17 high school students will compete in Lee University’s annual Piano Competition, June 20-23 for a grand prize of $3,000 with significant second and third prizes and the prospect of Lee University music scholarships.
The competition will include a concert on Friday, June 22 at 7:30 p.m. in the Squires Recital Hall, featuring guest judges Roberto Poli and Juyeong Kang and faculty judge Ning An.
The students are from across the country and have been accepted to the competition after submitting an audition tape of two contrasting compositions. Participants will compete in two live rounds, playing different repertoire for each. The live rounds are free and open to the public on June 21 at 9 a.m., 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. The final round will be held on June 23 at 9 a.m. and is also open to the public. The winner of the competition will be announced on Saturday, June 23 at 11:45 a.m.
Justin DeVito of Pelham, N.Y. has performed in numerous venues in Westchester and New York City, including the New Rochelle Public Library, Steinway Hall, Carnegie/Weill Recital Hall and the Music School of Westchester. He has been a prize winner at several competitions, including Queens College (1999), Music School of Westchester (2006), and the Music Teachers Council of Westchester (2007) competitions. Justin is a student of Vladimir Babadzhan.
Frederick Naison Dong of Lilburn, Ga., has studied with Anne Sun and Frederic Hsiang since November, 2005. During this period, he has participated in three competitions, including the Georgia Piano Olympics, the 2006 MTNA Fall auditions, and the division round of the MTNA auditions, receiving third, first, and honorable mention respectively. In addition, he was the recipient of the 2007 Atlanta Steinway Society C. Merrell Calhoun Prodigy Award.
Ryan David Hartman of Delaware, Ohio is 15 years old, attends Veritas Academy, in Worthington, Ohio. He has taken piano lessons from Amy R. Laurence for nine years. A participant in National Piano Guild Auditions, Ryan also enjoys plays for his church. He is the son of Doyle and Chris Hartman of Delaware, Ohio.
Daniel Hedgepeth of Collierville, Tn., is currently a student of Alice Adams Jackson. As an experienced competitor, he recently won first place in the Young Artist Concerto Competition at Murray State University, earning the right to play with the Paducah Symphony Orchestra on March 3, 2007. He also took 1st prizes in his division this spring in Young Artist Competitions at UT Martin, Middle Tennessee State University, and the University of Central Arkansas.
Dorothy Hughes of Lewes, De. is a student of David Brown. A participant in many recitals and competitions, she also enjoys playing piano for her church. Besides music, her interests include reading, traveling and civil war reenacting.
Minjoo Jo of Prattville, Al. was born in Seoul, Korea, Minjoo Jo began her first piano lesson at age eight. She is now a student of Ronald Shinn. Minjoo has won numerous competitions including Alabama Music Teachers Association, the Lois Pickard Music Scholarship Competition (2006), and the Eunice Hoffmeister Young Artists Concerto Competition (2007). Future performances include Rachmaninoff’s Concerto No. 2 with the Shoals Symphony Orchestra and, as a winner of Yamaha Young Artist Competition, at the Bands of America Summer Symposium.
Erica Leung of Trenton, Tn. was born in Hong Kong, China, Erica Leung moved to Tennessee when she was two. She has studied piano for fourteen years with Alice Adams Jackson. She has played solos with two different orchestras and was recently honored as an award winner at the World Piano Competition playing in Carnegie Hall. She enjoys teaching music to young children and is an active Senior Girl Scout.
Hanbo Liu, Fairfax, Va., is a student of Rosita Kerr Mang. His numerous awards include the second prize at the Daniels National Piano Competition (Furman University, 2007) and first place in the Music Teachers National Association Baldwin Junior High Piano Performance competition in the District of Columbia. Hanbo has performed at the Stewart Recital Series, the Goodwin House Recitals, and he played a marathon concert to raise money for the victims of the Gulf States hurricanes in 2006. He is a ninth grader at Fairfax High School.
