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FACULTY & GUEST ARTISTS  

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Jerome Lowenthal (USA)

The Juilliard School

Jerome Lowenthal, born in 1932, continues to fascinate audiences, who find in his playing a youthful intensity and an eloquence born of life-experience. He is a virtuoso of the fingers and the emotions.

Mr. Lowenthal studied in his native Philadelphia with Olga Samaroff-Stokowski, in New York with William Kapell and Edward Steuermann, and in Paris with Alfred Cortot, meanwhile traveling annually to Los Angeles for coachings with Artur Rubinstein. After winning prizes in three international competitions (Bolzano, Darmstadt, and Brussels), he moved to Jerusalem where, for three years, he played, taught and lectured.

Returning to America, he made his debut with the New York Philharmonic playing Bartok's Concerto no. 2 in 1963. Since then, he has performed more-or-less everywhere, from the Aleutians to Zagreb. Conductors with whom he has appeared as soloist include Barenboim, Ozawa, Tilson Thomas, Temirkanov, and Slatkin, as well as such giants of the past as Leonard Bernstein, Eugene Ormandy, Pierre Monteux and Leopold Stokowski. He has played sonatas with Itzhak Perlman, piano duos with Ronit Amir (his late wife), Carmel Lowenthal (his daughter), and Ursula Oppens, as well as quintets with the Lark, Avalon and Shanghai Quartets. He has recently recorded the complete Annees de Pelerinage of Liszt. His other recordings include concerti by Tschaikovsky and Liszt, solo works by Sinding and Bartok, opera paraphrases by Liszt and Busoni, and chamber-music by Arensky and Taneyev.

Teaching, too, is an important part of Mr. Lowenthal's musical life. For twenty-three years at the Juilliard School and for forty-five summers at the Music Academy of the West, he has worked with an extraordinary number of gifted pianists, whom he encourages to understand the music they play in a wide aesthetic and cultural perspective and to project it with the freedom which that perspective allows.

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Marina Lomazov 

(Ukraine-USA) 

Eastman School of Music

Praised by critics as “a diva of the piano” (The Salt Lake City Tribune), “a mesmerizing risk-taker” (The Plain Dealer, Cleveland), and “simply spectacular” (Chicago International Music Foundation) Ukrainian-American pianist Marina Lomazov has established herself as one of the most passionate and charismatic performers on the concert scene today. Following prizes in the Cleveland International Piano Competition, William Kapell International Piano Competition, Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition, and Hilton Head International Piano Competition, Ms. Lomazov has given performances throughout North America, South America, China, England, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Russia, Japan and in nearly all of the fifty states in the U.S.

Marina Lomazov has given major debuts in New York (Weill-Carnegie Hall) Boston (Symphony Hall), Chicago (Dame Myra Hess Concert Series), Los Angeles (Museum of Art), Shanghai (City Theater) and Kiev (Kiev International Music Festival). She has performed as soloist with the Boston Pops, Rochester Philharmonic, Eastman Philharmonia, Chernigov Philharmonic (Ukraine), KUG Orchester Graz (Austria), Bollington Festival Orchestra (England), Piccolo Spoleto Festival Orchestra, Brevard Festival Orchestra and South Carolina Philharmonic, to name a few. New York Times chief music critic Anthony Tommasini describes a recent New York performance as “dazzling” and Talk Magazine Shanghai describes her performances as “a dramatic blend of boldness and wit”.

In recent seasons, Lomazov has performed extensively in China, including concerts in Shenyang, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Dalian, Guangzhou, Jinan, Nanjing, Qingdao and Yingkou. She is a frequent guest at music festivals in the U.S. and abroad, including  Perugia Music Fest (Italy), Hamamatsu (Japan), Chautauqua, Brevard, Eastman, Burgos (Spain), Sulzbach-Rosenberg (Germany) and Varna (Bulgaria), among others. She has recorded for the Albany, Centaur and Innova labels and American Record Guide praised her recent recording of piano works by Rodion Shchedrin for its “breathtaking virtuosity”. She has been featured on National Public Radio’s “Performance Today”, the “Bravo” cable channel and WNYC’s “Young Artist Showcase” and her recordings have been broadcast more than 100 times by WNYC and WQXR in New York, WFMT in Chicago and WBGH in Boston.

