2015 RPPF PROGRAM BOOKLET

Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival
Third Year
July 14 – August 1, 2015
University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida
Rebecca Penneys Friends of Piano wishes to give special thanks to:
Svetozar Ivanov for his generosity and artistic vision,
The University of South Florida for such warm hospitality,
USF administration and staff for wonderful support and assistance,
USF piano tuner Glenn Suyker for excellent service,
Christy Sallee, pianist/videographer, for capturing every special moment,
Jean Park and Kevin Wu for invaluable help as Assistant Coordinators,
and
All the devoted piano lovers, volunteers, and donors who make RPPF possible.
The Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival is tuition-free for all students.
It is supported entirely by charitable tax-deductible gifts made to
Rebecca Penneys Friends of Piano Incorporated, a non-profit 501(c)(3).
Your gifts build our future.
Donate on-line:
http://rebeccapenneyspianofestival.org/
Mail a check:
Rebecca Penneys Friends of Piano
P.O. Box 66054
St Pete Beach, Florida 33736
Become an RPPF volunteer, partner, or sponsor
Email:
rebeccapenneyspianofestival@gmail.com
The family of Steinway pianos at USF was made possible by the kind assistance of
the Music Gallery in Clearwater, Florida
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FACULTY PHOTOS

Rebecca Penneys
Ray Gottlieb
Father Sean Duggan
Enrico Elisi
Tannis Gibson
Christopher Harding
Eunmi Ko
Yong Hi Moon
Roberta Rust
Omri Shimron
Dmitri Shteinberg
Johnandrew Slominski
Mayron Tsong
Tabitha Columbare
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STUDENT PHOTOS (CONTINUED ON P. 46)
JeeHae
Ahn
Kahoru
Amano
Tipwatoo (Pin)
Aramwittaya
Eunjin
Bang
Luke
Benedict
Katherine
Benson
Alexander
Bui
Sung-Soo
Cho
Dylan Gomes
Dominguez
Munkhshur
(Shuree)
Enkhbold
Benjamin
Gittens
Jason Marcell
Gomez
Xuan
He
Youngjin
Jin
Eunjeong
Jo
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Timothy
Jones
Hyeinn
Jun
FESTIVAL EVENTS
Barness Hall, University of South Florida School of Music
All concert events are FREE and open to the public
(Donations accepted at the door)
Festival Concerts
July 18 at 2pm Enrico Elisi & Rebecca Penneys
Solo Music for Summertime
July 24 at 7pm RPPF Student Showcase Concert
A Mélange of Musical Masterpieces
July 26 at 4pm 2 Pianos 4 Pianists 8 Hands 40 Fingers Extravaganza
What Pianos & Pianists Do For Fun!
Soirée Legacy Series – 4pm
July 21
Tabitha Columbare & Omri Shimron
Piano Perspectives I
July 28
Eunmi Ko & Johnandrew Slominski
Piano Perspectives II
Daily Masterclasses
Father Sean Duggan, Enrico Elisi, Tannis Gibson, Christopher
Harding, Yong Hi Moon, Rebecca Penneys, Roberta Rust, Dmitri
Shteinberg, Mayron Tsong, and Ray Gottlieb (Attention and Memory
Specialist)
Ambassador Concerts by Festival Student Pianists
July 16
Allegro
July 19
Unitarian Universalist Church of Clearwater
July 20
ASPEC at Eckerd College
July 22
University Village
July 27
Westminster Shores
July 31
St. Petersburg College
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Solo Music for Summertime
Enrico Elisi & Rebecca Penneys
July 18, 2015 – 2pm
PROGRAM
Sonata, Op. 1………….…………………………………………. Alban Berg
Massig bewegt
(1885–1935)
Children’s Corner Suite………………………………………Claude Debussy
Doctor Gradus ad Parnassum
(1862-1918)
Jimbo's Lullaby
Serenade of the Doll
The Snow is Dancing
The Little Shepherd
Golliwogg's Cakewalk
Enrico Elisi
-- Brief Intermission -Sonata No. 3 in F minor, Op. 5 (1853)…………Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Allegro maestoso
Andante espressivo
Scherzo: Allegro energico - Trio
Intermezzo: Andante molto “Ruckblick”
Finale: Allegro moderato ma rubato
Rebecca Penneys
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SOIRÉE LEGACY SERIES
Piano Perspectives I
Tabitha Columbare & Omri Shimron
July 21, 2015 – 4pm
PROGRAM
From Five Pieces, Op. 34………………………………….. Paul Ben-Haim
Pastorale
(1897-1984)
Canzonetta
Capriccio agitato
Metamorphosis II (2007)……………………..……Menachem Wiesenberg
(b. 1950)
Omri Shimron
Nocturne in D-Flat Major, Op. 27 No. 2…………………Frédéric Chopin
Mazurka in A Minor, Op. 17 No. 4
(1810-1849)
Tabitha Columbare
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RPPF Student Showcase Concert
A Mélange of Musical Masterpieces
Featuring Selected 2015 Festival Performers
July 24, 2015 – 7pm
PROGRAMS WILL BE PROVIDED
AT THE CONCERT
Please stay after the concert to meet with our
young, talented artists and enjoy a light reception.
We look forward to seeing you there!
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PIANO EXTRAVAGANZA
What Pianos and Pianists Do For Fun!
2 Pianos 4 Pianists 8 Hands & 40 Flying Fingers
Eunmi Ko
Rebecca Penneys
Omri Shimron
Johnandrew Slominski
July 26, 2015 – 4pm
Overture to The Marriage of Figaro...............................W. A. Mozart (arr. R. Keller)
(1756-1791)
Arabesque No. 2….……………….…………Claude Debussy (arr. L. Roques)
(1862-1918)
Variations on a Theme by Haydn Op. 56b…....….J. Brahms (arr. Paul Klengel)
(1857-1934)
--Brief Intermission-“Minuet” from String Quintet Op. 11 No 5…..Luisi Boccherini (arr. unknown)
(1743-1805)
“Waltz” from Faust………………………Charles Gounnod (arr. R de Viback)
(1818-1893)
A Scott Joplin Rag Rhapsody………….………Scott Joplin (arr. Kevin Olson)
(1867-1917)
“Brasileira” from Scaramouche………….. Darius Milhaud (arr. Walden Hughes)
(1892-1974)
Country Gardens………………………………………………Percy Grainger
(1882-1961)
The Stars and Stripes Forever………..……..…John Philip Sousa (arr. Wilberg)
(1854-1932)
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SOIRÉE LEGACY SERIES
Piano Perspectives II
Eunmi Ko & Johnandrew Slominski
July 28, 2015 – 4pm
PROGRAM
Three Dances* (1950)………………...…………Morton Feldman (1926-1987)
*The copy of Three Dances is kindly loaned by Collection Edwin
Hymovitz/Natasha Lutov Collection, Paul Sacher Foundation,
Basel, Switzerland
*Choreographed by Jeanne Travers
Three Spanish Dances………………..………..Enrique Granados (1867-1916)
No. 1 in G Major
No. 2 in c minor
No. 3 in e minor
Two pieces…………………………………..…...Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
D’un Cahier d’esquisses
L’isle Joyeuse
Eunmi Ko
Prélude, Choral et Fugue, Op. 21….…………...……Cesar Franck (1822-1890)
Johnandrew Slominski
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FACULTY BIOGRAPHIES
Steinway Artist REBECCA PENNEYS is a recitalist, chamber musician,
orchestral soloist, educator, and adjudicator. For six decades she has been
hailed as a pianist of prodigious talent.
Rebecca has played throughout the USA, East Asia, Australia, New Zealand,
South America, Western and Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Canada. She
possesses a daredevil technique, a charismatic stage presence, and a rare gift for
interpretation. She is a popular guest artist, keynote speaker, and pedagogue
nationally and internationally. Her current and former students include
prizewinners in international competitions and they hold important teaching
posts on every continent. Combining a busy concert schedule with seminars
and master classes worldwide, she teaches a class of international students at
Eastman School of Music and at the Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival, which
had its successful inaugural season in 2013. Rebecca has been Professor of
Piano at Eastman since 1980 and Artist-in-Residence at St. Petersburg College,
a position created for her in 2001. She is founder-pianist 1999, of the Salon
Chamber Music Series, a five-concert series and she is also founder and artistic
director 2009, of a very popular young artist series called Eastman Piano Series
at the Summit.
Rebecca Penneys Piano Friends of Piano, a non-profit 501(c)(3), and Rebecca
Penneys Piano Festival are the sequels to her professional summer activities in
New York State. The University of South Florida in Tampa hosts the festival in
its new all-Steinway facility. RPPF is a tuition-free summer piano festival for
pianists between the ages of 18-30. The festival is entirely donor supported and
many events are admission-free. The RPPF Ambassador Series promotes
festival students in concert nationwide during the summer and academic year.
The 2015 season had 100 applicants from 20 countries and will host 37
students. The RPPF mission is to expand and promote core educational values
and the artistic vision for piano worldwide. Rebecca celebrated her final season
at Chautauqua in 2012 having devoted thirty-four consecutive summers
teaching, performing and building the piano and chamber music areas. Rebecca
began as resident artist at Chautauqua 1978, when she launched their chamber
music program. The New Arts Trio was Trio-in-Residence from 1978-2012,
and Rebecca was piano chair from 1985-2012. The endowed Penneys Garden
2008, in honor of her parents, along with Piano Lovers Patio are symbols of
her rich legacy and gifts to that institution.
Rebecca made her recital debut at age 9 and performed as soloist with the Los
Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra when she was 11. At 17, after winning many
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young artist competitions in the USA, she was awarded the unprecedented
Special Critics’ Prize at the Seventh International Chopin Piano Competition in
Warsaw, an award created in her honor. Additionally, she won the Most
Outstanding Musician Prize at the Fifth Vianna Da Motta International Piano
Competition (Portugal) 1970 and was top prizewinner in the Second Paloma
O’Shea International Piano Competition (Spain) 1975. She made her New
York Debut in Alice Tully Hall in 1972. In 1974, she founded the acclaimed
New Arts Trio, which twice won the prestigious Naumburg Award for
Chamber Music 1980 and 1982. The Trio made two USIS Cultural State
Department tours of Europe 1983, 1986. Rebecca made a solo USIS State
Department tour of Japan in 1980. Between 1974 and 2009 she annually made
at least two month-long trips abroad performing and teaching in major cities of
the world. Her artistry and insight have won her a large and loyal following.
Rebecca has also held appointments on the piano faculty of the North Carolina
School of the Arts in Winston Salem, NC (1972-1974) and at the Wisconsin
Conservatory of Music in Milwaukee, WI (1974-1980) as piano Chair.
Rebecca’s teachers include Aube Tzerko, Leonard Stein, Rosina Lhevinne,
Artur Rubinstein, Menahem Pressler, Gyorgy Sebok, Janos Starker, Josef
Gingold, and Iannis Xenakis. She has been recognized for her ability to teach a
natural keyboard technique (Motion & Emotion) that allows pianists to achieve
performance goals and handle stress without physical strain or injury. Aside
from her summer seasons in New York State and her current non-profit
festival in Florida, she has also taught and performed in such summer festivals
as Sitka, Marlboro, Woodstock, Eastern, Aspen, Vermont Mozart, Montreal,
Tel Hai Israel, Tibor Varga, Birch Creek, International Music, Shawnigan
Johannesen, Peninsula, Roycroft, Mammoth Lakes, and Music Mountain.
