Past Chopin Youth Competitions
Eleventh International Chopin Youth Competition
Saturday and Sunday
October 26 and 27, 2019
Kawai Piano Gallery
5800 Richmond Ave
Houston, TX 77057
Saturday and Sunday
October 26 and 27, 2019
Kawai Piano Gallery
5800 Richmond Ave
Houston, TX 77057
Congratulations to all our players! The weekend was filled with talented pianists playing a huge array of Chopin repertoire, including some rarely heard pieces. We received over 140 applicants - a record - with an absolutely outstanding level of playing. As such, we had a record number of performances over the weekend: 124 players in the Semi-Finals of which 22 were passed to the Final Round. There were many well-deserved Honorable Mentions and other awards. The Final Round was a stunning display of great playing. The final results are given below.
Our thanks go out to all the players, their families and teachers and to Kawai Piano Gallery. Well done!
Final Results
Elementary Category
Gold - Brayden Cheang
Silver - Josephine Chow, Chris Hao, Takaaki Suzuki
Bronze - Ashley Kim, Hannah Court
Honorable Mention - Hiroaki Suzuki, Charles Han, Arthur Zhou, Shriram Rajagopal, Ichiro Lin,
Zide Chen, Alexis Chen, Enyang Jiang, Daniel Pan, Michelle Hung
Outstanding Nocturne - Justin Liu, Brayden Cheang
Best of the Youngest - Irene Liu, Erika Wang
Best Performance of the Most Difficult Piece - Brayden Cheang
Junior Category
Gold - Viet Ha, Elaine See Toh
Silver - Justin Sun, Victor Cai
Bronze - Julianne Choe, Harrison Yu, Stephanie Ma, Jason Nguyen
Honorable Mention - Elizabeth Yao, Alexander Zhong, Eric Li, Sophia Kuo, Michelle Huang
Matthew Chien, Angelina Tan, Tiffany Guan, Eileen Chen, Min Kim
Outstanding Nocturne - Viet Ha, Elaine See Toh
Senior Category
Gold - Sam Goldfarb
Silver - Harry Sha, Alex Hu, Kellen Cao
Bronze - Sonia Zhang, Ned Yu, Erin Fitzgerald, Yufni Haenisch
Honorable Mention - Padt Skawratananond, Scarlet-Emma Tallman, Sophie Lee, Sarah Qi, Michael Chung,
Saranna Zhang, Will Newman, Alton Shen, Everett Adkins, Peter Zong
Outstanding Nocturne - Sarah Qi, Peter Zong
Best Performance of the Most Difficult Piece - Sam Goldfarb
Our thanks go out to all the players, their families and teachers and to Kawai Piano Gallery. Well done!
Final Results
Elementary Category
Gold - Brayden Cheang
Silver - Josephine Chow, Chris Hao, Takaaki Suzuki
Bronze - Ashley Kim, Hannah Court
Honorable Mention - Hiroaki Suzuki, Charles Han, Arthur Zhou, Shriram Rajagopal, Ichiro Lin,
Zide Chen, Alexis Chen, Enyang Jiang, Daniel Pan, Michelle Hung
Outstanding Nocturne - Justin Liu, Brayden Cheang
Best of the Youngest - Irene Liu, Erika Wang
Best Performance of the Most Difficult Piece - Brayden Cheang
Junior Category
Gold - Viet Ha, Elaine See Toh
Silver - Justin Sun, Victor Cai
Bronze - Julianne Choe, Harrison Yu, Stephanie Ma, Jason Nguyen
Honorable Mention - Elizabeth Yao, Alexander Zhong, Eric Li, Sophia Kuo, Michelle Huang
Matthew Chien, Angelina Tan, Tiffany Guan, Eileen Chen, Min Kim
Outstanding Nocturne - Viet Ha, Elaine See Toh
Senior Category
Gold - Sam Goldfarb
Silver - Harry Sha, Alex Hu, Kellen Cao
Bronze - Sonia Zhang, Ned Yu, Erin Fitzgerald, Yufni Haenisch
Honorable Mention - Padt Skawratananond, Scarlet-Emma Tallman, Sophie Lee, Sarah Qi, Michael Chung,
Saranna Zhang, Will Newman, Alton Shen, Everett Adkins, Peter Zong
Outstanding Nocturne - Sarah Qi, Peter Zong
Best Performance of the Most Difficult Piece - Sam Goldfarb
Tenth International Chopin Youth Competition
Saturday and Sunday
November 4 and 5, 2017
Kawai Piano Gallery
5800 Richmond Ave
Houston, TX 77057
Saturday and Sunday
November 4 and 5, 2017
Kawai Piano Gallery
5800 Richmond Ave
Houston, TX 77057
We had a very successful event with over 90 participants. The level of playing was outstanding and our judges worked hard to evaluate the many players and provide valuable feedback. This year our judges were Anna Jastrzebska-Quinn from Poland, Josu De Solaun from Sam Houston State University, Scott Cuellar of Rice University and Dr. Clive Swansbourne from Houston. Josu and Clive judged the Juniors, while Anna and Scott the Elementary. Sadly, Josu fell sick on Saturday and had to leave the event. He was eventually hospitalized with salmonella, but thankfully recovered. Clive continued to judge the Juniors with Scot while Anna judged the Elementary joined by Roksana Savitski from Russia. The Seniors and Final Round were judged by Anna and Scott with some input on the Juniors from Clive.