Before immigrating to the United States in 1990, Marina studied at the Kiev Conservatory where she became the youngest First Prize Winner at the all-Kiev Piano Competition. Ms. Lomazov holds degrees from the Juilliard School and the Eastman School of Music, the latter bestowing upon her the highly coveted Artist’s Certificate – an honor the institution had not given a pianist for nearly two decades. Her principal teachers include Natalya Antonova, Jerome Lowenthal and Barry Snyder. Also active as a chamber musician, Lomazov has performed widely as a member of the Lomazov/Rackers Piano Duo. The duo garnered significant attention as Second Prize winners at the Sixth Biennial Ellis Competition for Duo Pianists (2005), the only national duo piano competition in the United States at that time. As advocates of modern repertoire for duo piano, they have given premieres of numerous works across the United States, including several works written specifically for them.

Ms. Lomazov is a Professor of Piano at the Eastman School of Music. She has served as jury member for the Cleveland International Piano Competition (Young Artists),  Hilton Head International Piano Competition, Eastman International Piano Competition, Minnesota International Piano e-Competition, National Federation Biennial Young Artist Auditions and is currently serving as a chair for National Classical Music Panel for YoungArts, the only organization in the US that nominates U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts. For 17 years, she served on the faculty of the University of South Carolina School of Music, where she held the chair of Ira McKissick Koger Professor of Fine Arts Music and is currently holds a Guest Artist Residency. Together with her husband and piano duo partner Joseph Rackers, she co-founded and serves as Co-Artistic Director of the Southeastern Piano Festival in Columbia, SC.

Ms. Lomazov is a Steinway Artist.

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Joseph Rackers (USA)

Eastman School of Music

“An expert artist…enormous power and intelligent, instinctive interpretation” Spoleto Today

“The results are consistently compelling…as if Rackers response were primarily to his relationship with the composer as some sort of kindred spirit” Gramophone “Unflappable virtuosity…highly expressive” American Record Guide “Simply dazzling”.

Joseph Rackers is Professor of Piano at the Eastman School of Music, Co-founder of the Southeastern Piano Festival and Artistic Director of the Vivace Music Foundation.  He has performed for enthusiastic audiences in New York, Boston, Chicago, Kiev, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Paris, Rome, Shanghai, Seoul and Washington D.C., at venues across Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, South Korea, Spain, Bulgaria, Ukraine and extensively throughout the United States.  His performances around the world include the Shanghai and Sichuan Conservatories of Music, Kiev International Music Festival, Gina Bachauer International Piano Festival, Seoul International Piano Festival, Dame Myra Hess Concert Series and Banff Centre for the Arts and American Liszt Society, to name a few, in addition to recitals in most of the fifty states in the U.S.

.Joseph Rackers is an International Steinway Artist.  His recordings as soloist, collaborative pianist and producer are available on MSR Classics, Navona, Centaur, Equilibrium, Beauport Classics and Steinway Spirio and his performances have been broadcast on radio and television across the United States, Asia and Europe.  His recent solo release with MSR Classics was widely recognized by the press; “Unflappable virtuosity…highly expressive…committed to letting the composer’s voice—as he hears it—come through” (American Record Guide), “compelling power, rhythmic persuasiveness…consummate style…complete mastery” (Audio Society).  
 

A devoted teacher, Rackers students have earned awards in dozens of national and international piano competitions, including the Leipzig Bach International Piano Competition, Concours International de Piano d’Orléans, National Winner of the MTNA National Competition, Minnesota International, Seattle, National Society of Arts and Letters, Steinway and numerous others.  He has given performances and masterclasses at Indiana University, University of Michigan, Boston University, Cincinnati, UCLA, UNLV, Vanderbilt, and at conservatories and music festivals across Europe and Asia.  He has recently served as Schwartz Artist in Residence at Emory University and as faculty or guest artist at the Amalfi Coast Music and Arts Festival, Chicago International Music Institute, Seoul International Piano Festival, Perugia International Music Festival, Yantai International Music Festival, Southeastern Piano Festival, Texas State International Piano Festival and as a National Reviewer for the National YoungArts Foundation.  His students have performed for venues including Carnegie Hall, Merkin Hall, Symphony Space and the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Minnesota Orchestra, Aspen and Cliburn music festivals, From the Top on NPR and Kodak Hall at the Eastman Theater.