Her first DVD was filmed in May 2015 and will be available next year. She has
more than a dozen current CDs on Fleur De Son Classics and Centaur
Records. Rebecca divides her time between New York and Florida. Recent
trips abroad include performing and teaching South Korea, Thailand, China
and Hong Kong and Colombia, South America in January 2016. Please visit
rebeccapenneys.com & rebeccapenneyspianofestival.org
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SEÁN DUGGAN, OSB, pianist, is a monk of St. Joseph Abbey in Covington,
Louisiana. He obtained his music degrees from Loyola University in New
Orleans and Carnegie Mellon University, and received a Master’s degree in
theology from Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans. From 1988 to 2001 he
taught music, Latin and religion at St. Joseph Seminary College in Louisiana
and was director of music and organist at St. Joseph Abbey.
In September, 1983 he won first prize in the Johann Sebastian Bach
International Competition for Pianists in Washington, D.C., and again in
August, 1991. Having a special affinity for the music of Bach, in 2000 he
performed the complete cycle of Bach’s keyboard works eight times in various
American and European cities. For seven years he hosted a weekly program on
the New Orleans NPR station entitled “Bach on Sunday.” He is presently in
the midst of recording the complete cycle of Bach’s keyboard (piano) music
which will comprise 24 CDs.
Before he joined the Benedictine order he was pianist and assistant chorus
master for the Pittsburgh Opera Company for three years. He has performed
with many orchestras including the Louisiana Philharmonic, the Buffalo
Philharmonic, the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, the Leipzig Baroque
Soloists, The Prague Chamber Orchestra, The American Chamber Orchestra
and the Pennsylvania Sinfonia.
From 2001 to 2004 he was a visiting professor of piano at the University of
Michigan. Currently he is associate professor of piano at SUNY Fredonia.
During the fall semester of 2008 he was also a guest professor of piano at
Eastman School of Music. He has been a guest artist and adjudicator at the
Chautauqua Institution for several summers, and is also a faculty member of
the Golandsky Institute at Princeton, New Jersey. He continues to study the
Taubman approach with Edna Golandsky in New York City.
Born and raised in Bologna, Italy, ENRICO ELISI has been hailed for his
mastery of elegance, refinement, and fantasy. He regularly performs to acclaim
throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia and his interpretations reveal
“remarkable sensitivity, imagination and polish,” (Baltimore Sun).
In Italy he has appeared in historical settings such as La Fenice Theatre,
Venice; Palazzo Vecchio, Florence; Bibiena Theatre, Mantua; Pavarotti Opera
House, Modena; Teatro Comunale and Sala Bossi, Bologna; Sant’Anna dei
Lombardi Church, Naples, and Amalfi Cathedral. He also gave recitals in
Germany, Slovak Republic and Spain. Recent performances include recitals at
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the Banff Centre for the Arts, Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall, the New York
Public Library, New York’s Gilder Lehrman Hall at the Morgan Library and
Museum, Washington’s West Garden Court 73rd series at the National Gallery
of Art, as well as the Italian Embassies of Washington, D. C. and Lima, Peru.
Elisi also performed in Shanghai, Chengdu, Wuhan, Hangzhou, Fuzhou, and
Gulangyu (China); Taipei and Tainan (Taiwan); Seoul, Busan, and Daegu
(Korea); and Singapore.
Elisi has appeared with the Florence Symphony, Italy; Orchestra Classica de
Porto, Portugal; Bay Atlantic Symphony, Greeley Philharmonic, Williamsport
Symphony, Pennsylvania Centre, Penn State Philharmonic, Penn’s Woods,
UNLV Chamber and Johns Hopkins Symphony orchestras, USA. He also
debuted as soloist/conductor with the Green Valley Festival Chamber
Orchestra (2007).
Among Elisi’s awards are top prizes in the Venice Competition (Italy) and the
Oporto International Competition (Portugal). After winning nine first prizes in
competitions in Italy and the US, and having garnered a dozen of other top
prizes and awards, Elisi performed in Toulouse, France, and New York’s Weill
Recital Hall as a La Gesse Fellow.
Via Classica, a German radio station, offered a two-hour broadcast of Elisi’s
live recital in Hamburg followed by an interview (2008). Additional radio
broadcasts include Montebeni Classica FM (Italy), WCLV Cleveland,
UNC, KCNV Nevada Public Radio, and KGCS (USA). He also appeared in a
TV broadcast for WPSU and Portuguese national TV.
An avid chamber musician, Elisi has performed at the Taos and Ravinia
Festivals, and collaborated with principal players from the Baltimore, Chicago,
and American Symphony Orchestras, as well as other well-known soloists. As a
champion of new music, Elisi has commissioned works from composers of
many nationalities and premiered Paul Chihara’s Two Images, at Weill Hall—a
composition he subsequently recorded (Albany Records).
A frequent guest at music festivals, Elisi appears regularly in such settings as
the Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival, Cincinnati Art of the Piano, Montecito,
Lee University, Texas State, and Chautauqua Institution (USA); Associazione
Umbria classica and Amalfi Coast Festival (Italy); Ameri-China Foundation
Festival (China).
Dr. Elisi is an Associate Professor at the Eastman School of Music, where he
teaches a class of international students. His current and former students
include prizewinners in competitions; hold teaching positions; performed with
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orchestras such as the Rochester Philharmonic and the Dallas Chamber
Symphony; gave debut recitals from New York to Caracas, Paris and Seoul.
Elisi also presented master classes, both in conjunction with his performing
engagements, at Northwestern University, the University of Michigan, USA;
University of British Columbia, Canada; National Conservatory of Lima, Peru;
Accademia delle Marche, Italy; Taipei National University of the Arts, Taiwan;
China Conservatory, Shanghai Conservatory, China; Academy of Performing
Arts, Hong Kong; Yong Siew Toh Conservatory, Singapore; Jakarta
Conservatory, Indonesia; Seoul National, Yonsei, Hanyang, Ewha Woman’s, as
well as other major universities in Korea. Elisi also held a two-year guest
professorship at the China Zhejiang Art School in Hangzhou, China and since
2013 he has been teaching an annual master class in Seoul.
As an adjudicator, he has taken part in the Tremplin International and the
Concours de Musique du Canada, the Iowa, the Peabody Yale Gordon, the
Julia Crane International, the Fite Young Artist competitions, as well as the
Nevada, Maryland, Virginia, and Texas State Music Teachers Associations’
competitions, as well as the Ameri-China Foundation Competition in Chengdu,
China.
After studying at the Conservatory of Florence and the world-renowned
Incontri col Maestro International Piano Academy of Imola, Elisi worked with
American icon and Schnabel disciple Leon Fleisher on a full scholarship at the
Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University. A year after graduating, at
Fleisher’s invitation, he performed at the World Piano Pedagogy Conference in
a joint recital with his mentor. Among his teachers were legendary pianist Lazar
Berman as well as Boris Petrushansky, Alexander Lonquich, Joaquín Achúcarro
and Franco Scala. Elisi’s latest CD, Mozart Piano Album, was released in 2011.
Canadian born pianist, TANNIS GIBSON, enjoys a career covering a wide
range of solo and chamber music performances. She has appeared in major
North American venues including Weill Recital Hall in New York, Kennedy
Center in Washington, D.C. and Boston’s Gardner Museum. Ms. Gibson has
performed numerous times for the National Gallery Series and the Phillips
Collection Series in Washington, D.C. She has appeared at many festivals
including the Bath International Festival in England, Killington Music Festival
in Vermont, New York’s Bang-on-a-Can Festival, Western Slope Music
Festival in Colorado, Weekends of Chamber Music in NY, and others. Ms.
Gibson’s recent concerto performances include appearing with the Shanghai
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Radio Orchestra in China and the French Woods Summer Festival Orchestra
in Hancock, NY.
Ms. Gibson has performed live concerts for WGBH Boston’s Pro Musica and
WQXR’s The Listening Room in New York. She has been heard several times
on NPR’s Performance Today, and in 1992, as pianist in the Monticello Trio,
appeared on NBC’s Today Show honoring the legacy of President Thomas
Jefferson.
Ms. Gibson’s major studies began at the University of Regina in Canada where
she studied with William Moore, and graduated with a B.M. (summa cum
laude). At the Juilliard School, she graduated M.M. as a scholarship student of
Sascha Gorodnitzki and Herbert Stessin. Ms. Gibson continued studies at the
Banff Center for the Arts Winter Cycle Program for two years where she
participated regularly in masterclasses with such noted artists as Gyorgy Sebok,
Menachem Pressler, Janos Starker. A year of private study in Brussels, Belgium
with Eduardo del Pueyo and Arthur Grumiaux followed.
Chamber music has formed an important part of Ms. Gibson’s career. In
addition to her ten years as pianist with the Monticello Trio, Ms. Gibson has
collaborated with distinguished ensembles and artists including the Muir,
American, Lark, Miami and Shanghai String Quartets, as well as the Dorian
Woodwind Quintet. She appears frequently in recital as duo partner with many
of this country’s finest instrumentalists and singers. Her first recording
featuring the Charles Ives Piano Trio was described by American Record
Guide as ‘really remarkable - the Ives trio seldom has been heard with so much
energy or panache.’ Other chamber music recordings include recently
discovered piano trios of Richard Strauss and music of British composer,
Nicholas Maw, both CDs released by ASV of London. The disc featuring
Maw’s piano trio gained considerable critical acclaim throughout Europe and
the U.S., and was nominated for a 1995 Recording of the Year Gramophone
Award. Gramophone Magazine named it “Editor’s Choice - Recording of the
Month” in the June issue. Summit Records has recently released “Breath in a
Ram’s Horn” (2002), a CD of new song cycles by American composer, Dan
Asia, with Ms. Gibson as pianist.
A continuing commitment to new music has resulted in Gibson’s collaboration
with many of our country’s prominent composers. She has been active in
commissioning significant new works through grants such as the Koussevitzky
Foundation and the Reader’s Digest Commissioning Program. In addition to
many first performances of new music, Ms. Gibson has directed the University
of Virginia New Music Ensemble and has served as Co-Artistic Director of
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Coyote Consort, an ensemble dedicated to innovative programming of new
and old music.
Ms. Gibson has given residencies, master classes and performances at
universities and arts institutions throughout the U.S. From 1984-94, she was a
member of the music faculty at the University of Virginia. Currently, Ms.
Gibson is Professor of Piano and Coordinator of the Keyboard Area at the
University of Arizona where she teaches studio piano and coaches chamber
music. She makes her home in Tucson, Arizona.
RAY GOTTLIEB, O.D., Ph.D, is a behavioral optometrist, who teaches
about vision and learning improvement. He presents at optometry, education,
health and psychology conferences worldwide and conducts programs for
schools, industry and the general public.
Born in Los Angeles, and educated at the University of California, School of
Optometry and Saybrook Graduate School, his Ph.D. dissertation covered
neurological and psychological aspects of nearsightedness. He also has a
diploma in massage therapy from the New School of Massage in Sebastopol,
CA (1979). He was on the academic optometry faculty at the University of
Houston, College of Optometry (1965-68) and on the clinical faculty of the
University of California, Berkeley, School of Optometry and the University of
Rochester, School of Medicine. In the 1980’s he was research editor of the
Brain/Mind Bulletin, a newsletter about brain research, creativity, education
and human health and potential.
Certified in vision therapy by the College of Optometrists in Vision
Development, he is a member of the NeuroOptometric Rehabilitation
Association (brain trauma rehabilitation), the Optometric Extension Program,
PAVE (Parents Advocating for Vision Education), and has been the Dean of
the College of Syntonic Optometry since 1979. Syntonic Optometry is a
therapy using color for improving visual problems related to eye health,
learning/reading disability and brain trauma.
