The artists and the program

Born

Yeouido

Educated

New York

Lives

New Haven

Praised as “a world-class musician on every level,” (Gramophone) Chaeyoung Park is a passionate pianist who has most recently appeared as a soloist at the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, the Gilmore Rising Stars series, the Bravo! Vail Music Festival, and Rockport Music. Winner of the 2022 Young Concert Artists International Auditions and the 2019 Hilton Head International Piano Competition, she has performed with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Charlotte Symphony, and Kansas City Symphony. As a dedicated chamber musician and collaborator, she has also performed at Tippet Rise, Boston Celebrity Series, Shriver Hall and the Schiermonnikoog Music Festival. She received the Artist Diploma from the Juilliard School under the tutelage of Robert McDonald.

Born

Philadelphia

Educated

Baltimore

Lives

Baltimore

Sebastian Picht comes from a multi-generational musical family. He began his piano training at the age of four with his grandmother, Asya Kalendar. Sebastian has presented solo recitals on international stages in Switzerland, Mexico, Iceland, Italy, and Spain, participating in the Swiss Alps Classics, Valencia and Harpa International Music Festivals. He is an alumnus of the 2022-2024 Young Scholars Program of the Lang Lang International Music Foundation. Sebastian is an experienced and passionate chamber musician. He has had masterclasses with Gary Graffman, Richard Goode, and Yoheved Kaplinsky, among others, and is currently studying at the Peabody Conservatory with Alexander Shtarkman.

Born

Zhejiang

Educated

New York

Lives

Bloomington

Pianist Xiaoya Wan is recognized for her imaginative artistry, expressive depth, and commanding virtuosity. She currently studies at the IU Jacobs School of Music with Chi-Ho Han and previously studied at The Juilliard School with Julian Martin and Hung-Kuan Chen. Since 2020, she has also been a contracted pianist supported by Kayserburg. She has collaborated with orchestras including the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Chamber Orchestra of Wallonia, the Juilliard Chamber Orchestra and the National Youth Orchestra of China. At the age of eleven, she made her orchestral debut performing Mozart’s Piano Concerto K.449 conducted by Vladimir Ashkenazy. She received top prizes at Fou Ts’ong, Wideman, Campillos, Imola and Hong Kong International Piano Competitions in the USA, Europe and Asia.

Born

Xi'an

Educated

New York

Lives

New York

Ruogu Wen is a pianist and composer currently pursuing his Master of Music degree at The Juilliard School under the guidance of Dr. Yoheved Kaplinsky and Professor Robert McDonald. A laureate of numerous international piano competitions, he has received top prizes at the Dinu Lipatti, André Dumortier, Ke’alohi, Vigo, Ettlingen, Steinway, and Imola International Piano Competitions. He has performed extensively throughout China, Europe, and the United States, including at the Spoleto Festival dei Due Mondi, and has performed as a concerto soloist with orchestras in the United States, Romania, Belgium, Italy, and China. In addition to his pianistic career, his original compositions have been performed internationally in Shanghai, Aspen, New York, Fontainebleau, and Spoleto.

Born

California

Educated

Los Angeles

Lives

Los Angeles

Christy Wu is a fourth-year undergraduate pianist at the Colburn Conservatory of Music, where she studies with a full scholarship under the guidance of Fabio Bidini. She began her piano studies at the age of five and later continued her musical training at the National Taiwan Normal University Affiliated High School, studying with Shan Shan Wang and Chiao-han Liao. At the age of fourteen, Christy was admitted to the Colburn Music Academy, where she studied with Fabio Bidini and Hye-jin Kim while completing her high school studies at Brea Olinda High School. Christy has received numerous prestigious awards, including Absolute First Prize at both the 12th Valencia International Performing Arts Summer Music Festival (VIPA) and the 5th Málaga International Piano Arts Festival.

Born

Ningbo

Educated

Shanghai, Oberlin

Lives

Oberlin

Hanyuan Zhu is currently pursuing his undergraduate studies at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where he studies with Professor Dang Thai Son. He began studying the piano at the age of six and received his early training at the affiliated schools of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music under Professor Yang Yunlin. He has received recognition in national and international competitions, including Second Prize at the 2023 International Anton Rubinstein Competition, Second Prize at the 2023 Morningside Music Bridge Concerto Competition, and Sixth Prize and the Best Mazurka Prize at the 2019 Beijing Chopin International Piano Competition. He was also selected for the Arthur Rubinstein Competition in Tel Aviv and the 19th Chopin Competition in Warsaw.

Born

Beijing

Educated

Cleveland

Lives

Cleveland

Eighteen-year-old pianist, organist, and carillonneur Mohan Jia, is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Piano at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she studies with Professor Antonio Pompa-Baldi. She is also pursuing a minor in German at Case Western Reserve University. Mohan has performed at prominent venues across China, France, and the United States and has received multiple scholarships at the secondary, conservatory, and festival levels in recognition of her pianistic achievements. She is the Iris and Tom Harvie Director's Award recipient at CIM. A prizewinner at major international competitions, Mohan Jia’s awards include top prizes at the Robert Schumann International Competition for Young Pianists and the Cleveland International Piano Institute for Young Artists Competition.

