Video Title

About Us


The Northwest Council of the Chopin Foundation of the United States, an all-volunteer, 501(c)(3) non-profit arts organization will continue the tradition of encouraging talented young American pianists to study and perform classical music, especially highlighting the music of Chopin. We will primarily focus on the Seattle competition and furthering young local talent. The NW Chopin Foundation holds a yearly competition featuring the finest youth talent in Washington state. Each succeeding year, the Festival has grown to becoming one of the region's largest and well-known piano competitions. The very first meeting of The Northwest Chapter of the Chopin Foundation was held September 20, 2001 at the Women's University Club in Seattle, Washington. President Dr. Steven Lagerberg opened a meeting with eight other Chopin enthusiasts in attendance. Steven presented his vision for the Chopin Foundation which was, very simply, to showcase Chopin and his beautiful music.

CHOPIN FOUNDATION OF THE UNITED STATES, NORTHWEST COUNCIL
Dr. Steven Lagerberg, Founder
Dr. Hanna Cyba, President
Dr. Adam Aleksander, Immediate Past President
Dr. Yelena Balabanova, Vice-President
Judy Baker, Founder, Artistic Co-Director, Board Member
Cathy Carpenter, Secretary, Board Member
Dr. Mary Chandler, Treasurer, Co-Artistic Director
Allan Park, Past President, Board Member
Yunbo Cassady, Board Member
Conney Vernall, Board Member
Dr. Nino Merabishvili, Board Member
Dr. Vladimir Balabanov, Board Member
Risa Jun, Board Member
Christopher Moorhead, Webmaster
Alison Bell, Past President
Helen Belvin, Past President


Chopin Foundation of the United States

National Directors

Garrick Ohlsson, Honorary Chairman
Blanka A. Rosenstiel, Founder and President
Olga Melin, Vice President
Dr. Michael Caldwell
Anthony DiResta
Brenda Bruce Fountain
Edith Hall Friedheim
Amanda Gill
Malgorzata Markowska
Vivianne Swietelsky
Executive Director
Barbara E. Muze, Executive Director

Artistic Advisory Committee
Adam Aleksander
Agustin Anievas
Kevin Kenner
Margarita Shevchenko
Mikołaj Górecki
Advisory Board
Joel Harrison, American Pianists Association
Gary Ingle, Music Teachers National Association
Ron Losby, Steinway & Sons

Regional Councils
Dr. Mack McCray, San Francisco Council
Dr. Adam Aleksander, NW Council
Robert Joskowiak - Virginia Council

Advisory Council
National & International

Agustin Anievas
Martha Argerich
Emanuel Ax
Jeffrey N. Babcock
John Bayless
Luiz Fernando Benedini
John Corigliano
Christopher T. Dunworth
Charles Dutoit
Nelson Freire
Bruno Leonardo Gelber
Gary Graffman
Horacio Gutierrez 
Marta Istomin
Byron Janis
James Judd
Cyprien Katsaris
Zoltan Koscis
Jacob Lateiner
Garrick Ohlsson
Paloma O'Shea
Daniel Pollack
Maurizio Pollini
Abbey Simon
Michael Tilson Thomas
Charles Wadsworth
Susan Wadsworth
Krystian Zimerman

Regional Councils
San Francisco, California, Barboursville, Virginia

San Francisco, California
The San Francisco Council was organized in 1987. In 1995 the Council introduced the Chopin Competition for Young Pianists, which provides for young piano students an encouragement for following their artistic careers. To join Chopin Membership in the San Francisco area and to learn more about the Council’s activities please go to their web site www.chopinSF.org.

Barboursville, Virginia
The Virginia Council, located in Barboursville, has been officially incorporated as of September 2015. This chapter has been associated with of the Chopin Foundation and has held events for the past 12 Seasons. Please visit www.chopininbarboursville.org to learn more about the Council’s activities in Virginia.