Dr. Gottlieb has invented eye exercises and written articles on myopia
(nearsightedness), presbyopia (bifocalsightedness), syntonics (color) therapy,
behavioral optometry, education (curriculum development), and brain theory
(the phase-conjugate, optical brain). He has written two books: Attention and
Memory Training: Stress-Point Learning on the Trampoline and The Fundamentals of
Flow in Learning Music (with Rebecca Penneys). His exercise to eliminate
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presbyopia has been translated into five languages and has also been made into
a video program called “The Read Without Glasses Method.”
For over twenty years he practiced vision therapy in Rochester, New York,
working with learning and attention disorders, brain trauma rehabilitation,
myopia and presbyopia prevention, and cross-eye/lazy-eye. He was Staff
Optometrist at the Rochester Psychiatric Center, and Consultant-Trainer for
the Rochester City School District. He spent twenty summers on the faculty at
the Chautauqua Piano Festival Program where he worked with the pianists to
improve their learning, attention and stress management skills, and he is now
the Attention and Memory Specialist for the Rebecca Penneys Piano
Festival. He lives in St Pete Beach, Florida.
Pianist CHRISTOPHER HARDING maintains a flourishing international
performance career, generating acclaim and impressing audiences and critics
alike with his substantive interpretations and pianistic mastery. He has given
frequent solo, concerto, and chamber music performances in venues as far
flung as the Kennedy Center and Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C.,
Suntory Hall in Tokyo, the National Theater Concert Hall in Taipei, the Jack
Singer Concert Hall in Calgary, and halls and festival appearances in
Newfoundland, Israel, Romania, and China. His concerto performances have
included concerts with the National Symphony and the Saint Louis Symphony
Orchestras, the San Angelo and Santa Barbara Symphonies, and the Tokyo
City Philharmonic, working with such conductors as Andrew Sewell, Eric
Zhou, Taijiro Iimori, Gisele Ben-Dor, Fabio Machetti, Randall Craig Fleisher,
John DeMain, Ron Spiegelman, Daniel Alcott, and Darryl One, among others.
His chamber music and duo collaborations have included internationally
renowned artists such as clarinetist Karl Leister, flautist Andras Adorjan, and
members of the St. Lawrence and Ying String Quartets, in addition to frequent
projects with his distinguished faculty colleagues at the University of Michigan.
He has recorded solo and chamber music CDs for the Equilibrium and
Brevard Classics labels. He has additionally edited and published critical
editions and recordings of works by Claude Debussy (Children's Corner,
Arabesques and shorter works) and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Viennese
Sonatinas) for the Schirmer Performance Editions published by Hal Leonard.
Professor Harding has presented master classes and lecture recitals in
universities across the United States and Asia, as well as in Israel and Canada.
His most recent tours to Taiwan, Hong Kong, and mainland China included
presentations and master classes at Hong Kong Baptist University, National
Taiwan Normal University, SooChow University, the National Taiwan
18
University of Education, and conservatories and universities in Beijing (Central
and China Conservatories), Tianjin, Shanghai, Hefei, Guangzhou, Shenyang,
Dalien, and Chongqing. He has additionally performed and lectured numerous
times in Seoul, including lecture recitals and classes at Seoul National
University, Ewha Women's University, and Dong Duk University. He has
served extended tours as a Fulbright Senior Specialist at the Sichuan
Conservatory of Music in Chengdu, China (2008), and also at Seoul National
University (2011). While teaching at SNU, he simultaneously held a Special
Chair in Piano at Ewha Womans' University.
In addition to teaching undergraduate and graduate piano performance and
chamber music at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre &
Dance, Harding also serves on the faculty of the Indiana University Summer
Piano Academy and is a frequent guest artist and teacher at the MasterWorks
Festival in Winona Lake, IN. Recent summer festivals include the Chautauqua
Institution in NY, and the Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival in Tampa, FL.
Harding was born of American parents in Munich, Germany and raised in
Northern Virginia. His collegiate studies were with Menahem Pressler and
Nelita True. Prior to college, he worked for 10 years with Milton Kidd at the
American University Department of Performing Arts Preparatory Division,
where he was trained in the traditions of Tobias Matthay. He has taken 25 first
prizes in national and international competitions and in 1999 was awarded the
special "Mozart Prize" at the Cleveland International Piano Competition, given
for the best performance of a composition by Mozart. His current recording
projects include the Brahms viola/clarinet sonatas and the clarinet trio, with
clarinetist Dan Gilbert, violist Stephen Boe, and cellist Yeonjin Kim.
Praised as exceedingly interesting and original by New York Concert Review, a
recitalist, guest artist, and chamber musician, pianist EUNMI KO
(eunmiko.com) has been featured in many venues throughout North America,
Asia, and Oceania. Recently, she has played in Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall,
Chautauqua Music Festival, Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival, Festival
Cervantino Internacional in Mexico, Music Center of Christchurch in New
Zealand, and Soon-Cheon National University in Korea.
Ko recently appeared as a guest artist at the Spectrum NYC, University of
Michigan, Eastern Michigan University, Lynn University, Hobart and William
Smith Colleges, Union College, Women in Music Festival, CUNY in NYC, St.
Petersburg College, and Rochester Institute of Technology.
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Ko is co-founder and co-director of the new music ensemble Strings &
Hammers, which has the unusual instrumentation of violin, piano, and double
bass. Each year, the ensemble commissions chamber works from emerging
composers for different projects. In 2015, they appeared as guest ensemble at
the New Music Consortium at University of South Florida, The Venture
Compound, and the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford.
In 2011, she was Assistant Director for the Women in Music Festival in
Rochester, New York. This led her into collaboration with composer, Hilary
Tann, the fruits of which include her first commercial CD (“a fine CD and an
excellent introduction to Tann’s musical world for those unfamiliar with it.” Fanfare Magazine), released in 2014 by Centaur Records, showcasing Tann’s solo
and chamber works.
Ko also has significant experience as a collaborative pianist. Since 2005, she has
served as an accompanist and collaborative pianist for the Eastman School of
Music, Charles Castleman’s Quartet Program, and Chautauqua Music Festival.
Her performances have been broadcasted by many radio stations including
WUSF(FL), WMNF(FL), WXXI(NY), KPFT (TX), and FM 98.5
CKWR(Canada).
Ko received her Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from
Eastman School of Music. Her primary teachers have included Ick Choo Moon
and Rebecca Penneys. She has taught at the Finger Lakes Community College,
Canandaigua NY and Performing Arts Institute, Wyoming PA. She is on the
faculty at the Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival. In 2014, she joined the faculty at
the University of South Florida as Visiting Assistant Professor of Piano. In
2015, Ko continues her appointment there as Assistant Professor of Piano.
Accomplished pianist and teacher YONG HI MOON made her solo debut
with the Seoul Philharmonic at age 10 after winning the National Korean
Broadcasting Competition. Among many awards and prizes Moon has won top
prizes in the Elena-Rombro Stepanow Competition in Vienna, the Viotti
International Competition in Vercelli, Italy, received the Chopin Prize from
Geneva International Competition in Switzerland, and was also a prizewinner
in the Vienna da Motta Competition in Lisbon, Portugal.
Moon has performed extensively throughout Asia, Europe and the U.S. as a
recitalist and with orchestras including the Osaka, Seoul, Tokyo, and Korean
National symphony orchestras. She has collaborated with her husband,
pianist/conductor Dai Uk Lee, in duo piano concerts in the U.S. and Korea,
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and has performed under his baton with the Busan Philharmonic. In the
summer of 2000, she made her first extensive concert tour of Korea, including
solo recitals in five cities as well as performances with the Orchestras of
Kwangju and Daejun. Upcoming engagements include Moon’s return to Korea
to perform with the Ulsan Philharmonic.
In 1975 Moon was invited officially by the Korean government to participate
in a festival commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Korean liberation, and
since 1990 has been regularly invited to perform and give master classes
throughout Korea. In 1991 she performed in a cycle of the complete Mozart
piano concerti with the Bu-Chon Philharmonic Orchestra to commemorate the
composer's bicentennial year. During 1997 Moon performed six all-Schubert
solo recitals in both Korea and the U.S. Her discography includes a CD
recording on the Music and Art label of Czech four-hand piano music that has
received outstanding critical acclaim.
Moon is in high demand as a guest master class teacher and adjudicator. In
1993, she released a teaching video in Korea titled Artistic Piano Playing that
has earned great popularity. Moon has been a regular faculty member at
Shandelee, Aria, Prague and Bowdoin Summer Festivals. In addition, she has
been invited to perform and conduct master classes at Chautauqua Summer
Festival in New York, and at the International School for Musical Arts in
Canada. As an adjudicator, she judged in Senigallia International Piano
Competition in Italy, Gilmore International Piano Competition as well as
numerous MTNA (Music Teachers National Association) related competitions
throughout the U.S. and Korea. After teaching at Michigan State University
School of Music for fifteen years, Moon joined the faculty of Peabody
Conservatory of Music in 2002 where she currently maintains a full-time
position.
A native of Korea, Moon studied at the Vienna Academy, from which she
graduated with highest honors. She then continued her studies in London
before completing her Artist Diploma degree at Indiana University. Her
teachers include Dieter Weber, Maria Curcio, Gyorgy Sebok, Leon Fleisher,
Wilhelm Kempff and Fu Tsong, who were always an inspiration to her work.
ROBERTA RUST has concertized to critical acclaim around the globe since
her debut as soloist with the Houston Symphony at age sixteen and as recitalist
at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. Her many remarkable recordings feature
music of Debussy, Haydn, Villa-Lobos, Prokofiev, and contemporary
American composers. Solo recitals include performances at Sala Cecilia
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Meireles (Rio de Janeiro), Merkin Concert Hall (NY), Corcoran Gallery
(Washington, DC), and KNUA Hall (Seoul).
Rust has played with the Lark, Ying, and Amernet String Quartets and her
festival appearances include OPUSFEST (Philippines), Palm Beach Chamber
Music Festival, Beethoven Festival (Oyster Bay), Festival Miami and La Gesse
(France). She has performed as soloist with numerous orchestras including the
New Philharmonic, Philippine Philharmonic, Boca Raton Symphonia, the New
World Symphony, and orchestras in Latin America.
Demonstrating a strong commitment to the next generation with a highly
motivational and inspiring approach, Roberta Rust serves as Artist FacultyPiano/Professor and Head of the Piano Department at the Conservatory of
Music at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida. She has given master classes
at prominent institutions throughout Asia and the Americas. Her outstanding
students distinguish themselves in competitions and festivals, and enjoy active
careers in performance and education. Rust has served as a competition
adjudicator, including events at the Chautauqua and Brevard Festivals.
Born in Texas of American Indian ancestry, Rust studied at the Peabody
Conservatory, graduated "summa cum laude" from the University of Texas at
Austin, and received performer's certificates in piano and German Lieder from
the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. She earned her master's degree at the
Manhattan School of Music and her doctorate at the University of Miami. Her
teachers included Ivan Davis, Artur Balsam, John Perry, and Phillip Evans and
master class studies were with Gary Graffman, Leon Fleisher, and Carlo
Zecchi. She served as Artistic Ambassador for the U.S., was awarded a major
NEA grant, and also received recognition and prizes from the OAS, National
Society of Arts & Letters, and International Concours de Fortepiano (Paris). In
addition, she is a music critic for Clavier Companion Magazine and can be
heard on YouTube: RobertaRustPiano
OMRI SHIMRON is a pianist and educator based in Oakland, CA. In
September 2015, he will become Coordinator of Piano at California State
University, East Bay, where he will teach an international group of students.
His debut solo album, featuring Frederic Rzewski's iconic 36 Variations on
"The People United Will Never Be Defeated!” was released in July 2014 on
New Focus Records.