We are very grateful to Kawai Piano Gallery for providing the magnificent space for our event. They were very helpful and accommodating. The Shigeru Kawai in the main hall is a magnificent instrument and was kept in tune all weekend thanks to the diligent staff.
We are also very grateful to our sponsors. Without their support, this event would not be possible.
We are very grateful to Kawai Piano Gallery for providing the magnificent space for our event. They were very helpful and accommodating. The Shigeru Kawai in the main hall is a magnificent instrument and was kept in tune all weekend thanks to the diligent staff.
We are also very grateful to our sponsors. Without their support, this event would not be possible.
Final Results
Elementary Category
Gold - Julianne Choe, Viet Ha
Silver - Brayden Cheang, Takaaki Suzuki
Bronze - Matthew Chien, David Choi
Honorable Mention - Alexander Zhong, Seoyoung "Trinity" Yun, Tiffany Zhang
Musical Promise Award - Michelle Hung, Chloe R. Luo, Michelle Huang
Best Polonaise- Julianne Choe
Best Among the Youngest - Josephine Chow, Bridget Hoang
Junior Category
Gold - Sarah Liau
Silver - Emily Yihua Mao, Elaine See Toh
Bronze - Kellen Cao, Michael Wu, Owen Zhang
Honorable Mention - Sophie Lee, Jinqiu Wei, Ned Yu
Musical Promise Award - Sonia Zhang, Sarah Qi, Will Newman
Best Polonaise - Sarah Liau
Senior Category
Gold - Ben Hoang, Vi Nguyen
Silver - Frank Li, Shadt Skawratananond
Bronze - Andrew Sun
Honorable Mention - Erin Guetzloe, Alton Shen, Irin Toh
Musical Promise Award - Everett Adkins, Maz Bui, Wenson Tang, Anthony Weidner
Best Polonaise - Shadt Skawratananond
Jan Ekier Award for the Best Performance of the Most Difficult Piece - Vi Nguyen
Elementary Category
Gold - Julianne Choe, Viet Ha
Silver - Brayden Cheang, Takaaki Suzuki
Bronze - Matthew Chien, David Choi
Honorable Mention - Alexander Zhong, Seoyoung "Trinity" Yun, Tiffany Zhang
Musical Promise Award - Michelle Hung, Chloe R. Luo, Michelle Huang
Best Polonaise- Julianne Choe
Best Among the Youngest - Josephine Chow, Bridget Hoang
Junior Category
Gold - Sarah Liau
Silver - Emily Yihua Mao, Elaine See Toh
Bronze - Kellen Cao, Michael Wu, Owen Zhang
Honorable Mention - Sophie Lee, Jinqiu Wei, Ned Yu
Musical Promise Award - Sonia Zhang, Sarah Qi, Will Newman
Best Polonaise - Sarah Liau
Senior Category
Gold - Ben Hoang, Vi Nguyen
Silver - Frank Li, Shadt Skawratananond
Bronze - Andrew Sun
Honorable Mention - Erin Guetzloe, Alton Shen, Irin Toh
Musical Promise Award - Everett Adkins, Maz Bui, Wenson Tang, Anthony Weidner
Best Polonaise - Shadt Skawratananond
Jan Ekier Award for the Best Performance of the Most Difficult Piece - Vi Nguyen
Ninth International Chopin Youth Competition
Saturday and Sunday
October 17–28, 2015
Houston Community College
1010 W. Sam Houston Pkwy N.
Houston, TX 77043
Saturday and Sunday
October 17–28, 2015
Houston Community College
1010 W. Sam Houston Pkwy N.
Houston, TX 77043
Final Results
Congratulations to all our participants. There were 70 semi-finalists in a very strong competition and 18 were passed into the Finals. We thank all our participants, their teachers and their parents for all their hard work.
Elementary Category
Gold - Henry Li, Elaine See Toh, Sophie Lee
Silver - Monica Chen, Katelyn Yu, Michael Wu
Bronze - Tiffany Zhang, Sonia Zhang
Honorable Mention - David Choi, Michelle Page, Ned Yu
Best Waltz - Elaine See Toh
Best Among the Youngest - Bridget Hoang, Matthew Lu
Junior Category
Gold - Beatrice Hoang
Silver - Magen Zeng
Bronze - Victoria Chiang, Nevan Suntareja, Wenson Tang
Honorable Mention - Helena Zeng, Kaitlyn Shi, Emma Nebeker
Best Waltz - Beatrice Hoang
Jan Ekier Award for the Best Performance of the Most Difficult Piece - Beatrice Hoang (Sonata in B minor)
Senior Category
Gold - Elizabeth Xu, Gideon Schlichter
Silver - Alissa Kono, Sophia Wong
Bronze - Kevin Yang
Honorable Mention - Vi Nguyen
Best Waltz - Gideon Schlichter
Congratulations to all our participants. There were 70 semi-finalists in a very strong competition and 18 were passed into the Finals. We thank all our participants, their teachers and their parents for all their hard work.
