JUNIOR E-PIANO COMPETITION WINNERS
Junior Division & Young Artist Division
Junior Division
AGES UP TO 13
| Name | Bio | |
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 | Shiraishi, Momone | First PlaceJapan Momone Shiraishi is 12 years old and a freshman at Kurakuen Junior High School in Hyogo, Japan. She started learning piano with Ms. Miyo Honya when she was four, since then she received numerous awards and performance opportunities including the appearance of the TV Asahi program. She has been actively performing in public, at competitions and various concerts, such as hospitals, nursery schools, nursing homes and Hotel Lobby Concerts. Momone is currently practicing pieces of the musicians from various periods in history, such as Bach, Scarlatti, Handel, Haydn, Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin, Schuman, Rakhmaninov, Ravel, and so on. In the 2019 summer, she had her first opportunity to play abroad in the “Imora international competition” in Italy, where she won second place. In addition, she performed two concerts in Italy. It has been a great opportunity for her to experience the world, and to get a deeper appreciation of the wonderfulness of music without words. In the 2020 summer, Momone attended Chethamʼs International Piano Summer school, where she took master classes and private lessons with Prof.Noriko Ogawa, Prof.Pascal Nemirovski, Prof.Murray McLachlan. Drawing an illustration and watching youtube are her favorite pastimes.
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 | Chang, Matthew | Second PlaceUnited States Matthew Chang (b. 2008) is a student at the Kirov Academy’s Gifted and Talented Program. He has been studying piano with Dr. Kuei-I Wu for six years, and has received numerous accolades during his career, including winning first prizes in the Chopin Competition in Hartford, CT, the William Knabe International Piano Competition, the Great Washington Steinway Piano Competition, and the International Young Artist Piano Competition. Matthew was also a recipient of the Steinway Young Artist Grant and the Kern Foundation’s Aspiration Award in the Rosalyn Tureck International Bach Competition. Matthew has performed with the Washington Conservatory Orchestra and made his European debut in the Metallener Saal Muskkverein in Austria when he was seven years old. He has had six performances featured in Carnegie Hall and also performed in Poland and German Embassies in Washington D.C. as one of the winners of the Kosciuszko Foundation Chopin Competition. Through the Kirov Academy’s Piano Legends Masterclass Series, he has attended numerous masterclasses and performed for world-renowned artists such as Gary Graffman, Jerome Lowenthal, and John Perry. “He projected the life of each distinct phrase with a joyful and intense involvement. His rhythm was not merely solid, but also full of dance-like energy.” - New York Concert Review -
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 | Lee, Hyo | Third PlaceSouth Korea Hyo Lee was born in 2007 in Seoul. At the age of 5 he started playing the piano and violin. In 2014. Moved to Moscow and entered Moscow Central Music School first as a violinist. But his talent for the piano was noticed - He began to study the piano professionally since September 2016 in the class of Prof. Vadym Rudenko. In April 2017, despite the fact that he started playing the piano only 6 months ago, he received 3rd prize at the 4th international competition "Astana Piano Passion", in Nur-Sultan (Astana) In April 2018. won 1st prize for piano and Grand Prix for violin at the International competition "Musical Diamond" in Moscow, Russia In December 2019. received 3rd prize in piano at the 1st International competition of Russian music in Ryazan, Russia Hyo Lee performed on the stages of the Moscow International House of Music, Yamaha-Hall in Japan, in Tula Philharmonic, Ryazan Philharmonic, Tchaikovsky Museum in Klin, etc. He takes part in various master classes like Moscow Rising Star Masterclass, International Master Classes in Hamburg, in Aachen, PyoengChang Summer Academy, etc.
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 | Han, Victoria | Honorable MentionUnited States Victoria Lahee Han was born on September 28, 2010 in New York. At the age of 4, she started to learn piano through her church in Hawaii. By age 6, under the tutelage of Dr. Thomas Yee, she made her competitive debut at the 2017 Aloha International Piano Competition coming in 2nd place. She later went on to earn 1st place finishes at the 2018 Steinway Piano Competition, 2018 Aloha International Piano Competition and a gold medal at the 2019 Seattle International Piano Competition. Currently a student of Konstantyn Travinskyy, she hopes to broaden her experiences so she may continue to share her love of music. As a 5th grader in Texas she spends her spare time curled up with a good book or dancing ballet.
