Young Scholars 2024-2026

Liana Cheng, currently 15, started playing the piano at the age of four and is presently studying under the guidance of Ms. Rizzo Chung at GMC Music Academy.

She frequently showcases her talent on various stages, notably participating in Soirée Musique concerts. She has participated in masterclasses and private lessons with well-known pianists such as Igor Resnianski, Tamás Ungár, Anton Gerzenberg and Krystian Tkaczewski.

She actively takes part in local and international piano competitions. She is the First Prize Winner of the Junior Exhibitioner Award 2021 and the Piano Concerto Competition of Age Under Thirteen 2022 in the Hong Kong Schools Music Festival. Furthermore, she participated in the 87th Steinway & Sons International Youth Piano Competition. She is a prize winner in the Professional group at the “Hong Kong & Macau Regional” Finals, along with the China Final of Amateur Group.

By the age of 12, Liana earned accolades in competitions such as being the winner of the Kabalevsky’s Young Pioneers Suite Group in the 2021 Singapore International Youth Piano Competition, Grand Prix in Piano Talent of 2021 VI Krystian Tkaczewski International Piano Competition Busko-Zdroj, Poland. Moreover, she successfully entered the 30th International Frédéric Chopin Piano Competition for Children and Youth in Szafarnia, where she received a distinction award. In 2024, she advanced to the finals of the “Kharkiv meets Zurich” International Vladimir Krainev Competition for Young Pianists, where she had the privilege of performing with the esteemed “Kyiv Camerata” orchestra and received a diploma award in the Young Masters Group A category. Besides, she has been honoured with prestigious scholarships, including the Grantham Music Awards from the Grantham Scholarships Fund in 2021 and 2022.

Apart from her passion for piano and music, she finds joy in drawing, photography, volunteering and reading. She also enjoys doing sports, especially badminton and cycling.

Seokyoung Hong began playing the piano at the age of 5. He received training in both piano and composition at the Seoul Art Center Prodigy Academy. He later enrolled in Yewon School, the most prestigious art school in Korea, as a piano major. Currently, he is a sophomore student at Walnut Hill School for the Arts and studies under Professor Haesun Paik at the New England Conservatory.

Recently, Seokyoung achieved great success at the Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition, winning both the top prize and the audience award. Moreover, he achieved the first prize in the concerto competition held at the New England Conservatory, and also received 1st prize in the Yamaha Junior Division of the 10th Bösendorfer and Yamaha USASU International Piano Competition. Additionally, he has been the winner of several competitions, including the 68th Ewha & Kyunghyang Music Competition, the most renowned piano competition for young pianists in Korea. Furthermore, he has emerged victorious in competitions such as the Korea Steinway Concours, Dong-A Junior Competition, Young Chang Music Competition, Teenager Music Competition, Korea Liszt Competition, JEUNE CHOPIN International Youth Piano Competition, and Kosciuszko Foundation Chopin Competition for Young Pianist.

Seokyoung has performed extensively in numerous concerts and made his orchestral debut with the Gunpo Philharmonic as the grand-prize winner of the Eumaksekye National Final Competition. He made his recital debut in Seoul in February 2020 and participated in the Kumho Prodigy Concert Series in April 2021. Furthermore, he held a recital at Lotte Concert Hall in July 2023 and collaborated with the Millennium Symphony Orchestra in September 2021. Additionally, he is a member of Trio Monello, a prize-winning ensemble that has participated in various competitions and performed widely.

Ryan Huang, 13 years old, a Young Steinway Artist who has been featured in CBC News, PBS, RTR, Phoenix TV, Your TV for his exceptional gifts in piano and music. Ryan started studying piano since age 5. He has been studying with Dr. Michael Berkovsky and Dr. Olga Chichova, both are most celebrated and sought-after teachers in Toronto area.

As of age 13, he has appeared with Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra (Russia), Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra (Canada), Wuhan Philharmonic Orchestra (China), Vienna Operaball Orchestra (Austria), The Royal Conservatory of Music Orchestra (Canada), Oakville Chamber Orchestra, North York Concert Orchestra, and Burlington New Millennium Orchestra. Ryan is enthusiastic about performing. He had his first debut at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium in July 2018 and went back again in 2019. In July 2019, Ryan was invited by SMG (Shanghai Media Group) to play his first full length solo concert ‘Sounds of Summer by Ryan Huang’ in the prestigious Shanghai Symphony Hall.