In 2014-2015 Shimron performed recitals and lecture-recitals at Gettysburg
College, Fort Lewis College, Eastern Carolina University, the North Carolina
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Music Academy, Elon University, and the Portland Piano Company. Together
with his 2-piano/8-hand colleagues, he has also given collaborative recitals at
St. Petersburg College, Peace Church in Clearwater, FL, and the Rochester
Institute of Technology.
Born in the United States but raised in Israel, he appeared at the Jerusalem
Music Center, the Jerusalem Academy of Music, and the Tel Aviv Museum. In
the US, he won prizes from the Hoffman Competition and the Chautauqua
Institution. As an orchestral soloist, Shimron played with the Hillsdale College
Orchestra, the Finger Lakes Symphony, and the Elon University Orchestra.
Collaborative and solo concerts also included appearances at the Kennedy
Center’s Millennium Stage, and live radio broadcasts for WBFO, WXXI, and
WUSF stations.
Outside the U.S., Shimron has participated in the Felicia Blumental Festival
(Tel Aviv), the American Conservatory in Fontainebleau (France), and has
presented recitals at Wolfson College (Oxford) and the Bursa State
Conservatory (Turkey). In 2008, he performed ‘anisotropie’, a work for
prepared piano by Michael Quell, at SoundsCAPE—a contemporary music
festival in Italy.
An eclectic performer, Shimron’s repertoire choices are traditional yet
increasingly contemporary. In the past decade he premiered several new works
by young composers such as Hackbarth's Lines of Communication and Dietz's Five
Reflections on the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyam. Other projects included a recording
of David Lipten’s trio Whorl, and performances of George Crumb’s Eine Kleine
Mitternachtmusik (2002). Lipten has recently completed Once Was, a new work in
homage to C. P. E. Bach, and dedicated to Shimron.
In his piano teaching, Shimron embraces a holistic approach to music that
integrates expression, forethought, and physical awareness with a historically
informed approach to style and sound. He has presented numerous lecturerecitals for the College Music Society and has served as President-Elect of its
Mid-Atlantic Chapter in 2015.
Before relocating to the Bay Area, Shimron taught at Elon University, Hillsdale
College (MI), and Eastern Mediterranean University on the island of Cyprus.
He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Eastman School of Music,
where he studied with Rebecca Penneys.
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DMITRI SHTEINBERG has appeared across North America,
Germany, England, France, Switzerland, Sweden, Italy, Portugal, Russia,
Bulgaria and Israel. His solo performances include the Jerusalem Symphony,
The Italian Filarmonica Marchigiana, Israel Chamber Orchestra, Israel
Camerata Orchestra and Porto National Symphony under the batons of
Massimo Pradella, Roger Nierenberg, Florin Totan and David Shallon, among
others. In the United States, he appeared with the Baton Rouge, Richmond,
Charlottesville, Salisbury and Manassas symphony orchestras. Shteinberg was a
guest artist at the Mostly Mozart Festival, Summit Music Festival, Music
Festival of the Hamptons, the ''Oleg Kagan'' and Sulzbach-Rosenberg Festivals
in Germany, Festival Aix-en-Provence in France and Open Chamber Music in
Cornwall, England. Chamber music appearances include the Stern Auditorium
at Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, The Kimmel Center in Philadelphia,
Alice Tully Hall in New York and the Saunders Theatre in Boston. Besides
solo and chamber music performances, Shteinberg frequently appears with
concert-lectures; he also plays harpsichord and period pianos. His interest in
new music has led to world premieres and numerous commissions.
Shteinberg recorded for the Israeli ''Voice of Music'' radio station, the NPR,
the Bavarian Radio, Summit Records and Sono Luminus labels and the
Yamaha Disklavier; collaborated with members of the New York Philharmonic
and the cellists Han-Na Chang and Natalia Gutman.
Dmitri Shteinberg is a prizewinner in twenty competitions worldwide,
including the first prize in ''Citta de Senigallia'' international piano competition
in Italy. In the United States, he won the Naomi Foundation Competition and
the Artists International Debut Award, and received the Salon De Virtuosi
Fellowship Grant.
A native of Moscow, Dmitri Shteinberg studied at the Gnessin Special School
of Music under Anna Kantor, teacher of Evgeny Kissin. His later teachers
include Victor Derevianko and Nina Svetlanova, both students of Heinrich
Neuhaus. Shteinberg holds a Doctorate from the Manhattan School of Music,
and is currently an Artist Teacher of Piano at the University of North Carolina
School of the Arts. His former students received scholarships at numerous
prestigious schools, including Manhattan School of Music, Eastman, the
Cleveland Institute of Music, the Oberlin Conservatory and the Hartt School
of Music. He is also on faculty at the Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival
in Burlington, VT.
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American pianist JOHNANDREW SLOMINSKI enjoys a distinguished
reputation as a performer and pedagogue. His elegant playing has earned praise
from composer and critics alike. Slominski seamlessly navigates the landscape
of a varied and thriving career as a soloist, chamber musician, music theorist,
author, pedagogue, and speaker. Highlights of the current season include
performances of Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54, a set of
recordings for Oxford University Press, a forthcoming CD of solo piano music
on the Centaur label, a forthcoming article in Music Theory Online (the
publication of the Society for Music Theory), and more than a dozen teaching
and speaking engagements nationwide.
A child prodigy, Slominski gave his first public performance at age 5, won his
first piano competition at age 6, and entered college at 15. By 21, Slominski
earned three degrees from the Eastman School of Music including a Master of
Music in Performance and Literature, a Master of Arts in Pedagogy of Music
Theory, and a Bachelor of Music in Performance; his first professorship
followed two years later. He was unanimously nominated for (and received)
Eastman's coveted Performer's Certificate in recognition of outstanding
concert artistry—the youngest individual to have received that honor. While
completing the Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Eastman, he was awarded the
Prize for Excellence in Teaching by a Graduate Student and the Jerald C.
Graue Fellowship in recognition for his musicological research. His innovative
performance projects and pedagogical research have been supported by grants
from institutions including the Classics Abroad Society and the Andrew Mellon
Foundation. Slominski is the co-founder and director of “Classical Music on
the Spot”, a summer institute now in its second season at the Eastman School
of Music, dedicated to the research, pedagogy, and performance of eighteenthcentury style improvisation at the keyboard.
Praised for his virtuosity, innovative programming, and broad repertoire,
Slominski performs throughout the United States and abroad; recent guest
artist appearances have included concerts, master classes, and lectures at the
Chautauqua Institution for Fine and Performing Arts (NY), Sarasota Music
Festival (FL), Sarasota Steinway Society (FL), St. Petersburg College Piano
Series (FL), Dakota Sky International Piano Festival (SD), Sunderman Recital
25 Series (PA), Sherman Clay Steinway, Portland (OR), Sun Valley Artist Series
(ID), Jan Deyl Conservatory (Czech Republic), Salle Cortot (France), and the
Tel Aviv Early Music Seminar (Israel). As a competition laureate, Slominski
was awarded first prize in the Chautauqua International Piano Competition and
was the silver medalist in the inaugural International Keyboard Odyssiad Piano
Competition. His recordings have been broadcast domestically by National
Public Radio and are included in publications by Oxford University Press. His
principal studies were with Rebecca Penneys; additional teachers have included
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Robert Levin, John Perry, Steven Laitz, Dorothy Fahlman, Malcolm Bilson,
Joseph Silverstein, and Jean-Francois Antonioli. Slominski has held teaching
positions at the Sunderman Conservatory at Gettysburg College and Virginia
Commonwealth University. He lives in Rochester, New York.
Steinway Artist, MAYRON TSONG, has been taken by her performances
around the globe to almost every state in the continental United States, as well
as Canada, Russia, Sweden, Italy, Taiwan, Hong Kong and China. After her
solo recital Debut at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall, Harris Goldsmith of
The New York Concert Review praised it as “an enlivening, truly outstanding
recital.” Fanfare Magazine called her “a genius, pure and simple… perhaps, a
wizard.”
Her first CD of Romantic Russian Piano Music released by Centaur Records in
2008 won a Global Music Award and rave reviews in American Record Guide
and Fanfare Magazine who compared her playing to Horowitz, Pollini,
Andsnes and Laredo, saying “her technique is dazzling, yet subjugated to a
controlling intellect and deeply felt sensitivity that removes her from the
category `virtuoso' by nature of her long-range artistic vision.” She is currently
engaged in her next recording project of Haydn Piano Sonatas.
Winner of numerous competitions and prizes, Mayron has performed and
interviewed for many radio broadcasts, including CBC Radio in Canada,
WDAV in North Carolina, WFMT Radio in Chicago, Radio 4 in Hong Kong
and NPR's “The State of Things.” She has appeared as soloist with orchestras
around the world, including the St. Petersburg Chamber Philharmonic (Russia),
Symphony North (Houston), Longview Symphony Orchestra (Texas), North
Carolina Symphony, Red Deer Symphony Orchestra (Canada), and Lethbridge
Symphony Orchestra (Canada). Equally active in chamber music
collaborations, her summers have taken her to festivals across the United
States, Prague, Germany and Italy, including The Art of Piano at Cincinnati
Conservatory of Music, Eastern Music Festival, Prague International Piano
Masterclasses, Texas Music Institute and Amalfi Coast, Schlern and Orfeo
Music Festivals in Italy. Her collaborations with some of the finest chamber
groups and musicians in North America include Jeffrey Zeigler (of the Kronos
Quartet), Brentano String Quartet, Philharmonic Quintet of New York, Miró
String Quartet, Vega String Quartet, James Campbell, George Taylor and
Antonio Lysy.
A native of Canada, Dr. Tsong is one of the youngest musicians to complete a
Performer's Diploma in Piano from the Royal Conservatory of Toronto at age
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16. While still a student, she was awarded the Millennium Prize for Russian
Performing Arts, and she is a three-time recipient of The Female Doctoral
Students Grant, a competition that encompasses all disciplines nationwide,
awarded by the Government of Canada. Holding graduate degrees in both
Piano Performance and Music Theory from Rice University, her impressive
pedigree boasts distinguished teachers like John Perry, György Sebök, Robert
Levin, Anton Kuerti and Marilyn Engle. Gaining recognition as a pedagogue
herself, she has appeared around the world as a master class clinician, lecturer,
judge and Visiting Professor.
She was recently added to Who's Who Among Professional Artists as well as
Who's Who Among American Teachers & Educators, and she is an Honorary
Member of the Tingshuset Music Society in Sweden along with prominent
Swedish Artists like Martin Fröst and Christian Lindberg. Mayron is currently
Associate Professor/Artist Teacher of Piano and Director of Undergraduate
Studies at the School of Music at the University of Maryland. She previously
served as Head of Keyboard Studies at the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill and the University of Lethbridge.
Born in Florida and raised in Texas, TABITHA COLUMBARE enjoys a
budding career as a pianist, pedagogue, and administrator. She studied with Dr.
Richard Shuster as an undergraduate at Texas Woman’s University in Denton,
Texas and was recognized with the TWU Outstanding Undergraduate
Performer Award (‘04) and the Presser Foundation Award (‘05). In 2009,
Tabitha completed her Master’s degree with Professor Rebecca Penneys at the
Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, where she expects to finish
her DMA in 2016. While at Eastman, she was awarded the Jerald C. Graue
Fellowship (2012-13) for her research on late-nineteenth-century performance
practice and she earned the Certificate in College Teaching with Dr. Donna
Brink Fox (2014). Her solo recitals and chamber performances have charmed
audiences throughout North Texas, Western New York, and São Paulo, Brazil.
This past year, she held positions at Texas Woman’s University and Tarrant
County College, teaching applied lessons, class piano, and music appreciation.