Also active as a chamber musician, Rackers has performed widely as a member of the Lomazov/Rackers Piano Duo. Praised for “demon precision and complete dedication” (Audio Society), the duo garnered significant attention as the Second Prize Winners of the Sixth Ellis Competition for Duo Pianists, the only national duo piano competition in the United States at that time. Gramophone praises the duo for “assured and centered pianism” and American Record Guide writes “the ensemble between Lomazov and Rackers is dead-on”.  Rackers earned the Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees at the Eastman School of Music, where he was also awarded the Performer’s Certificate.  His principal teachers were Raymond Herbert and Natalya Antonova with additional study or masterclasses with Julian Martin, Misha Dichter and Blanca Uribe, among others.  He has given presentations and performances for conferences of the Music Teachers National Association and College Music Society and has been honored by the South Carolina House of Representatives and South Carolina State Senate for his personal contribution to the arts and leadership of the Southeastern Piano Festival.  For more information, please visit www.josephrackers.com.

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Lei Weng (China)

University of Northern Colorado 

Steinway Artist, Dr. Lei Weng enjoys a successful international career as an accomplished pianist, a dedicated teacher, and a sought-after adjudicator and clinician.


Hailed as “a colorist of exemplary control” by the New York Concert Review for his sold- out Carnegie Hall debut, he has performed at many prestigious venues around the world including Carnegie Hall, Merkin Hall, and Steinway Hall in New York, Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., Chicago Culture Center, China’s National Center for Performing Arts, Taiwan’s National Concert Hall and Kaohsiung Cultural Center, Banff Center in Canada, Peterskirche in Vienna, Basilica di San Pietro in Italy, London’s Royal College of Music, Singapore National University, and major universities and conservatories throughout China. He has been invited to perform and teach at such music festivals as Tanglewood
Music Festival, TCU Cliburn Institute, Messiaen Festival, Music Fest Perugia (Italy), Vianden Festival (Luxemburg), and Breckenridge Music Festival.


As a frequent concerto soloist, he has appeared with such conductors as Gerhardt Zimmerman, Steven Smith, Uri Segal, Robert Olson, Geoffrey Simon, Lingfen Wu, Yang Yang, Glen Cortese, Wes Kenney, and with more than thirty orchestras across the U.S., Europe and Asia, including the Symphony Orchestras of Fort Worth, Fort Collins, Beijing, Tianjin, Gimhae (Korea), Kaohsiung (Taiwan), Alicante (Spain), as well as China National Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, and Breckinridge Music Festival Orchestra. As an avid chamber music performer, he has performed with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra Concertmaster Noah Bendix-Balgley in Sarasota Music Festival, with the Associate
Concertmaster of Chicago Symphony Orchestra Stephanie Jeong and Cleveland Institute of Music Cavani Quartet cellist Siyan Li in Rocky Ridge Music Festival, and with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra Concertmaster Nathan Olson and the Naumburg First Prize Winner cellist David Requiro in the Breckenridge Music Festival. He has also studied and worked closely with musicians such as Emmanuel Ax, Jerome Lowenthal, James Tocco, Co-Liang Lin, Pamela Frank, Dawn Upshaw and Lucy Shelton.


A dedicated educator, Dr. Weng is the Keyboard Area Head at the University of Northern Colorado , where he was the recipient of the “College of Performing and Visual Arts Scholar of the Year”. He has been frequently invited as guest professor by major conservatories in Asia, such as China Central Conservatory and Shanghai Conservatory, and Taiwan National Normal University. His students have won top prizes in numerous national and international competitions, and have been admitted into such top schools as Julliard, Eastman, Peabody, Cleveland, New England, Cincinnati, Oberlin, and
Manhattan. Weng is the also Founder and Director of the Colorado International Piano Academy and Colorado Piano Festival , two intensive summer piano programs that take place annually on the UNC Campus. Dr. Weng has been invited to serve on jury panels of many national and international piano competitions around the world, including the Cleveland International Piano Competition, International Rachmaninoff Piano Competition in Moscow (2020), Hong Kong International Music Competition, “Nuova Coppa Pianisti” International Piano Competition, China National Piano Competition,
Mexico “Parnassus” National Piano Competition, and MTNA Competitions. He is the
Chairman of the Mu Phi Epsilon Foundation Keyboard Scholarships.