Elementary Category
Gold - Henry Li, Elaine See Toh, Sophie Lee
Silver - Monica Chen, Katelyn Yu, Michael Wu
Bronze - Tiffany Zhang, Sonia Zhang
Honorable Mention - David Choi, Michelle Page, Ned Yu
Best Waltz - Elaine See Toh
Best Among the Youngest - Bridget Hoang, Matthew Lu
Junior Category
Gold - Beatrice Hoang
Silver - Magen Zeng
Bronze - Victoria Chiang, Nevan Suntareja, Wenson Tang
Honorable Mention - Helena Zeng, Kaitlyn Shi, Emma Nebeker
Best Waltz - Beatrice Hoang
Jan Ekier Award for the Best Performance of the Most Difficult Piece - Beatrice Hoang (Sonata in B minor)
Senior Category
Gold - Elizabeth Xu, Gideon Schlichter
Silver - Alissa Kono, Sophia Wong
Bronze - Kevin Yang
Honorable Mention - Vi Nguyen
Best Waltz - Gideon Schlichter
Eighth International Chopin Youth Competition
Saturday and Sunday
October 26–27, 2013
Houston Community College
1010 W. Sam Houston Pkwy N.
Houston, TX 77043
Saturday and Sunday
October 26–27, 2013
Houston Community College
1010 W. Sam Houston Pkwy N.
Houston, TX 77043
Final Results
Congratulations to all our participants. The judges noted how strong the competition was this year, and they had to make many difficult decisions. We thank all our participants, their teachers and their parents for all their hard work.
Elementary Category
Gold - Danial Hendi, Karon Kim
Silver - Michelle Tse, Claire Chiang
Bronze - Ned Yu, Victoria Chiang
Best Mazurka - Alaina Griffiths
Honorable Mention - Elaine SeeToh, Sarah Qi, Kellen Cao
Best Among the Youngest - Ira Hsiao and William Nebeker
Junior Category
Gold - Isabelle Hsiao
Silver - YaYa Qu, James Lemuel
Bronze - Max Bui, Daniel Whatley
Best Mazurka - Lorena Ortiz
Honorable Mention - Beatrice Hoang, Alissa Kono, Jiayuan Han
Jan Ekier Award for the Best Performance of the Most Difficult Piece - Beatrice Hoang (Sonata in B minor)
Senior Category
Gold - William Chiang, Helen Nebeker
Silver - Cher Liu, Troy Marasigan
Bronze - Andrew Yang, Kevin Yang
Best Mazurka - William Chiang
Honorable Mention - Vylan Nguyen, Laura Hu, Stephen Wang
Congratulations to all our participants. The judges noted how strong the competition was this year, and they had to make many difficult decisions. We thank all our participants, their teachers and their parents for all their hard work.
Elementary Category
Gold - Danial Hendi, Karon Kim
Silver - Michelle Tse, Claire Chiang
Bronze - Ned Yu, Victoria Chiang
Best Mazurka - Alaina Griffiths
Honorable Mention - Elaine SeeToh, Sarah Qi, Kellen Cao
Best Among the Youngest - Ira Hsiao and William Nebeker
Junior Category
Gold - Isabelle Hsiao
Silver - YaYa Qu, James Lemuel
Bronze - Max Bui, Daniel Whatley
Best Mazurka - Lorena Ortiz
Honorable Mention - Beatrice Hoang, Alissa Kono, Jiayuan Han
Jan Ekier Award for the Best Performance of the Most Difficult Piece - Beatrice Hoang (Sonata in B minor)
Senior Category
Gold - William Chiang, Helen Nebeker
Silver - Cher Liu, Troy Marasigan
Bronze - Andrew Yang, Kevin Yang
Best Mazurka - William Chiang
Honorable Mention - Vylan Nguyen, Laura Hu, Stephen Wang
Seventh International Chopin Youth Competition
October 29 and 30, 2011
Houston Community College
Houston, TX
October 29 and 30, 2011
Houston Community College
Houston, TX
Final Round Results
Elementary Category Medalists
Gold - Aika Kojima, Ben Hoang and Beatrice Hoang
Silver - Shirley Wu, Emma Nebeker, Ashley Wu and Yaya Qu
Best Prelude - Beatrice Hoang
Honorable Mention - Byron Xu
Best Among the Youngest - Michelle Tse and Alaina Griffiths
Junior Category
Gold - Vi Nguyen
Silver - Tomas Jonsson and Daniel Whatley
Bronze - Helen Nebeker, Cher Liu and Troy Marasigan
Best Prelude - Vi Nguyen and Tomas Jonsson
Honorable Mention - Alissa Kono and Yusha Sun
Senior Category
Gold - Shokhvrit Mand
Silver - William Chiang, Samantha Lin and Katherine Wei
Bronze - Alexander Whatley
Best Prelude - William Chiang
Honorable Mention - Jason Tan, Noah Hardaway and Thomas Yum
Special Award - Shokhvrit Mand
Jan Ekier Award for the Best Performance of the Most Difficult Piece
Congratulations to all our participants!