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 | Kim, Jungmin | Honorable MentionUnited States Born in September 2007, Jungmin started playing the piano at the age of 5 under the guidance of Dr. Mihyang Joo while living in Fairfax, Virginia. At the age of 8, she moved to her current home in Seoul, South Korea where she studies piano with Professor Jungwon Suh. She is currently a first year student at the Yewon School in Seoul. Jungmin is fortunate to have received many accolades in piano, to include first place prizes at the 2020 Korea Steinway Competition, 2020 Piano League Piano Star Showcase competition, 2019 Korea Chopin Competition, 2019 Korean American Music Association Competition, 2018 Edward Auer Piano Workshop Solo Competition Junior Division, 2017 Eumyoun Concours, and many other piano competitions. She also achieved success with international piano competitions throughout Asia, winning second place at the 2018 Osaka International Music Competition, and was a prize winner at the 2018 International Chopin Competition in Asia and 2018 Hanoi International Piano Competition. At 10 years old, Jungmin made her concerto debut playing Mozart Concerto No.20 in D minor K. 466 with the Prime Philharmonic Orchestra Korea in Seoul. At 11 years old she performed her first solo concert for the Kumho Prodigy Series at Kumho Yonsei Art Hall. She delighted her audience at her other piano performances including the 2019 Euro Music Festival in Halle, Germany, 2019 J&R Music Concours Prize Winner Concert, 2019 M Winners Gala Concert, 2018 Young Musicians Festival, 2018 Haneum Concours Winner's Recital, 2018 Win Art Hall Joint Recital, 2017 Music Education News Recital, 2016 Lang Lang 101 Pianists Workshop at Lotte Concert Hall, and Carnegie's Weill Recital Hall in 2014. She has participated in masterclasses with Attila Nemethy, Yoshikazu Nagai, Edward Auer, Corey Mcvica, and Julius-Jeongwon Kim.
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 | Yoo, Eunseo | Honorable MentionSouth Korea Born on 4 Jan. 2008 in Seoul, South Korea, Eunseo Yoo began her piano studies at the age six and gave her debut when she was nine years old in the Win Arthall in Seoul. She had passed Kumho Prodigy audition, representative music prodigy stage in Korea, as the youngest at nine and had successful recital in Oct, 2018. She won 1st prizes in the several piano competitions such as Korea Liszt competition, Teenager piano completion, Kookmin Newspaper ∙ Hansei University Music Competition. She also won 3rd Prize at Astana Piano Passion in Kazakhstan, in 2019. She is studying in the Seoul Taerang Elementary school 6th Grade. Piano is like a friend who gives special strength in her life. She loves music and has a passion for piano. She enjoys reading books especially for history and various field, also likes draw a picture and swimming for hobby. She currently has the honor of studying piano with Seoul National University emeritus Professor SooJung Shin and pianist Hyosun Lim gives great influence to her as a mentor to grow a good pianist. She loves playing piano and it becomes part of her life although she is young. Stage is like a rest and travel space to her. She wants be a pianist to deliver inspiring impression and communicate with people through music.
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Young Artist
BETWEEN AGES 14 -17
| Name | Bio | |
|---|---|---|
 | Shin, Yunsun | First PlaceSouth Korea Yunsun Shin (14) is attending her third year of Yewon School, majoring in Piano. She has been studying with Jungwon Suh at the Trinity School of Music since February 2015. Always passionate and hardworking, Yunsun has won numerous awards and competitions that proves her excellence. She won the grand prize at the 2020 Korean Steinway Competition and won the International Chopin Piano Competition that was held in Yokohama Japan. Yunsun has also had opportunities to perform and participate in numerous recitals, such as the Euro Music Festival Opening, and the On Dream Ensemble Concert. The fact that the music scene is playing attention to Yunsun is shown as she has been selected for the Kumho Prodigy Support program, renowned for producing world-class musicians. She has had various musical opportunities to perform, and recently, she has been selected for the Chung Mong-Koo scholarship program funded by Hundai Motor Company for her musical talents, and will receive full support for her musical education and experiences for three years. While participating in concerts and competitions, Yunsun has also put in great time participating in Master classes with musicians such as Steven Osborne, Fabio Bidni, and Soojung Shin to improve her musical capabilities.
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 | Zhang, Elizabeth | Second PlaceCanada Elizabeth Zhang is a junior at Phillips Academy Andover. Born in Toronto, Canada, and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, Elizabeth started learning piano at age six and currently studies with Alexander Korsantia and Natalia Harlap. After winning first prize in both the MTNA Utah State and Southwest Regional competitions, Elizabeth performed as a finalist in the MTNA National Competition. Over the past year, she was awarded Grand Prix at the Padewerski International Competition, first prize and the Margaret C. Bachelder Romantic Music Award in the New England Piano Teachers’ Association (NEPTA) Competition, and was the winner of the Seven Hills Symphony Concerto Competition. Elizabeth has participated in festivals such as the Cincinnati Art of the Piano Festival and the Gina Bachauer Piano Festival and performed with the American Fork and American West symphonies. Aside from music, Elizabeth is part of her school’s cross-country, track, and tennis teams and enjoys hiking and skiing with her sister.