2024 RULES

  • REGISTRATION PERIOD:
    REGISTRATION PERIOD: DEC 1, 2023 TO JAN 21, 2024* (midnight)
    *IMPORTANT: Registration period ENDS after 230 pianists are accepted. Register early! Additional applicants will be placed on waitlist. NO refunds given after registration is complete.
  • COMPETITION DATE:
    SATURDAY, FEB 3, 2024, 9 am to 6 pm (please keep entire day open. You cannot request a specific time zone or time slot)
  • COMPETITION LOCATION:
    OVERLAKE CHRISTIAN CHURCH
    9900 Willows Rd NE, Redmond, WA 98052
  • GOLD MEDALIST'S CONCERT DATE:
    SUNDAY, FEB. 4 at 1:30 pm and 3:30 pm
  • GOLD MEDALIST'S CONCERT LOCATION:
    St. Lukes Church, 3030 Bellevue Way NE, Bellevue, WA 98004
  • CONCERTO DIVISION (VIDEO FILE SUBMISSION ONLY!)
    Video deadline: JAN 21, 2024. NO YOUTUBE LINKS. Dropbox folder link will be provided to concerto division entrants. MP4 video format only.
  • MAXIMUM NUMBER OF APPLICANTS:
    230. Additional applicants will be placed on waitlist. Online registration ends when 230 applicants are accepted.
  • REPERTOIRE:
    Students may perform either solo or concerto or both. If performing both, they must be registered twice as SEPARATE registrations. 
  • MUSIC POLICY:
    Pianists must ONLY perform ORIGINAL works by Chopin. Abridged, modified, transposed, adapted or modernized versions will be quickly rejected and pianist will be disqualified. Books must have measure rows numbered and presented to the adjudicator just prior to performance. After performance, your music and adjudicator notes will be handed to you. In addition to books, downloaded public domain music of Chopin is permitted. However do not present loose sheets. Instead, place in presentation folder or 3 ring binder. 
  • SOLO DIVISION:
    All selections must be original compositions of Frédéric Chopin. Abridged, transposed, simplified, modified or adapted versions of Chopin's music is strictly rejected. Single or multiple works of Chopin may be performed, provided the total playing time does not exceed the time limit for the Entrant’s division. Room assistant will ring the bell and the pianist must stop playing when the entrant reaches maximum time allowed. There is no penalty. Entrants may not change or omit repertoire once it has been submitted via the application. All piece(s) must be performed MEMORIZED.
  • CONCERTO DIVISION: CONCERTO DIVISION IS VIDEO FORMAT ONLY!
    Pianist may choose either: FIRST MOVEMENT, SECOND MOVEMENT or LAST MOVEMENT OR a combination of second/third movements as a set. Concerto no. 1 in E minor, Concerto no. 2 in F minor and Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise are permitted only. IMPORTANT: Concerto must be recorded WITH second piano accompaniment and the accompanist face CANNOT be visible. Please do not speak or announce yourself at the beginning of the video. Title your video file with your name. All videos will be uploaded to an official Chopin Youtube Channel by our board and no name will be visible on YouTube. A playlist of all the concerto entrants will be distributed ONLY to other concerto entrants. If a student wins Gold Medal for their concerto movement(s) and perform with an orchestra, they are required to use a different movement in subsequent years. All recordings submitted must be recorded between the time period of December 1, 2023 until the deadline of January 21, 2024. DROPBOX link will be emailed to concerto contestants after registration is completed. Pianist must upload their video file on or before January 21st, 2024, midnight. Dropbox link will be deactivated at 12:01 am on January 22nd, 2024. No refunds will be issued to entrants failing to upload their video files. Recordings must consist of unedited, uninterrupted video footage of the participant from a single camera angle with coverage of the performer’s hands and face at all times. If more than one work or movement are being performed, all movements and/or pieces must be performed successively in one unedited take and included on one video link. Recordings must be made on acoustic pianos and must be performed MEMORIZED.
  • AGE DIVISIONS (as of February 3, 2024)
    DIVISION A ages 8 and under. Playing time is up to 5 minutes.
    Application fee: $60
    DIVISION B ages 9-10. Playing time is up to 6 minutes.
    Application fee: $65
    DIVISION C ages 11-12. Playing time is up to 7 minutes.
    Application fee: $70
    DIVISION D ages 13-14. Playing time is up to 8 minutes.
    Application fee: $75
    DIVISION E ages 15-16. Playing time is up to 10 minutes.
    Application fee: $80
    DIVISION F ages 17-18. Playing time is up to 11 minutes.
    Application fee: $85
    DIVISION G ages 19 and up. Playing time is up to 12 minutes.
    Application fee: $90
    DIVISION H CONCERTO ages 18 and younger.
    (VIDEO FORMAT ONLY: NO LIVE COMPETITION)
    Application fee: $90 
  • PRIZES:
    SOLO DIVISION: Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals will be awarded. Only Gold medalists receive cash prize and will perform at the Gold Medalists' Concert on February 4, 2024. Gold Medalists who do not perform will surrender cash prize.
    Helen Belvin Prize: Helen Belvin cash prizes will be awarded to THREE of the most exceptional and most memorable performers. Each adjudicator chooses ONE recipient from the competition.
  • CONCERTO DIVISION PRIZE:
    Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals will be awarded. Gold Medalist will perform one movement with Tacoma Orchestra Recital Series, sponsored by Chopin Northwest Foundation in 2024.

OUR 2024 MEDALISTS

Listed in ALPHABETICAL ORDER (first name)

DIVISION A1, ages 7 and under (Adjudicator: Dr. Yerin Kim)
GOLD: Daniel Wang (Teacher: Hanna Cyba)
GOLD: Ellie Yiran Zhang (Teacher: Ekaterina Melkamini)
GOLD: Jeffrey Lou (Teacher: Adam Aleksander)
GOLD: Orson Lin (Teacher: Sisi Ye)
SILVER: Irene Gao (Teacher: Qian Yin)
SILVER: Jason Fang (Teacher: Sisi Ye)
SILVER: Jinluo Pei (Teacher: Hong Liu)
SILVER: Rose Huang (Teacher: Ni Liu)
BRONZE: Annie Zhang (Teacher: Hong Liu)
BRONZE: Cassandra Mae Ramos (Teachers: Marissa Rebadulla-Ramos/Peter Mack)
BRONZE: Preston Chao (Teacher: Jong Eun Lee)

DIVISION A2, ages 8 (Adjudicator: Dr. Dainius Vaičekonis)
GOLD: Annabelle Wang (Teacher: Tatiana Lanford)
GOLD: Daniel Zhao (Teacher: Tatiana Lanford)
SILVER: Caroline Zhang (Teacher: Maria Maltseva)
SILVER: Rebecca Li (Teacher: Grace Huang)
BRONZE: Isabella Nien (Teacher: Qian Yin)
BRONZE: Shanna Wu (Teacher: Sharon Kim)

