocturne No. 17 in B major, Opus 62, No. 1 was strong and bold, soaking up harmonies and evolving till the end. In the duo, playing Beethoven's Twelve Variations on Handel's Judas Maccabeus, the minor variation was a bit loud when the cello solos and seems to aim for a more mysterious mood. On the whole, she interacted with the cellist smoothly with a quick and powerful technique. Still, attention to some phrase endings wavered, and she overpowered the cello in the variation with octaves in the bass. She spoke well for only living in America for one year, and she had an understanding of her audience. She chose the third cadenza in Beethoven's Concerto No. 1 in C major, Opus 15 because she felt it was "stronger, more passionate, and intense." And that is how she performed it. Paige played melodies expressively, and scales changed between light, light and staccato, and strong. Her playing was rhythmically tight, and the energy emanated between the two pianists.

From the first note, Sejoon drew in the listener during Chopin's Nocturne No. 5 in F-sharp major, Opus 15, No. 2. His touch was gentle yet full; legato and beautifully pedaled. It had the mature melancholy spirit of Chopin, late at night. The Mozart sonata for violin and piano in A major, K. 305 was energetic and driving. It was Beethoven-esque; perhaps it could have used more restraint. His word choices to describe Beethoven's Concerto No. 3 in C minor. Opus 37 were vivid and exemplified: the first movement full of "passion and intensity," the second having a soulful "calmness," and the third being "jovial, unique, and humorous." The historical story he shared was enjoyable, and he was very calm and composed - though unenthusiastic. Sejoon had good pacing throughout the first movement, deftly picking up the tempo over time to propel into the cadenza. In the main body, not all of his runs sparkled with polish and sound quality sometimes suffered in dramatic sections. In the cadenza, however, his playing was precise and colorful.

Yi An let Chopin's melody and harmonies to speak for themselves in Nocturne No. 18 in E major, Opus 62, No. 2. Her character was consistent as she gave a solid and sensitive performance. In the Beethoven duo, Variations on Mozart's Magic Flute, Yi An's fine ear was apparent as she was always careful to give the cello its due. Instrumentalists would certainly appreciate her modesty in this respect, as would Mozart lovers - this spirit in which this was written. Rhythmically, she allowed great ensemble work, most notably in the fifth variation with the cello's fast and complicated part. After playing a complex sample of the concerto to come, Yi An concluded that "Mozart definitely is not simple." Performing Mozart's Concerto No. 21 in C major, K. 467, Yi An looked up the small, optional cadenzas implemented by a former concert pianist, only she wrote her own, which were pleasant. She used extra pedal in runs which had a softening and subtle shaping effect; this worked because of the clarity in her touch.

Sean, an animated performer, gave Chopin's Nocturne No. 7 in C-sharp minor, Opus 27, No. 1 a consistently brooding drama. He also gave it a loud character, that seemed a bit rambunctious for "night music." He was good, though, at bringing out inner harmonies and melodic lines. His duo performance was his strongest of all. Beethoven's Variations on Mozart's Magic Flute for piano and cello sounded fresh and exciting under his hands. He was very attentive to the cello and to projecting important phrases. His staccatos were not sharp, yet sounded compact. Sean pointed out the appearance and significance of the A-flat, or G-sharp, throughout Beethoven's 3rd Piano Concerto in C minor, Opus 37. He had a clean sound, though when shifting focus between ideas the consistency of his tone sometimes lost his control. But the trills before the octave section were refreshingly not harsh, as often played. Late in the movement, there was some rushing, and then he took the cadenza daringly fast. He was not afraid to miss some notes in order to accomplish the drama of the music.