Elementary Category Medalists
Gold - Aika Kojima, Ben Hoang and Beatrice Hoang
Silver - Shirley Wu, Emma Nebeker, Ashley Wu and Yaya Qu
Best Prelude - Beatrice Hoang
Honorable Mention - Byron Xu
Best Among the Youngest - Michelle Tse and Alaina Griffiths
Junior Category
Gold - Vi Nguyen
Silver - Tomas Jonsson and Daniel Whatley
Bronze - Helen Nebeker, Cher Liu and Troy Marasigan
Best Prelude - Vi Nguyen and Tomas Jonsson
Honorable Mention - Alissa Kono and Yusha Sun
Senior Category
Gold - Shokhvrit Mand
Silver - William Chiang, Samantha Lin and Katherine Wei
Bronze - Alexander Whatley
Best Prelude - William Chiang
Honorable Mention - Jason Tan, Noah Hardaway and Thomas Yum
Special Award - Shokhvrit Mand
Jan Ekier Award for the Best Performance of the Most Difficult Piece
Congratulations to all our participants!
Sixth International Chopin Youth Competition
November 7, 2009
Houston Community College
Houston, TX
Final Round Results
Elementary Category Medalists
Gold - Vi Nguyen and Fang Qing Cai
Silver - Daniel Whatley
Bronze - YaYa Qu, John Cao and Sunny Chen
Outstanding Polonaise - YaYa Qu, Tomas Jonsson, Daniel Whatley
Honorable Mention - Yeun Joo Ryu, Tomas Jonsson, Fang Ming Cai, Katie Shi
Junior Category Medalists
Gold - William Ritter
Silver - Troy Marasigan, Shokhvrit Mand and Gordon Kwong
Bronze - Alexander Whatley and Shehla Syed
Outstanding Polonaise - Shokhvrit Mand, William Ritter and Gordon Kwong
Honorable Mention - Younghan Jeong, Douglas Cheong, Samantha Lin and Emily Ma
Senior Category Medalists
Gold - Laura Spector and J. Isaac Chua
Silver - Millie Shi
Bronze - Ellen Zhou, Kambui Deajon-Jackson and Katherine Wei
Outstanding Polonaise - Kambui Deajon-Jackson, Laura Spector, Joey Sliepka and J. Isaac Chua
Honorable Mention - William Chiang, JongKwan Lim, Winston Wu and Joey Sliepka
Special Awards - Laura Spector
Jan Ekier Award for the Best Performance of the Most Difficult Piece
Congratulations to all our participants!
November 7, 2009
Houston Community College
Houston, TX
Final Round Results
Elementary Category Medalists
Gold - Vi Nguyen and Fang Qing Cai
Silver - Daniel Whatley
Bronze - YaYa Qu, John Cao and Sunny Chen
Outstanding Polonaise - YaYa Qu, Tomas Jonsson, Daniel Whatley
Honorable Mention - Yeun Joo Ryu, Tomas Jonsson, Fang Ming Cai, Katie Shi
Junior Category Medalists
Gold - William Ritter
Silver - Troy Marasigan, Shokhvrit Mand and Gordon Kwong
Bronze - Alexander Whatley and Shehla Syed
Outstanding Polonaise - Shokhvrit Mand, William Ritter and Gordon Kwong
Honorable Mention - Younghan Jeong, Douglas Cheong, Samantha Lin and Emily Ma
Senior Category Medalists
Gold - Laura Spector and J. Isaac Chua
Silver - Millie Shi
Bronze - Ellen Zhou, Kambui Deajon-Jackson and Katherine Wei
Outstanding Polonaise - Kambui Deajon-Jackson, Laura Spector, Joey Sliepka and J. Isaac Chua
Honorable Mention - William Chiang, JongKwan Lim, Winston Wu and Joey Sliepka
Special Awards - Laura Spector
Jan Ekier Award for the Best Performance of the Most Difficult Piece
Congratulations to all our participants!
Fifth International Chopin Youth Competition
November 17 - 18, 2007
St. Thomas University
Houston, TX
November 17 - 18, 2007
St. Thomas University
Houston, TX
Final Round Results
Elementary Category Medalists
Gold - Lewis Warren, Jr.
Silver - Cher Liu, Troy Marasigan and Alexander Whatley
Bronze -Kaede Uesugi and Jason Tan
Special Awards
Best Nocturne - Lewis Warren, Jr.