DIVISION B1, age 9 (Adjudicator: Dr. Dainius Vaičekonis)
GOLD: Chloe Nari Wang (Teacher: Adam Aleksander)
GOLD: Kyle Tan (Teacher: Emily Cho) 
GOLD/Helen Belvin Prize: Raymond Zhou (Teacher: Tatiana Charapova ) 
SILVER: Aaron Zhou (Teacher: Ke Lao)
SILVER: Annabelle Zhang (Teacher: Nino Merabishvili)
SILVER: Caleb Casper (Teacher: Nancy Jang)
SILVER: Miyako Berman (Teacher: Yelena Balabanova)
BRONZE: Aimee He (Teacher: Alexandra Tsirkel)
BRONZE: Allen Ping (Teacher: James Chen)
BRONZE: Amelia Fu (Teacher: Ni Liu)
BRONZE: Felix Zhang (Teacher: Sasha Starcevich)
BRONZE: Yiten Kueh (Teacher: Ni Liu)

DIVISION B2, age 10 (Adjudicator: Dr. Yerin Kim)
GOLD: Jeffrey Quan (Teacher: Sasha Starcevich)
GOLD: Lucas Zheng (Teacher: Maria Maltseva)
SILVER: Alexander Wang (Teacher: Tatiana Lanford)
SILVER: Justin Wang (Teacher: Nancy Jang)
SILVER: Yilan Jin (Teacher: Nancy Jang)
BRONZE: Alvin Lee (Teacher: Allan Park)
BRONZE: Austin Miao (Teacher: Ekaterina Melkamini)
BRONZE: Ethan Xu (Teacher: Hanna Cyba)
BRONZE: Serena Qin (Teacher: Hong Liu)
BRONZE: Sofia Shao (Teacher: Hong Liu)

DIVISION C1, age 11 (Adjudicator: Dr. Dainius Vaičekonis)
GOLD: Caiden Kim (Teacher: Allan Park)
GOLD: Lingxi Chen (Teacher: Olga Solomatina)
GOLD: Yuyang Liu (Teacher: Sasha Starcevich)
SILVER: Cara Fan (Teacher: Nino Merabishvili)
SILVER: Ivy Zheng (Teacher: Adam Aleksander )
SILVER: Nalin Molly Ananrattanasook (Teacher: Nino Merabishvili)
SILVER: Sydney Cui (Teacher: Adam Aleksander)
BRONZE: Dana Wang (Teacher: Ni Liu)
BRONZE: Inez Ko (Teacher: Allan Park)
BRONZE: Jade Dong (Teacher: Donna Bender)
BRONZE: Joyce Wang (Teacher: Adam Aleksander )
BRONZE: Karen Zhou (Teacher: Yang Wang)
BRONZE: Lucas Popescu (Teacher: Allan Park)

DIVISION C2, age 12 (Adjudicator: Dr. Antonio Pompa-Baldi)
GOLD: Jimmy Huang (Teacher: Yelena Balabanova)
GOLD: Joyce Ye (Teacher: Yelena Balabanova)
GOLD: Toko Ota (Teacher: Adam Aleksander)
SILVER: Arabelle Grote (Teacher: Ni Liu Peter Mack)
SILVER: Kevin He (Teacher: Alexandra Tsirkel)
SILVER: Zhuoxi Liu (Teacher: Emily Chan)
BRONZE: Colyn Li (Teacher: Sasha Starcevich)
BRONZE: Emily Zhang (Teacher: Adam Aleksander)

DIVISION D1, age 13 (Adjudicator: Dr. Emanuela Friscioni)
GOLD: Hanen Guo (Teacher: Donna Bender)
GOLD: Ziwen Gong (Teacher: Tatiana Lanford)
SILVER: Audrey Cui (Teacher: Adam Aleksander)
SILVER: Emily Liu (Teacher: Adam Aleksander)
BRONZE: Chloe Kim (Teacher: Allan Park)
BRONZE: Cindy Dou (Teacher: Jing Xu)
BRONZE: Elena Fan (Teacher: Tracy Xu)
BRONZE: Felix Li (Teacher: Xing Jin)
BRONZE: Jonathan Yang (Teacher: Adam Aleksander)
BRONZE: Justin Lu (Teacher: Judy Baker)
BRONZE: Stephanie Cheng (Teacher: Ni Liu)

DIVISION D2, age 14 (Adjudicator: Dr. Yerin Kim)
GOLD: Alexander Vollmer (Teacher: Allan Park)
GOLD: Radmila Sabirova (Teacher: Yelena Balabanova)
SILVER: Albert Zhang (Teacher: Adam Aleksander)
SILVER: Jacob Eberlein (Teacher: Marietta Hardy)
BRONZE: Angie Wang (Teacher: Adam Aleksander)

DIVISION E1, age 15 (Adjudicator: Dr. Antonio Pompa-Baldi)
GOLD: Kyle Yeung (Teacher: Sasha Starcevich)
GOLD/Helen Belvin Prize: Ruohan Huang (Teacher: Sasha Starcevich)
SILVER: Taiyo Oishi (Teacher: Oksana Ejokina)
BRONZE: Ashley Zong (Teacher: Alexandra Tsirkel)
BRONZE: Avery Pun (Teacher: Mark Salman)

DIVISION E2, age 16 (Adjudicator: Dr. Emanuela Friscioni)
GOLD: Brian Li (Teacher: Sasha Starcevich)
GOLD/Helen Belvin Prize: Nathaniel Zhang (Teacher: Sasha Starcevich)
GOLD: William Wang (Teacher: Peter Mack)
SILVER: Henry Johnson (Teacher: Oksana Ejokina)
SILVER: Jeffrey Zhao (Teacher: Maria Maltseva)
SILVER: Paloma Oh (Teacher: Eliza Vysotsky)
BRONZE: Courtney Tam (Teacher: Yelena Balabanova)
BRONZE: Jer-Shyan Chang (Teacher: Tien-Yin Chen)
BRONZE: Madelyn Kraemer (Teacher: Nancy Jang)
BRONZE: Michelle Cao (Teacher: Sasha Starcevich)

