+ Rady Almadany, Canada

Rady Almadany works as a Physician-therapist who uses sound and music to improve developmental problems like autism, hyperactivity and learning difficulties. He studied piano from childhood and obtained his piano performance degree from Ecole Normal de Musique de Paris. He studied piano with well-known performers (F.Clidat, V.Bunin, F.Thinat). After obtaining his diploma in music therapy, Ramy developed his special approach of using music in clinical situations. A professional in sound-listening therapy (Tomatis Method), he offers efficient skills development to his clients.

Preliminary Round
Debussy - Preludes:
Book I, No. 2, “Voile”
Book I, No. 8, “La fille aux cheveux de lin”
Book II, No. 8, “Ondine”
Book II, No. 12, “Feux d’artifice”

Semi-Final Round
J.S. Bach – Aria, from the Goldberg Variations
Ravel – Ondine, from Gaspard de la nuit

Final Round
Chopin - Nocturne in D-flat Major, Op. 27, No. 2
Liszt - Sonetto 104 del Petrarca, Sonetto 123 del Petrarca
Dutilleux - Le jeu des contraires

+ Robert Biber, Colorado

Dr Robert Biber recently retired from a busy surgical practice. During his 37-year career there was little time for regular practice or performance. He and his wife of 42 years have 4 daughters, three of whom are triplets, and two of whom are professional musicians (cello and clarinet). Musical pursuits were limited to collaboration with his two daughters throughout high school and college recitals, the pinnacle of which was performing the Beethoven piano, cello, clarinet trio for their respective conservatory senior recitals. Upon retirement and a move to Colorado, Dr Biber refocused his time with the goal of raising performance skills and competing in amateur competitions. Dr Biber loves all Colorado mountain pursuits but most important, he revels in spending time with his 8 grandchildren.

Preliminary Round
Mendelssohn - Rondo Capriccioso, Op. 14
Gershwin - Three Preludes for Piano

Semi-Final Round
Chopin - Scherzo No. 1 in B Minor, Op. 20
Ravel - Jeux d'eau

Final Round
Mozart - Variations on "Ah vous dirai-je Maman"
Chopin - Scherzo No. 2 in B-flat Minor, Op. 31
Grieg - Notturno Op. 54, No. 4
Prokofiev - Etude Op. 2, No. 1

+ Mark Cannon, New York

Mark Cannon is a psychiatrist in private practice in New York. Born in West Germany, he grew up in New York and studied piano as a child with "that little old lady around the corner," who, it turned out, had been a performer of some note in Russia. His principal studies thereafter have been with Malcolm Bilson, Seymour Bernstein, and Eric Heidsieck. He has given many solo recitals and performed Beethoven's Emperor Concerto with the Doctors' Orchestral Society. He has been a big fan of BIPC since its inception and has attended all the competitions as either a contestant or audience member.

Preliminary Round
Chopin - Etude in F Minor, Op. 25, No. 2
Scriabin - Etude in B-flat Minor, Op. 8, No. 11
Beethoven - Sonata in F-sharp Major, Op. 78:

1. Adagio cantabile – Allegro ma non troppo
2. Allegro vivace

Semi-Final Round
Scriabin - Sonata No. 10, Op. 70

Final Round
Schubert - Sonata in A Major, D. 664
Chopin - Polonaise in F-sharp Minor, Op. 44

+ Carl di Casoli, Massachusetts

Carl DiCasoli is an associate director of biostatistics at Apellis Pharmaceuticals in Waltham, Massachusetts. He earned his masters and PhD degrees in statistics at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. Prior to that he attended the New England Conservatory of Music as a piano performance major under the guidance of Russell Sherman and was the winner of the concerto competition at the conservatory in 2001. Recently, Carl was the second prize winner of the 2008 Concours International de Grands Amateurs in Paris, the third prize winner in the 2011 and 2013 Boston International Piano Competitions, a finalist and honorable mention winner in the 2012 International Chopin Competition for Amateur Pianists in Warsaw, Poland, winner of a special prize for best performance of a composition by Ignace Paderewski in the 2018 International Chopin Competition for Amateur Pianists in Warsaw, Poland, and the 4th prize winner (honorable mention) at the 2018 Bienal Concurso Internacional de Piano in Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico.

Preliminary Round
Chopin - Scherzo No. 2 in B-flat Minor, Op. 31
Liszt – Transcendental Etude No. 10 in F Minor

Semi-Final Round
Chopin - Variations on "La Ci Darem La Mano", Op. 2

Final Round
J.S. Bach – Toccata from Partita No. 6 in E Minor, BWV 830
Paderewski - Melodie in G-flat Major, Op. 16, No. 2
Paderewski - Cracovienne fantastique, Op. 14, No. 6
Rachmaninoff - Sonata No. 2 in B-flat Minor, Op. 36 (1931 edition):

1. Allegro agitato
2. Non allegro—Lento
3. Allegro molto

+ Gorden Cheng, California

Gorden Cheng is a classical concert pianist and information security professional, currently living in San Diego, California. He attended University of Texas at Dallas, where he graduated with a B.S. in Computer Science. As Director of Information Security for Oracle Corporation, Cheng reviews security architecture focusing on compliance and risk management. He enjoys playing local concerts and spending time with his wife and two young boys.

Preliminary Round
Schumann – from Kreisleriana:
Äußerst bewegt
Sehr innig und nicht zu rasch
Sehr aufgeregt

Semi-Final Round
Schumann – from Kreisleriana
Sehr langsam
Sehr lebhaft
Sehr langsam
Sehr rasch
Schnell und spielend

Final Round
Beethoven - Sonata in C Major, Op. 2, No. 3 - Allegro
Schubert - "Wanderer" Fantasy, Op. 15, D. 760

+ Pavel Chistyakov, Russia

Pavel Chistyakov studied geography at Moscow State University. He is co-founder and vice-president of an independent think tank which focuses on infrastructure development and regional economics in Russia and internationally. Pavel has played piano since he was 7 years old, but much less than he wants to.

Preliminary Round
Liszt – Consolations, Nos. 1, 2 and 3
Rachmaninoff:
Prelude in D Minor, Op. 23, No. 3
Prelude in B-flat Major, Op. 23, No. 2

Semi-Final Round
Haydn - Sonata No. 47 in B Minor, Hob. XVI:32
Scriabin:
Etude in B-flat Minor, Op. 8, No. 11
Etude – D-sharp Minor, Op. 8, No. 12

Final Round
Medtner - Sonata-Romantica, Op. 53, No. 1:

1. Romanza
2. Scherzo
3. Meditazione
4. Finale

+ Jeanne Backofen Craig, Virginia

Since 2016, Jeanne Backofen Craig has been a semi-finalist at the Cliburn International Piano Competition for Outstanding Amateurs, and a prizewinner at WIPAC, the Bradshaw & Buono Competition, and the Concerto Competition at PianoTexas. She has performed in recital at the Kosciusko Foundation in Washington, D.C., Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall, and the Gasteig in Munich, Germany. In June 2018, she performed with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. Jeanne is a graduate of Virginia Tech and Marymount University, and is employed by Bedford (VA) County Public Schools, where she directs the Show Choir and teaches Music Appreciation at Forest Middle School.