Best Polonaise - Jason Tan
Best Mazurka - Barbara Sun
Honorable Mention - Shehla Syed, Denise Kwong and Barbara Sun
Junior Category Medalists
Gold - Joey Sliepka
Silver - Gordon Kwong
Bronze - Sasha Rasmussen, Ellen Zhou, Stephanie Tsai and Douglas Cheong
Special Awards
Best Mazurka - Joey Sliepka
Best Nocturne - Gordon Kwong
Best Polonaise - Ellen Zhou
Honorable Mention - Kevin Pallapati, Winston Wu and Sherry Zeng,
Senior Category Medalists
Gold - Dennis Mou, Yang Xu, Kaili Zhang and Jeremy Yang
Special Awards
Jan Ekier Award for the Best Performance of the Most Difficult Piece - Dennis Mou
Best Nocturne - Jeremy Yang
Honorable Mention - Danny Jan, Millie Shi and Alan Jaiyen
Preliminary Round Results
The preliminary round was judged by a panel of four musicians. Participants were viewed anonymously and each judge gave the participant a score. Teacher's of the participant were not allowed to rate their own students. Scores were averaged and the particpants were eliminated on the basis of this score.
Elementary Category Medalists
Gold - Lewis Warren, Jr.
Silver - Cher Liu, Troy Marasigan and Alexander Whatley
Bronze -Kaede Uesugi and Jason Tan
Special Awards
Best Nocturne - Lewis Warren, Jr.
Best Polonaise - Jason Tan
Best Mazurka - Barbara Sun
Honorable Mention - Shehla Syed, Denise Kwong and Barbara Sun
Junior Category Medalists
Gold - Joey Sliepka
Silver - Gordon Kwong
Bronze - Sasha Rasmussen, Ellen Zhou, Stephanie Tsai and Douglas Cheong
Special Awards
Best Mazurka - Joey Sliepka
Best Nocturne - Gordon Kwong
Best Polonaise - Ellen Zhou
Honorable Mention - Kevin Pallapati, Winston Wu and Sherry Zeng,
Senior Category Medalists
Gold - Dennis Mou, Yang Xu, Kaili Zhang and Jeremy Yang
Special Awards
Jan Ekier Award for the Best Performance of the Most Difficult Piece - Dennis Mou
Best Nocturne - Jeremy Yang
Honorable Mention - Danny Jan, Millie Shi and Alan Jaiyen
Preliminary Round Results
The preliminary round was judged by a panel of four musicians. Participants were viewed anonymously and each judge gave the participant a score. Teacher's of the participant were not allowed to rate their own students. Scores were averaged and the particpants were eliminated on the basis of this score.
Fourth International Chopin Youth Competition
October 29-30, 2005
Mabee Theatre
Houston Baptist University
Houston, TX
And the Winners are...
Elementary Category Medalists
Gold - Gordon Kwong
Silver - Esther Liao, Mendel Nguyen
Bronze - Nicolas Dao, Denise Kwong, Kevin Pallapati
Junior Category Medalists
Gold - Yun-Tai Ki, Joanna Pallapati
Silver - Jasmine Li, Danny Jan, Louis Liao
Bronze - Jonathan Xu
Senior Category Medalists
Gold - Gloria Kim, Gabriel Medina
Silver - Marie Feng
Bronze - Joel Adimathra, Andrew Wang
Special Award Jan Ekier Award for the Best Performance of the Most Difficult Piece
Mendel Nguyen
Semi-Final Round Results
The list of Finalists and Special Award recipiets follows. Congratulations!
Elementary Category Finalists - Denise Kwong, Esther Liao, Gordon Kwong, Kevin Pallapati, Mendel Nguyen, Nicolas Dao
Elementary Category Special Awards
Honorable Mention - Alan Yang, Helen Nebeker, Jason Tan, Eric Yu,
Best Mazurka - Esther Liao
Best Polonaise and Best Waltz - Gordon Kwong
Best Among the Youngest - Rebecca Wang, Grace Do
Junior Category Finalists - Jasmine Li, Jonathan Xu, Danny Jan, Joanna Pallapati, Yun-Tai Kim, Louis Liao
Junior Category Special Awards
Honorable Mention - Jessica Cao, Tonya Belosludtsev
Best Mazurka - Danny Jan
Best Waltz - Kevin Yates
Senior Category Finalists - Andrew Wang, Joel Adimathra, Marie Feng, Gabriel Medina, Gloria Kim
Senior Category Special Awards
Honorable Mention - Blake Benthall, Allison Yuen, Hao Wang, Austin Chen
Best Mazurka - Blake Benthall
Best Waltz - Gloria Kim
Preliminary Round Results
Results from the Preliminary Round are now available. Five judges listened to the 94 contestants and 59 semi-finalists were chosen. There were many difficult decisions. The list of semi-finalists follows. Congratulations to our winners!