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Michael Chertock (USA)    University of Cincinnati College - Conservatory of Music

Michael Chertock received bachelor and master of music degrees from CCM where he studied piano with Clifford Herzer, Robert Weirich, Frank Weinstock and James Tocco. As an orchestral soloist, he has worked with James Conlon, Jaime Laredo, Keith Lockhart, Erich Kunzel and Andrew Litton. Solo performances include the Philadelphia Orchestra, Boston Pops, l'Orchestre Symphonique du Montreal, Toronto Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Naples Philharmonic, Detroit Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Chattanooga Symphony, Utah Symphony, Oregon Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony and the Dayton Philharmonic. He has presented recitals and made chamber appearances at the Linton Chamber Music Series, Mayor's 801 Plum Series, Steans Institute of the Ravinia Festival and Grand Tetons Music Festival. For radio and TV, he has given recitals with Mark Oswald, Alyssa Park, Larry Combs, Eddie Daniels and Ricardo Morales-Matos. His recordings include Cinematic Piano, Chamber Music of Frank Proto, Palace of the Winds, Christmas at the Movies, Love at the Movies and CSO's Festival Prelude for Organ and Orchestra, on which he was the organ soloist.

In 2005 Chertock gave the world premiere fo Tod Machover's Concerto for Piano and Orchestra with the Boston Pops, which he repeated at the Boston Music Awards, at MIT and in Portugal. In 1991 he was awarded the silver medal at the World Piano Competition of the American Music Scholarship Association. Other awards include the 1989 Joanna Hodges International Piano Competition prize, 1993 St. Charles International Piano Competition grand prize, the 1988 and '90 winner of the CCM Concerto Competition and first prize in the 1990 Rildia Bee O'Bryan Cliburn Competition. Before coming to CCM, he was a visiting professor at Miami University.

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Ian Jones (England)

Royal College of Music

Ian Jones’ career as a Steinway Artist has taken him to all five continents. Appearances with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and National Symphony Orchestra at London’s Royal Festival Hall and Barbican Hall include critically acclaimed performances of Rachmaninov’s Second and Third Piano Concertos and Paganini Rhapsody as well as concertos by Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Grieg and Schumann. He has appeared in Paris and throughout France as concerto soloist with the Ensemble International and has performed many of Mozart’s piano concertos in Europe and USA.

A prizewinner at the Leeds International Piano Competition, he also won many prizes, including the prestigious Chappell Medal, whilst a student at RCM. Other awards include the Vlado Perlemuter Piano Prize and a special scholarship from the French government inviting him to spend a year in Paris. His teachers included Maria Curcio, Gyorgy Sebok, Phyllis Sellick, Jerome Lowenthal and Alain Planès.

Ian Jones is much sought-after as a teacher and his students have enjoyed international success. He is Artistic Director of the World Piano Teachers Association International Piano Competition and often serves on the juries of other international piano competitions. He frequently examines and adjudicates at other leading conservatoires, including the Royal Academy of Music in London and regularly performs and conducts international masterclasses, most recently in China, USA, Serbia, Japan, Ireland, Greece, Italy and Russia and at conservatoires such as Sweden’s Royal College of Music and many keyboard faculties in USA.

Ian Jones was made a Fellow of the Royal College of Music in 2014, an honour conferred on him by HRH Prince Charles.

He was piano coach, music advisor and composer/performer on the Oscar-nominated film Hilary and Jackie and has also written and performed music for France’s two national theatres in Paris and Strasbourg.