Preliminary Round
Mozart - Sonata in B-flat Major, K. 333 - Allegro
Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel - Notturno in G Minor

Semi-Final Round
J.S. Bach - French Suite No. 5 in G major:
Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, Gigue
Debussy - from Estampes:

2. La soirée dans Grenade
3. Jardins sous la pluie

Final Round
Haydn - Sonata in E-flat Major, Hob. XVI:52:

1. Allegro (Moderato)
2. Adagio
3. Finale: Presto

Chopin - Ballade No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 23

+ Robert Gemmell, Georgia

Robert Gemmell is a semi-retired technology entrepreneur turned educator. He began playing piano by ear at age 4 and has studied classical piano since age 5. He minored in music in undergraduate school while majoring in electrical engineering. After a long entrepreneurial career in the semiconductor and wireless industries, Gemmell transitioned to a teaching career and has taught in the business schools at Georgia Tech, Wake Forest University and Georgia State University. Gemmell has BS/MS degrees in engineering from Georgia Tech, an MBA from Duke University and his Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University.

Preliminary Round
Rachmaninoff - Prelude in G-sharp Minor, Op. 32, No. 12
Liszt - Funérailles, from Harmonies poétiques et religieuses

Semi-Final Round
Brahms - Sonata No. 3 in F Minor, Op. 5, mvts 1 & 2

Final Round
Ives – Sonata No. 2 “Concord”, 3rd mvt “The Alcotts”
Schubert - Sonata in B-flat Major, D. 960, 1st mvt
Rachmaninoff - Etude Tableau in E-flat Minor, Op. 39, No. 5

+ Chris Kokkinos, Massachusetts

Chris Kokkinos began taking piano lessons at the age of ten in Nicosia, Cyprus, and by age 18 he earned piano certificates and diplomas from the Orpheon Conservatory (Athens, Greece) and The Royal Schools of Music (London, England) with distinction. He pursued Electrical Engineering and Music degrees at Cornell University where he studied with Malcom Bilson. Chris is currently studying with Tim McFarland and attending Ya-Fei Chuang's Piano Interpretation & Performance Seminar at NEC. He was a semifinalist at the 2015 and 2017 Boston Competition and was awarded prizes for Best Performance of a Baroque and Romantic work. Chris lives in Acton, MA with his wife and three sons. He is employed by Location Inc in Worcester MA as the VP of Product Development.

Preliminary Round
Bartok - Burlesque No. 1, “Quarrel”
Mendelssohn - Song Without Words Op.67, No.4, “Spinning Song”
Schubert - Klavierstücke No. 3 in C Major, D. 946
J.S. Bach - Largo from Concerto in F Minor BWV 1056, arr. by Harold Craxton

Semi-Final Round
Liszt: Années de pèlerinage - Deuxième année: Italie, S161 No.7 “Après une lecture du Dante: Fantasia quasi Sonata”

Final Round
Beethoven - Sonata No. 30 in E Major, Op. 109:
Vivace, ma non troppo - Adagio espressivo
Prestissimo
Gesangvoll, mit innigster Empfindung. Andante molto cantabile ed espressivo
Liszt - Paraphrase de concert sur Rigoletto, S.434

+ Jeni Kong, Georgia

Jeni Kong started playing the piano at the age of 5, and she immigrated to the United States at the age of 12 from South Korea. She received her undergraduate degree in Piano Performance from The Cleveland Institute of Music in Cleveland, OH and has performed as a soloist with numerous orchestras, including The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Naples Philharmonic, and Kansas City Symphony. A few years after finishing her undergraduate degree in music, she decided to pursue a career in dentistry and went on to become a dentist and later received a further specialty degree in pediatric dentistry. She is a proud owner of her own pediatric dental office in Georgia and her patients call her "Dr. Jeni". In her spare time, she enjoys traveling and being outdoors with her wonderful husband and their 2 children, ages 10 and 8.

Preliminary Round
Chopin - Mazurkas Op.24, Nos. 2 and 4
Schubert – Impromptu in E-flat Major, Op. 90, No. 2

Semi-Final Round
Scarlatti - Sonata in D Major, L.465/K.96
Rachmaninoff - Prelude in G Major, Op. 32, No. 5
Chopin - Etude in C Minor, Op. 10, No. 12, “Revolutionary”

Final Round
J.S. Bach - Partita No. 2 - Sarabande, Rondo, Capriccio
Mendelssohn - Variations Serieuses, Op. 54
Debussy – Prelude, Bk II, No. 12, “Feux d'Artifice”
Liszt-Busoni - Grandes étude de Paganini No. 3, “La Campanella”

+ Yasuo Kurimoto, Japan

1960 Born in Japan. 1986 M.D., Kyoto University Faculty of Medicine 1995 Ph.D., Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine 1997 Principal Lecturer, Shinshu University 2000 Research Fellow, Harvard Medical School 2002 Associate Professor, Shinshu University 2003 Director, Dept of Ophthalmology, Kobe City Medical Center General Hospital 2006 Clinical Professor, Kyoto University (concurrent post) 2008 Director, Dept of Ophthalmology, Institute of Biomedical Research and Innovation Hospital (concurrent post) 2017 Director, Kobe City Eye Hospital.

Preliminary Round
Scriabin - Deux Poèmes, Op. 32
Wagner/Liszt - Isoldens Liebestod, S. 447

Semi-Final Round
Liszt - Années de pèlerinage - Deuxième année: Italie, S161 No.7 “Après une lecture du Dante: Fantasia quasi Sonata”

Final Round
Granados - Allegro de Concierto, Op. 46
Chopin - Four Mazurkas Op. 24
Scriabin - Sonata No. 5, Op. 53

+ Suzanna Laramee, Rhode Island

Suzanna Laramee received her bachelor’s degree in piano from Oklahoma City University, and her master’s degree in Piano from The University of Kansas. She is a Resident Artist of the Newport Music Festival. Her most recent performance was in March of 2019 at the Pianomarathon Internationaler Meisteramateure at the Gasteig Concert Hall in Munich. Suzanna lives in Newport, RI with her husband, John, and has two daughters and two grandchildren. She is a member of the Providence Art Club, the Commanderie de Bordeaux a Paris, and is the Vice President on the Board of the Newport Music Festival.

Preliminary Round
Handel - Variations on the “Harmonious Blacksmith”, from Suite No. 5 in E Major, HWV 430
Haydn - Sonata in C Major, Hob. XVI:48:
Andante con espressione
Rondo: Presto

Semi-Final Round
Ravel – Sonatine:
Modéré
Mouvement de menuet
Animé

Final Round
Albeniz – Evocacion, El Puerto from Iberia, Book I
Lyapunov:
Nocturne, Op. 8
Étude d'exécution transcendante, Op. 11, No. 10, “Lesghinka”

+ Adrienne Lee, Minnesota

Adrienne would consider herself a playwright, writing, producing and directing 2 plays a year. She works for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and is hired by schools to direct their musical programs. She was nominated for an educator Grammy in 2016 for her play “The Annunciation of Mary”, and followed that up with “It's a Beautiful Day” at John Paul Academy. This spring focus is on “Meet the Beatles”, a musical life about the early days of The Beatles and their place in Rock -n- Roll History. She is very excited to return to the Boston piano competition and hopes to meet friends, hear great music and experience the fun and camaraderie of this great musical endeavor.