Chopin Nocturne No. 5 in F-sharp major, Opus 15, No. 2 was contrite and pleasant under the control of Alexander. He was passionate and focused, although some moments sounded over-pedaled, perhaps a problem coming from a dry practice room to a hall with very active acoustics. He set up the return of theme one so it was like the return of an old friend. Someone's intermittent coughing somehow worked itself smoothly into the calming ritardando at the end. For the Mozart duo, A major K. 305, the ensemble seemed to differ in interpretation. Though together, it seemed Alexander had a more reserved intention than the violinist, who last played the piece dramatically with Sejoon. Alexander showed in his speech that he has a broad knowledge of repertoire and he communicated the revolutionary implications of the piece at hand, Beethoven Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Opus 37. His performance showed that he has a variety of touches and a diverse technique, though the beautiful second theme sounded over-pedaled in the cadenza. His playing was intellectually driven, and his sudden entrance into the cadenza pleasantly surprised me, actually making me jump a little. The mood swings in the cadenza seemed to capture Beethoven's temperament.

Hunter's intense performance added to the agitation of Chopin's Nocturne No. 19 in E minor, Opus 72, No. 1 (posthumous). Some parts sounded pounded out, which very well could have been his intention: the major section, in contrast had a very nice change of color. The last performer of the day, Hunter introduced the next piece, Beethoven's Twelve Variations on Handel's Judas Maccabeus, in good humor as the one "which I'm sure you've all heard too many times today." Some sections sounded bottom-heavy on the large concert grand, which detracted from the intimacy of the duo. However, he was in touch with the emotional burdens and changes in the piece and stayed tight with the cellist rhythmically. Hunter's statements before Mozart's Concerto No. 21 in C major, K. 467 I think were soaked with irony, and that confused much of the audience, unsure whether or not to laugh. But, next, his musical illustrations of Mozart as an "A.D.D." composer was clearly humorous, and he proceeded to convey why he enjoys Mozart the most. His performance had an exciting, driving feel and a brilliant sound.

Kudos - and not the kind we ate backstage - to the pianists, violinists, and cellists who learned all the accompanying music for this round of the competition. These included Stefanie Jacob, Wilanna Kalkhof, Jeannie Yu, Timothy Klabunde, Jennifer Startt, Scott Tisdel, and Adrien Zitoun.

Meet the 2008 Semi-Finalists

Sejoon Park
17, Falls Church, VA

“I am a normal teenager who happens to be in love with music.... To feel the connection between myself and the audience is extremely rewarding"... something Sejoon Park tries to achieve everyday. When Sejoon is not performing or listening to piano music, he enjoys being with his friends, participating in athletics and listening to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart operas, Dimitri Shostakovich symphonies and Peter Tchaikovsky’s violin concerto. But when he was a young student in Seoul, Korea, he was not excited about taking piano lessons. Later on he experienced the joy of expressing himself at the piano and became “addicted to music.”

Sejoon was eleven when he moved to the United States to live with his aunt and to study at the Levin School of Music. When he arrived, he could not speak English. Today, he is an honor student and graduate of McLean High School. Next fall, Sejoon will attend the Peabody Conservatory of Music at Johns Hopkins University, where he will study with Boris Slutsky, Sejoon’s teacher for the past two years.

In 2007 Sejoon won first prize in the Aspen Music Festival Piano Concerto and performed Edward Grieg’s Piano Concerto with the Orchestra of the American Academy of Conducting at Aspen. In 2006 he won first Prize in the Southeastern Piano Concerto Competition and performed the Grieg’s concerto with the South Carolina Philharmonic. Other awards include first prizes in the Marlin-Engel and the Cogen Concerto Competitions, both sponsored by the Levine School of Music in Washington D. C., and first prize at the Alexandria Performing Art Association Competition, second prize in the Oberlin International Piano Competition, second prize in the PianoArts 2005 National Competition and third prize in the Eastman Music School International Piano Competition. Sejoon was selected for the prestigious Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award, which carries a generous scholarship and the opportunity to appear on the well-known "From the Top" radio show.

Yoshiko Arahata
19, Rochester, NY & Tokyo, Japan

A dual student in Piano Performance at the Eastman School of Music and Brain and Cognitive Science at the University of Rochester, Yoshiko Arahata gives much thought to the reactions of audiences to her performances. “Through music, I hope to expand the audiences’ imagination and enthusiasm, enrich their emotions and most importantly inspire them to love music more.” Yoshiko further hopes that her audiences remember her performances as being musical, soulful and alive; that they are more than what some cognitive scientists argue music as auditory “cheesecake.” Yoshiko, herself, loves to attend performances (“concert-hopping”) and she likes to play with a variety of ensembles, including jazz combos and big bands. She also plays clarinet and the Japanese drum (taiko).