Elementary - Nicolas Dao, Grace Do, Gordon Kwong, Denise Kwong, Melissa Lam, Lindsey Li, Esther Liao, Helen
Nebeker, Mendel Nguyen, Kevin Pallapati, Barbara Sun, Jason Tan, Rebecca Wang, Shirley Xu, Andrew Xu, Alan Yang,
Eric Yu and Ellen Zhou
Junior - Tonya Belosludtsev, Dominique Brzeski, Jessica Cao, Reem Ghaddar, Tarek Ghaddar, Anurag Gupta, Alan
Jaiyenm, Danny Jan, Yun-Tai Kim, Jasmine Li, Louis Liao, Kevin Ma, Dennis Mou, Joanna Pallapati, Stephanie Tsai,
Rosemary Wang, Jonathan Xu, Kevin Yates and Yuxi Zhou.
Senior - Joel Adimathra, Blake Benthall, Riley Bryant, Austin Chen, Jaimie Chung, Marie Feng, Nathan Fu,
Jonathan Hatch, Gloria Kim, William Lian, Margarita Martirossian, Gabriel Medina, Masaru Oka, Rebecca Sagastegui,
Amy Sagastegui, Maria Sylte, Andrew Wang, Hao Wang, Allison Yuen, Kaili Zhang, Fei-Fei Zhang and Luisa Zhou
October 29-30, 2005
Mabee Theatre
Houston Baptist University
Houston, TX
And the Winners are...
Elementary Category Medalists
Gold - Gordon Kwong
Silver - Esther Liao, Mendel Nguyen
Bronze - Nicolas Dao, Denise Kwong, Kevin Pallapati
Junior Category Medalists
Gold - Yun-Tai Ki, Joanna Pallapati
Silver - Jasmine Li, Danny Jan, Louis Liao
Bronze - Jonathan Xu
Senior Category Medalists
Gold - Gloria Kim, Gabriel Medina
Silver - Marie Feng
Bronze - Joel Adimathra, Andrew Wang
Special Award Jan Ekier Award for the Best Performance of the Most Difficult Piece
Mendel Nguyen
Semi-Final Round Results
The list of Finalists and Special Award recipiets follows. Congratulations!
Elementary Category Finalists - Denise Kwong, Esther Liao, Gordon Kwong, Kevin Pallapati, Mendel Nguyen, Nicolas Dao
Elementary Category Special Awards
Honorable Mention - Alan Yang, Helen Nebeker, Jason Tan, Eric Yu,
Best Mazurka - Esther Liao
Best Polonaise and Best Waltz - Gordon Kwong
Best Among the Youngest - Rebecca Wang, Grace Do
Junior Category Finalists - Jasmine Li, Jonathan Xu, Danny Jan, Joanna Pallapati, Yun-Tai Kim, Louis Liao
Junior Category Special Awards
Honorable Mention - Jessica Cao, Tonya Belosludtsev
Best Mazurka - Danny Jan
Best Waltz - Kevin Yates
Senior Category Finalists - Andrew Wang, Joel Adimathra, Marie Feng, Gabriel Medina, Gloria Kim
Senior Category Special Awards
Honorable Mention - Blake Benthall, Allison Yuen, Hao Wang, Austin Chen
Best Mazurka - Blake Benthall
Best Waltz - Gloria Kim
Preliminary Round Results
Results from the Preliminary Round are now available. Five judges listened to the 94 contestants and 59 semi-finalists were chosen. There were many difficult decisions. The list of semi-finalists follows. Congratulations to our winners!
Elementary - Nicolas Dao, Grace Do, Gordon Kwong, Denise Kwong, Melissa Lam, Lindsey Li, Esther Liao, Helen
Nebeker, Mendel Nguyen, Kevin Pallapati, Barbara Sun, Jason Tan, Rebecca Wang, Shirley Xu, Andrew Xu, Alan Yang,
Eric Yu and Ellen Zhou
Junior - Tonya Belosludtsev, Dominique Brzeski, Jessica Cao, Reem Ghaddar, Tarek Ghaddar, Anurag Gupta, Alan
Jaiyenm, Danny Jan, Yun-Tai Kim, Jasmine Li, Louis Liao, Kevin Ma, Dennis Mou, Joanna Pallapati, Stephanie Tsai,
Rosemary Wang, Jonathan Xu, Kevin Yates and Yuxi Zhou.
Senior - Joel Adimathra, Blake Benthall, Riley Bryant, Austin Chen, Jaimie Chung, Marie Feng, Nathan Fu,
Jonathan Hatch, Gloria Kim, William Lian, Margarita Martirossian, Gabriel Medina, Masaru Oka, Rebecca Sagastegui,
Amy Sagastegui, Maria Sylte, Andrew Wang, Hao Wang, Allison Yuen, Kaili Zhang, Fei-Fei Zhang and Luisa Zhou
The Third International Chopin Youth Competition
October 25 and 26, 2003
St. Thomas University
Houston, TX
Third International Chopin Youth Competition was the first one to open it’s door to students from outside Texas and the USA. A Mazurka was chosen as the required piece in each of the three age categories.