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Jinha Park (Korea)

Levine Music 

“Pianist Jinha Park demonstrated ample dexterity, velocity, and accuracy in Chopin’s Piano Concerto in F Minor.” – San Antonio Express-News

Jinha Park stands today on the brink of a significant career as a concert pianist, shaped by a journey spanning three decades and enriched by a mosaic of global experiences. From the bustling streets of Seoul to the cultural landscapes of Baltimore and Paris, her transformative path has been marked by relentless dedication and diverse encounters.

Commencing her piano studies at the tender age of six, Dr. Park made her public debut at fourteen with the Sunha Arts Orchestra. Her arts-based education commenced at Seoul National University in South Korea and culminated at the Johns Hopkins Peabody Conservatory in the U.S. Guided by teachers including Marina Lomazov, Marian Hahn, Philippe Entremont, and others, she also studied under the tutelage of renowned pianists such as Yong-Hi Moon, Yoheved Kaplinsky, Jerome Lowenthal, Ann Schein, John Perry, and Leon Fleisher.

A laureate of competitions, Dr. Park’s journey has been adorned with victories in the Vienna Allegro Vivo International Chamber Music Competition, Burgos International Music Competition, Baltimore Music Competition, and the Texas Music Teachers Association (TMTA) competition. Noteworthy engagements include performances with the Virtuoso Brunesis Orchestra (Italy), Vienna CMS Chamber Orchestra, Festival Philharmonic Orchestra (Korea), National Orchestra of the Dominican Republic, Oltenia Symphony Orchestra (Romania), Alicante Symphony Orchestra (Spain), Romanian Timisoara Orchestra (Romania), and performances across Italy, Germany, France, Belgium, Austria, Korea, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, and major cities in the United States.

Dr. Park has contributed her discerning expertise as a jury member at international competitions, including the International Youth Competition’ A Step Towards Mastery’ in Saint Petersburg, Russia, the ICA International Piano Competition in Hanoi, Vietnam, the Virginia Queen Piano Competition in the U.S., the New York Musicians Club in the Seoul International Piano Competition, the Sunhwa Piano Competition in Seoul, and the OMTA (Oregon Music Teachers Association) Classical Music Competition in Portland. Additionally, she has lent her discerning insights to the Kirov International Music Competition in Washington, D.C., and the Northern Virginia Music Teachers’ Association Concerto Competition.

Beyond the spotlight, Dr. Park’s commitment to education and artistic leadership shines through. She has served as the Director of the Music Fest Perugia in Seoul and on the faculty of the Music Fest Perugia in Italy, Summit Music Festival, Montecito International Music Festival, Triumph International Music Festival, Portland Classical Festival, Ouachita International Keyboard Music Festival, Washington International Piano Festival, and Costa Rica International Music Festival.

Her teaching roles include positions at the University of Maryland University College, August State University, Sookmyung Women’s University, Sunhwa Arts Performing Arts High School, and Kirov Academy of Washington, D.C. Currently, Dr. Park holds the position of Associate Director at the Colorado International Piano Academy and Festival, Chair of the YMIC Virtuoso International Music Competition (U.S.), and U.S. Associate Director of the Amigdala International Music Competition (Italy). Her role as Department Manager and Piano Faculty at Levine Music adds a harmonious note to her illustrious career.

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Jia Liu (China/Singapore) 

National University of Singapore

A full-time Lecturer of collaborative and accompaniment piano faculty of Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music (NUS), Liu Jia has worked closely with piano, violin, viola, cello, flute, bassoon, clarinet, and french horn studios since 2003, handled spectacular repertories and collaborated extensively with students, artist faculties, visiting artists as well as world-renowned musicians, such as Vilmos Szabadi, David Takeno, Cho-Liang Lin, Renaud Capuçon, Pierre Amoyal, Midori Koto, Imai Nobuko, Gautier Capuçon, Li-Wei Qin, James Galway, Kim Walker, Barry Tuckwell, Quintette à Vents des Solistes de I’Orchestre de Paris, in masterclass, recitals as well as concerts. Liu Jia was the first Singapore International Violin Competition’s official pianist in 2015; as well as official pianist of Singapore International Violin Festival, Qingdao International Cello Festival and Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra International Clarinet Week.