Ryan is the Laureate of many international and national piano competitions: Recently he won three concerto competitions in Canada: The Royal Conservatory of Music Taylor Academy Concerto Competition, The Oakville Chamber Orchestra Concerto Competition and the North York Concert Orchestra Concerto competition. Prior to that he was the 1st Prize winner of the XXII ‘The Nutcracker’ International Televised Music Competition in Moscow (Russia). In 2020 and 2019, he won the Overall Prize/Grand Prize of The Steinway Junior Piano Competition in Canada. He is also the Grand Prize Winner of Canadian Music Competition (Canada) 7-10 yrs; 2nd Prize, the 27th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition for Children and Youth (Poland); 1st Prize, the Young Euregio Piano Award IPC (Germany) ; 1st Prize, WPTA International Piano Competition (Finland) ; 2nd Prize, Cesar Frank International Piano Competition (Belgium); 3rd prize, II Jeune Chopin International Piano Competition (Switzerland); Most promising young pianist award and Third prize, San Jose International Piano Competition (USA); Grand Prize (Signatory Award), GOCAA International Competition (USA); Grand Prize, The future Star International Piano Competition by Connecticut Chopin Foundation (USA) .

Ryan has attended Morningside Music Bridge as the youngest piano full scholar in summer 2023 in the New England Conservatory where he has worked with and inspired from many masters and peer young musicians.

Anna Kesselman is a 16 year old pianist born and raised in New York City. An 11th grader at the Special Music School at Kaufman Music Center, she has studied with Ms. Natela Mchedlishvili for the past twelve years.

In addition to being a Young Scholar of the Lang Lang International Music Foundation, Anna has had recent notable festival and performance experiences. Among these are participation in the 2023 Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival as a festival artist, and a solo appearance with the Park Avenue Chamber Symphony under the baton of David Bernard, which took place following a prize in the Special Music School High School Concerto Competition. She has performed in venues such as Merkin Hall, Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall, among others, and has also performed internationally at other festivals, including Cremona International Music Festival in Italy, Vivace International Music Festival in North Carolina, and SummerFest in New York City. An avid chamber music collaborator, Anna has had the privilege of performing in esteemed halls such as Alice Tully Hall and Rose Studio with her trio as part of The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s Fourth Annual Young Musicians Concerts, and has shared the stage with artists such as Peter Dugan and Charles Yang. She has performed in Masterclasses for many distinguished artists, including Orli Shaham, Vladimir Feltsman, Wu Han, and Jeremy Denk.

In addition, Anna was a co-author of the book Who is Florence Price?, published by G. Schirmer. Following its national acclaim, she presented and performed Price’s music with her fellow co-authors in several New York City libraries and halls, as well as Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia. She also founded a student organization at her school called Music For All, which brings live music to people at assisted living facilities. Passionate about community engagement, Anna serves on the Ambassadors club at her school, which helps support and promote the Center’s programs through volunteering, and is an active member of her school’s National Honor Society chapter, where she devotes her time to community service on small and large-scale projects. Other hobbies include reading and painting.

Chaeryeong, born in 2011, began playing the piano at the age of 6. She attended the Young Talented Music Academy at the Daejeon Art Center in Korea from 2020 to 2022.

Since 2022, she has moved to Austria with her family and received a scholarship from the Amadeus Music and Art Academy, attending the Amadeus International School in Vienna. She gained admission to the Course for Gifted Children at the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst (MDW) Wien. She continues her piano studies at Yewon School in Korea and has been taught by Professor Soojung Shin, Mijung Shin (renowned as Shin-Bark Duo Clara Shin), and Hansol Noh.

At the age of 10, Chaeryeong was selected to perform on stage in a joint recital by the PoAH Piano Study Group. In Austria, she held her first solo recital at the Bösendorfer Salon in Vienna in 2023. Chaeryeong has showcased her achievements in many international competitions: the Chopin Piano Competition for Children and Youth in Szafarnia, Poland (2023.4), the 4th Robert Schumann International Piano Competition for Young Pianists in Dusseldorf, Germany (2023.2), the Jenö Takács International Piano Competition in Austria (2022.10), and the Ettlingen International Piano Competition in Germany (2022.8). In February 2024, she achieved first prize and the Béla Bartók Special Prize at the Béla Bartók Competition in Graz, Austria. Through major piano competitions in Korea, Chaeryeong has consistently demonstrated her growth. She was awarded 2nd prize from Ewha & Kyunghyang, and 1st prizes from the HDC Youngchang, Yewon, Eumac Chunchoo, Liszt, Suri, Nanpa, and Seongjeong Competitions.