Preliminary Round
Rachmaninoff - Prelude in G-sharp Minor, Op. 32, No. 12
Ravel – Ondine, from Gaspard de la Nuit

Semi-Final Round
Rachmaninoff – Étude-Tableau in D Minor, Op. 33, No. 4
Chopin - Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise Brilliante, Op. 22

Final Round
Beethoven - Sonata in C Major, Op. 53, “Waldstein”, 1st mvt.
Chopin - Scherzo No. 4 in E Major, Op. 54

+ Jon Lee, California

Jon Lee began his piano studies in Brookfield, Wisconsin, with Elaine Bliss and Donald Walker. His family later moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, where he studied under Gary Amano. He pursued a computer science degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, during which he studied piano performance under David Deveau. In addition to participating in master classes with Leon Fleisher, André-Michel Schub, and Russell Sherman, Jon has performed with the Utah Symphony and Boston Pops Orchestra. Now residing in San Francisco, Jon performs as part of the Alden Trio and continues his piano study with Yoshikazu Nagai while working in technology as a software engineering manager in the Bay Area.

Preliminary Round
Scarlatti - Sonata in D Major, K. 435
Scarlatti - Sonata in D Minor, K. 9
Chopin - Scherzo No. 2 in B-flat Minor, Op. 31

Semi-Final Round
Scriabin - Prelude in B Major, Op. 16, No. 1
Liszt - Mephisto Waltz

Final Round
J.S. Bach - Partita No. 1 in B-flat Major, BWV 825
Prokofiev - Sonata No. 7 in B-flat Major, Op. 83:
Allegro inquieto
Andante caloroso
Precipitato

+ Wenken Ling, Massachusetts

Wenken Ling was born in Taiwan and moved with her family to New York when she was six. She started studying the piano at the age 8. She studied piano with Elizabeth Berkowitz from the age of 10 through 18. Wenken is a graduate of Yale University with a degree in Applied Math / Computer Science. After college, Wenken moved to Cambridge where she currently resides and works as a software engineer in the greater Boston area. Wenken has studied at NEC with Seth Kimmelman and is currently a student of Konstantinos Papadakis.

Preliminary Round
Scarlatti - Sonatas (TBD)
Messiaen - Vingt Regards sur l'enfant-Jésus No. 11, "Première communion de la Vierge"

Semi-Final Round
Liszt - Sonetto 123 del Petrarca, from Années de pèlerinage: Deuxieme Année (Italie)
Rachmaninoff - Etude-Tableau in C Minor, Op. 33, No. 3

Final Round
Scriabin - Deux Poèmes, Op. 32
Schubert - Sonata in A Minor, D. 784:
Allegro giusto
Andante
Allegro vivace

+ Joseph Lipare, Michigan

Joseph has resided in the Detroit area of Michigan his entire life. He started piano lessons at age 5 and studied privately until age 16. He was not the best student, however, and drifted away from music at this point. 30 years later, his future wife Amanda encouraged him to return to music. Since the summer of 2015, he has been studying piano with Dr. Tian Tian at Oakland University, Rochester Hills, Michigan. In his spare time, Joseph enjoys riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle, snow skiing, running and spending time with his wife Amanda, step-daughter Elizabeth, and their dog, Bernie.

Preliminary Round
Manuel Ponce - Intermezzo No. 1
Scarlatti - Sonata in F Minor, K. 466
Scarlatti - Sonata in F Minor, K. 519
Mendelssohn - Rondo Capriccioso, Op. 14

Semi-Final Round
Debussy - Clair de Lune, from Suite Bergamasque
Chopin – Fantasie-Impromptu, Op. 66
Villoldo - El Choclo Tango (Arr. Eduardo Rojas)

Final Round
Chopin:
Nocturne in E-flat Major, Op. 9, No. 2
Etude in C Minor, Op. 10, No. 12, "Revolutionary"
Beethoven - Sonata in C Minor, Op. 13, "Pathetique":
Grave – Allegro di molto e con brio
Adagio cantabile
Rondo: Allegro
Wild/Gershwin - Etude No. 3, "Embraceable You"

+ Art Manwelyan, Massachusetts

Art is a mathematician by training, a computer programmer by profession, and by passion a piano performer, theatre artist and piano and theatre educator. He is a member of the three Boston area piano societies (Boston Piano Amateurs Association, Toccata, and Rhapsody). An avid piano competitor, Art has participated in several piano amateur competitions in Boston, Chicago, Fort Worth and Paris. He often performs at piano soirées and solo recitals, and also regularly plays piano at the Boston Symphony Café. Art is very grateful to his mother, Olga, thanks to whom he studied piano from the early age of six. He is enjoying regular piano duet performances with his lovely wife Julia. He is very happy to find a perfect teacher for himself in Ian Lindsey.

Preliminary Round
Shchedrin - Two-Part Invention
J.S.Bach - Prelude and Fugue in G Minor, WTC Bk 1
Rachmaninoff:
Elegie, Op.3, No.1
Polichinelle, Op.3, No.4

Semi-Final Round
Mozart - Sonata No.11 in A Major, K.331:
Andante grazioso
Menuetto
Alla turca – Allegretto

Final Round
Scarlatti – Sonata in G MInor, K.30
Beethoven - Sonata in C Major, Op. 53, "Waldstein":
Allegro con brio
Introduzione: Adagio molto
Rondo. Allegretto moderato — Prestissimo

+ Marco di Marzio, Ireland/Italy

Marco started to play piano as a 7-year old and at age 10 he entered the Conservatory of Music Luisa D'Annunzio city of Pescara Italy, but stopped 3 years before his final Diploma. After moving to Dublin in 2001 he entered the Royal Irish Academy of Music (RIAM). After 2 years at RIAM he met the person that changed his life: his teacher Archie Chen, an American/Taiwanese pianist. He has been the mentor that Marco never had, and he has been helping him in mending all the pains accumulated in the years he studied in Italy. Marco started to take part in national and international competition and also undertook the LTCL Diploma in Piano Performance in May 2014. After competing in the Cliburn amateur competition in June 2016, he decided to go back to college to do the full Bachelor in Music and complete his studies. Currently he is two years into a BMus degree and working as a clinical pharmacist in a geriatric hospital and in a drug treatment center for drug addicts.

Preliminary Round
J.S. Bach - Italian Concerto, BWV 971 - 1. Allegro
Schubert - Impromptu in G-flat Major, Op. 90, No. 3, D. 899
Conor Linehan - Intermezzo

Semi-Final Round
Mozart - Sonata in D Major, K. 576:
Allegro
Adagio
Allegretto

Final Round
Beethoven - Sonata in D Minor, Op. 31, No. 2, “Tempest”:

1. Largo – Allegro
2. Adagio
3. Allegretto

Liszt- Concert Etude No. 2, “La leggierezza”

+ Melinda Morse, California

A native of rural Arkansas, Melinda grew up within a community of music making. After completing a B.A. from Hendrix College, she acquired a M.M. from Memphis State University while teaching. She retired after completing 37 years in public school instruction, teaching general music, sixth grade science and achieving National Board Certification in math. Now sharing her time between Nevada and California, Melinda’s interests include running on a racing team, participating in civic and church events as well as enjoying friends and family, including two grandchildren under age six. She is pleased to share that her grandmother taught piano and voice in the Cherokee Female Seminary in the early 1900’s and that she is a member of both the Delaware and Cherokee Nations.

