Andermatt Swiss Alps Classics

Aliya Alsafa, is a pianist from Chicago, Illinois. She currently attends the Juilliard Pre-College as a student of Prof. Matti Raekallio. Recently, Aliya was named a Steinway Young Artist.

Last summer, through the Lang Lang International Music Foundation, she performed for the Andermatt Swiss Alps Classics Festival. She has also participated in the Gilmore Rising Star Series and the Leeds International Music Festival in the United Kingdom. In 2018, Aliya played in the Holland Music Sessions in Den Hoorn, Netherlands. Aliya attends Special Music High School in Manhattan. Her other interests include dance, composition, computer science, and badminton.

“I am very thankful to have been selected as a Lang Lang Young Scholar! Music is a powerful gift that promotes the exchange of new ideas and perspectives. As a pianist, I hope to put more warmth in the hearts of others through music. The Lang Lang Young Scholars Program allows me to further my dream by introducing this inspiring form of communication throughout the world. I’m so excited to be part of an international music community. Under the mentorship of Lang Lang, as well as friendships with my fellow young scholars, I look forward to making a positive difference through classical music.”

Through recent years, Aliya has been the recipient of special honors and awards. She won First Prize in numerous piano competitions including the Emilio Del Rosario Concerto Competition, Sejong Music Competition, Chopin Youth Piano Competition, and Walgreens National Concerto Early Music Division. Some of her current recognitions include, “Best Chopin Etude” at the 2017 Seattle International Piano Competition; she won First Prize in state and regional contests and Second Prize nationally in MTNA for composition; and, as MostArts youngest competitor, Aliya played with the festival orchestra at Miller Theater and received the Audience Favorite award.

Aliya has been praised for her artistry and musical sensitivity. She has performed in several prestigious concert venues throughout the country: Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, Ravinia Bennett Gordon Hall, Harris Theater, Merkin, and Benaroya Hall. Aliya also played for Orchestra Hall at Chicago’s Symphony Center for the “Keys to the City” festival hosted by Emanuel Ax.

In 2013, Aliya was one of twelve pianists worldwide, selected for the inaugural Allianz Junior Music Camp through the Lang Lang International Music Foundation. She played in a masterclass as well as outreach concerts for schools in Munich, Germany.

At a young age, Aliya discovered her passion for music and began lessons at age four. She currently studies piano performance at the Juilliard Pre-College as a student of Prof. Matti Raekallio. Her other teachers and mentors, current or former, include Ms. Sueanne Metz, pianist and president of 88Keys to Cure (a NFP); Mary Sauer, Principal Pianist of Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Director of New Music School; as well as Claire Aebersold and Ralph Neiweem, Piano-Duo in residence at Music Institute of Chicago.

Aliya enjoys community service and has previously performed at fundraising events, retirement homes, and school outreach. She is a Davidson Young Scholar since 2010. Aliya was a 2nd place winner in the Northwestern University Midwest Academic Talent Search on the ACT (a competition with 12,000 students grades 3-9.) She currently attends Whitney Young. Among her other interests are dance, drawing, and composition.

Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ_uKFdhXCBDLWdwdJlc8WA

Kimberly Han – a pianist and violinist from Chicago, Illinois. She started piano lessons when she was five and a half years old, and has been studying with Brenda Huang for 9 years. She is also taking regular masterclasses with Alexander Korsantia from New England Conservatory.

“To me, classical music is timeless; it has the ability to transcend any age, and express emotions through generations of people. Being selected as a 2016-2018 Young Scholar by the Lang Lang International Music Foundation allows me to explore this belief not only through many performance opportunities, but also through interacting with fellow musicians and young scholars, like myself. In these coming two years, I am definitely looking forward to joining the Lang Lang Young Scholars family, learning from Maestro Lang Lang for sure, and most importantly, just being able to share and give my love for music to others.

Becoming a 2016-2018 Young Scholar is an indescribable feeling. It was amazing, but realizing this as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity has made me really think about the teachers, friends, symphony orchestras, and performances in my life. Everything, and everyone in these years has helped me become who I am today. For that I am extremely grateful. And I’m looking forward to what’s coming next.”

A freshman of Lake Forest High School, Kimberly is a frequent award-winner in many music events – East Central Division / Illinois State Winner of 2016 MTNA Junior Competition, Walgreens National Concerto Competition Winner (2015 20th MYA Senior Division Overall & Piano Category; 2014 19th Open Junior Division Piano and 2013 18th MYA Junior Division Piano), Winner of 2015 Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) Youth Audition in March 2015, and Winner of CSO “Carnival of the Animals” Audition in January 2015, Piano Winner of 2014 11th DePaul Concerto Festival, First Place winner of 2013 15th Chopin Youth Piano Competition, along with many more.

As a solo pianist and chamber musician, Kimberly has performed in L’Auditori of Barcelona, Spain, Chicago Symphony Center, Preston Bradley Hall of Chicago Cultural Center, DePaul Concert Hall, Bennett-Gordon Hall of Ravinia Festival, and Pick-Staiger Concert Hall of Northwestern University.