Chaeryeong has performed comfort concerts with great passion and love for elderly patients receiving hospice care in hospitals. She has also participated in concerts, including the Amadeus Festival in Vienna, concerto in the Robert Schumann International Competition in Dusseldorf, and the winners’ concert for the Jenö Takács International Competition in Graz, Austria. Her performances extend to the stages at the Korean Cultural Center for the New Year’s Eve Concert in Vienna, AMMA Concert in the Kempinsky Hotel in Vienna, St. Regis Hotel Tea Time Concert in Doha, Qatar, and concerto with the Classimo Philharmonic Orchestra in Daejeon, Korea. She was selected as a participating performer in the Daejeon Art Center Haydn Advent, the 39th Youth Music Festival, and the 6th Daejeon Youth Music Festival.

Li Kexin was born in 2011, and is currently studying at Diocesan Girls’ School. She started playing the piano at the age of 5, now learning under the tutelage of Principal Rizzo Chung at GMC Academy.

Kexin kept actively joining local and international piano competitions, received numerous prizes and scholarships in 2023, including the Third Prize in Piano Group A of the 5th Zhuhai International Mozart Competition for Young Musicians, the Third Prize in the Amateur Group B in the China Finals of the 87th STEINWAY & SONS International Youth Piano Competition, Champion in Piano Youth Junior and Champion in Piano Chopin of the 8th Hong Kong Music Talent Music Competition, Champion in Recital Class (Age 23 or under) of the 26th GMC Music Festival.

She also received the First Prize in Grade 8 Piano Solo and was awarded the Grantham Music Awards of the 74th Hong Kong Schools Music Festival in 2022, won the Junior Grand Prize of Poland VI Krystian Tkaczewski International Piano Competition, the First Prize in the Children’s Category of the Piano Open Class of the Hong Kong International Music & Arts Festival in 2021.

Kexin is a pianist in the school choir and a member of the GMC MUSIC YPP Young Pianist Program. She is passionate about music and enjoys performing. She hopes that music can become her best friend.

12-year-old Alexander Liu (Yibei Liu) is deeply passionate about music, blessed with creativity, and in the process of developing his leadership skills. He began his piano studies at the age of five and a half, under the tender guidance of Mrs. Felicia Feng Zhang.

Since then, Alexander has been meticulously nurtured by renowned educators including Dr. Diyi Tang, Professor Miyoko Lotto, and is currently under the esteemed tutelage of Professor Orli Shaham at Juilliard Pre-College.

His musical journey has been enriched by numerous accolades, for which he is incredibly grateful. These include the grand prize at the National Young Virtuosi Recital Competition, first prizes at the Philadelphia International Piano Competition, Chopin International Piano Competition in Connecticut, among others, and being named the New York state winner of MTNA in 2024.

His love for performing has opened doors to prestigious venues such as Isaac Stern Auditorium, New York Town Hall, and Shanghai Himalayas Center, with over ten winner recitals at Weill Recital Hall. A memorable highlight was when he performed Mozart’s Concerto No. 23 with the Sound Symphony Orchestra at the age of ten. He is also eagerly anticipating performing Mozart’s Concerto No. 21 with the Brooklyn Conservatory Community Orchestra in June 2024. This year, he was also honored to be admitted to the Morningside Music Bridge summer program.

Alexander takes great pride in his leadership and community service efforts, which were recognized with The Gold-Level President’s Volunteer Service Award in 2023. Serving as a youth leader in two volunteer organizations has allowed him to share his passion for music by teaching and guiding young kids in their theory studies and piano performance.

Beyond music, Alexander embraces the philosophy that creating games is more fulfilling than playing them, which has propelled his interest in technology and innovation. Currently, he is developing scheduling software for volunteer work, aiming to address real-world challenges through technological solutions.

As an outdoor enthusiast, Alexander finds joy and connection with nature through camping and cycling. His leisure time is often spent immersed in the pages of encyclopedias, where turning each page is like stepping into a new world. These reading experiences not only enrich his knowledge but also inspire his music creation. He has found the perfect balance between academics, music, and community service, demonstrating exceptional time management skills.