Yoshiko was born in California, where she has lived most of her life and was the 2006 Valedictorian at Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. During high school, she enjoyed participating in piano competitions and won over two dozen awards, including the Grand Prize in the Long Beach Mozart Festival Concerto Competition and a debut with the Long Beach Festival Orchestra, where she performed Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Concerto no. 3. She also took first place in the International Young Artists Peninsula Competition and second place with the Los Angeles International Liszt Competition. As a member of piano trios, she was broadcast twice on k–Mozart 105.1FM. Busy Yoshiko still found time to volunteer at the Japanese American National Museum, the California Philharmonic Orchestra and at Keiro Nursing Home.

Although Yoshiko’s family now lives in Japan, she spends most of her time in the United States as a recipient of a Howard Hanson Scholarship at Eastman School of Music, where she studies piano with Barry Snyder.

Brian Chang
17, Naperville, IL

Brian Chang enjoys a challenge. He likes math, chemistry and music and being with people who can discuss those subjects. Brian is looking forward to the PianoArts competition, which he describes as “extremely challenging…. I enjoy the format: having to talk about each piece before playing it (to demonstrate some knowledge about the piece), being able to play a duo (displaying our ability to perform with others), and being able to interact with all of the other participants. Best of all, I would love the excitement of playing the concerto with a great orchestra.” Besides classical music, Brian says he tries not to take anything too seriously and in his free time, he enjoys playing basketball, listening to jazz, and rapping.

A junior at the Illinois Mathematic and Science Academy in Aurora, Brian is a piano student of James Giles at Northwestern University. In addition to performing as a piano soloist, Brian is an avid chamber musician, having played with various ensembles in the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra and Midwest Young Artists. This past season, his ensemble, Trio Vita, won first place at the Rembrandt Chamber Player High School Chamber Music Competition as well as Chicago National Chamber Music Competition and was featured in the National Public Radio show, “From the Top.” They performed at Chicago’s Cultural Center and Harris Theatre and were broadcast on Chicago classical music station, WFMT.

Brian has won many awards as a soloist, including the overall winner in the senior group and open division of the 2006 Walgreens National Concerto Competition. That same year, he was also a finalist in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Feinberg Youth Auditions and won first place in the senior group of the Chinese Fine Arts Society Piano Competition. In 2008 he won first place in the senior group of the Steinway Young Artist Solo Competition.

Amy K. Lauters
19, Manhattan, Kansas

Before she goes to her morning classes at Lawrence University Conservatory, Amy Lauters listens to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Requiem, a huge, grand work that she finds inspiring. Because Mozart is her favorite composer, she is happy to have this opportunity to perform a Mozart piano concerto and hopes that her audience shares her joy and other emotions that the music evoke.

A graduate of the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan, Amy studied with Yoshikazu Nagai and Thomas Lymenstull. She was on the Dean’s High Honors List, served as a school ambassador and as an intern. Her awards included a piano accompanying fellowship, performing an honors recital and a Fine Arts Award for Piano at Interlochen. She also attended the Interlochen Arts Camp, where she had the opportunity to perform for Olga Kern.

Amy enjoys participating in a wide range of musical activities – playing with jazz ensembles, for church services, and for musicals. She has a passion for Russian literature and gets “worked up” when she listens to the orchestral works of Peter Tchaikovsky, Gustav Mahler and Igor Stravinsky. She is a 2008 winner of Wisconsin Public Radio’s Neale–Silva Young Artists’ Competition and performed an April recital that was broadcast live on Wisconsin’s National Public Radio News and Classical Music Network.

Next fall, Amy will begin her sophomore year at Lawrence Conservatory, where she studies with Anthony Padilla. She is an accompanying fellow, teaches private lessons and recently performed for concert pianist Jon Kimura Parker. About her performance for PianoArts, she hopes that she can perform and verbally communicate with the audience about her pieces. “Music can be many different things for different people…. I love these pieces and want to convey to the audience that I love what I do.”