As in 2001 we handed out medals and special awards for:
Best Performance of a Mazurka
Best Performance of a Polonaise
Jan Ekier Prize for the best performance of the most difficult piece
Teddy Bear for the best among the youngest
Twenty seven teachers prepared 104 students. The jury consisted of four members: Clive Swansbourne from Great Britain, Calogero Di Liberto from Italy and Danielle Martin from USA. Also, for the first time, we were able to present winners with cash prizes.
Winners
Senior
Gold - Stephanie Wang, Krill Bersuker
Silver - Julie Lin
Bronze - Masaru Oka
Honorable Mention - Sophia Chen, Hillary Adams, Michael Ye, Eric Xi
Best Mazurka - Krill Bersuker
Best Poloaise - Eric Xi
Most Difficult Piece - Jan Nowicki
Junior
Gold - Kaili Zhang, Hao Wang
Silver - Dennis Mou, Margarita Martirossian
Bronze - Marie Feng, Kevin Ma
Honorable Mention - Tonya Belosludtsev, Nathan Fu, Jessica Cao, Laura Fields
Best Mazurka - Jessica Cao
Best Polonaise - Ethan Cooks
Elementary
Gold - Jasmine Li, Alan Boone Jaiyen
Silver - Stephanie Tsai, Joana Pallapati
Bronze - Rebecca Chen, Jonathan Xu
Honorable Mention - Nicolas Dao, Dominique Brzeski, Maggie Zhou, Jessica Wang
Best Mazurka - Kevin Yates
Best Polonaise - Anurag Gupta
Best Among the Youngest - Helen Nebeker,
About Jan Ekier
A special award was given in this competition in honor of Jan Eikier. Jan Ekier was born in 1913 in Krakow, Poland. He was a famous pianist and composer who participated in Chopin Competition in Warsaw in 1937.
Known as a juror on international competitions and founder and director of the most recent and accurate National Edition of works by Fryderk Chopin he dedicated the last 20 years of his life to study Chopin’s letters and manuscripts to present to future generations the most modern and updated version of Chopin’s music.
Second Chopin Youth Competition
November 3rd and 4th, 2001
St. Thomas University
Houston, Texas
In 2001 The Second Chopin Youth Competition took place with 101 students participating and 21 teachers who prepared those contestants. For the first time in this competition we made rules of obligatory piece and a time limit for every division.
Elementary: Prelude in A Major op 28 no.7
Junior: Prelude in e Minor op.28 no.4
Senior: Prelude in B-flat Major, op. 29 no.21
In addition to the Gold, Silver and Bronze medals, were the following awards:
Best performance of required Prelude-
Best performance on a Mazurka
Best performance of a Polonaise
Best performance of a lesser known work
The judges were from different musical backgrounds and countries bringing our competition to an international level. Three jurors listened all 101 young pianists: Nina Drath - Poland, Clive Swnsbourne – Great Britain, and Yuri Blinov – Belaruss
Winners
Senior
Gold - Amy Jiaqi
Silver - William Appleby
Bronze - Kirill Bersuker, Katie Frank, Benjamin Ho
Best Prelude - William Appleby
Honorable Mention - Angela Alonzo, Joanna Chen, Katherine Chen, Michelle Dano, Robert DeVet, Aya Kurihara, Rachel
Kwan, Janica Quach, Leslie Rafanan, Mark Yu
Junior
Gold - Aidin Ashoori, Aleksei Federov
Silver - Jason Hsu
Bronze - Blake Benthall, Erica Luu, Yowei Shaw
Best Prelude - Aaron Thomas
Honorable Mention - Janie Barchie, James Benecasa, Angela Chen, Jessica Chiu, Mark DeKraker, Anand Habib,
Stephanie Kim, Margarita Martirossian, Christopher Nabzdyk, Amber Nicholson, Masaru Oka, Linda Phung, Gloria Sung
Aaron Thomas, Andy Toy, Annie Wang, Melody Wang, Eric Hai Xi
Elementary
Gold - Marie Feng, Nathan Fu
Silver - Randall Alexa Fossi, Kevin Ma
Bronze - T. J. La, Divya Suneja
Best Prelude - Nathan Fu
Honorable Mention - Tonya Belosludtsev, Anurag Pooki Gupta, Isabel Hsu, Giulia Moretti, Mia Nishikawa, Melody Quach
Michael Zhu
Special Awards - Best Mazurka: Kevin Ma and Amber Ann Nicholson, Best Poloniase: Aidin Ashoori and Aleksei Fedorov
Best Among the Youngest: Isabel Hsu
November 3rd and 4th, 2001
St. Thomas University
Houston, Texas
In 2001 The Second Chopin Youth Competition took place with 101 students participating and 21 teachers who prepared those contestants. For the first time in this competition we made rules of obligatory piece and a time limit for every division.