Kimberly had her concert debut with Oistrach Symphony Orchestra performing Felix Mendelssohn’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in G minor in February 2014, under Maestro Mini Zikri. In March 2015, Kimberly performed Saint-Saens “Carnival of Animals” as solo pianist with Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) during guest conductor, Vladimir Kulenovic’s debut conducting the CSO. She has been invited to perform “Nights in the Garden of Spain” as a soloist with the CSO again under Maestro Scott Speck in April 2016. In 2015-2016 season, Kimberly will perform George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” with Kankakee Valley Symphony Orchestra and Sergei Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major, 1st movement with Midwest Young Artists (MYA) Symphony Orchestra both in February 2016, under Maestro Dr. Allan Dennis. Other concerts include Felix Mendelssohn’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in G minor with Lake Forest Civic Orchestra under Maestro Robert Nordling in May 2016, Franz Liszt Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major with The New North Shore Chamber Orchestra under Maestro Anatol Lysenka in November 2016, and solo concert with Highland Park Strings under Maestro Larry Block also in the fall of 2016.

Kimberly was featured as a pre-college young pianist on WFMT 98.7FM “Introductions” in January (as soloist) and August (as duo) 2015. She will be featured again in May 2016 as the 2015 CSO Youth Audition winner and a 2016-2018 Lang Lang Young Scholar. She was also selected by Lang Lang International Music Foundation to participate in the second Allianz Junior Music Camp in Barcelona, Spain in November 2014. In September 2015, The North Shore Journal featured Kimberly as a young musician in the “Standout Student” column.

In her free time, Kimberly loves playing violin with the MYA Symphony Orchestra / her chamber ensemble Trio Fiammata / school symphony orchestra, reading and traveling around the world with her family. To give back to the community, Kimberly also performs extensively in the retirement centers across the Chicagoland, and teaches violin to kids from unprivileged districts as a participant in MYA Young Music Scholar program.

Kimberly would like to thank her inspirational teachers Brenda Huang and Alexander Korsantia, for coaching her discipline, dedication and love for classical music; The Lang Lang International Music Foundation, Allianz, Dr. Allan Dennis, Robert Bassill, and the MYA staff for providing her the great opportunity to grow as a young musician; her parents and all of her friends for their continuous support and encouragement.

website: http://kimiehan.wix.com/kimie-han

Eden Chen is a Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist and Scholar.

He started studying piano when he was six. Since age seven, Eden has competed and placed in many piano competitions, and has won numerous top prizes including the First Prize in the Southwestern Youth Music Festival Piano Competitions for numerous years. Among them was an orchestral debut performing Mozart’s Coronation Concerto, No.26 in D major with the Southwestern Music Festival Orchestra, after he won First Prize in the Young Pianist category when he was eleven.

“As a Young Scholar, I am incredibly excited to have the opportunity to experience the signature charisma of Lang Lang and his foundation. The enthusiasm and energy they put into bringing music to the world is just inspiring, and I am sure I will learn much from their philosophy of “Playing it Forward.” Being a part of the Young Scholars program will present me with a unique opportunity to meet diverse audiences, while receiving first-hand guidance from Lang Lang in what it means to be an artist, and what it takes to build a successful career. I am confident that working with Lang Lang, the Foundation, and my fellow Young Scholars will allow me to further explore the role of the musician and music in our modern society. I look forward to the positive impact we will have on each other!”

Eden recently won the First Prize at the AVSOMC Gail Newby Concerto Competition. He was a Gold Medal winner of the 2012 AADGT International Young Musicians competition, a Grand Prize winner of the 2011 AFAF Golden Era of Romantic Music International Competition, where he was also the recipient of the special prize for the Best Performance of a Work by Liszt. He also received Second Prize at the MostArts Festival 2014 Piano Competition and Second Prize at the 13thInternational Russian Music Piano Competition.

Eden was selected to perform on NPR’s From the Top radio show in 2013. Besides these awards, Eden has given four performances at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in the past few years, and he was also invited to perform a solo concert at the American Jewish University.

Eden is currently studying with Rufus Choi. He has attended the Colburn Academy Piano Festival and the John Perry Academy of Music Summer Festival. He has participated in master classes given by musicians such as Lang Lang, Daniel Pollack, Seymour Bernstein, Hung-Kuan Chen, Jerome Lowenthal, Jean-Yves Thibaudet and John Perry.

Eden is actively thinking about the role and value of music in society and in the individual, and how it serves to connect individuals to their communities. He believes in music as a uniquely human expression of the human condition, and is interested in innovative ways of expressing these universal sentiments. In becoming a Lang Lang Foundation Young Scholar, he hopes to continue to explore new creative possibilities that will impact his audiences.

facebook: https://www.facebook.com/edenchenmusic/timeline