She was a featured artist during TWU’s 2014-2015 Music Centennial
Celebration, presenting a lecture recital entitled “Rediscovering Chopin” in
November 2014, and performing as a soloist on the Hail, Alma Mater, Hail
Reunion Concert in April 2015. In addition to performing and teaching,
Tabitha delights in assisting musicians as a student life administrator. She was a
head counselor and coordinator for the Chautauqua Institution Music Festival
in 2012. Now, she returns to the Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival as part-time
faculty and for her third year as the head Coordinator of Student Services.
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STUDENT BIOGRAPHIES
JEEHAE AHN, a 23-year-old pianist from South Korea, began her piano
studies at age three and performed in public two years later. Before coming to
the United States, she attended Yewon Art School and Seoul Arts High School
where she studied with Heesung Joo and Jinwoo Chung. She performed in
major concert venues and music festivals throughout her native country and
was a top prizewinner in numerous competitions, including the Junior Chopin
Competition, the Busan Music Festival Competition, and the EumYoun
Competition. JeeHae was also the youngest pianist to perform in the Fourth
Chopin International Competition in Moscow. In 2008, her first year in the
U.S., she won the Boston Symphony Orchestra Youth Concerts Concerto
Competition and appeared as a featured soloist at Symphony Hall the following
spring. She was awarded the Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award as part of
her appearance in NPR’s radio program From the Top and also won the
Harvard Musical Association Competition, for which she gave a recital in 2011.
Recently, she participated in the Young Artists Piano Virtuoso Showcase at
Rockport Chamber Music Festival and in New England Conservatory’s John
Cage and Alexander Scriabin Centennial Concert Series. JeeHae graduated
from Walnut Hill School where she received the highest distinction in art and
academics, and subsequently graduated from the New England Conservatory
studying with Wha Kyung Byun and Russell Sherman. She currently studies
with Meng-Chieh Liu as a Masters student at the Conservatory and is a
recipient of Ruth T. George Endowed Piano Scholarship.
KAHORU AMANO, age 21, was born in Yokohama, Japan and began
studying piano at age five. After moving to the United States in 2003, she
actively participated in competitions and community services for local churches
and schools as a member of the Faerie Trio for three years in Louisville,
Kentucky. Her other pianistic activities include master classes and lessons with
Etsuko Tazaki, Roy Howat, and John Perry. She also participated in the
Indiana University Piano Academy in 2008 and Aspen Music Festival and
School in 2011. In 2014, she was a co-first prizewinner in the Nilsson
Undergraduate Solo Piano Competition at the University of Texas at Austin.
Kahoru is currently a fourth-year Bachelor of Music Performance student at
the University of Texas at Austin, where she studies with Anton Nel.
TIPWATOO ARAMWITTAYA (PIN), now 23 years old, was born in
Bangkok, Thailand. Her first piano lesson was at age five with Varinthara
Varikarn at Siam Kolkarn Kitarin Music School, a local Yamaha Music School.
She participated in the annual Yamaha Music Competitions for nine years,
both in solo piano and in electone ensemble, winning first, second, and third
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prizes. In 2006, she began studying with Peerapong Surawan and in 2013 she
started lessons with Eri Nakagawa. Pin graduated with First Class Honors in a
Bio-Medical Science degree from Mahidol University International College,
Thailand and has obtained an FTCL diploma from the Trinity College of
London. Her awards include 3rd Prize at the 15th OSAKA International Music
Competition (with no first and second prizewinners), Gold Prize at the 15th
OSAKA International Music Competition Bangkok Regional Round, and 2nd
Prize at the Australian Music Examinations Board. She has also attended
master classes with Professors Artas Balakauskas, Martin Widmaier, Rena
Phua, and Rebecca Penneys. Pin will continue her studies this fall at the Royal
College of Music in London.
EUNJIN BANG began playing the piano at a very early age in South Korea
and came to the United States to further her education in 2007. She has
established herself as an award-winning musician, winning national awards
from an early age. Her accolades include 1st Prize in the Chinese Professional
Entrepreneur Scholarship Competition, 2nd Prize in the Music Teachers
National Association state competition, and 4th Prize at the Oberlin
International Young Pianist Competition. She also appeared as a soloist with
IU Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of David Effron as the winner of
the concerto competition at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University.
Eunjin has been heard in the United States, Germany, Canada, and at the
Kumho Arts and Yiwon Munhwa Centers in Korea. Her engagements include
a broadcast in WCLV radio (Cleveland) and performance in the Danenberg
Honors Recital at Oberlin. She has performed in master classes for Malcolm
Bilson, Enrique Graf, Lambert Orkis, Sean Duggen, and Xiang Zou. She
graduated from the Oberlin College and Conservatory with a Young Artist
diploma in 2008 and with a Bachelor of Music in 2012 as a full scholarship
recipient under Professor Haewon Song. Eunjin completed her Master of
Music in 2014 and Performance Diploma in 2015 at Indiana University as a
student of Professor Emile Naoumoff, with whom she will pursue an Artist
Diploma in the fall.
LUKE BENEDICT, is 18 years old and was born in Winchester, Virginia. He
has played the piano for twelve years, studying with Dr. Svetozar Ivanov at the
University of South Florida for the last two years. A recent graduate from
Howard W. Blake High School in Tampa, he enjoyed the opportunity to
perform regularly as a young artist in a variety of settings – from orchestral
works to chamber music to solo pieces. He has also played in several master
classes with Professor Rebecca Penneys at St. Pete College. In the summers,
Luke has attended both the Brevard Music Festival and the Rebecca Penneys
Piano Festival. His undergraduate studies at the Eastman School of Music as a
student of Ms. Penneys will begin this fall.
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KATHERINE BENSON, age 21, is a rising senior in Piano Performance at
the Eastman School of Music, where she currently studies with Nelita True.
She has also studied with Thomas Schumacher, and – prior to Eastman – with
Chih-Long Hu and Jerilyn Paolini at East Tennessee State University. Her
numerous performances across the United States include a solo performance
of Debussy’s Des pas sur la neige to open a Musica Nova concert featuring world
premieres of works by Carlos Sanchez-Gutierrez, David Liptak, and Brad
Lubman in Kodak Hall at the Eastman Theatre. Katherine has also won
numerous awards, which include 1st place in the Tennessee Division of the
Music Teachers National Association and Runner-up at the Southeastern
Division; 1st place winner for three consecutive years at the Tennessee Music
Teachers Association State Competition; 1st place at the Bristol Music Club
Scholarship Audition (’08, ’11); 1st place at the Knoxville Choral Society (’09)
alongside a performance at the Society’s Honors Concert; and Honorable
Mention, Lee University Piano Competition (’09) where she received an
ovation for the best single performance in the history of the competition. She
attended the Boston University Tanglewood Institute Young Artists Piano
Program in the summer of 2010 and the Art of the Piano Program at the
College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati in June 2015.
Katherine is also an active composer and will be attending the composition
festival highSCORE in Pavia, Italy where her String Quartet will be debuted in
August 2015.
ALEXANDER BUI, a 21-year-old Vietnamese-American from New Jersey,
began his piano studies at age four with his mother, a graduate of the
Vietnamese Conservatory. His remarkable aptitude for the piano led to a
successful audition for Edward R. Nelson, who accepted him as a student in
the year 2009. His subsequent progress led to performances in a series of
master classes with concert pianist Alexander Shtarkman at the Peabody
Conservatory of Music, Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore Maryland. In
addition, he had numerous master classes with international renowned concert
pianist Ana Maria Trenchi Bottazzi in New York City. In August 2010,
Alexander was selected from thousands of YouTube auditioners to perform on
the nationally broadcast NBC series “America’s Got Talent” Season 5, where
he was presented as “Maestro Alexander Bui.” As a semi-finalist, he performed
for millions of delighted viewers several times and received rave reviews for his
performances from the panel of celebrity judges: Piers Morgan, Sharon
Osbourne, and Howie Mandel. Winner of the Esther C. Weill Music
Competition in 2012, Alexander has performed numerous times with the
Ocean City Pops Orchestra under the baton of maestro William Scheible. He
has also performed in numerous halls of New York and New Jersey. Presently,
he is completing his piano studies for a Bachelor of Music Degree at the
Manhattan School of Music in New York City, under the tutelage of Professor
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Nina Svetlanova, graduate of Tchaikovsky State Conservatory in Moscow,
Russia. His upcoming performances include a performance with the Ocean
City Pops Orchestra in August, a four hands & duo piano recital with pianist
Tiffany Poon in December, and his Bachelor’s solo piano recital in 2016.
SUNG-SOO CHO was born in Seoul, Korea and is 27 years old. His musical
studies began at the age of five and he went on to graduate from Yewon Arts
Middle School, Seoul Arts High School, Seoul National University, and the
Manhattan School of Music. His former teachers include Phillip Kawin and
Hyoung-Joon Chang. Awarded for “Best American Contemporary
Performance” at The Cincinnati World Piano Competition and "Best
Performance of the Commissioned work" at the Texas State International
Piano Competition, Sung-Soo especially enjoys broadening his passion for
contemporary music. He has been a worldwide prizewinner in numerous
competitions including the International Piano Competition "Delia Steinberg"
in Madrid, Spain, the Suri Music Concours, the JoongAng Music Concours in
Korea, the Bradshaw & Buono International Piano Competition, the 5 Towns
Music and Art Foundation Young Musician Competition in New York, the
Glasgow International Competition for Young Pianists, the International Piano
Academy in Scotland Competition, the Texas State International Piano
Competition, and The Cincinnati World Piano Competition. His orchestral
appearances include performances with the Prime Philharmonic of Korea, the
Festival Chamber Orchestra of Lublin Philharmonic, The Ashdod Symphony
Orchestra, and The Round Rock Symphony. He has also appeared as a soloist
throughout the continents with performances at the Weill Hall at Carnegie
Hall, Yamaha Artist Service Seoul, and the Kumho Art Hall. Sung-Soo has
participated in music festivals such as Pianosummer at New Paltz, PianoTexas,
International Piano Festival: Summer in Chopin's Homeland, MusicFest
Perugia, and Texas State International Piano Festival. Currently, he is pursuing
a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Cleveland Institute of Music under the
world-renowned pianist, Antonio Pompa-Baldi.
The musical talents of DYLAN GOMES DOMINGUEZ have been
recognized in the form of awards, scholarships, and memberships into the
honorary society, Phi Theta Kappa, Alpha Beta Chi Chapter, and the “Student
Honor Society” of the Tucson Music Teachers Association. He was awarded
the TMTA’s “Pima Community College Music Scholarship,” the “Outstanding
Musicianship” Award for the Sahuaro Symphonic Orchestra 2011-2012, the
2010 “Chambers Memorial Scholarship for Musical Achievement” and
“Honorable Mention” of the Tommy Harper Memorial Inspiration Scholarship
Award. His most impressive award was a 2010 “Merit Scholarship” to study at
the Interlochen Summer Music Camp. In 2006, Dylan began his private piano
studies with Elizabeth Foreman. In 2009, he was welcomed into Dr. Kim
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Hayashi’s studio, where he was also given the opportunity to participate in a
masterclass at the Leo Rich Theatre, in Tucson, Arizona with Joyce Yang from
the Juilliard School. In 2011, he began his private studies with Dr. June ChowTyne. During his studies with Dr. June Chow-Tyne, he participated in many
masterclasses, two of which were with Nathan Hess, from the Ithaca School of
Music, and Gregg Pauley, from Tufts University. In the fall of 2014, Dylan was
awarded the University of Arizona Music School’s tuition waiver, and was
accepted into Professor Tannis Gibson’s studio. In November of 2014, he
participated in a masterclass with Washington Garcia from Texas State
University. Dylan will continue his studies with Professor Gibson this fall, and
will graduate with two bachelor degrees in the fall of 2018: Piano Performance
and Russian Language.