DIVISION F1 age 17 (Adjudicator: Dr. Antonio Pompa-Baldi)
SILVER: Minjae Kim (Teacher: Allan Park)
BRONZE: Meredith Nam (Teacher: Allan Park)

DIVISION F2 age 18 (Adjudicator: Dr. Yerin Kim)
GOLD/Helen Belvin Prize: Daniel Jung (Teachers: Donna Bender/Oksana Ejokina)
SILVER: Uina Yamaguchi (Teacher: Hanna Cyba)
SILVER: Yechong Shan (Teacher: Ivona Kaminska)

DIVISION G, ages 19 and OLDER (Adjudicator: Dr. Emanuela Friscioni)
BRONZE: Kevin Kuo (Teacher: Jong Eun Lee)

CONCERTO DIVISION 
(Adjudicators: Dr. Yerin Kim, Dr. Emanuela Friscioni, Dr. Dainius Vaičekonis)
GOLD - Paul Wang (Teacher: Corey Hamm)
GOLD Alternate - Courtney Tam (Teacher: Yelena Balabanova)
SILVER - Cara Fan (Teacher: Nino Merabishvili)
BRONZE - Jeffrey Zhao (Teacher: Maria Maltseva)
HONORABLE MENTION - Alexander Vollmer (Teacher: Allan Park)
HONORABLE MENTION - Allison Lin (Teacher: Yelena Balabanova)
HONORABLE MENTION - Nicholas Grote (Teachers: Ni Liu/Peter Mack)
HONORABLE MENTION - Nina Iorik (Teacher: Nino Merabishvili)
HONORABLE MENTION - Stephanie Cheng (Teacher: Ni Liu)

2024 Adjudicators

Dr. Antonio Pompa-Baldi

Cleveland Institute of Music
Distinguished Professor of Piano
Born and raised in Foggia, Italy, Antonio Pompa-Baldi won the Cleveland International Piano Competition in 1999 and embarked on a career that continues to extend across five continents. A top prize winner at the 1998 Marguerite Long-Jacques Thibaud Competition of Paris, Pompa-Baldi also won a silver medal at the 2001 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.
Pompa-Baldi appears at the world’s major concert venues including New York’s Carnegie Hall, Cleveland’s Severance Hall, Milan’s Sala Verdi, Boston’s Symphony Hall, Shanghai’s Grand Theatre and Paris’ Salle Pleyel, to name a few.

He has collaborated with leading conductors including Hans Graf, James Conlon, Miguel Harth- Bedoya, Theodore Kuchar, Benjamin Zander, Louis Lane and Keith Lockhart. He has performed with ensembles and colleagues such as the Takács String Quartet, Alison Balsom, Sharon Robinson, and principals of The Cleveland Orchestra, Dallas Symphony and New York Philharmonic, among others.

With a concerto repertoire including more than 60 works, Pompa-Baldi recently performed cycles of all the Rachmaninoff piano concertos, the five Beethoven piano concertos and both Brahms piano concertos with various orchestras. He has played recitals in most major venues around the world. Among the stops on his tours, he performed in Vienna, Austria; Malaga, Spain; Nancy, France; New York; and throughout China (Beijing, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Dalian and Guangzhou).

Pompa-Baldi is a Steinway Artist since 2003. He is often invited to judge international piano competitions such as the Cleveland, Hilton Head, E-Competition (Minneapolis), BNDES Rio de Janeiro and Edward Grieg (Bergen), among many others. He serves as president of the jury and artistic advisor for the San Jose International Piano Competition since 2006.

Pompa-Baldi is on faculty at CIM as distinguished professor of piano. His students have been prize- winners in important competitions such as Marguerite Long, Hilton Head, Isang Yun and Gina

Dr. Emanuela Friscioni

Cleveland Institute of Music
Professor of Piano
Italian pianist, Emanuela Friscioni, received a diploma in piano performance from the"Giuseppe Verdi" Conservatory in Milan, with full marks, and went on to study with Annamaria Pennella. Other teachers have included Paul BaduraSkoda, Aldo Ciccolini and Bruno Canino. Ms. Friscioni has won many national and international first prizes, including those at the Tortona, Moneglia, Camaiore, Chieti, and Kawai Piano Competitions. She has performed throughout Italy, in Switzerland, France and other European countries. She made her U.S. debut in July 2000 with Cleveland Orchestra violinist Gino Raffaelli. Since then, she has enjoyed a career that has seen her perform solo recitals, orchestral engagements and chamber music appearances.

Among her collaborations, she played Schubert's Quintet Op.114"The Trout" with members of The Cleveland Orchestra and was again invited by Orchestra members in 2004 to play an allBrahms program. Ms. Friscioni's recent performances have included Rachmaninoff's Second Piano Concerto with the National Repertory Orchestra; Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue with the Canton Symphony; chamber music and solo performances at the Music in the Mountains festival; and Franck's Symphonic Variations with the Lakeside Symphony Orchestra. She has also performed recitals in California, New Mexico, New York and Ohio.

Her piano duets with her husband, pianist Antonio PompaBaldi, have earned them many prizes and wonderful reviews. Ms. Friscioni is an accomplished professor of piano, first in Italy, where many of her pupils have won prizes and scholarships, and now in the U.S. As a teacher and artistic director, she founded and manages the Classical Piano Performance Academy at Cuyahoga Community College.

She was appointed to the CIM faculty in 2004.