Preliminary Round
Beethoven - Sonata in F-sharp Major, Op. 78:
Adagio Cantabile-Allegro ma non troppo
Allegro vivace
Villa-Lobos - Poema Singelo

Semi-Final Round
Chopin - Berceuse, Op 57
Ravel - Alborado del gracioso, from Miroirs

Final Round
Ravel - Une barque sur l’océan, from Miroirs
Beethoven - Sonata in F Minor, Op. 57, “Appassionata”, 2nd and 3rd mvts.

+ Joann Oh, California

Born in Los Angeles, Joann Oh earned degrees in German studies and pre-med at Pomona College and Wesleyan University. She is the winner of the Elizabeth Tishler Prize in piano and of the Yale-Griffith Scholarship. Ms. Oh is studying piano with Steven Vanhauwaert. In January 2019 and 2015, Ms. Oh was chosen to perform with California Concerto Orchestra in San Jose, CA. In Summer of 2018, Ms. Oh participated in the 3rd International Bülow Piano Competition in Germany. In 2017, Ms. Oh participated in a Music Festival in Switzerland. In June 2016, Ms. Oh was chosen to perform in the Cliburn International Amateur competition in Fort Worth, TX.

Preliminary Round
Granados - Danza Espagnola, Op. 37, No. 1, “Danza lenta”
Chopin – Scherzo No. 2 in B-flat Minor, Op. 31

Semi-Final Round
Schubert – Impromptu in G-flat Major, Op. 90, No. 3
Chopin - Ballade No. 3 in A-flat Major, Op. 47

Final Round
Mozart – Sonata in C Major, K. 330, 1st mvt.
Beethoven – Sonata in A-flat Major, Op. 110, 1st mvt.
Liszt - Étude de concert No. 3, "Un sospiro"
Granados - Allegro de Concierto, Op. 46

+ Ryan Peckner, Massachusetts

Ryan Peckner’s love of the piano grew out of a chance high school encounter with a yellowing Bach album on his grandmother’s dusty Wurlitzer spinet. It bloomed like a mushroom under a rock during his piano studies with Geoffrey Burleson at Princeton University, where he earned a PhD in mathematics, his second love after music. He develops mathematical models of the immune system as a data scientist at a biotechnology startup, and studies piano in Cambridge with Donald Berman and in Ya-Fei Chuang’s piano seminar at New England Conservatory.

Preliminary Round
Couperin - Le Tic-Toc-Choc ou Les Maillotins
Rameau - Les Cyclopes (Rondeau)
Dutilleux - Sonata, Op. 1, 3rd mvt “Choral et variations”

Semi-Final Round
Couperin - Les Ombres Errantes
Faure - Nocturne No. 13 in B Minor, Op. 119
Ligeti - Étude No. 13, “L'escalier du diable”

Final Round
Schubert - Impromptu in C Minor, Op. 90, No. 1
Scriabin - Sonata No. 4 in F-Sharp Major, Op. 30
Ravel – from Le Tombeau de Couperin

1. Prélude
2. Forlane
3. Toccata

+ Alexandre Rezende, Massachusetts

Alexandre Rezende was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He began taking piano lessons at the age of 12. He graduated from Rio de Janeiro Federal University with bachelor’s degree in piano and voice. He studied with Heitor Alimonda, Dulce Leal, Gloria Maria da Fonseca, Tamara Ujakoba and Maxim Lubasky. Alexandre also has a degree in audio and speech therapy. He has given several piano recitals in concert halls, governmental houses and churches, and he has performed as a guest artist in several recordings. He also has two albums of his own. Nowadays Alexandre continues his piano practice with private piano lessons.

Preliminary Round
J.S. Bach - Allemande from Partita No. 1, BWV 825
Schubert - Moment Musical in F minor, Op. 94, D. 780
Chopin - Scherzo No. 3 in C-sharp Minor, Op. 39
O. Lorenzo Fernandez – Cateretê, from Suite Brasileira No. 2

Semi-Final Round
Chopin - Ballade No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 23
Liszt - Grandes étude de Paganini No. 3, “La Campanella”
Prokofiev – Toccata, Op. 11

Final Round
Liszt - Sonata In B Minor, S. 178

+ Ian Roy, United Kingdom

Ian Roy was born in Aberdeen, Scotland and attended Wick High School. He began playing the piano at age eight and studied initially with Emma Bruce in Wick. After leaving Wick High School he studied for two degrees in math and physics at the University of Aberdeen. Ian then worked on two research contracts at the universities of Plymouth and Newcastle upon Tyne. Thereafter he worked for the ship safety department of QinetiQ at Rosyth, and then for Petroleum Experts in Edinburgh. Ian now works as an engineering analyst for the Coventry based firm of OLEO International.

Preliminary Round
Beach - Ballade, Op. 6
Debussy - Reflets dans l'eau, from Image Bk 1

Semi-Final Round
J.S. Bach/Petri - Sheep may safely graze
Liszt - Les jeux d'eaux à la Villa d'Este, from Années de pèlerinage, Troisième année

Final Round
Rachmaninoff – Sonata No. 2, Op. 36, 1st mvt.
Schumann - Variations on the Name "Abegg", Op. 1
Bax - Water Music
Ravel – Ondine, from Gaspard de la nuit

+ Julie Saito, France

Julie Saito, native of Japan, attended the Manhattan School of Music in New York for one year but pursued her career as journalist for 20 years. Since 2006 she lives in Paris and has re-engaged with the piano. She participated in the Van Cliburn Piano competition in 2016, became the finalist at the Hans von Bulow competition, the 1st prize winner at the Piano Lovers over 40 competition in Milan in 2018 and the quarter-finalist at the Outstanding Amateur Piano Competition in Paris, 2019.

Preliminary Round
Chopin - Mazurka in C Major, Op. 24, No. 2
Ravel - Sonatine
Modéré
Mouvement de menuet
Animé

Semi-Final Round
Schubert - Impromptu in B-flat Major, Op. 142, No. 3, D. 935
Chopin - Polonaise in C-sharp Major, Op. 26, No. 1

Final Round
J.S. Bach - French Suite No. 2 in C Minor
Liszt - Étude de concert No. 3, "Un sospiro"
Chopin - Scherzo No. 3 in C-sharp Minor
Debussy – Prelude, Bk II, No. 12, “Feux d'Artifice”

+ Jeremy Stone, New York

Jeremy Stone, a clinical psychologist on the faculty of Weill Cornell Medical College, began formal piano study at age five. As a teenager, he performed as soloist with several orchestras including the Denver Symphony under Vladimir Golschmann. Following graduation from Yale, Jeremy spent 20 years as a professional pianist, conductor, composer, arranger and music producer on and off Broadway. In 1992, he left commercial music to begin graduate study in psychology. Resuming classical piano practice in 2005, Jeremy has participated in online competitions and was a semifinalist at the 2013 Boston International Piano Competition. He currently studies with pianist Sandro Russo.