Pianist MUNKHSHUR ENKHBOLD (SHUREE) is a native of
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, where she began her piano studies at age four. By age
six she was accepted to the Music and Dance College, and at sixteen she went
to the University of Culture and Arts for a Bachelor of Piano Performance.
Shuree gave her debut at the Opera and Ballet House in her sophomore year,
and in 2010, performed Prokofiev’s Concerto No. 3 with the Mongolian
Philharmonia Orchestra, working as her own artist manager by fundraising,
promoting, and marketing. Shuree completed her undergraduate degree and
graduated from an art management program organized by the Arts Council of
Mongolia after which she was invited to work as a general manager of the
International Jazz Festival with Giant Steppes of Jazz. Shortly thereafter she
went to Norway for the Oslo World Music Festival as part of a fellowship
delegation. Shuree came to the USA in 2012 to pursue a Master’s degree at
DePaul University, where she studied with George Vatchnadze. In addition to
two solo recitals, she performed in the Baroque Ensemble, 20th-Century
Ensemble, and Wind Ensemble. She also performed at the “Keys to the City”
piano festival, hosted at the Field Museum in Chicago, and played for Shinya
Okahara and Paul Lewis in masterclasses. In 2013, she performed Chopin’s
Scherzo No. 3 in the “147 pianos” documentary movie. Shuree is a proud
candidate of the “Young Leaders Program 2014 - New York,” which was
organized under the auspices of the President of Mongolia under the topic of
“Prudent Public Financial Management.” Shuree recently joined the studio of
Roberta Rust at Lynn University to pursue a Professional Performance
Certificate. She won the Lynn Concerto Competition with Ravel’s Piano
Concerto in G and performed under conductor Guillermo Figueroa with the
Lynn Philharmonia Orchestra in 2014.
BENJAMIN GITTENS, age 19, was born in New Haven, Connecticut and
has studied piano since age four. He has won numerous competitions including
1st Prize in the Lee University International Piano Competition in 2015, 1st
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Prize in the College-Conservatory of Music Undergraduate Piano Competition
in 2015 as a freshman; Overall Grand Prize, 1st Prize, and the Best Romantic
Performance at the 2014 Carmel Debut International Piano Competition; 1st
Prize in the 2014 Lana M. Bailey Piano Concerto competition; and 2nd Prize in
the 2014 Chopin Youth Piano Competition. He was a concerto competition
winner in 2014 at Southern Adventist University and as a result, performed
with their orchestra in 2015. In 2013, he won 1st Prize at the DePauw Young
Artists Piano Competition, 1st Prize in the Southwest Ohio Pre-Collegiate
Buckeye Competition, he was a winner in the Dayton Public Radio Young
Talent Search, and he won 1st Prize in the Blue Ash Montgomery Symphony
Orchestra Concerto Competition. Benjamin has performed in master classes
for renowned pianists including Emmanuel Ax, Awadagin Pratt, Karen Shaw,
Ning An, Yoshikazu Nagai, and Alan Chow. He has also won merit awards for
piano institute attendance at the College-Conservatory of Music, the University
of Indiana, and Bowling Green State University. His most recent performances
include a 2014 solo concert in Barbados, West Indies and performances of the
Chopin Sonata No. 2 to a live light show in a planetarium at a black tie gala in
Dayton in 2015. His past teachers include Dr. Jackson Leung, Judy Bohne, and
Dr. Michelle Conda. Currently, Benjamin is a sophomore at the CollegeConservatory of Music under the tutelage of Michael Chertock.
JASON MARCELL GOMEZ was born in the United States to Salvadoran
parents and began his musical studies at the age of thirteen. However, it was
not until the late age of fifteen that he formalized his technical studies with
maestro Mario Morales (El Salvador), resulting in various successful recitals in
El Salvador. With dedication and determination, he has been able to achieve
pieces of great technical demand and interpretative maturity in a short period
of time. Although Liszt and Chopin are his favorites, Jason is also fond of the
music of Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, and Rachmaninoff. He currently
studies with Dr. Michael Baron as a junior at the Bower School of Music at
Florida Gulf Coast University. In 2014, he won the Gray Perry Young
Collegiate Piano Competition honoring the finest freshman or sophomore in
the state of Florida. Jason is also a current winner of the Ars Flores Symphony
Orchestra Concerto Competition. This is his second summer at the Rebecca
Penneys Piano Festival.
XUAN HE is a rising senior at St. Olaf College in Minnesota, pursuing a
Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance and a Bachelor of Arts in Political
Science. A native Chinese, she was born in Shenzhen, China in 1994 and began
learning piano at age seven. Her early training occurred at the Shenzhen Arts
School under Ms. Sheng Jin. Other important teachers include Christopher
Atzinger and Kent McWilliams at St. Olaf College. Xuan also studied abroad in
Austria in the fall of 2014, studying with Jan Jiracek von Arnim from the
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University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna and Carolyn Hague from the
Vienna Conservatory. She attended the Brevard Music Summer Festival in
2014, giving solo and chamber music performances in the festival and other
local venues. She has also enjoyed performing with the St. Olaf Piano Tour.
She toured and performed in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin,
Minnesota, and recently California. Xuan’s international appearances include
performances in her home city, Shenzhen, and solo recital and chamber
concerts in Palais Corbelli in Vienna, Austria.
Born in Ilsan and raised in Geoje, South Korea, YOUNGJIN JIN, age 25, has
been playing piano since age six. She studied at Seoul National University,
where she earned a Bachelor’s degree with Younhwa Hwang and Jeonghye
Rha. She participated in the Eumaksegye Festival in Korea in 2008 and the
Liszt Music Academy Festival in Budapest in 2013. Youngjin has played recitals
in Youngsan Grace Hall ‘Thursday’s Invited Concert’ (Seoul, 2009), Youngsan
Art Hall ‘New Artist Concert’ (Seoul, 2010), and the Geoje Art Center ‘Next
Generation’s Concert’ (Geoje, 2012). Her prizes include: 1st, Jinhae Music
Competition (2007); 2nd, Glovil Music Competition (2012); 2nd, Haneol Music
Competition (2013); and, 1st, Korea Association of Hakwon (2013). Last
summer, she began her Master of Music degree at the Liszt Music Academy in
Budapest, Hungary where she studies with Professor Jeno Jando.
EUNJEONG JO is 24 years old and was born in Seoul, Korea. She started
studying the piano when she was five years old and decided to become a
professional pianist by the time she was eleven. Many teachers had an impact
on her early training. She attended the preschool at the Korea National
University of Arts for four years and then graduated and went on to the Seoul
Arts High School. Her undergraduate degree in piano performance was
completed at Seoul National University. Past teachers include Ick-Choo Moon,
Hye-Young Jeon, Mari Kwon, and Myeong-Min Lee. Eunjeong received a
prize for being a good performer from Seoul Arts High School and has earned
awards from the Korea-Herald Music Competition, Journal of Music
Competition, and Korea Music Competition. She was also invited to Music
Camp at the National University of Singapore. Currently, Eunjeong attends the
Eastman School of Music and studies with Professor Natalya Antonova. She
just finished her first year in the Master of Music program, and she expects to
complete her degree in the spring of 2016.
TIMOTHY JONES was born in 1997 and started his musical studies at the
age of six. He studied with Brenda Bruce for eight years until his acceptance
into University of North Carolina School of the Arts in 2012, where he studied
with Eric Larsen. Timothy has also taken lessons and master classes from
Sheila Paige, Ory Shihor, William Wellborn, Adam Wibrowski, Ann Schein,
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Robert McDonald, and Polish pianist Wojciech Kocyan. In the summer of
2012 he made his orchestral debut with the Wiener Neustädter
Instrumentalisten in Vienna, Austria. He has won first place prizes in
competitions in North Carolina such as the NCMTA Junior Division, NCMTA
Senior Division and East Carolina University Young Artist Competition and
was the only high school student to participate in the Kosciuszko Foundation
International Chopin Competition in 2014. This summer Timothy was invited
to attend the Southeastern Piano Festival to study with Charles Fugo and to
compete in the Arthur Fraser Concerto Competition playing Rachmaninoff’s
Third Piano Concerto in D minor. He has been accepted into the Peabody
Institute of Johns Hopkins University to study with Marian Hahn this fall.
HYEINN JUN was born in Bucheon, South Korea and is 25 years old. She
began piano lessons at age five and went on to study at the Kaywon High
School of Arts with Soohyun Jung. Her undergraduate degree was completed
at Seoul National University, where she studied with Hyungbae Kim. She has
received awards and scholarships from the YongIn Citizen Scholarship
Foudation and the Gyeonggi-do Federation of Teachers Association and also
holds an award from the Eumag Chunchu Competition (2010). Hyeinn
performed as a soloist with Kaywon Alumni Orchestra in 2008, and in 2014,
she had a solo recital in Win Art Hall in Seoul. She also won the Eastman
School of Music Concerto Competition and performed with Eastman School
Symphony Orchestra. This past spring she won 3rd Prize in the First Texas
State International Piano Competition. Hyeinn currently studies with Professor
Rebecca Penneys at the Eastman School of Music pursuing her Master’s
degree.
SOOJUNG KIM was born in Seoul, Korea and completed her primary piano
studies with Korean pianists HaeSun Paik, Dae Jin Kim and Mi Kyung Kim at
Yewon School, Seoul Arts High School, and Korea National University of Arts
in the Preparatory Division. She is 25 years old and is enrolled in the five-year
accelerated program for both the Bachelor and Master of Music degree
programs at the Peabody Conservatory of The Johns Hopkins University. Her
teacher there is Benjamin Pasternack and this is her last year as a Masters
student. She is a recipient of the Leon Fleisher Scholars Fund and Catherine
Laura Stevens Mehr Memorial Scholarship. SooJung has performed in master
classes with John O’Conor, Karl-Heinz Kammerling, Hans Leygraf, Peter
Frankl, Kevin Kenner, Martin Canin, Robert McDonald, and Ignat
Solzhenitsyn. In addition to her other accomplishments, she has been
supported since 2005 by Myng-Bak Lee, a mayor and South Korea's former
president. SooJung has appeared as a soloist, collaborative artist, and chamber
musician in Asia, North America, and abroad, at Gould Rehearsal Hall at the
Curtis Institute, Miriam A. Friedberg Concert Hall, LeClerc Hall, Leith
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Symington Griswold Hall, Korea National University of Arts Concert Hall,
Yeong San Arts Center, and Korean Times Arts Center. A selected semifinalist of the 2015 Hong Kong International Competition, finalist of the Yale
Gordon Competition, and semi-finalist of the Liszt-Garrison International
Competition, she has won top prizes at major national competitions, such as
Samich & Bechstein Competition (1st Prize), Korea Music Association
Competition (1st Prize), Korea Times Competition (1st Prize), the Teenager
Artist Musical Competition (3rd Prize), Seoul Competition (2nd Prize) and
Nan-Pa Hong Korea Famous Composer Competition (3rd Prize).
Born in South Korea, JINSUNG KIM began piano studies at age nine, and
moved to Canada at age twelve. Formerly a scholarship student of Dr.
Lawrence Jones in the Eckhardt-Grammate Conservatory of Music in
Brandon, he is continuing his graduate studies (Master of Music) with Dr.