Dr. Yerin Kim

Central Washington University
Praised by the International Piano Magazine as a “pianist of beautiful finesse and golden tone”, and “powerful and engaging, poetic and expressive with some truly original interpretive insights, all performed with a great technique” by Phoenix Classical, pianist Yerin Kim is a recitalist, chamber musician, and educator. She has given concerts in various festivals and recitals in major venues internationally, including The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., Carnegie Hall in New York, and Place Flagey in Brussels.

Her solo debut album “First and Last Words” can be heard on Sheva Label and her duo album “The Sound and the Fury” and “All Roads” with violinist Brendan Shea by the Blue Griffin records. Her duo is managed by the Parker Artist Management and has been praised by major magazines and critics such as Strings Magazine, the BBC Music Magazine, the Calgary Herald, and Gramophone Magazine. Kim is also passionate about outreach and education and she is the founder and director of Sensory Friendly Music and Autism Concert Series, Co-artistic Director of Chamber Music in the Bend, as well as Pianofest at CWU and Music & Autism concert series.

Kim is currently the Director of Keyboard Studies at Central Washington University where she teaches piano and chamber music. Prior to CWU, she taught at the University of Notre Dame as Adjunct Assistant Teaching Professor and has taught at pre-college programs at Indiana University Bloomington and Stony Brook University.

Kim holds a Double Degree in Piano Performance and Psychology from Oberlin Conservatory and College, a Master of Music from Indiana University Bloomington, and Doctor of Musical Arts from Stony Brook University.

Dr. Dainius Vaičekonis

Seattle Pacific University
Dr. Dainius Vaičekonis has an active performance career as a soloist and collaborative artist in the U.S. and Europe. He was a soloist with the Lithuanian National Symphony, the University of Washington Symphony, Butte Montana Symphony, Bremerton Symphony, Port Angeles Symphony, Skagit Symphony and Seattle Pacific University Symphony. The winner of the Francis Walton Award Tour Competition and the University of Washington Concerto Competition, he was also a prize winner in the International Franz Schubert Piano Competition in Dortmund, Germany.

He was an artist in residence at the University of Washington School of Music. Dr. Vaičekonis received a Gerberding Fellowship at the University of Washington. His dissertation, "The Forest for the Trees: Beethoven piano sonatas as integrated cycles,” was published in Germany in 2009. He has performed at Benaroya's Nordstrom Recital Hall, Meany Hall, on “Live by George” at KING FM, “The Beat” at KUOW public radio, Bumbershoot, UW Summer Arts Festival, Franciscan Nights Festival in Ohio, and is a frequent performer in SPU's faculty concert series.

Dr. Vaičekonis has performed with the Vilnius String Quartet and with distinguished artists such as violinists Alexander Velinzon, Ilkka Talvi, and Marjorie Kransberg-Talvi, flutists Edmund Paul Davies and Magali Mosnier-Karoui, clarinetist Sean Osborn, and the Chamber Dance Company. He also performs extensively with his wife, Asta, as a piano duo. Their recent project, “Music for Two Pianos by Living Composers of Israel, U.S., and Lithuania,” was presented in the schools of Israel - Jerusalem Academy of Music, Beer Sheva Conservatory, and Levinsky Pedagogical College in Tel Aviv.

In 2014, Dr. Vaičekonis presented a lecture on and recital of legendary American pianist, composer, and pedagogue Leopold Godowsky in his birthplace in Lithuania. His next project is a lecture-recital and CD recording of the last three Beethoven piano sonatas.

Past Chopin NW Medalists

DIVISION A1, ages 7 and under
GOLD: Daniel Wang, Kandice Chen
SILVER: Chuyu Sun, Ellie Zhang, Harper Li BRONZE: Mia Xu, Rebecca Li

DIVISION A2, ages 8
GOLD: Aiden Dong, Annabelle Zhang, Chloe Nari Wang
SILVER: Agnivesh Chaudhuri, Molly Wu, Roy Kim BRONZE: Amelia Fu, Caleb Casper, Felix Zhang, Rishab Wishwas

DIVISION B1, age 9
GOLD: Brandon Yang, Nicole Wang, Ru-Shan An SILVER: Alexander Wang, Wesley Gu
BRONZE: Ethan Xu, Lawrence Kim, Yilan Jin

DIVISION B2, age 10.
GOLD: Ethan Kyte, Inez Ko, Lingxi Chen, William Feng
SILVER: Cara Fan, Yuyang Liu, Caiden Kim BRONZE: Charlotte Hayes, Dana Wang, William Hu, Yiling Sun

DIVISION C1, age 11
GOLD: Arabelle Grote, Lenka Dzunic
SILVER: Joyce Ye, Yuexi Lu, Brandon Li
BRONZE: Lourdes Ko

DIVISION C2, age 12
GOLD: Eli Antony, Emily Liu, Stephanie Cheng SILVER: Kevin Fan, Tiankai Wang
BRONZE: Albert Cai, Jayden Guo, Joshua Kwan

DIVISION D1, age 13
GOLD: Ayne Kim, Eric Shao
SILVER: Alexander Vollmer, Isabel Yang
BRONZE: Ryan Pilat, Zelin Cen

DIVISION D2, age 14
GOLD: Kyle Yeung, Nicholas Grote
SILVER: Avah Girges, Haowen Zhang,Taiyo Oishi BRONZE: Owen Wu, Phil Yao

DIVISION E1, age 15
GOLD: Brian Li, Michelle Cao
SILVER: Mingyue Yang, Sarah Youn, William Wang BRONZE: Corey Zhang, Jeffrey Zhao

DIVISION E2, age 16
GOLD: Chloe Song, Haolin Cong
SILVER: Meredith Nam, Minjae Kim
BRONZE: Chaochao Gu, Haley Montelaro, Isaac Goldstein