Elementary: Prelude in A Major op 28 no.7
Junior: Prelude in e Minor op.28 no.4
Senior: Prelude in B-flat Major, op. 29 no.21
In addition to the Gold, Silver and Bronze medals, were the following awards:
Best performance of required Prelude-
Best performance on a Mazurka
Best performance of a Polonaise
Best performance of a lesser known work
The judges were from different musical backgrounds and countries bringing our competition to an international level. Three jurors listened all 101 young pianists: Nina Drath - Poland, Clive Swnsbourne – Great Britain, and Yuri Blinov – Belaruss
Winners
Senior
Gold - Amy Jiaqi
Silver - William Appleby
Bronze - Kirill Bersuker, Katie Frank, Benjamin Ho
Best Prelude - William Appleby
Honorable Mention - Angela Alonzo, Joanna Chen, Katherine Chen, Michelle Dano, Robert DeVet, Aya Kurihara, Rachel
Kwan, Janica Quach, Leslie Rafanan, Mark Yu
Junior
Gold - Aidin Ashoori, Aleksei Federov
Silver - Jason Hsu
Bronze - Blake Benthall, Erica Luu, Yowei Shaw
Best Prelude - Aaron Thomas
Honorable Mention - Janie Barchie, James Benecasa, Angela Chen, Jessica Chiu, Mark DeKraker, Anand Habib,
Stephanie Kim, Margarita Martirossian, Christopher Nabzdyk, Amber Nicholson, Masaru Oka, Linda Phung, Gloria Sung
Aaron Thomas, Andy Toy, Annie Wang, Melody Wang, Eric Hai Xi
Elementary
Gold - Marie Feng, Nathan Fu
Silver - Randall Alexa Fossi, Kevin Ma
Bronze - T. J. La, Divya Suneja
Best Prelude - Nathan Fu
Honorable Mention - Tonya Belosludtsev, Anurag Pooki Gupta, Isabel Hsu, Giulia Moretti, Mia Nishikawa, Melody Quach
Michael Zhu
Special Awards - Best Mazurka: Kevin Ma and Amber Ann Nicholson, Best Poloniase: Aidin Ashoori and Aleksei Fedorov
Best Among the Youngest: Isabel Hsu
First Chopin Youth Competition
October 23rd and 24th, 1999
The Chopin Anniversary Youth Competition was dedicated to Chopin’s 150th anniversary of his death. This was our Houston contribution to world-wide celebrations of Chopin’s music and genius. As UNESCO proclaimed 1999 as the Year of Chopin, we filled our music studios with his compositions.
Twenty one teachers prepared all the contestants who participated in this competition. All together 57 students competed in 3 age divisions
The judges were: Nina Darth from Texas and Piotr Kusiewicz from Poland.
October 23rd and 24th, 1999
The Chopin Anniversary Youth Competition was dedicated to Chopin’s 150th anniversary of his death. This was our Houston contribution to world-wide celebrations of Chopin’s music and genius. As UNESCO proclaimed 1999 as the Year of Chopin, we filled our music studios with his compositions.
Twenty one teachers prepared all the contestants who participated in this competition. All together 57 students competed in 3 age divisions
The judges were: Nina Darth from Texas and Piotr Kusiewicz from Poland.
Winners
Senior
Gold - Adam Fryderyk Golka (with Honors), Benjamin Ho, Amy Yang
Bronze - Rebecca Joy Combs,Natalia Kalitynska
Junior
Gold - Joseph Chen, Aya Kurihara, Janica Quach, William Lee
Silver - Connie Wang, James De Vera, Stephanie Wang, William Appleby, Katherine Chen, Zeena Husain
Bronze - Blake Benthall, Jenifer Tsai, Kathleen Yeh, Andrea Leung, Leslie Rafanan
Elementary
Gold - Amber Nicholson, Andrew Wang, Yowei Shaw
Silver - Kelly Chen, Anna-Margaret Chan and Dennis Yang
Bronze - Angela Chen
Special Awards
The best performance of a Prelude: Yowei Shaw
The best performance of a Mazurka: William Lee
The best performance of a Waltz: Adam Fryderyk Golka
The Jan Ekier Prize for the most outstanding performance of the most difficult competition piece: Amy Yang (for Ballade in f-minor op. 52), Lisa Gaw
Senior
Gold - Adam Fryderyk Golka (with Honors), Benjamin Ho, Amy Yang
Bronze - Rebecca Joy Combs,Natalia Kalitynska
Junior
Gold - Joseph Chen, Aya Kurihara, Janica Quach, William Lee
Silver - Connie Wang, James De Vera, Stephanie Wang, William Appleby, Katherine Chen, Zeena Husain
Bronze - Blake Benthall, Jenifer Tsai, Kathleen Yeh, Andrea Leung, Leslie Rafanan
Elementary
Gold - Amber Nicholson, Andrew Wang, Yowei Shaw
Silver - Kelly Chen, Anna-Margaret Chan and Dennis Yang
Bronze - Angela Chen
Special Awards
The best performance of a Prelude: Yowei Shaw
The best performance of a Mazurka: William Lee
The best performance of a Waltz: Adam Fryderyk Golka
The Jan Ekier Prize for the most outstanding performance of the most difficult competition piece: Amy Yang (for Ballade in f-minor op. 52), Lisa Gaw