Kyung Kim at Brandon University, where he holds the President’s Scholarship
(full tuition) for outstanding performance and potential, and a full Graduate
Assistantship. He has received numerous awards, most recently winning the
2013 Women’s Musical Club of Winnipeg Scholarship Competition. Jinsung
was also winner of the Western Financial Group Insurance Tudor Bowl and
the Kaye and G.R. Rowe Scholarship at the Brandon Festival of the Arts,
where he was twice named top performer at the BFA’s 2012 and 2013 Encore
Concerts. He received the best performance award from the AMAF provincial
festival in 2012 and first place winner in the Young Artist Series CFMTA
Western Tour Competition. In 2012-2013, he completed a highly successful
tour of Western Canada and made his Carnegie Hall debut at Weill Recital
Hall. Jinsung has attended music festivals such as the Bowdoin International
Music Festival, The Beijing International Music Festival and Academy, and The
National Music Festival MD.
Born in Seoul, South Korea, in 1990, pianist YE-EUN KWAG began playing
at the age of four. She has earned awards in several piano competitions
including the Eumyeon Piano Competition, 1st prize; Korean Chopin
Competition, 1st prize; Seoul Music Competition, 1st prize; Seongnam-City
Competition, 1st prize; The Korea Times Competition, 2nd prize; and
Eumakchunchu National Piano Competition, 2nd prize. Her debut
performance was at age fourteen as a soloist with the Bucheon Philarmonic
Orchestra in Bucheon. She also performed in many other cities in Korea. In
addition, Ye-Eun participated in a number of music festivals, including
Courchevel Music Alp Festival in France, Juilliard Music Camp, Busan Music
Camp, and Seoul National University International Piano Academy. She has
played in master classes for renowned musicians such as Martin Canin,
Menahem Pressler, Robert Mcdonald, Pascal Devoyon, Eduard Halim, Kaya
Han, and HaeSun Paik. Her early training took place at the Yewon Arts School
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and Seoul Arts High School. She completed her Bachelor’s degree in Piano
Performance (summa cum laude), studying with Professor Hee Sung Joo, and
was awarded a scholarship of academic achievement in every semester.
Currently, Ye-Eun is pursuing her Master of Music with Professor Enrico Elisi
at Eastman, where she holds an accompanying assistantship.
BORA LEE is a 20-year-old pianist from Seoul, Korea. She began piano at
age seven and decided to major in piano after five years of study. After
graduating from the Ye-won Arts Middle School and Seoul Arts High School,
she went on to attend Seoul National University. One of her early teachers was
Kyung Sik Min, a renowned accompanist in Korea. Bora participated in many
competitions, winning 1st Prize at the Minerva Chamber Orchestra
Competition, SAMIC-SEILER Piano Competition, Korea Piano Society
Competition, Seoul National University of Education Competition, Incheon
Music Society Competition, and Korea Piano Duo Competition. This fall Bora
will continue her studies with Professor Hee-Yun Choi at Seoul National
University as a junior. After she graduates in February 2017 she hopes to study
abroad to experience various musical styles.
SUSIE LEE, age 19, was born in Washington D.C, USA and began her piano
training at age four. She has studied with teachers of the Music Institute of
Chicago, including Emilio del Rosario, Micah Yui, and Brenda Huang and has
also studied with James Giles of Northwestern University. She has won awards
in the Sejong Cultural Society Competition, Chinese Fine Arts Competition,
NSMTA Piano Competition, Emilio del Rosario Concerto Competition, New
Praise Society Competition, and Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra Concerto
Competition, among many others. She has also appeared as a soloist with the
Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra and the Neuqua Valley Symphony Orchestra
and was invited to perform at Carnegie Hall as a Grand Prize winner of the
New Praise Society Competition in 2005. Susie became a laureate of the CrainMaling Chicago Symphony Orchestra Youth Auditions in 2012 and performed
at Orchestra Hall in Symphony Center. She was also featured in the Young
Steinway Concert Series in 2012. In April 2014, she was invited to perform live
on Chicago’s WFMT Introductions radio broadcast. Her performance
experience includes chamber music programs at the Chicago Youth Symphony
Orchestra and Midwest Young Artists. She was the Principal Pianist in the
Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra and Encore Chamber Orchestra, where
she was a finalist in the CYSO Concerto Competition. Last summer, she went
on the International Tour to China and performed at many prestigious concert
venues with the CYSO. Susie has participated in master classes with artists
such as Christopher Harding, Ory Shihor, Myeong Joo Lee, Awadagin Pratt,
and Meng Chieh Liu. She has also attended the Indiana Summer Piano
Academy and Colburn Piano Academy (2013). Susie is currently pursuing her
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BM Piano Performance degree at the University of Michigan with Professor
Christopher Harding.
WENJING LIU was born in Taiyuan, China and is 29 years old. She has
performed throughout the U.S., China, and Italy. A recipient of many
accolades, Wenjing is the 1st-Prize winner of the prestigious American Protégé
International Competition (2015) and Asia Teenager Piano Competition
(2005), 2nd-Prize winner in the 17th American Piano Competition of Yantai
China (2007), and finalist of the Kankakee Valley Piano Concerto Competition
and Schlern International Piano Competition. Wenjing is also an active
performer in piano festivals. Recently she performed several times at the
Schlern International Music Festival in Italy, PianoSummer Festival in New
York, New Pultz and Amalfi Coast Music Festival in Italy. After beginning her
piano studies at the age of six, Wenjing earned a Bachelor of Arts in Piano
Performance from Shandong University in China and a Master of Music in
Piano Performance and Collaborative Piano from Illinois State University,
USA. Currently, she is finishing a Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano
Performance from the University of Iowa. Her teachers include Dr, Ksenia
Nosikova, Prof. Gellert Modos, and Prof. Yuanji Fan. In the fall of 2015,
Wenjing is moving to Los Angeles and starting her career as an independent
pianist.
MARTÍN MORALES ALMARZA was born in Santiago of Chile, and he is
18 years old. In 2007 he was accepted to study piano with Elisa Alsina at the
Faculty of Arts in the University of Chile. Since 2008, he has participated in an
annual concert for the Faculty, playing the music of Bach, Mozart, Chopin, and
Schumann. His master class performances include sessions with Professors
Pedro Poveda, Eduardo Browne, and Elma Miranda. Last year, he played a
concert in the “America Room” of the National Library and also for the
“German Chilean League,” performing the works of Beethoven, Chopin, Soro,
and Bartók. At present Martín is in his the eighth year of the basic course cycle
for his studies with Professor Paulina Zamora at the University of Chile.
DOMINIC MUZZI was born in Tampa, Florida, and is 20 years old. He
began piano lessons at the age of four, before which he demonstrated aural
ability. In 2012, Dominic was named the State Winner of the MTNA Senior
Solo Piano competition, finalist in the Ocala Symphony Orchestra Concerto
Competition, two time winner of the Alachua District Piano Concerto
Competition, and winner of the Florida Piano Festival Gold Cup Concerto
Competition. He was also a finalist in the 2014 Niceville Collegiate Concerto
Competition, winner of the 2014 Gray Perry Collegiate Solo Piano
Competition, and a finalist in the 2014 FSU Young Artist Concerto
Competition. Dominic is in active demand as a collaborative pianist. He is the
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pianist of the FSU Piano Trio Forza and accompanies both undergraduate and
graduate students at Florida State. In the fall of 2015, Dominic will be a senior
at the College of Music at Florida State University, pursuing his bachelor's
degree in Piano Performance under the tutelage of the department chair of
piano faculty, Dr. Read Gainsford.
PRISCILA NAVARRO is 21 years old and has graduated Summa Cum Laude
from the Bower School of Music at Florida Gulf Coast University, where she
was a student of Michael Baron. She enrolled at FGCU at the age of sixteen
and received the Williams, Steinway Society, and Eva Gomez scholarships.
Priscila was born in Huanuco, Peru. Her piano studies began at age nine, at the
National Conservatory of Music of Peru, under the guidance of Professor
Lydia Hung. She was the winner of the Music Teachers National Association
Piano Competitions for both solo and piano duets for the State of Florida and
the winner of the Regional Competitions after competing against the winners
of nine states in 2011. She has also won the Florida Music Teachers
Association Gray Perry and Byrd Piano Competitions, which honor the finest
undergraduate and finest two-piano ensemble in the state of Florida
respectively. Priscila was awarded a full scholarship to study at the prestigious
Tanglewood Music Festival in Massachusetts, and in 2011 she won the South
American Chopin Competition. As part of her prize she studied for two weeks
at the Warsaw Conservatory in Poland and presented a solo recital in Warsaw.
She has returned to Warsaw twice for further concerts. As the winner of the
International Chopin Competition of Texas Priscila made her Carnegie Hall
solo recital debut on March 7, 2013. This year she won the Artist Series of
Sarasota Piano Competition. Her latest major international competition
victories this season include winner of the International Beethoven Sonata
Piano Competition in Memphis, Tennessee, and the International LisztGarrison Competition in Baltimore, Maryland. In the fall she begins graduate
studies with Professor Santiago Rodriguez at the University of Miami.
DAHYUN PARK, age 23, was born in Seoul, South Korea and has played
piano since the age of four. When she was twelve years old, she won 1st prize
at the Competition of Hanmi. At age fourteen, she enrolled in Yewon School.
After winning the Yejin Music Competition she won prizes in many other
competitions. While she attended Seoul Art High School, Dahyun performed
many concerts and received prizes such as the Espoir Prize at the International
Osaka Competition, 1st Prize at the Sejong Music Competition, and 1st Prize
at the National Suwon Music Competition. At age seventeen, she performed as
soloist with the Moldava National Orchestra. Dayhun now attends Kookmin
University, where she studies piano performance with Professor Youngwha
Yoon. She is a scholarship student and has performed in many university
concerts during her three years at Kookmin so far.
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JEAN PARK is a pianist from the Seattle area who currently lives in Queens,
New York. She attended the University of Washington for her Bachelor of
Arts in Music with Regina Yeh, then the Manhattan School of Music for her
Master of Music with Daniel Epstein and Andre-Michel Schub, and she is
currently at Stony Brook University pursuing her DMA with Gilbert Kalish.
She has also studied with Eteri Andjaparidze and Choong-Mo Kang. Jean was
awarded 1st place at the Schubert Club Competition in the graduate piano
division. She has attended IKIF, Round Top Music Festival, National Music
Festival, Hot Springs Music Festival, CCM Prague Piano Institute, and she is
very excited to return for her second year at RPPF.
Korean pianist, JI EUN PARK continues to captivate contemporary
audiences with a wide spectrum of musical interpretations. At 23 years of age,
she is praised for her profound depth and sincere passion on the piano. After a
successful debut in the Carnegie Weill Hall, she continues to enjoy performing
at various venues across the continents. An active chamber musician and
soloist, she has participated in music festivals such as PianoSummer in New
Paltz, PianoTexas in Fort Worth, MusicFest in Perugia, and the International
Piano Festival in Poland. Ji Eun has been a prizewinner in numerous
competitions including the American Protégé International Concerto
Competition, the Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota, the Lakeland Imperial
Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Competition, and the Florida Orchestra
Young Artist Competition. She started her musical studies at the age of seven
in Seoul, South Korea. Two years after her family moved to the United States,
she returned to piano at the age of nine. Later, she graduated with honors from
the International Baccalaureate Program. She received a Bachelor of Music
degree in piano and specialized studies in piano pedagogy from Florida State
University, where she graduated magna cum laude. Currently, Ji Eun is
pursuing a Master of Music degree at the Cleveland Institute of Music with
world-renowned pianist, Professor Antonio Pompa-Baldi. Her former teachers
include Dr. Read Gainsford and Jae Eun Jung.