Preliminary Round
Mozart - Rondo in D Major, K. 485
Chopin – Mazurka in C-sharp Minor, Op. 63 No. 3
Constantin Sternberg - Etude de Concert No. 3, Op. 103

Semi-Final Round
Shostakovich - Preludes, Op. 34, Nos. 9 and 10
Copland – El Salon Mexico (arr. Bernstein, ed. Jeremy Stone)

Final Round
Mussorgsky - Pictures at an Exhibition (omitting the last Promenade)

+ Max Sung, New York

Max Sung is a physician in full-time practice who also practices on the piano. Prior to his medical studies, he spent a year studying piano with Helmut Roloff at the Hochschule für Musik in West Berlin. During his undergraduate studies at Harvard, he took courses in chamber music with Leon Kirchner, Earl Kim and Patricia Zander. His interest in piano performance was rekindled after a chance meeting with Pedro Carbone, with whom he studied for one year.

Preliminary Round
Chopin - Nocturne in B Major, Op. 62, No. 1
J.S. Bach - Rondeau & Capriccio, from Partita No. 2 in C Minor, BWV 826
Debussy - Poissons d'or, from Images, Bk II

Semi-Final Round
Beethoven - Sonata in F Minor, Op. 57, “Apassionata”:
Allegro assai
Andante con moto
Allegro ma non troppo

Final Round
Mozart - Sonata in F Major, K. 332:
Allegro
Adagio
Allegro assai
Chopin - Ballade No. 4 in F Minor, Op. 52

+ Sean Sutherland, Canada

Sean Sutherland serendipitously discovered the piano as a child growing up in St. Vincent. However, limited opportunities for advanced piano studies there curtailed Sean’s development, after he, at 15, declined a scholarship to study piano the Royal Academy of Music (UK). Nevertheless, Sean resumed at MIT while pursuing undergraduate degrees in engineering and music. Sean subsequently earned an MBA at McGill and an MA in Education at Stanford. Currently residing in Toronto, Sean works as a product manager. Sean was a semi-finalist at the Van Cliburn Amateur (2016), a finalist at the Boston Amateur (2017), and a prize winner at the Chopin Amateur (2018).

Preliminary Round
Chopin - Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise Brilliante, Op. 22

Semi-Final Round
Ravel - La Valse

Final Round
Bach-Busoni - Chorale Prelude, Nun komm' der Heiden Heiland, BWV 659
Schumann - Symphonic Variations, Op 13

+ Hideya Suzuki, Japan

Hideya is an R&D researcher in the polymer chemistry laboratory of DIC Corporation. He began piano studies at age 5, but lessons were interrupted at age 8 and restarted at age 15 with a new teacher. He married Kotomi in 2003, and then they participated in amateur piano competitions in Japan for about 15 years. They have since participated in amateur piano competitions in Paris, Vienna, Chicago, Hawaii, Colorado Springs and Washington. This is his first visit to Boston. Hideya’s younger sister, Yoko, and her family, live in Los Alamos, NM.

Preliminary Round
Debussy – Preludes, Bk I:

2. Voiles
3. Le vent dans la plaine
4. Les sons et les parfums tournent dans l'air du soir
5. Ce qu'a vu le vent d'Ouest

Semi-Final Round
Scarlatti – Sonata in E Major, K.380 / L.23
Brahms - Intermezzo in A Major, Op. 118, No. 2
Debussy – Poissons d'or, from Images, Bk II

Final Round
Mussorgsky - Pictures at an Exhibition (excluding "The old castle")

+ Kotomi Suzuki, Japan

Kotomi Suzuki began piano at 6 years old with a piano teacher near her house. She also would sometimes try flute and koto (Japanese Harp). Last year SHE began to play a violin with her daughter. Kotomi married Hideya in 2003. Since then they have participated in amateur piano competitions in Paris, Vienna, Chicago, Hawaii, Colorado Springs, Washington D.C. and Japan. This is her first visit to Boston. She has been working in Finance at Agility Ltd, a logistics company for 17 years, and is now taking care of her 5-year old daughter.

Preliminary Round
Kapustin - Concert Etudes Op. 40, No. 1, "Prelude"
Prokofiev: Prelude, Op. 12, No. 7 from 10 Pieces for Piano
Sonata No. 6, Op. 82, 1st mvt.

Semi-Final Round
Cimarosa - Sonata No. 5
Debussy - L'Isle joyeuse
Ravel - Le Tombeau de Couperin, "Prelude" and "Toccata"

Final Round
J.S. Bach - Partita No.1 in B-flat Major, BWV 825
Chopin - Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise Brilliante, Op. 22

+ Viscount Thurston, Maryland

Viscount Thurston began piano studies at age 7. In his senior year of high school, he played Rachmaninoff-s Piano Concerto No. 3 with the Brico Symphony (Denver, Colorado). He completed his Doctor of Musical Arts degree (Piano Performance) at the Ohio State University. Viscount has been a regular performer with the Washington Piano Society since 2007. He won First Prize in the 2010 Washington (DC) International Piano Arts Competition and Third Prize in the 2015 Boston International Piano Competition. For most of his career he designed and managed leadership development programs for the Federal Aviation Administration. Now retired, he lives with his wife, Vickie, in Sykesville, Maryland.

Preliminary Round
Haydn - Sonata in C Minor, Hob. XVI:20:
Moderato
Andante con moto
Allegro

Semi-Final Round
Schubert - Sonata in G Major, Op. 78, D. 894, 1st and 3rd mvts.

Final Round
Handel - Suite No. 5 in E Major, HWV 430, “Allemande” and “Air and variations”
Rachmaninoff - Sonata No. 2 in B-flat Minor, Op. 36:
Allegro agitato
Lento
Allegro molto

+ Ronald van Vollenhoven, The Netherlands

Ronald F. van Vollenhoven is a physician specialized in rheumatology and professor at the Amsterdam University Medical Centers in The Netherlands. He started playing the piano at age 8 and received lessons from Lenie Noske-Friedländer, Kim Malmquist, Louis Gosztonyi, and Iveta Calite. His current teacher/coach is former Dutch concert pianist Marius van Paassen. In 2012 and 2013 he gained third prize (2nd cat.) at the Piano Bridges competition in St. Petersburg. He is married and has two children ages 23 and 19.