Active in the chamber scene, Liu performs regularly in the Singapore Symphony Orchestra Chamber Series and founded the “Feng Piano Trio” with the other two SSO musicians. Involved in several chamber concert tours in Asia, such as SSO Woodwind Quintet China tour and a series recitals for Flute and Piano in Beijing, Shanghai and cities of Malaysia; present recital of Viola and Piano in Central Conservatory of Music, Beijing; Middle School of Shanghai Conservatory of Music, Sichuan Conservatory of Music in China and Mahidol University of Thailand; YST Conservatory students recital at Hsinchu College, as well as in the 2nd ADRA annual conference and competition at National Chiayi University in Taiwan.

As a special guest, Liu Jia has collaborated with local and international musicians in performances such as Singapore Arts Festival; HSBC Youth Excellence Initiative Awards Ceremony, with President S.R. Nathan as a special guest; Japan-ASEAN Cultural Exchange Program “Ensemble Series”; Buffet Crampon showcase in Singapore; Recitals with Judge of the First National Clarinet Competition in Singapore, Flute Festival 2010 at YST; Guest performer of  SSO special concert-Tribute for S.R.Nathan (Ex-President).

As a soloist, she has performed with maestro Lan Shui and Singapore Symphony Orchestra as well as major orchestras in China, including the China Film Symphony Orchestra and Beijing Symphony Orchestra.

She also performs regularly on a freelance basis with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra in concerts and recordings.

At age of 12, Liu Jia entered the Middle School attached to Central Conservatory of Music, China after winning the Best Award in the National Children’s Piano Competition, studying with Prof Zheng Li Qin, Wu Ying, Ling Yuan and followed by the Piano Department of Central Conservatory of Music six years later as a scholarship student with Prof Guo Zhi Hong. After receiving her Bachelor’s Degree, she enrolled in a two-year Master’s course from 1997-1998 (admission of honor by exempted from sitting entrance examinations). She was the only Chinese pianist to be selected to participate in the 3rd Hamamatsu International Piano Academy in 1997 on a scholarship.

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Guan Changxin (China)

China Conservatory of Music

As one of the laureates of the 1992 National Piano Competition of China under the instruction of Prof. Yang Jun, Guan Chang-xin was invited to give performances representing China in the 1993 Tokyo International Young Artist Festival. His success led to a nation-wide concert tour, including appearances with orchestra and multi-disciplinary collaborations.

Born into a musical family in Guangzhou , Guan Chang-xin began studying piano, ear training, and music theory from his mother. His early teachers also included Chen Hua-yi, Zhao Bi-shan, Wu Zheng-wen, Pan Xing-hua, and Ying Shi-zhen. Mr. Guan studied at the Guangzhou Xing-hai Conservatory of Music, and later was selected to study in Beijing at the Central Conservatory of Music where he earned his bachelor's and master's degrees of Art in piano performance under the instruction of Prof. Li Hui-li and Prof. Yang Jun.

Moving to the United States for further study, Mr. Guan entered the Music School of Texas Christian University with scholarship and served as Departmental Artistic Assistant. He studied with Dr. Tamás Ungár, a renowned professor and the Executive Director of PianoTexas International Academy & Festival where Mr. Guan served as Staff Accompanist of the Concerto Competition. After winning the 8th Martin Memorial Piano Competition, Mr. Guan earned another master's degree in piano performance.

Not only is Mr. Guan a gifted soloist, he is also an enthusiastic chamber musician. As an experienced instructor, Mr. Guan has been invited to teach and perform at different music institutions and give master classes and lectures both in China and the U.S. Mr. Guan is currently a piano lecturer and Foreign Exchange Coordinator at the China Conservatory of Music in Beijing

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DieYi Piano Duo (China)

Li Shiwei & Dong Haizhu

(Shanghai Conservatory of Music)

The "DieYi" piano duo was founded by two vice professors of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, pianists Li Shiwei and Dong Haizhu. 

As early as 2009, the two performers began the initial performance cooperation. They kept their efforts to promote and spread the piano duo art in addition to teaching work.  They have already held special concerts in many colleges and univercities  in China, as well as lectures and master classes, and the influence is gradually expanding. 