TIFFANY POON is currently a senior studying piano performance at the
Manhattan School of Music, where she studies with Nina Svetlanova. She was
born in Fremont, California and first started taking piano lessons at the age of
six under the guidance of Shih-Ling Hung. Shortly after, she studied with TianEn Yu until she began attending the Manhattan School of Music, where she
studied first with Donn-Alexandre Feder and currently with Nina Svetlanova.
Music festivals that she has attended include the Montecito International Music
Festival and the University of Pacific Piano Camp, in which she had
opportunities to work with teachers such as Peter Takács, Andrew Park, and
Frank Wiens. She has placed for both chamber and solo in the U.S. Open
Music Competition. A member of the New York Youth Symphony chamber
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program for the past two years, Tiffany has performed in Weill Hall and had
master classes with teachers such as Gilbert Kalish.
MATTHEW REICHENBERGER was born in Boca Raton, Florida and is
17 years old. He has been homeschooled since kindergarten and will be a highschool senior this fall. Piano was introduced to him when he was four, and
playing the piano quickly became his passion. He studies with Maria Gomez
and has received numerous awards, including first place winner in the FSMTA,
MTNA, and BCMTA piano competitions. Matthew was a national finalist in
the 2011 MTNA Junior Piano Competition in Wisconsin and in October 2012,
he was awarded Alternate in the MTNA Florida Senior Piano Performance
Competition, 1st place in the FSMTA District Concerto Competition, and 2nd
place in the Alhambra Orchestra Concerto Competition. He won the 2013
MTNA Florida Senior Piano Performance Competition, as well as the Senior
Chopin Prize. In 2014, he was awarded Honorable Mention in the MTNA
Southern Division Senior Piano Performance Competition, 1st place at the
University of Florida International Pre-College Piano Competition, and 1st
place in the FSMTA’s District and State Senior Concerto Competitions. As the
State winner, he performed with the FSU Orchestra at the 2014 Winners
Recital in Tallahassee. Both Matthew and his brother have been featured in the
Trinity Concert Series in Fort Lauderdale as well as in the Marion County
Chamber Music Society in Ocala, Florida. In January 2015, they were awarded
Alternate in the MTNA Southern Division Senior Piano Duet and they
recently won the 2015 FFMC’s All Performance Award playing piano duets. In
October, Matthew and his brother will be the featured artists in the Coral
Ridge Presbyterian Church Concert Series.
The 22-year-old Indian-American pianist LARA SALDANHA started the
piano at age six. She received her Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance and
Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Northwestern University in June 2015,
studying with Alan Chow. She has also studied with Serguei Milstein at the
Geneva Conservatory of Music (Switzerland), Inna Terekhov, and Neya
Korsantia. Lara has been a prizewinner at the Geneva Conservatory Liszt,
Mendelssohn, and Schumann Competition, Geneva Conservatory Chopin
Competition, Ohio Music Teachers’ Association Buckeye Competition, and
DePauw University Young Artist Competition, among others. She has lived in
six countries and performed in seven, having attended the Beijing International
Music Festival and Academy, Interharmony International Music Festival in
Freiburg, Germany, Musicalta Festival and Academy in Rouffach, France,
Brevard Music Center Institute in Brevard, North Carolina, and New York
Summer Music Festival in Oneata, New York. Her performances have
occurred in venues such as Northwestern University’s Lutkin Hall, the Bodmer
Foundation and Place Neuve in Geneva, Switzerland, and the Art Museum and
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Aronoff Center in Cincinnati. Lara has performed in master classes for Jerome
Lowenthal, Gabriel Kwok, Elizabeth Pridonoff, Michael Chertock, David
Northington, Svetlana Gorokhovich, Douglas Weeks, Peter Miyamoto, and
Ayako Tsuruta. Next fall (2016) she will be pursuing a Master of Music in
Piano Performance at Mannes College the New School for Music, studying
with Pavlina Dokovska and Vladimir Valjarevic.
JIALIN WEI, age 20, is a pianist from China. She began studying piano at the
age of seven. In 2007 she attended Shenyang Conservatory Attached Middle
School for middle and high school, under the tutelage of Quming Zhang and
Chufang Huang. Her awards include 4th Prize in the second KAWAI Piano
Competition for Shenyang Regionals (2007), Honorable Mention in the second
national KADANSA Competition in the category of Chinese Works (2008),
and 2nd Prize in the Steinway Youth Piano Competition Shenyang Regionals
(2010). She was also recognized with an honorable mention by the AmeriChina International Music Association and was invited to participate in a music
festival at Walnut Hill in 2012. In 2013, she participated in the Beijing
International Summer Festival. Jialin is currently a sophomore at the Boston
Conservatory, where she studies with Michael Lewin. Her chamber group there
performed the Shostakovich Piano Quintet Op 57, winning the chamber music
honors competition and performing in the Honors Concert. She has
participated in master classes led by David Korevaar, Kirill Gerstein, Asaf
Zohar, and Zora Tsuker. Jialin has also played contemporary pieces by modern
composers Richard Danielpour and Christopher Theofanidis with the Boston
Conservatory Orchestra at Harvard.
CHUN HEI WONG (HARRY) was born in Hong Kong and is 22 years old.
He has received piano training since the age of four. Currently, he is earning a
Bachelor’s degree in piano performance at the Hong Kong Academy for
Performing Arts and will graduate in 2016. Harry has been studying there with
Raymond Young since 2011. One of his recent awards is 1st Prize in the 18th
Hong Kong - Asia Piano Open Piano Competition Free Choice Youth (Senior)
Class (2014).
WEIXIN XU, a 28-year-old pianists from Dongshan, China, began to study
piano at the age of three. After high school, she attended and graduated from
the Shanghai Conservatory of Music where she earned both a Bachelor of
Music degree and a Master of Music degree in piano performance. She has
been studying with Professor Chen Jiang, Associate Department Piano Chair
of the Shanghai Conservatory, since 2001. Her awards include 1st Prize at the
second session of the Gulangyu Piano Competition in China in the Fujian
Division, 2nd Prize at the “Changjiang River Cup” Piano Competition in the
Shanghai Division. She has also received the 4th NIU EN DE Scholarship and
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the Shanghai Conservatory RENMIN Scholarship. In 2010 Weixin attended
the “Music Alp” Festival in France.
Born in Shenyang, China, RUI YANG started to play piano at the age of five
and made his debut at the age of seven. When he was eight years old, he won
3rd Prize at the “XingHai” Piano Competition in Beijing. Two years later, he
won the outstanding prize of the first KAWAI Piano Competition. In 2006 the
Central Conservatory of Music Middle School in Beijing accepted him as a
student. He then won the outstanding prize of the second CADENZA Piano
Competition. In 2008 he was selected to participate in the 11th Ettlingen
International Piano Competition in Germany and in 2010, he was enrolled in
the Juilliard School Pre-College as a student of Julian Martin. Rui has attended
music festivals such as the Valencia International Piano Academy in Spain
(2011), the Mannes International Keyboard Institute and Festival in New York
City (2012), the Atlantic Music Festival (2013), and the Aspen Music Festival
(2014). He also enjoys chamber music. By the time he graduated from Juilliard
Pre-College, he had already performed chamber music at Wilson Theatre, Peter
Jap Sharp Theatre, Morse Hall, Paul Hall, and Alice Tully Hall with his peers.
In 2013, Rui was accepted by the Eastman School of Music where he is
currently a student of the Piano Department Chair, Dr. Douglas Humpherys.
Pianist SHIHUI YIN was born in China, and began her piano studies when
she was four years old. She went to the Affiliated School of Sichuan
Conservatory in China at age twelve and studied piano with Daxin Zheng. This
year she turned 23 years old and just completed her BM degree in piano
performance at the Oberlin Conservatory, where she studied with Alvin Chow.
During her time at Oberlin, she won the The Arthur Dann Senior Piano
Competition. She also performed in master classes with Asaf Zohar, Julian
Martin, and Jeremy Denk, among others. Shihui is very interested in
contemporary music. She not only played in contemporary music ensembles as
a pianist, but also studied music composition at Oberlin with composer Lewis
Nielson. Her own pieces were performed in various concerts and she gave her
own composition concert at Oberlin this past semester.
43

RPPF FAMILY OF SUPPORTERS
2013 – PRESENT
♪ indicates multiple contributions given
George Abraham
♪Anna Antemann
♪Linnea Blair
Barbara & Mark Brandt
♪Teresa & Stephen Brandt
Dede & Robert Buckley
Joseph Buglio
Jaymi F. Butler
Marianne & Li T. Chen
Michael Colina
Craig Combs
Jay Crowder
♪Karen & William Dalton
♪Faith & Peter Dunne
♪Lynne & David Easterman
♪Ruth Fischer
Shuping Chen & Xin Gao
Mary Ana & Butch Gilbert
♪Norma & Jeffrey Glazer
♪Judith Goetz
♪Barbara & Gordon Goodman
Sandra & Albert Gordon
Peter Gorgescu
Huan Ha
Vivian Haicken
Pat & John Hanson
♪Jeffry Harris
Terri Hauck
Charles Hunt
Myrna & Larry Irwin
Hikari & Masumi Ishimine
Svetozar Ivanov
Kristine & Kenneth Kay
♪Kylie & Robert Kershaw
Kenneth Kister
♪Susan & Andrew Krembs
Nelita True & Fernando Laires
Ilan Levin
Teri & Mark Levine
♪Dale & Richard Levy
♪Linda & Saul Ludwig
♪Susan & Richard Luehrs
Fred Lykes
Karen & Jay Mamel
Laurie Miller
Sylvia Miller
♪Livia Kohn & Thomas Moscarillo
Judy & Hale Oliver
Vincent E. Parr
Edward Peterson
Jean Pilcher
Nancy Preis
Ann & James Ross
Paul G. Rousseau
♪Joan & Daniel Rutenberg
Daniel Schene
Joan & William Schlackman
♪Thomas Schumacher
♪Kuniko Washio
& William Scollard
Mary Shehadeh
Omri Shimron
44
Robert Silverman
♪Robert Simon
E-Na Song
Carol & Vaughn Stelzmuller
Nancy & Pedro Suriel
♪Jocelyn Swigger
Benjamin Warsaw
♪Jeffery Watson
Edris & David Weis
Michael Williams
Hyunjik Ko & Youngsuk Yang
Jeanne Zylstra

In honor of Nancy Preis
Susan and Richard Luehrs

Piano Interest Group – Clearwater, FL
Vision Development Center – Juno Beach, FL
Thanks also to our
Anonymous Givers
and our many
wonderful volunteers!
We appreciate your support!
We are so grateful for the generosity
of every person and business that has contributed to RPPF.
If you notice any corrections or additions that need to be made to this list,
please contact us at rebeccapenneyspianofestival@gmail.com
45
STUDENT PHOTOS (CONTINUED FROM P. 4)
SooJung
Kim
Jinsung
Kim
Ye-Eun
Kwag
Bora
Lee
Susie
Lee
Wenjing
Liu
Martín
Morales
Dominic
Muzzi
Priscila
Navarro
Dahyun
Park
Jean
Park
Ji Eun
Park
Tiffany
Poon
Matthew
Reichenberger
Lara
Saldanha
Jialin
Wei
Chun Hei
(Harry)
Wong
Weixin
Xu
Rui
Yang
Shihui
Yin
1
46
2015 SPONSORS AND PARTNERS
47
SUPPORT RPPF EFFORTLESSLY!
Select Rebecca Penneys Friends of Piano as your
designated charity on Amazon.com
Every time you buy, 0.5% of your purchase price goes to
RPPF without costing you a penny.
Visit the web address below and sign up today!
http://smile.amazon.com/ch/46-1577835
http://rebeccapenneyspianofestival.org
rebeccapenneyspianofestival@gmail.com
48