Preliminary Round
J.S. Bach – Sinfonia from Partita No. 2 in C Minor, BWV 826
Chopin - Scherzo No. 2 in B-Flat Minor, Op. 31

Semi-Final Round
J.S. Bach - Partita No. 2 in C Minor, BWV 826, “Allemande” and “Capriccio”
Liszt – Funérailles, from Harmonies poétiques et religieuses

Final Round
J.P. Sweelinck - Variations on “My Young Life has an End”
Chopin - Polonaise in C-sharp Minor, Op. 26, No. 1
Debussy - Reflets dans l'eau, from Image Bk 1
Prokofiev - Montagues and Capulets, Op. 75
W.H. Krell - Mississippi Rag

+ Yiran Wang, New York

Born in Beijing, China, Yiran Wang began his piano study with Ling Jiang at the age of 8 and showed great interest and enthusiasm in piano at an early age. In 2009, Yiran came to the US attending Cornell University for graduate education in engineering and finance, where he continued his piano study with Professor Xak Bjerken. During his time at Cornell, Yiran actively performed in concerts/projects and music festivals, including “Schoenberg's Playlist” at Cornell among professional musicians and faculty. After graduation, Yiran came to the New York City, and has played with the New York Piano Society since 2015. He is a performer in residence at NYPS and can be heard regularly at prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and Merkin Hall. Yiran has been the winner in many amateur music festivals and piano competitions, including the Washington International Piano Artist Competition, San Diego International Piano Competition and Seattle International Piano Competition. Yiran currently works in a US asset management firm as an investment manager and continues his piano study in the evening division at The Juilliard School.

Preliminary Round
J.S. Bach/Petri - “Sheep may safely graze”, from Cantata, BWV 208
Chopin - Scherzo No.2 in B-flat Minor, Op. 31

Semi-Final Round
J.S. Bach/Stark – Siciliano, from Flute Sonata No.2, BWV 1031
Chopin - Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise Brilliante, Op. 22

Final Round
Bach-Busoni – Chaconne, from Violin Partita No.2 in D minor, BWV 1004
Chopin:
Etude in C Major, Op. 10, No. 1
Ballade No. 4 in F Minor, Op. 52

+ Sho Yamasaki, Massachusetts

Sho Yamasaki started playing the piano at age five, studying with Aki Kawazoe and Yuzo Asaka. He was selected as a representative pianist at the University of Tokyo. In Cambridge MA, he has been studying piano with Timothy McFarland, chamber music with David Deveau, and participated in a masterclass with Janice Weber. He has been annually holding solo recitals at MIT, while actively engaging himself in chamber music, and also playing in the Harvard Mozart Orchestra as a soloist. He is currently doing a joint degree program at Harvard Kennedy School (MPA) and MIT Sloan School (MBA). Prior to this program, he worked in the consulting as a CPA.

Preliminary Round
Debussy - Reflets dans l'eau, from Image Bk 1
Scriabin - Poème, Op. 32, No. 1
Rachmaninoff - Etude-Tableaux in E-flat Minor, Op. 39, No. 5

Semi-Final Round
Mozart - Sonata in C Minor, K. 457, 1st mvt.
Liszt - Les jeux d'eaux à la Villa d'Este, from Années de pèlerinage, Troisième année

Final Round
J.S. Bach - Italian Concerto, BWV 971

1. Allegro
2. Andante
3. Presto

Chopin - Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise Brilliante, Op. 2

+ Sibylle Barrasso, Massachusetts

Sibylle Barrasso has an MBA from UCLA and is an author of mystery novels, a pianist, a mother and a business consultant. She studied piano as a child in Germany. Her business career includes working for Bain & Co. and IBM. Her love for the piano re-ignited while writing a novel about the Rachmaninoff 3rd piano concerto. She studies with Roberto Poli and takes piano performance classes at New England Conservatory and the Rivers Conservatory.

Preliminary Round
Chopin - Prelude Op. 28, No. 15, “Raindrop"
Rachmaninoff - Prelude in C-sharp Minor, Op. 3, No. 2
Chopin - Nocturne C-sharp Minor, Op. Posth.

Second Round
Ckylte - Arietta
Chopin: Waltz in A-flat Major, Op. 34, No. 1
Waltz in A Minor, Op. 34, No. 2

+ Andrew Celentano, Massachusetts

Andrew studied violin and performed at Carnegie Hall with the MIT Symphony Orchestra with Brian Epstein. He was self- taught on the piano starting at age 13 and started taking serious classical lessons about 15 years ago. Andrew plays occasionally at the BSO Café in Symphony Hall and also composes his own material (see www.ThoreauCD.com). Andrew & Hilary have 3 children and 3 grandchildren. He is also an active Big Brother in the Big Brother program and teaches seminars in solving Rubik’s cube and memorizing large numbers. Andrew is also exploring ways to generate electricity from gravity.

Preliminary Round
Gluck-Sgambati - Theme from Orpheus
Rachmaninoff - Prelude in G Major, Op. 32, No. 5
Debussy - Reflets dans l'eau, from Image Bk 1

Second Round
Grieg - Notturno from Lyric Pieces, Op. 54, No. 4
Rachmaninoff - Polichinelle, Op. 3, No. 4
Andrew Celentano - Ode to Delej

+ John Cheng, Virginia

John Cheng is owner of Veracient, LLC which performs technical management and development in the fields of Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity. John received his S.B. degrees in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering from MIT, and his Ph.D. in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University. John started piano in California at the age of 9. He has studied with Ms. Lucille Boger, Dr. Joseph Matthews (faculty at Chapman University), Ms. Joanna Hodges (faculty at CSU Long Beach), and Ms. Nina Scholnik (faculty at UC Irvine). John has two girls who are also piano players so his house is always full of music!
Preliminary Round
Beethoven - Sonata in E Minor, Op. 90
Mit Lebhaftigkeit und durchaus mit Empfindung und Ausdruck
Nicht zu geschwind und sehr singbar vorgetragen

Second Round
Chopin - Scherzo in B-flat Minor, Op. 31
Schubert - Impromptu in G-flat Major, Op. 90, No. 3

+ Judy Darst, Oregon

Judy Darst has a degree in Piano Performance from the University of Colorado, and taught piano as a nationally certified teacher of MTNA and adjudicated for the National Guild of Piano Teachers. She was active in performing groups in Colorado and Seattle and since moving to Bend, Oregon has started a soiree group. The preparation for amateur competitions is so valuable now in a small town where there are few performance opportunities. She has been a serious equestrian and taught line dancing.

Preliminary Round
Schubert - Sonata No. 10 in C Major, D. 613 - Scherzo
Chopin: Prelude in E Major, Op. 28, No. 9
Mazurka in A-flat Major, Op. 59, No. 2
Mendelssohn - Song Without Words, Op. 38, No. 6, “Duetto”
Granados - Galante Minueto, from 12 Danzas Espanolas, Op. 5

Second Round
Brahms - Intermezzo Op. 117, No. 1
Rachmaninoff - Prelude in G Major, Op. 32, No. 5
Granados - Mazurka, from Escenas Románticas
Serge Lancen - Zweifache

+ Arthur Dimond, Massachusetts

Arthur Dimond, a native of Brooklyn, NY, began taking piano lessons at the age of six with his mother’s teacher, Gertrude Kovacs, one of the last of the generation that made piano “house calls”. As a student at the University of Pennsylvania, he took a hiatus from lessons, but continued to play, on his own and as accompanist for the Glee Club. Following Peace Corps service in Turkey, where he periodically found a piano to practice on in the most surprising places, he eventually settled in Washington, DC, where he resumed lessons with Willis Bennett, a member of the American University music department who substantially broadened Arthur’s musical horizons. After moving to Boston for work in the public relations field, he bought his first “serious” grand piano, and explored new musical opportunities, first in a chamber music group, and ultimately in lessons with Kevin McGinty at the All Newton Music School. During this period, he has performed in several recitals focused on the works of Schumann and Brahms, monthly BPAA gatherings, regular gigs at Symphony Hall’s BSO Café and community events. This is his first foray into amateur competitions.