Yau Nam Ng was born in Shanghai in 2007 and began learning piano at the age of four. At the age of seven, he began studying under Professor William Chen, Head of piano department at The Music Middle School affiliated to Shanghai Conservatory of Music and Associate of Royal Academy of Music.

In 2018, Yau Nam Ng was admitted to The Primary Music School affiliated to Shanghai Conservatory of Music (SCM). In 2020, he graduated from the Primary School with No. 1 highest score and was invited to join the Music Middle School without an entrance exam. He is currently studying in Year 10 at The Music Middle School of SCM.

Yau Nam Ng won numerous awards including first prizes at the Chopin Open Category at the Singapore International Youth Piano Competition 2015; the Children’s Group at the EU National Music Academy Youth Piano Competition 2016; Young Professional’s group at Xiamen International Piano Competition 2022. He is also the Silver Award in the Junior Piano category at the 4th Zhuhai Mozart International Competition in 2022 and the third prize winner in the professional group of the Lang Lang Shenzhen Futian International Piano Art Festival National Youth Piano Elite Competition in 2021 and 2023.

In 2020, Yau Nam Ng and Yutian Yang’s Piano Duo won the “Talented Musician Program” award from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. In the same year, he was selected as a member of the “Music Little Angels” talented program and performed in collaboration with conductor Maestro Muhai Tang at the Shanghai Concert Hall. He has also performed with Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra, Shanghai Opera House Orchestra, Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra, Harbin Symphony Orchestra, Chengdu City Orchestra and under the direction of Xieyang Chen, Yongyan Hu, Liang Zhang, Qiyuan Zhu, Xiaoou Zhao, Xingyu Hu and Hao Chen.

Yau Nam is also a member of the “Yangtze River Piano” National Young Pianists’ Training Program.

Deva Mira Sperandio (2007) starts to approach music and the piano with her mother, and at the age of 8 she enters the J.M.Gomis State Conservatory in Ontinyent (Valencia, Spain), where she has finished her studies in 2023. In the meanwhile she follows masterclass with Professor Juan Lago and Professor Istvàn Székely.

She is actually studying with a scholarship at the Yehudi Menuhin School of London with Professor Dinara Klinton, and she is recipient of an ArteMusica Stiftung (Frankfurt, Germany).

In 2018, at the age of 10, she makes her debut in a recital for young pianists at the Ciclo Amadeus Association under the artistic direction of Teresa Flores, and at the age of 13, thanks to the Piú Mosso Fundation, under the artistic direction of Ana Benedicto, she debutes in Madrid, in a recital at the Ateneo, and she repeats at the age of 15 at the San Fernando Museum of Fines Arts in Madrid in a recital at the presentation of the annual program of the foundation. In July 2022 she is invited to participate at the Festival de Jeunes Talents in Cannes (France). At the age of 14 she makes her debut with the Malaga String Orchestra in the F.Chopin Piano Concerto no2 (Allegro vivace), and at the age of 15 with the Conservatoire Band with the Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. She is also invited to play in 2023 the Beethoven Concerto no2 with the Caixa Ontinyent Orquesta under the direction of French cellist Xavier Gagnepain.

Deva has regularly participated in National and International Competitions with excellent results. Among more than twenty prizes we can find the 3rd Prize ex-aequo in the 30o International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition for Children and Youth in Szafarnia (Poland) and special prize of the Chopin Stichting foundation Holland, the 1st absolute prize in Orbetello International Piano Competition with a score of 100/100 and Special prize Jeunesses Musicales International Croatia, the 2nd prize at VII Internationa Béla Bartók Piano Competition and Special Prize Béla Bartók (Austria), finalist and special prize “Oustanding Achievement” at Entschede International Piano Competition (Netherlands), the 1st prize at the IX Concours International de Piano d’Orleans “Brins d’Herbe” and Special Prize ex-aequo for the best interpretation of the obligatory work (France), and 1st absolute prize and prize for the best interpretation of a Spanish composer’s work in XII International Piano Competition “Pequeños grandes pianistas” (Spain).

At the age of 14 she receives an invitation from the EMCY to participate in Epoche-f International 2021, where she plays with the Ensemble made up of 20 young musicians who have won prestigious international competitions from all over Europe at two contemporary music concerts in Germany, Deva being the youngest participant. Deva has also been awarded a scholarship to participate in the Cleveland International Piano Institute in summer 2023 (USA).