DIVISION F, ages 17 and 18
GOLD: Evan Mao
SILVER: Uina Yamaguchi
BRONZE: Jeffrey Kwan, Samuel Wang

DIVISION G, ages 19 and OLDER
SILVER: Jennifer Siney

CONCERTO DIVISION
GOLD: Jimmy Huang
GOLD ALTERNATE: Enzo Zhao
SILVER: Hyun Yoon, Melanie Yutong Liu
BRONZE: Jeffrey Zhao, Courtney Tam, Mingyue Yang, Ryan Chung

DIVISION A1 - ages 7 and under
GOLD: Chloe Wang, Daniel Chiang, Molly Wu

SILVER: Aimee Tian Ai He, Annabelle Zhang, Crystal Jiao, Hailey Xu, Lingyi Li, Nathan Jiao, Sally Gao

BRONZE: Agnivesh Chaudhuri, Amelia Fu, Bella Jiang, Caleb Casper, Catherine Dong, Ellie Zhang, Finley Cai, Kyle Tan, Roy Kim, Zachary Chen

DIVISION A2 - age 8
GOLD: Alvin Lee, Ru-Shan An
SILVER: Austin Miao, Jeffrey (Zixiao) Quan, Lucas Zheng, Nicole Wang
BRONZE: Brandon Yang, Ethan Xu, Sofia Shao
Yilan Jin

DIVISION B1 - age 9
GOLD: Cara Fan, Lingxi Chen, William Feng
SILVER: Dana Wang, Ella Qiu, Victoria Marie Ramos
BRONZE: Inez Ko, Jessie Wu, Sydney Cui

DIVISION B2 - age 10
GOLD: Jimmy Huang, Yuexi Lu
SILVER: Arabelle Grote, Joyce Ye, Kyle Liao, Lenka Dzunic
BRONZE: Angele Xiao, Eli Long, Eric Xue, Lourdes Ko, Simon Zhu, Toko Ota

DIVISION C1 - age 11
GOLD: Audrey Cui, Emily Liu
SILVER: Eli Antony, Joshua Kwan, Nina Iorik
BRONZE: Hanen Guo, Nicolette Yang

DIVISION C2 - age 12
GOLD: Enzo Zhao
SILVER: Emily Qi
BRONZE: Albert Zhang

DIVISION D1 - age 13
GOLD: Grace Li, Kyle Yeung
SILVER: Ashley Zong, Leah Im, Melanie Liu, Nicholas Grote, Zoe Zhang
BRONZE: Allison Lin, Bill Wang, Bowen Leung, Chloe Woo, Leslie Park, Ruohan Huang, XiYuan Gong

DIVISION D2 - age 14
GOLD: Brian Li, Jason Nam, William Wang
SILVER: Anna Yang, Harrison Li, Jason Kwon, Jeffrey Zhao, Jens Otterness, Michelle Cao, Yuanrui Zhao
BRONZE: Ashwin Krishnaswamy, Daniel Hsu, Elaina Mergler, Mingyue Yang, Sarah Youn, Todd Miao

DIVISION E1 - age 15
GOLD: Earnest Wheelwright, Haolin Cong
SILVER: Eric Ma, Isaac Goldstein, Olivia Qi, Ryan Chung
BRONZE: Bailing Hou, Chaochao Gu, Constantina Tsang, James Huang, Jamie Kwon, Meredith Nam

DIVISION E2 - age 16
GOLD: Marcus Yeung, Minoo Jang
SILVER: Rachel He
BRONZE: Mia Chen

DIVISION F - ages 17, 18
GOLD: Joshua Jung
SILVER: John Meneses
BRONZE: Lily Jonsson

DIVISION G - ages 19 and up
BRONZE: Jennifer Siney

CONCERTO DIVISION - ages 12 to 18
GOLD: David Gatien, Jason Nam
GOLD ALTERNATE: Hyun Yoon
SILVER: Daniella Tsang, Jeffrey Zhao, Nicholas Grote, Ruohan Huang, Ryan Chung
BRONZE: Chloe Song, Courtney Tam, Katie Shen, Madison Yeon, Melanie Liu

DIVISION A, 8 YEARS AND YOUNGER:
GOLD:
Alexander Wang, Brian Wu, Dana Wang, Emma Lu, Gavin Xi, Victoria Marie Ramos

SILVER:
Brandon Yang, Rei Yamazono, Cara Fan, Lingxi Chen, Sydney Cui, Vince Lee

BRONZE:
Daniel Chiang, Nicole Wang, Caiden Kim, Yelin Liu, Yihan Li, Yvaine Wang

DIVISION B, 9-10 YEARS OF AGE:
GOLD:
Jimmy Huang, Joyce Ye, Eli Antony, Leonardo Zhou

SILVER:
Emily (Jiayao) Zhang, Arabelle Grote, Audrey Cui, Joshua Kwan, Nicolette Yang, Rebecca Li, Stephanie Cheng

BRONZE:
Lenka Dzunic, Amy Wang, Angie Wang, Connor Wang, Sophia Kong, Hanen Guo

DIVISION C, 11 AND 12 YEARS OF AGE:
GOLD:
David Gatien, Emily Qi, Itamar Adam, Melanie Yutong Liu, Nicholas Grote, Vivian Jiang

SILVER:
Anne Xu, Enzo Zhao, Grace Li, Ruohan Huang

BRONZE:
Vivian Chang, Zelin Cen, Allison Lin, Leah Im, Leslie Park

DIVISION D, 13 AND 14 YEARS OF AGE:
GOLD:
Brian Li, Kaitlyn Gia Lee, Michelle Cao, William Wang, Chloe Song, Christina Hahn, Meredith Nam