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 | Zhang, Edward | Third PlaceUnited States Edward Zhang, 17, began studying piano at the age of five and is a student of Dr. Duane Hulbert in Tacoma, WA. He has previously studied with James Chen, Peter Mack, and Sasha Starcevich. Edward has been recognized in a number of competitions, including winning the silver medal in the 8th Bösendorfer and Yamaha International Piano Competition and the Grand Prize in 98.1 KING FM’s Young Artist Awards. He was a semi-finalist in the 2017 Minnesota International E-Piano Junior Competition and competed in the 2020 Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition. He has also won gold medals in the 2016 Seattle Young Artists Music Festival, the 2011 Seattle International Piano Competition, and a gold medal each year since 2012 in the Chopin Festival of the Northwest. Edward also won first prize in the 2014 Outstanding Artist Competition in Washington State and the 2015 Russian Chamber Music Festival of Seattle. He has performed in Benaroya’s Nordstrom Recital Hall, Katzin Concert Hall in Arizona and on Classical King FM. Edward made his orchestra debut at the age of 11 with Philharmonia Northwest Orchestra as one of the 2014 SYAMFA concerto winners. First prizes in the concerto division in the 2016 and 2018 Chopin Festivals of the Northwest gave Edward the opportunity to perform the Chopin e-minor Concerto with Orchestra Seattle. Recently, Edward performed Chopin’s e- minor piano concerto with the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra. Edward is a senior at Redmond High School in Redmond, WA. He also loves math, programming, and performing music for senior residencies. He has attended the John Perry Academy Summer Festival and the Aspen Music Festival, where he studied with Hung-Kuan Chen and Julian Martin. Edward has had masterclasses with Fabio Bidini, Ilana Vered, Vivian Hornik Weilerstein, John Perry, Daejin Kim, and Yong-Hi Moon.
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 | Moon, Heesun | HONORABLE MENTIONSouth Korea Heesun Moon is a student at Sunwha Arts High School in Seoul, Korea. Currently, Moon has been studying piano with Prof. Dajung Cho since 2015. Heesun began playing the piano at the age of four. Born in Daejeon, a quite suburban city in South Korea, Heesun always seeked for better educational opportunity. Heesun participated in several programs, such as Daejeon Arts Center Academy in 2018-2019, and XV Festival Y Academia de Musica in Tenerife, Spain. She also has attended masterclasses by Aurélien Pontier and Jeongwon-Kim. Heesun's outstanding passion towards music earned her the top prizes in numerous piano competitions, including Shinye Music Competition and DMAK (Daejeon Music Association of Korea) Music Competition, and opportunity for following winner concerts. In 2018 and 2019, she performed the piano in Daejeon Arts Hall. In 2020, she was admitted to Sunwha Arts High School with the highest honors.
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 | Park, Jinyoung | HONORABLE MENTIONSouth Korea Born in South Korea in 2003. He first started playing the piano at the age of seven. In 2016 he entered one of South Korea's finest art schools; Sunhwa Arts Middle School. In 2019 he entered the prestigious Korea National Institute for the Gifted in Arts where he continues his studies in piano. Jinyoung participated in the 2017 Korea Young Artist Music Festival in Gukje Hall in Seoul. Since 2019 he has focused solely on piano whilst homeschooling. This year he has had great success in many Korean piano competitions. As a recipient of the Yongin City Gifted Artist Scholarship. He had a solo recital at SCC Hall in Seoul, South Korea. He won the Minister of Culture and Sports Tourism Award in 2020. He won the grand prize at the 2020 Overseas Dispatch Competition in Korea among all musical instruments. He won The 39th Korea Music Association Competition 1st Prize Winner & placed first overall- The Youngest Winner in history. So the live performance is on MEZZO TV. He has been studying with Professor Hunjae Kim since 2018.
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 | Yang, Olivia | HONORABLE MENTIONUnited States Olivia Yang, age 16, began her musical journey at an early age. Originally from Charlotte, North Carolina, Olivia has continued on to win several national and international awards. Recently, she received Grand Prix in the 2020 Sempre Musick Piano Competition and Future Stars International Piano
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Raymond T. Jackson Scholarship Prize
Dr. Jackson would like my gift to support the annual Raymond T. Jackson Scholarship Prize for Young Gifted and Talented African American pianists, selected as winners in the Annual International Piano Competition, to attend the Kirov Summer International Piano Festival music program, in Washington, D.C. (Summer Kirov Tuition = $2,000.00)
| Name | Bio | |
|---|---|---|
 | Damien Mackel, Jr. | Scholarship PrizeUnited States Damien Mackel, a fifteen-year-old high school junior, discovered his love for playing the piano at the age of eleven. He began formal piano lessons at age twelve. At age thirteen, he was accepted to the Broadneck High School Performing and Visual Arts Program (PVA) in Severna Park, Maryland. He studies piano with Helen Smith Tarchalski, and in the PVA program with Dr. Yesook Suh. In 2018, Damien performed in the Maryland State Music Teachers Association Piano Solo Festival. In 2019, he attended the Kirov International Summer Music Festival in Washington, D.C. and performed in the Triumph Music Festival in Philadelphia. In the 2019-2020 season, he participated in several piano performances and music examination events throughout Maryland, including receiving a Superior rating in the Anne Arundel Music Teachers Association Spring Solo Festival. Damien was recently awarded the AAMTA Achievement Award Medal.
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