Preliminary Round
Copland - Piano Sonata, 1st and 2nd mvts.

Second Round
Faure - Nocturne No. 1 in E-flat Minor, Op. 33, No. 1
Brahms - Intermezzo in B-flat Minor, Op. 117, No. 2

+ Paul Doerrfeld, Illinois

Paul Doerrfeld is the office manager for his family tool and die manufacturing business in Algonquin, Illinois. He received a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from DePaul University as a pupil of Mary Sauer. Paul enjoys entering Amateur competitions to meet other amateur pianists, and to keep his piano playing skills sharp.

Preliminary Round
Granados - Valses poeticos
Turina - Zapateado, from 3 Danzas Andaluzas, Op. 8

Second Round
Debussy - Masques
Faure - Barcarolle No. 8, Op. 96
Bill Doerrfeld - "Flurious"

+ Marina Fish, Canada

Marina is an avid lover of classical piano. She enjoys participating in amateur piano competitions and is continually inspired by other pianists who share the same passion. When not practicing or working, she enjoys hiking with her husband, reading, and cooking. Favorite composers are Rachmaninoff, Chopin, and Scriabin as reflected in her repertoire for this competition.

Preliminary Round
Bach-Busoni - Adagio - Toccata in C Major
Chopin - Polonaise No. 15 in B-flat Minor, Op. Posth, “Adieu”
Rachmaninoff - Etude-Tableau in C Minor, Op. 33, No. 3

Secondary Round Chopin - Nocturne in B Major, Op. 32, No. 1
Scriabin - Impromptu in B-flat Minor, Op. 12, No. 2
Scriabin - Nocturne for the Left Hand, Op. 9, No. 2

+ George Foukal, Canada

Born in Prague, George Foukal emigrated with his parents shortly after his birth to Montreal. His parents bought him a piano at 9 years of age thinking that because he was always singing he may have some musical talent. Or was it to divert him away from song? After 7 years of lessons came many years of college leading to neither singing nor piano, rather veterinary medicine. After a long hiatus from serious practice he has, over the last 10 years, studied with Dimiter Terziev and Joseph Berarducci, as well as lessons with visiting pianists Sergei Saratovsky and Charles Richard-Hamelin. Recently retired after a long career in veterinary surgery he has turned more attention to his other interests which include, aside from music, architecture and history, cross country skiing, competitive sculling and road biking. He is a founding member of the Vernon Piano Club as well as a regular host for visiting concert pianists. He and his wife Marie, an amateur cellist regularly host house concerts in their home in Vernon, B.C.

Preliminary Round
Schumann: Fantasiestücke Op. 12, No. 2 “Aufschwung”
Fantasiestücke Op. 12, No. 1, “Des Abends”
Chopin - Prelude in G Major, Op. 28, No. 3
Janacek - In the Mists - 1. Andante
Chopin - Waltz in A-flat Major, Op. 42

Second Round
Mozart - Fantasia in C Minor, K. 475 café
Liszt - Soirées de Vienne No. 6 in A Minor

+ Elena Gantvarg, Massachusetts

Elena Gantvarg was born in Belarus. At the age of 18 she went to the Netherlands to study computer science and math at the University of Nijmegen. After graduation she worked in telecom and management consulting and completed an MBA at Nyenrode Business University in the Netherlands. In 2004 she moved to Israel. Since 2007 Elena resides in the US, together with her husband and 3 children, ages 14, 11 and 5, and works in Venture capital. She got tired of telling her kids to practice piano and decided to resume practicing herself instead.

Preliminary Round
Rachmaninoff - Prelude in G-sharp Minor, Op. 32, No. 12
Beethoven - Sonata in C Minor, Op. 13, “Pathetique” - 1. Grave - Allegro di molto e con brio

Secondary Round Brahms - Rhapsody in B MInor, Op. 79, No.1
Scriabin - Etude in D-sharp Minor, Op. 8, No. 12

+ Janet Jordan Halling, Massachusetts

Janet is originally from California, where she studied organ and piano from ages 10-20. She was an organ performance major at University of the Pacific’s Conservatory of Music and performed two full recitals before transferring to the liberal arts college. After grad school, Janet worked in high tech and then at Boston University before forming her company, Keynote Communications. Janet raised a family with her husband, Steve, and then returned to studying music after buying a Steinway grand piano. She studies with Roxana Bajdechi and Roberto Poli and periodically plays at the Boston Symphony Orchestra Café before concerts.

Preliminary Round
Mozart - Sonata in A Major, K. 331, 1st mvt.
Debussy - Voiles, from Preludes, Bk I
Scarlatti - Sonata in D Minor, K. 141

Second Round
Scarlatti - Sonata in E Major, K. 380
Ravel - Minuet from Le Tombeau de Couperin
Albeniz - Suite Española Op. 47, No. 5 - Asturias (Leyenda)

+ Lisa Jen, California

Starting her first classes at Yamaha Music School at the age of 4, music has been an integral part of Lisa Jen’s life. She began her private piano lessons at the age of 6, went on to pursue a dual major in B.S. Biological Sciences and B.A. Music at UC Irvine, and furthered her piano study with Erika Chary after college. She also holds a M.S. in Human Nutrition from University of New Haven. Lisa currently works as the Director of Regulatory Affairs at Herbalife International and is a mother of two young children, Wesley (10) and Vienna (7). Lisa enjoys running, spending time with her family, helping her children learn their musical instruments, as well as finding time to play the piano for herself.

Preliminary Round
Beethoven - Sonata in A Major, Op. 101, 1st mvt.
Brahms - Rhapsody, Opus 79, No. 2

Second Round
J.S. Bach - French Suite No. 5 in G Major, BWV 816

+ Keiko Kircher, Illinois

Keiko Kircher was born in Japan. Seeing her interest in music, her mother sent Keiko to music lessons at age 4, choosing electric organ as her instrument because it allows players to play more "interesting" music than piano does. At age 19, Keiko decided to switch to piano and found out that classical music was more interesting than "interesting" music by a factor of approximately exp(59), which motivated her to continue taking piano lessons as she worked on her Physics degree. She obtained a Ph.D. in Physics and now teaches Physics at college levels. She now sees her piano teacher only about twice a year because she is such a penny pincher, but she still very much enjoys playing piano.

Preliminary Round
Debussy - Pour le Piano:
Prélude
Sarabande
Toccata

Second Round
Beethoven - Sonata in E-flat Major, Op. 81a, “Les Adieux”: Das Lebewohl: Adagio - Allegro
Abwesenheit: Andante espressivo
Das Wiedersehen: Vivacissimamente

+ Judith Knott, United Kingdom

Judith Knott has been playing the piano since 1968 but took a 35-year break while pursuing her career first as an academic linguist, then as a civil servant specializing in tax. She resumed playing in 2012 under Sebastian Stanley in Hertfordshire, UK. Her most exciting piano moment so far was playing Janacek on a BBC Radio 3 program featuring amateur pianists. Judith visited the US several times as the UK’s director of Corporate and International Tax. Since retiring in 2016 she divides her time between writing, music, being a university governor - and most recently, learning Estonian.