SILVER:
Angelina Xu, Courtney Tam, Harrison Li, Jason Nam, Ella Sumanaseni, Haolin Cong, Jonathan Li

BRONZE:
Chiara Rogers, Corey Zhang, Daniel Hsu, Todd Miao, Kelvin Wang, Olivia Qi, Penelope Keep

DIVISION E, 15 AND 16 YEARS OF AGE:
GOLD:
Daniel Jung, Elsie Lu, Jonathan Zheng, Daniella Tsang, Dora-Ziyan Chen, Lily Jonsson

SILVER:
August Baik, Grace Wang, Xuxuan Jin, Alan Ying, Benjamin Yu, Noah Martinez

BRONZE:
Lucas Tam, Mia Chen, Stefan Chita, Ana Howland, Kyra Li, Samuel Wang, Sanjay Akam

DIVISION F, 17 and 18 YEARS OF AGE:
GOLD:
Alice Zhang, Terri Ji

SILVER:
Cherry Yuan, Jaden Zhang, Nicole Wang

BRONZE:
John Meneses, Sherri Xu

DIVISION G1, 19+ PROFESSIONAL:
GOLD:
Juo-Hsuan Liu

SILVER:
Trinity Gof

BRONZE:
Jeonghyun Lim

DIVISION G2, ages 19+, AMATEUR:
GOLD:
Jennifer Siney

SILVER:
Eva Aw

DIVISION H, 12 TO 18 YEARS OF AGE:
GRAND PRIZE GOLD:
Earnest Wheelwright

GOLD ALTERNATE:
Elsie Lu, Jonathan Shu

SILVER:
Courtney Tam, Lucas Tam

BRONZE:
Jer-Shyan Chang, Kaitlyn Gia Lee, Ruohan Huang

DIVISION A: 8 YEARS AND YOUNGER
GOLD:
Vince Lee, Moxi Zhu

SILVER:
Sydney Cui, Jimmy Huang

BRONZE:
Dana Wang, Yihan Li

DIVISION B: 9-10 YEARS OF AGE
GOLD:
Audrey Cui, Leonardo Zhou, Enzo Zhao, David Gatien

SILVER:
Eli Antony, Seohwon (Ted) Yun, Joshua Kwan, Rebecca Li, Jingyan Ren, Isabel Kaempfer, Albert Zhang

DIVISION C: 11-12 YEARS OF AGE
GOLD:
Eunrae Kim, Ashley Zong, Ella Cho, William Wang, Courtney Tam

SILVER:
Melanie Yutong Liu, Naomi Elsing, Leslie Park, Benicia Zhu, Liam Krol, Kaitlyn Gia Lee, Jens Otterness

BRONZE:
Jeffrey Zhao, Jer-Shyan Chang

DIVISION D: 13-14 YEARS OF AGE
GOLD:
Minjae Kim, Earnest Wheelwright, Meredith Nam, Mia Chen, Daniel Jung, August Baik

SILVER:
Olivia Qi, Christina Hahn, Sarah Kuang, Ryan Chung, Hanjia Guo, Ivory Wang, Stefan Chita,

BRONZE:
Minoo Jang, Jerry Li

DIVISION E: 15-16 YEARS OF AGE
GOLD:
Noah Martinez, Ethan Sun, Nicole Wang, Adrian King

SILVER:
Sandy Huang

BRONZE:
Jeffery Zhang, Dora-Ziyan Chen, Jonathan Shu, Estella Xu

DIVISION F: 17-18 YEARS OF AGE
GOLD:
Anthony Sun

SILVER:
Andrea Liao

BRONZE:
Christopher Marley

DIVISION G: 19 YEARS AND OLDER
GOLD:
Caleb Winslow

SILVER:
Godwin Hong

DIVISION H: CONCERTO
GOLD:
Nicole Wang

GOLD ALTERNATE:
Dora-Ziyan Chen

SILVER:
Hyun Yoon

DIVISION A (ages 9 and under)
GOLD
David Gatien, Emily Qi , Yuna Yamagami, Eli Antony

SILVER:
Amour Luo, Isabel Kaempfer, Dana Wang, Elaina Guan, Ila Lu, Jimmy Huang, Joshua Kwan, Julian Huang, Leonardo Zhou, Moxi Zhu, Natalie Gan, Stephanie Cheng

DIVISION B (ages 10 and 11)
GOLD
Nathaniel Zhang, Liam Krol, Ella Cho, Paul Wang, Corey Zhang, William Wang

SILVER:
Arthur Gong, Ashley Zong, Avery Pun, Brett Zhang, Chloe Woo, Corlan Costello, Grace Li, Harrison Li, Jeffrey Zhao, Jiaqi Chen, Kaitlyn Gia Lee, Kayla Suherman, Roxy Jones, Ruohan Huang, Todd Miao, Tyler Regala, Zixi Nan, Ye-Eun Hong

DIVISION C (ages 12 and 13)
GOLD:
Stefan Chita, Lucas Tam, Constantina Tsang, Earnest Wheelwright, Ray Zhang

SILVER:
Adriana Patala, August Baik, Chloe Song, Christina Hahn, Elsie Liu, Elvin Li, Grace Wang, Haolin Cong, Hyun Yoon, Ian Schuler, Hyunjae Kim, James Huang, Jason Kim, Jeffrey Kwan, Zhirui Jerry Li, Katie Xiao, Kevin Luo, Meredith Nam, Minjae Kim, Nathan Yi, Minoo Jang, Olivia Qi, Rishitha Ravi, Ruslan Kim, Alison Tan