Born

Bangkok

Educated

Bangkok

Lives

Houston

Ariya gained international recognition as the first Thai winner of the 5th International Franz Liszt Competition for Young Pianists in Weimar, Germany. She later won Second Prize (no First Prize was awarded), as well as the Press Prize and the Audience Prize, at the Liszt Competition in Enschede, the Netherlands, and Third Prize at the Nashville International Chopin Competition. She is a prizewinner of competitions across Japan, Korea, Germany, the Netherlands, Thailand, England, Malaysia, Canada, and the United States, and made her Carnegie Hall debut at the age of ten. Most recently, Ariya took part in the 19th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw. Upon graduating from the University of Michigan, she was awarded the Earl V. Moore Award for outstanding achievement in music. She is currently pursuing a Master of Music degree at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, where she studies with Jon Kimura Parker.

Born

Taipei

Educated

Los Angeles

Lives

Los Angeles

Pianist Yu-Wei Lee is recognized for her structural clarity, expressive depth, and refined tonal control. She is currently studying at the Colburn School with Fabio Bidini, where she won First Prize in the 2025 Colburn Concerto Competition. Previously, she studied at the Oberlin Conservatory with Angela Cheng, earning First Prize in the 2024 Oberlin Concerto Competition and receiving the John Elvin Prize. Lee has performed internationally across Asia, Europe, and the United States, appearing at venues such as the National Concert Hall in Taipei, Salle Édouard Herriot in Lyon, and the Van Cliburn Concert Hall. Her honors include the Chi-Mei Arts Award and prizes at major international competitions.

Born

Hunan

Educated

Guangzhou, Oberlin

Lives

Parkville

Yangrui Cai studied with Vivian Li and Jay Sun before continuing with Stanislav Ioudenitch at the International Center for Music at Park University after completing his Bachelor of Music at Oberlin Conservatory. A semi-finalist at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, he received the Beverley Taylor Smith Award for Best Performance of a New Work. His distinctions include First Prize at the Japan Piano Open International Piano Competition, Fourth Prize at the Ljubljana Festival International Piano Competition, and awards at the Busoni and Gina Bachauer International Piano Competitions. He has appeared as soloist with orchestras across Europe, Asia, and North America, including the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra.

Born

Virginia

Educated

New York

Lives

New York

Originally from a small town in central Virginia, pianist Robert Brooks Carlson began playing piano at the age of eight. Currently, Robert resides in New York City, where he is a Doctor of Musical Arts candidate at the CUNY Graduate Center and instructor of piano at Hunter College. Since 2020, Robert has studied with acclaimed pianist Soyeon Kate Lee. Notable collaborations include performances alongside distinguished artists such as Alexander Fiterstein, Alexi Kenney, and Julio Elizalde. Recently, Robert appeared at the Music Academy, the Olympic Music Festival, and the Gilmore Piano Festival. Robert is a prizewinner at the National Federation of Music Clubs Competition, as well as the President’s Prizewinner at the Seattle International Piano Competition.

Born

Guangdong

Educated

Oberlin

Lives

Boston

Yubo began studying the piano at the age of four. He trained with Professor Galyna Popova at the Middle School Affiliated with the Xinghai Conservatory of Music, graduating with highest honours in 2021. He received scholarship offers from The Juilliard School, the New England Conservatory, and the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where he earned his Bachelor of Music degree under Professor Dang Thai Son. He is currently pursuing graduate studies at the New England Conservatory with Professor Dang. Yubo has participated in major competitions, including the 19th International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw and the 64th Busoni International Piano Competition. He is a prize-winner at the Rudolf Serkin Prize Competition, the Oberlin Concerto Competition, and the New Orleans International Piano Competition.

Born

New Jersey

Educated

New York

Lives

New York

Alexander (Sasha) Jorge Grossman is a pianist and composer. Born into a musical family he is the grandson of renowned Cuban composer and conductor Jorge López Marín. Sasha began playing the piano as soon as he could reach the keys and was only three years old when he began to improvise and play by ear. At the age of four, he begged his mother to teach him, and soon after he was accepted into the Special Music School for gifted children at Kaufman Music Center in New York. At the age of ten Sasha was awarded the Legacy Arts International Grant and won First Prize in the Child Prodigy category at the 2018 Nuova Coppa Pianisti International Piano Competition, held as part of the Osimo Piano Hours Festival in Italy. Sasha gave his first solo recital at the age of 12 and made his orchestral debut at 11.

Born

Sydney

Educated

Sydney

Lives

Sydney

Winner of the 2024 Australian National Piano Award, Joshua Han has been praised for “complete mastery of his instrument and complete empathy with the music” (Sydney Arts Guide). He has performed across four continents, including concertos with the Sendai Philharmonic, Queensland Symphony and Suwon Philharmonic Orchestras. Joshua won First Prizes at the International Piano Competition J.S. Bach, the Aarhus International Piano Competition, and the Ettlingen International Piano Competitions. In April 2026, Joshua stepped in at short notice for Alexander Gavrylyuk to perform Strauss’ Burleske with The Orchestra Project. His 2026–27 season includes concertos with the Sydney Harbour Ensemble and the Sydney Conservatorium of Music Symphony Orchestra. Joshua currently studies at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music under Paul Rickard-Ford.