In 2013-15, “DieYi” held series concerts in Beijing, Tianjin, Hangzhou and other places.

In 2016, in the commemoration of the 20th Anniversary of "Piano Art” ( the most important magazine of piano music in China ), "DieYi" to hold a special concert of Chinese piano duo works;

In 2017, "DieYi"  held a tour in several major music colleges in Harbin with concerts and lectures, and , also an important debut at the world's first EU Qingdao Youth Music Festival in Qingdao, and won the "Best Classical Music Promotion" award. From 2018 to 19, the "DieYi" held commemorative series piano duo concerts for Brahms in Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai.

Therefore, it also won the praise of the mainstream music media. The Beijing Music Weekly also interviewed them and published an exclusive interview.

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Brendan Kinsella (USA) 

University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley

“An amazing pianist.” -The Houston Chronicle


Brendan Kinsella presented the concert ‘Lisztomania’ on a date that could be daunting, October
22nd, 2011, the actual 200th birth anniversary of Franz Liszt, but you will hear that it didn’t seem to
faze him at all. In fact, he attacked one of Liszt’s more famous transcriptions [Beethoven’s Fifth
Symphony, op. 67] with the passion and energy that Liszt required.” -Bill Baker, host of Syracuse
Public Radio’s “Concert Hall”.


Described as a “sensitive musician with an ear for color” by the Cincinnati Enquirer, pianist
Brendan Kinsella’s recent concert engagements have taken him to New York, Chicago, Los
Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, New Orleans, Holland, Italy, and other cities throughout the
United States, Europe, and Asia. He earned his Bachelor (with honors) and Master of Music degrees
at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music as a pupil of Frank Weinstock (with
additional coaching from James Tocco and Kenneth Griffiths) and in 2008 received his Doctor of
Musical Arts degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City as a student of Robert Weirich. In
master classes, he has performed for artists such as Christopher Elton, Susan Graham, Martin Katz,
Ani Kavafian, Anne-Akiko Meyers, Frederic Rzewski, Andre-Michel Schub, Peter Serkin, David
Shifrin, Midori, and the Takacs Quartet. He completed his training as a Solo Piano Fellow at the
Music Academy of the West, working under the guidance of Jerome Lowenthal, Professor of Piano
at the Juilliard School. In 2010, he debuted as a soloist in Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall and was a featured concerto soloist at the prestigious Midwest Clinic in Chicago.


A dedicated teacher, Kinsella presently serves as Professor of Piano at the University of Texas - Rio
Grande Valley, where he teaches applied piano, chamber music, piano pedagogy, and piano literature to an international class of gifted young musicians. Members of his select studio regularly participate in national and international summer festivals, perform in master classes for distinguished concert artists (such as Jerome Lowenthal, David Korevaar, Kevin Kenner, and Sean Chen), present their
scholarly research at professional conferences, and gain admittance to prestigious MM and DMA
programs nationwide (the Peabody Institute, The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of
Music, the University of Michigan, Temple University, and the University of Texas-Austin, to name a
few. As the founder of the South Texas Collegiate MTNA Chapter, students in his piano pedagogy
symposium gained national prominence as the recipients of the 2022 “Collegiate Chapter of the
Year” Award by Music Teachers National Association, the highest honor in their discipline. Before
joining the faculty at UTRGV, he was a member of the piano area at Missouri Western State
University and held graduate assistantships in piano and collaborative piano at CCM and UMKC.


Born 1980 in Cincinnati, Ohio, Kinsella began playing the piano at age 11 and made his concerto
debut at 15. A live recording of his performance of Messiaen’s Oiseaux Exotiques at the Midwest
Clinic is commercially available from the MarkRecords label, and his recording of Narong
Prangcharoen’s chamber music was released on Albany records in 2012 to favorable reviews. His
recent and upcoming engagements include performances of concerti by Ravel, Bach, Beethoven, and
Grieg; speaking engagements at the MTNA National Conference, the National Conference for
Keyboard Pedagogy, and the TMTA State Conference; and nationwide performances of Bach’s
Goldberg Variations.

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