Robert McDonald, Dallas, Tx., began his piano studies at age 5 with his mother and current teacher, Morey McDonald. He made his orchestral debut the summer of 2004 as soloist under the baton of Lawrence Loh with the Plano Symphony Orchestra. Robert has been a prize winner in numerous piano competitions including first prize at the Juanita Miller TASO State Concerto Competition. He was accepted as the only high school student into the Banff International Keyboard Festival with scholarship, where he studied with Julian Martin of The Juilliard School.
Jeffery (Che-Wei) Ou, Dallas, Tx., is a student of Baya Kakouberi. He has been recognized at such events as the 2006 Baylor/Waco Piano Competition, 2006 Northeast Texas Piano Competition, and both the 2006 and 2007 Dallas Symphonic Festivals. In addition to piano, he has played viola and violin, and also composes. He is currently a sophomore at Shepton High School in Plano, Tx.
Wei (Maggie) Qi, Tulsa, Ok., is a student of Roger Price. She has been a prize winner in several competitions, including those sponsored by MTNA. Maggie has also been awarded scholarships to study at Interlochen and Tanglewood. She was recently featured on Tulsa’s KOTV and has played in masterclasses of Anne Epperson and Valery Kuleshov.
Philip Sanchez, West Palm Beach, Fl., is currently a sophomore at A.W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts in South Florida. He has been studying piano for six years and currently studies with Ruo Balko. Philip participated in The 1st International Piano Master Class dedicated to Chopin’s method in Guadelupe, France and has performed in a number of community events.
Gregory Wang, Johnson City, Tn., is a tenth-grade student at Science Hill High School. In 2005, he was named runner-up in the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Southern Division Baldwin Junior Performance Competition. Gregory has performed with the Johnson City and Maryville Symphony Orchestras. Frequently invited to perform in masterclasses presented by the Knoxville Young Artist Series, Gregory is a student of Benjamin Caton.
Brendan White, Jackson, Tn., currently studies piano with Alice Adams Jackson and Aaron Robinson. He has performed in numerous recitals, including honors recitals for the West Tennessee Music Teacher’s Association, and has appeared as soloist in the Jackson and Delta Symphony Orchestras. Brendan has achieved first place at numerous competitions including University of Central Arkansas, the Starr Young Artist Competition, and the solo and concerto divisions of the TMTA Auditions, and the Delta Symphony Concerto Competition. A versatile musician, he was principal percussionist with the Jackson Symphony Youth Orchestra for 6 years.
Jesse Wong, Fairfax Station, Va., a rising senior at Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, has been studying with Nancy O’Neill Breth for 11 years. Jesse’s first-place awards include the 22nd Bartok-Kabalevsky-Prokofiev International Piano Competition, the International Young Artists Piano Competition, the Beethoven Society of America’s Maria Fisher Competition, and numerous other state and local competitions. In 2007, Jesse performed the complete 3rd Piano Concerto by Bela Bartόk with the Little River Symphony and has also appeared with the National Symphony Orchestra.
Tiffany Woo, Dayton, Ohio, is a rising senior at the Miami Valley School. For the past ten years, she has studied with Tiraje Ruckman. Tiffany won her first major competition, the Steinway competition (Moyen I division) in Paris, when she was nine. Last year, Tiffany won a concerto competition at the University of Cincinnati’s CCM Prep Division, as a result of which she performed with the Clermont Philharmonic. She also won the Dayton Philharmonic Concerto Competition, and subsequently made two appearances with that orchestra. She is due to perform with the Blue Ash/Montgomery Symphony Orchestra in September.
Tianyi Zhang, Carmel, In., was born in Harbin, China. She started piano lessons at age nine after moving to the United States. Currently, she studies with Chun Chi An. Tianyi has many musical accomplishments, including recitals and competitions. In 2006, she placed third for level 9 in the World Piano Competition of Cincinnati. Tianyi attends Carmel High School in Carmel, In.
For more information on this competition and what portions are open to the public, please call the School of Music at 614-8240 or visit http://www.leeuniversity.edu/events/piano/.