Sean Yeh
16, Libertyville, IL

When he was four, he began taking violins lessons and at six, he began piano, so it is no surprise that Sean Yeh enjoys performing chamber music. As a violist, he performs with the BAM quartet, the winner of the Bonze Medal at the 2005 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, the youngest aged winners in the competition. The quartet was then featured on the National Public Radio program, “From the Top,” on WFMT Radio, at the Young Steinway Concert Series, Chicago Cultural Center, Northwestern Illinois University’s Mostly Music Series and “Music in the Loft.” Sean also plays piano with the Esprit Piano Trio, which performed at the Music Institute of Chicago’s Gala honoring the legendary pianist Leon Fleisher and at a workshop with renowned cellist Yo Yo Ma and his Silk Road Ensemble.

Sean has also won many honors as a solo pianist. In 2005 he was invited to perform at the Tenth World Piano Pedagogy Conference in California. Then in 2006 he won first place in the Sejong Music Competition and took the first prize in the East Central Division in the Music Teachers National Association Baldwin Junior Piano Competition. In 2008 Sean won the third prize with the Seventeenth Annual Steinway Young Artists Solo Piano Competition and the first prize in the East Central Division in the Music Teachers National Association Yamaha Senior Piano Competition. Sean’s most memorable performance was his 2007 debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as a pianist in Camille Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals. He studies piano at the Music Institute of Chicago with Emilio del Rosario and Matt Hagle and additionally studies with Alan Chow from Northwestern University. He also enjoys math, computer programming and playing video games.

Alexander Zhu
16, Saint Paul, MN

Starting first with piano lessons, then with violin lessons, Alexander Zhu now hopes to become a conductor. He has learned to play eleven piano concertos and several violin concertos. He is the concertmaster of the top orchestra in the Greater Twin Cities Youth Orchestras, a freelance violinist and a piano accompanist. In addition to his love of piano and violin repertories, he enjoys the symphonies of Phillip Glass, Dmitri Shostakovich, Peter Tchaikovsky and Ludwig van Beethoven, as well as orchestral works by John Adams, Gustav Holst, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Leonard Bernstein and operas by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Alexander is also fluent in French and loves to study geography.

Alexander has won many awards, including first prizes in the 2007 and 2005 Twin Cities Youth Symphonies Concerto Competitions, and the 2007 Morningside College Young Artist Competition in Sioux City, Iowa. Among other awards, he has won second prizes in the Schubert Club Scholarship Competition, Augustana Lee Piano Competition and third prize in the International Russian Music Piano Competition, Junior Division, in San Jose, California.

The reasons Alexander entered the PianoArts competition are to meet other young artists like himself, to bring his repertory to a higher level, and to have the opportunity to perform with professional musicians. His goals are to project a mature artistry, technical charisma and integrity in bringing out the composer’s thoughts and intentions. He has also been accepted to participate in the piano program of the Eastern Music Festival this summer. Alexander is home schooled and studies with Susan Billmeyer, the pianist with the Minnesota Symphony Orchestra.

“Choo Choo” Hu
19, Chesterfield, MO

Speaking about her PianoArts performances, Choo Choo Hu says that her ultimate goal is for her audience to “walk away with a sense of reflection and contemplation….” She wants “to engage them in the active process of music-making…. Just like playing with an orchestra, the rapport between performer and audience is very much a collaborative effort, and a performance cannot be successful without the full participation of both parties.”

Choo Choo has had the opportunity to put those words into action on many occasions. She was a two-time winner of the Washington University Symphony Orchestra Young Artists Piano Concerto Competition. As the winner of the 2005 St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra Piano Concerto Competition, she performed all movements of Peter Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto no. 1. Choo Choo is interested in expanding her horizons and broadening her experiences as a collaborator with an orchestra and as a solo instrumentalist. Another recent award as a piano soloist was the second prize in the Margaret A Guthman Keyboard Competition.