Deva has received advice from internationally renowned pianists such as Jerome Rose, Antonio Pompa-Baldi, Fabio Bidini, Alexander Kobrin, Dina Parakhina, Edith Fisher, Dimitri Alexeev, Pavel Nersessian, Josu de Solaun, Eduardus Halim, Christopher Elton, Graham Scott, Pascal Nemirowski, Murray McLachlan and Misha Dacic between others.

Ryan Wang, 16 years old, from Vancouver Canada, started playing piano at the age of four, and performed his first solo recital at the age of six. In 2013, he began his musical studies under the tutelage of Professor Lee Kum Sing and Dr. Sunsung Kong.

He is currently studying on a music scholarship with Mr. Gareth Owen at Eton College in the UK, and is in the Artist Diploma program with Professor Marian Rybicki at the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris in France.

Ryan maintains a busy concert career as both a soloist as well as with orchestras across the globe, most notably in Europe, Asia, and North America. He has performed in many important and prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall, Fondation Louis Vuitton, Salle Cortot, on the Ellen deGeneres Show, Fazioli Concert Hall, RTHK radio 4 in HongKong, CCTV 4 (China), CBC Music, live on FM96.3 Toronto’s Radio Station at Zoomer Hall, and Radio Classique in France. He was invited to perform as part of the cultural component of Canada’s participation in the APEC Summit in Beijing, 2014, and he was also invited to give a private recital in the Canadian Prime Minister’s home. Orchestral appearances include those with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Toronto Festival Orchestra, Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestra, Vancouver Metropolitan Orchestra, West Coast Symphony Orchestra, Helsingborg Orchestra and many more.

Among his awards are wins in the 2021 Young Euregio Piano Award Competition, the 29th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition for Youth in Szafarnia Poland, 2022 the International Piano Competition ‘SAMSON FRANCOIS’, 2023 Jeune Chopin International Piano Competition in Switzerland, 2023 Cleveland International Piano Competition for Young Artists (senior group), and 2023 the 18th International Piano Competition Animato in Paris Frederic Chopin edition. In 2017 and 2019, Ryan was the recipient of the Emerging Artist Grant from the Vancouver Academy of Music. In March 2023, aged 15, Ryan was the youngest musician to be included on the list of 30 brilliant Rising Stars all under the age of 30 by the British radio station Classic FM. Ryan was also included in the New Generation Piano series 2022-2023 with 3 other pianists (Bruce Liu, Alim Beisembayev, and Yunchan Lim) by the Fondation Louis Vuitton, and he was invited to perform a solo recital at the Fondation’s concert hall in Paris in 2023.

ClevelandClassical.com: “His playing was amazing — strong, virtuosic, and appropriately mischievous, bringing instantaneous mood changes to each new variation.

The famous lyrical variation pulled at your heartstrings. He enjoyed every minute of that give and take, producing a performance of uncommon sophistication and wit that brought down the house amid applause and cheers.When Wang was called back for more bows, Robertson took his hand and raised it like a referee declaring the winner in a prize fight.”

New York Concert Review: “Mercurial mood changes, extreme dynamics, and elements of atonality all contribute to the difficulty of this set, but young Mr. Wang was up to all of it!”

William Bolcom:” Terrific performance, very mature for someone so young. Witty and right on the button.”

Taige Wang currently attends The Juilliard School, and studies piano with Yoheved Kaplinsky.

Taige is a 13-year-old pianist and composer, who started learning piano and gave his first public performance at the age of four. The next year, he performed live on China Central Television, and won his first competition at regional Steinway & Sons Competition. By the age of seven, he gave his first full solo recital by the invitation of Steinway & Sons.

Since then, Taige has had numerous piano competition wins to his name, including the Piano E Competition; Los Angeles International Liszt Competition; Chicago International Music Competition and Rosalyn Tureck International Bach Piano Competition, etc.

In the summer of 2023, as the youngest competitor, he made the quarter finals at The Cliburn Junior and was one of three finalists at Thomas and Evon Cooper
Competition playing Rachmaninoff’s Variation on the Theme Paganini with The Cleveland Orchestra.

Taige appeared at From the Top show in 2021 and From The Top GALA 2022 in which he was the youngest one of three nationally selected musicians. He’s played at various prestigious venues: including Carnegie Hall Stern Auditorium, Nixon Presidential Library Museum, Lincoln Center, Severance Hall, Henan Grand Theater. He collaborated with Maestro David Robertson and David Alan Miller; and gave his solo recital in Paris, Florence, Shanghai, Beijing, and in London in the presence of HRH The Duke of Kent. NPR, From the Top and Steinway & Sons’ social media shared his performances several times.