Preliminary Round
Mozart - Adagio in B Minor, K. 540
Rachmaninoff - Etude-tableau in G Minor, Op. 33, No. 8
Debussy - Hommage à Haydn

Second Round
Schubert - Impromptu in C Minor, D. 899, No. 1
Grieg:
Lyric Pieces, Op. 12, No. 1, “Arietta”
Lyric Pieces, Op. 62, No. 6, “Hjemad”

+ David Leehey, Illinois

David Leehey is President of the Symphony of Oak Park & River Forest in Illinois. He performed the Brahms D minor Concerto in October 2001, Beethoven Choral Fantasy in April 2011, and Dvorak Concerto in May 2015 with the Symphony. He also serves as its orchestral pianist and rehearsal accompanist. He was a semifinalist in the 2001 and 2003 Boston amateur competitions and the 2009 and 2011 WIPAC competitions. He was a founding board member of Pianoforte Foundation in Chicago, serving as chair of the competition committee for the first Chicago competition held in June 2010.

Preliminary Round
Liszt - Transcendental Étude No. 11, "Harmonies du soir"
Brahms - Rhapsody in E-flat Major, Op. 119, No. 4

Second Round
Schubert - Sonata in G Major, D. 894, 1st mvt.

+ Rosalind Mohnsen, Massachusetts

Rosalind Mohnsen was born in Nebraska, began piano at age five with her mother, continued with Clara Jones, a student of Emil Liebling who was a student of Liszt, and later received a music education degree from the University of Nebraska. She then became an organist, receiving a Master of Music degree and Performer's Certificate from Indiana University, and was away from piano repertoire for many years. She has concertized frequently for conventions of the Organ Historical Society and performed in Riga and Stockholm. She returned to the piano three years ago, playing in the café at the BSO, and is Organist/Director of Music for Immaculate Conception Parish in Malden, MA.

Preliminary Round
Brahms - Rhapsody in G Minor, Op. 79, No. 2
Brahms - Intermezzo in C Major, Op. 119, No. 3
Schumann-Liszt - Widmung, S. 566

Second Round
Chopin - Etude in E Major, Op. 10, No. 3
J.S. Bach - Allemande from Partita No. 6, BWV 830
Benjamin Godard - Mazurka No. 2, Op. 54

+ Soko Nagahara, Massachusetts

Sonoko Nagahara was born in Japan and moved to the US in 1990. She started playing piano at a very young age and it has continually played an active role in her life. She was a high school and college athlete and attended Cornell College in Iowa. She resumed her piano when her two daughters began to play the violin and cello. She has accompanied them in many recitals and performs chamber music with her friends.

Preliminary Round
Schubert - Sonata in A Major, D. 664, 1st mvt.

Second Round
J.S. Bach - Prelude No. 9 in E Major, from WTC Bk 1
Liszt - Étude de concert No. 3, "Un sospiro"

+ Jeff Nicolich, Massachusetts

Jeffrey Nicolich started taking piano lessons at age 11 and continued to play without lessons after high school graduation whenever he could access a piano. After graduating with a PhD in Materials Science he worked in the specialty chemical industry for many years before making a recent career change to data science and analytics. In 2011, with very low expectations, he decided to take piano lessons again and has since been in awe of the amazing teachers and amateur community that call Boston home. This is his very first competition.

Preliminary Round
William Byrd - The Eighte Pavian, from My Ladye Nevells Booke
Ravel - Une barque sur l’océan, from Miroirs

Second Round
Chopin - Mazurka in A Minor, Op. 59, No. 1
Prokofiev - Cinderella Op. 102, No. 3, "The Quarrel" & No. 6, "Amoroso"

+ Ron Setiawan, Illinois

He started his musical journey with playing Electone (Electronic Organ). The original objective was just to compete with his older sister. Within a year, he was able to surpass his older sister who had piano lessons for four years. For more than twenty years he stopped playing a musical instrument. However, after watching amateur piano competitions on Youtube, he decided to start taking piano lessons. Currently, he still takes lessons for both piano and classical saxophone.

Preliminary Round
Scarlatti - Sonata in B Minor, K. 87
Beethoven - Sonata in C Minor, Op. 13, “Pathetique”, 3rd mvt.
Chopin - Waltz in C-sharp Minor, Op. 64 No. 2

Second Round
Mozart - Sonata in C Major K. 330
Allegro moderato
Andante cantabile in F major
Allegretto

+ John Vineyard, New York

John Vineyard grew up in eastern Long Island. He studied the piano at Mannes College of Music and Oberlin College. He has a bachelor's in English from Oberlin College and a Master's in English from Colgate University. Eventually he left English for finance, earning an MBA from Cornell in 1980 and a CFA in 1987. He founded the investment firm Sunlake Investment Management in Ithaca, NY, which he sold upon retirement in 2018. He was formerly President of the Ithaca Opera Association and Treasurer of the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra.

Preliminary Round
Scarlatti - Sonata in D Major, L. 442
Moszkowski - In Autumn, Op. 36, No. 4
Rachmaninoff - Prelude in G Major, Op. 32, No. 5
Rachmaninoff - Prelude in G-sharp Minor, Op. 32, No. 12
Rachmaninoff - Prelude in C Minor, Op. 23, No. 7

Second Round
Lyadov - Barcarolle, Op. 44
Moszkowski - Etude in A-flat Minor, Op. 72, No. 13
Rachmaninoff - Prelude in F-sharp Minor, Op. 23, No. 1
Rachmaninoff - Prelude in E-flat Major, Op. 23, No. 6

+ Anqi Wang, China

Born in Beijing, Mr. Anqi Wang began playing the piano at the age of 4. He majored in Mechanics and Aerospace Engineering at Tsinghua University (Beijing, China) and then he attended EDHEC Business School (Nice, France) for a master program in Finance. During his work as an asset manager, Mr. Wang took part in several piano competitions for amateurs. Currently, he works as the COO at an online education startup.

Preliminary Round
Barber - Nocturne
Chopin - Scherzo No.1 in B Minor, Op. 20

Second Round
J.S. Bach - Prelude and Fugue in C-sharp Major, WTC I
Kapustin - Andante
Liszt - Transcendental Etude No. 10 in F Minor

+ Wei Ling Wang, Texas

Wei Ling Wang studied piano privately from primary school through college years. Since graduating from Rice University with a degree in computer science, Wei Ling has been building computer networks for telecommunication companies to transport voice, video and data for consumers and corporations. In addition to music, Wei Ling enjoys outdoor activities such canyoneering in Zion National Park, zip lining through Ka’anapali in Maui, and hiking in Majorca, Spain where Chopin composed the “Raindrop” prelude.

Preliminary Round
Chopin:
Waltz in A Minor, Op. Posth.
Mazurka in A Minor, Op. 17, No. 4
Rachmaninoff - Morceaux de fantasies, Op. 3, No, 1, “Elegie”

Second Round
Scarlatti - Sonata in D Minor, K. 213
Mompou - Paisajes: El Lago (The Lake)
Chopin - Nocturne in B-flat Minor, Op. 9, No. 1