Her life revolves around music. When Choo Choo is not practicing piano, she enjoys attending symphony concerts and is especially drawn to the symphonies of Gustav Mahler and Peter Tchaikovsky, as well as Edward Elgar’s Cello Concerto, and Peter Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto.

Because she was home schooled beginning with the eighth grade, her high school studies were accelerated and she entered college a year early. Next season, Choo Choo will be a junior at the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University, where she studies piano with Brian Ganz. “I have been playing the piano since the age of five. It is one of my greatest passions and one that I want to continue to pursue for the rest of my life.”

Hunter Jennings
18k Highland, MA

As a double major in business and music performance, Hunter Jennings will be especially interested in the cultural and economic impact of the arts on America’s communities. But at the present time, he is concentrating on his growth as a musician. Through the years, Hunter has enjoyed performing, practicing, and learning about music. Entering Towson University as a performance major was a turning point in his development, and now he is excited about exploring opportunities outside the university setting.

Hunter began his piano study with Dr. Joan Spicknall and completed the entire Suzuki Piano Method. He enjoys listening to classical music – string ensembles, such as the Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber, violin concertos and the Beethoven symphonies. About his own performances and what he would like the audience to hear in his music, Hunter said, “I would like the audience to appreciate the amount of emotion, thought and concentration that goes into every performance.” He believes that if he can convey those things, while at the same time his performance sounds natural and beautiful, he will be successful.

Winning several competitions and receiving a full–tuition Fine Arts Scholarship to Towson University encouraged Hunter to pursue his love of music. At Towson University, he is a piano student of Reynaldo Reyes, whom he credits for helping him advance his skills in technique and musicality.

Yi An Pan
16, Interlochen, MI

Born in Singapore to a family of musicians, Yi An Pan was raised surrounded by music. Her first music teachers were her grandparents, who taught at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. She began piano at age four and started cello lessons with her mother when she was eleven. When Yi An was twelve, she played the piano part for a recording of Butterfly Lovers concerto for violin and orchestra with soloist Gill Shaham and the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, but Yi An says that she didn’t become serious about music until she was thirteen. That’s when she toured with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra to America, France and Spain as the youngest member of the orchestra. When she was fourteen, she had the honor of playing for the President of Singapore at a Young Performers Concert, and also performed Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Piano Concerto no. 24 with the Singapore Symphony and entered a competition in the United States, the Seventh Russian Music Piano Competition in San Jose, California, winning its second prize. She was also accepted at the Interlochen Arts Academy, where she studies with Thomas J. Lymenstull.

It is no surprise that Yi An loves both piano and cello music, such as the Edward Elgar Cello Concert and Peter Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme for cello and orchestra. Yi An also likes pop music. But for now, she is looking forward to performing classical piano music – solos, a concerto and the duo in the PianoArts competition, which she believes are invaluable experiences for young musicians. She hopes that her performances will “captivate and fascinate” the audiences.

Paige Chun Li
18, Interlochen, MI & Jiang Su, China

When she was twelve, Paige Chun Li moved to Shanghai to attend the middle school connected with the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. She had been studying music since the age of seven in her hometown of Jiang Su, China, where Paige’s house was always filled with music. After winning several awards, Paige’s parents and teachers had encouraged her to further her studies in Shanghai and she was soon was winning piano competitions there.

“Being independent and optimistic, I adapt quickly to new environments….” says Paige, who is always ready for a challenge. When she was seventeen, she was accepted at the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan and moved to the United States. At the Academy, Paige studies piano with Thomas J. Lymenstull.

The PianoArts competition is her first major competition in the United States, which she thinks will be a good overview of all that she has learned at the Academy. She feels that this competition gives each contestant more opportunities to succeed because of the variety of events – several rounds, speaking to the audiences about music and the performance of chamber music. It reflects “one’s reaction speed and cooperation with others…extremely crucial in becoming a musician…. playing well is simply not enough.” The most important thing to her is that “my audience enjoys my music.”

In addition to performing the piano, Paige plays traditional Chinese instruments and loves to sing. Outside the piano repertory, her favorite music is for the voice, “the most beautiful sound in the world.” But for now, she is concentrating on her piano performance.