Taige is also a prize-winning composer, with a passion for making audiences “easily empathize” with his music, often by drawing inspiration from everyday life. His Toothbrush Rhapsody Trio “describes everyone’s morning scene—brushing teeth. When people see the title, they become curious to know what this music is and are interested to listen to it. He studies composition with Bruce Adolphe. Taige is the winner of Composer Today State(CA) Competition, The Robert Avalon International Competition for Composers and Sempre Musick 2023 Composition Competition. Recently he has been selected as one the finalists in the 2023 National Young Composers Challenge (13-18y) among the excellent competitors His piano trio Chopin vs Chopin 2.0 was commissioned by the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and he performed its debut at Alice Tully Hall on April 16th 2023.

Besides, Taige also plays violin and likes Italian opera, math and solving Rubik’s cube. He received the Gold President’s Volunteer Service Award in 2022 for his enthusiasm in giving back to the community.

I hope you can feel and be touched by what I intend to deliver from my music: the joy and misery, the hope and helplessness, the hatred and redemption—that you would say you were so moved, that you could not find words to describe.

“ I’d like to share with people what I’ve learned through playing classical music and bring the magic and happiness of it to more people, as well as exploring more possibilities in it.

I hope more and more peers can fall in love with music, communicate and create through music. It would be a great honor for me if I could be Young Scholar, since it’s a good opportunity to have a further understanding of music, improve my piano skills, tap my artistic potential, and most importantly, share my music with everyone.”

Fifteen-year-old pianist Yifan Wu was born in Shanghai, China. He began his piano study at the age of four. At nine years old, he was admitted to the Music Middle School Affiliated to Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Since then, he has studied with Professor Ting Zhou. Professor Zhou is the vice president of the Music Middle School Affiliated to Shanghai Conservatory of Music, the former director of the piano discipline and the vice president of the Piano Professional Committee of Shanghai Musician Association.

Yifan Wu has won the “Niu Ende” Piano scholarship and the scholarship of the Primary School Affiliated to Shanghai Conservatory of Music for many times for his excellent performance and all-round development. At present, he is studying piano in Grade Nine in the Music Middle School Affiliated to Shanghai Conservatory of Music.

He made his recital debut at Steinway Hall in his native Shanghai and his concerto debut with the Wuhan Philharmonic Orchestra, both in 2019.

Yifan Wu is a top prize winner of many national and internatonal music competitions, including: Grand Prix, the Rachmaninoff International Youth Piano Competition (2023); Shirley Cox Mcintyre Second Prize, the Cliburn Internatonal Junior Piano Competition (2023); First Prize, the 8th Steinway National Youth Piano Competition (2017); First Prize, the 2nd YAMAHA National Piano Competition (2016); First Prize, the 4th GOCAA National Music Competition (2016); First Prize, the 2nd Changjiang Piano Competition (2016).

He is enthusiastic about performing on stage. In 2019 and 2021, Wu Yifan was twice guided by Mr. Liu Peng, the music director and chief conductor of Wuhan Philharmonic Orchestra. Yifan cooperated with Wuhan Philharmonic Orchestra and performed Mozart Piano Concerto No. 23 K.488 and Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No.1 in B Flat Minor, Op.23 in Wuhan Qintai Concert Hall. The symphony orchestras that he has cooperated with also include the Moscow State Academic Philharmonic and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.

From 2019 to 2021, Yifan successfully held a series of piano recitals in Shanghai, Anhui, Hainan, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and other places.

Yifan also had the honor of being guided by many famous piano masters at home and abroad, such as Lang lang, Dang Thai Son, Katarzyna Popowa, Alexander Sandler, Haochen Zhang, etc.

He has performed in many concert halls at home and abroad, including Shanghai Oriental Art Center, Shanghai Concert Hall, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra Concert Hall, Shangyin Opera House, He Luting Concert Hall, Shenzhen Concert Hall, Wuhan Qintai Concert Hall, Ningbo Concert Hall, Lloyd Ultan Solo Hall in Minneapolis, MN, Ted Mann Concert Hall and Maiori City Hall in Italy, the Novgorod Regional Philharmonic named after A. Arensky in Russia, the Morton H.Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas, TX, etc.

Yifan enjoys reading, mathematics, badminton, table tennis and cycling. As a member of his school badminton club, he is actively involved in various club activities like participating in matches once a week or having lectures about badminton.

Aidan Siqi Zhao, who is 12 years old, is studying at King’s College School in London and studying both piano and violin as the first instrument in the Royal College of Music Junior Department. Aidan was also a member of the National Children Orchestra. Aidan is grateful to the Eileen Rowe Musical Trust, which has awarded him scholarship towards his piano studies since 11 years old. Aidan is currently studying piano with Professor Ian Jones from RCM.

Aidan was interviewed by BBC News in 2021 about his music achievement. He has been invited to perform at various events and venues in the UK, such as TED Brum, Nottingham Lakeside Arts Centre, the Elgar Concert Hall, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and Royal College of Music etc.

Aidan was awarded the Solihull Musician of the Year at the age of 8 in the Grand Final of Solihull Musical Festival, which is a high-profile music competition in the region. He is the youngest ever musician receiving this prestigious award and music scholarship. He passed ABRSM Grade 8 piano and violin exams with high Distinction marks at the age of 9.

Apart from playing piano and violin, Aidan enjoys playing Chinese Dulcimer under his grandmother’s tutorial. He was also taught to play accordion by his father and was the winner of Under 7 Class in the competition organised by the UK National Accordion Organisation.

During the pandemic lockdown in June 2020, Aidan successfully held an online fundraising concert for Solihull Young Carers, which raised more awareness of those young carers during that challenging period.

At the age of 3, he began to learn piano from his mother. At the age of 10, he continued to study piano with Matti Raekallio. He was invited to perform at Carnegie Hall twice.

At the age of 9, he was signed by KNS Classical Records in Europe. Debut solo album “True Love” – Sencheng Zhang. He collaborated with the Cross-Strait Arts Youth United Symphony Orchestra on the whole movement of Mozart Concerto KV488/537, which was highly praised. In 2023, he was invited again to participate in the GOCAA International Concert Festival and cooperated with Wuhan Philharmonic Orchestra on Mozart’s Coronation Concerto and achieved a complete success. In the 5th World Piano Teachers Association Finland International Piano Competition, Junior Section – Category D, he received Absolute Awards (and won scholarships to participate in master classes and art exchange activities in Weimar, Germany). At the American Protege International Concerto Competition 2023, Sencheng won a First Place (Age Category 12 and under). In 2023, Sencheng was invited to Russia to cooperate with the “ГУБЕРНСКИЙ СИМФОНИЧЕСКИЙ ОРКЕСТР” Symphony Orchestra and perform two sets of Mozart and Poulenc concerto concert. The performance was a complete success.

Julian Gong Jin Zhu was born in February 2011 in Newcastle. When he was 7, he started taking formal piano lessons with Graham Don. In September 2019, Julian joined Chetham’s School of Music, one of the foremost music schools in the UK. At that time he studied with Bingbing Li. Since January 2020, Julian has been studying with Helen Krizos.

Julian won the junior category of the Chethams’s Concerto competition, which are open to all instruments, at the age of 10. He was the only pianist selected in the school. As a result, he gave one public concerto performance in The Stoller Hall, Manchester. The performance of the concerto was in July 2022, when he performed Mozart 23rd Piano Concerto under the baton of Tom Redmond with the Chetham’s Sinfonia.

Julian has performed in many concerts in school and outside of school. In November 2021, he performed in a concert at Bridgewater Hall, Manchester. Julian has played in Manchester Cathedral, St Peters Church in Congleton and The Wesley Church in Chester.

Competition successes include winning Gold in the 2021 SRIMF Piano Junior B Category. He won Gold in the London Youth Piano Competition in 2022. In November 2023,he won first prize in the EPTA Belgium W-B Competition. Julian won the Excellence Award for the LCM Newcastle and North East for the piano category. He also did his Grade 8 ABRSM for piano. He achieved 147/150 with full marks in his pieces.

Julian has also had the privilege to work with top musicians in either a lesson or masterclass setting. These include Murray McLachlan, Philip Fowke, Hilary Coates, Peter Donohoe, Sarah Nicolls, Martin Roscoe, Steven Osborne and Elizabeth Brauss.

Julian’s love for composition allows him to express his own style. In addition to his piano playing and composition, Julian takes pleasure in engaging in games of chess.