DIVISION D (ages 14 and 15)
GOLD:
Claire Kim, Edward Zhang, Young Park, Jonathan Shu

SILVER:
Adrian King, Alan Ying, Andrew Shaw, Angela Hu, Connor Yoon, Daniel Chen, Daniella Tsang, Devian Shukla, Ellen Li, Jesse Morris, Jacqueline Loeliger, John Meneses, Julia Liu, Julia Schraml, Nathan Hu, Nicole Wang, Sherri Xu, Samuel Wang, Noah Kim, Sandy Huang

DIVISION E (ages 16 to 18)
GOLD:
Janet Phang , Quennie Nguyen, Jiongmin (Owen) Wang, Karen Haining

SILVER:
Kevin Yip, Christopher Marley, Elise Winkler, Lily Bai, Paige Wiesinger, Anthony Sun

DIVISION F (19 and up)
GOLD:
Reid Wolch

SILVER:
Britanee Wong, Eva Aw

CONCERTO DIVISION:
GOLD:
Young Park, Benjamin Yu,

CONCERTO DIVISION ALTERNATE:
Edward Zhang

CONCERTO DIVISION:
SILVER:
Alan Ying, Anna Wang, Quennie Nguyen, Jaelon Diloy-Mendoza, Hyun Yoon, Kelly Chen, Katie Shen, Michael Duan, Jaden Zhang

DIVISION A (ages 9 and under)
GOLD: Emily Qi, Stephanie Cheng, Eunrae Kim
SILVER: Nicholas Grote, Vivian Jiang, Enzo Zhao
BRONZE: Dana Wang, David Gatien, Naomi Elsing, Lisa Gao, Leonardo Zhou, Skyla Yu, Moxi Zhu, Christina Zhuang , Eli Antony

DIVISION B (ages 10 and 11)
GOLD: Ethan Xie, Ray Zhang, William Wang
SILVER: Earnest Wheelwright, Chloe Song, Haolin Cong
BRONZE: Anna Melomed, Elaina Mergler, Christina Hahn, Ella Sumanaseni, Liam Krol, Jeffrey Zhao

DIVISION C (ages 12 and 13)
GOLD: Daniella Tsang, Young Park, Eashan Vagish
SILVER: Lynnsean Young, Stefan Chita, Jerry Li

BRONZE: Dora-Ziyan Chen, Daniel Jung, Benjamin Yu, Alan Ying, Daniel Zhang, Jeenah Gwak, Alison Tan

DIVISION D (ages 14 and 15)
GOLD: Jaden Zhang, Ethan Tan, Claire Ku
SILVER: Edward Zhang, Nile Camai, Jonathan Shu
BRONZE: Scott Fisher, Jr., Claire Kim, Christina Stepin, Jesse Morris, Zeke Taton, Steve Silverberg, Sherri Xu, Claire Jung

DIVISION E(ages 16 to 18)
GOLD: Owen Wang, Janet Phang, Shichu Liu

SILVER: Deanna Han, Lily Bai, Megan Lu

BRONZE: Connor Zhang, Kathering Kuang, Ivan Tarasenkov, Jonathon Lin, Dajeong Yoon, Sonya Ribner, Michael Duan

DIVISION F (ages 19 and up)
GOLD: Luke Raffanti
SILVER: Yimo Zhang, Cicy Li

DIVISION G, CONCERTO
GOLD: Edward Zhang
SILVER: Deanna Han

Vignettes
by Steven Lagerberg

Sophisticated Restraint

Over the many years since Frédéric Chopin’s death there have been countless descriptions of his musical style, however difficult it is to pinpoint exactly what it is that makes his music so unique. His particular combination of Classical and Romantic elements was unusual for the time he lived in. Chopin was an adherent of Mozart’s aesthetic, principles Mozart once wrote in a letter declaring that music was capable of expressing all passions, sorrows and suffering. Nevertheless, he said, passions, violent or otherwise, should never be expressed to a degree that provokes disgust; similarly, music at its most terrible should never irritate the ear, but charm it. In other words, Mozart felt music should always remain music and exercise some degree of moderation. Chopin fully embraced this discipline and subsequently enhanced it to create his own complex method of composing that might be termed “sophisticated restraint.”

Chopin lived his life in a similar manner. His attire, while always fashionable, was classically elegant. He spoke softly, rarely raising his voice. Even the colors he chose for the wallpaper of his apartment were never  flashy or garish, but rather understated and classy. In the same manner his musical style demonstrated a sort of controlled elegance and he decried those pianists whose technique displayed excessively loud pounding of the keys. He claimed that manner of playing resembled the “barking of a dog,” describing it as subhuman and that such harsh sounds should not inhabit the realm of human music as they resemble mere “noise.”

Chopin possessed a grudging respect for Beethoven, teaching several of the famous German composer’s works to his students, yet in his own music he largely ignored Beethoven’s influence and innovations. Somewhat similarly, Chopin and Hector Berlioz were friends in Paris despite being polar opposites and would occasionally spend time together at various functions. Outwardly, Chopin was rather calm and collected, whereas Berlioz had an outsized personality, often being scatterbrained and unrestrained. It goes without saying that Chopin rather detested the latter’s music for its expressive excess, its use of blaring horns, untamed rhythms and crashing cymbals. Other than the works of Bach and Mozart, Chopin revered the works of few other composers. His own work exists as a pristine island among an archipelago of others, often dark and enigmatic and unequivocally in a class by itself.

There is an analogy to be drawn between Chopin’s physical appearance – with his elegant clothes and fine furnishings, a man who despised all that was uncouth and common and who kept himself aloof from the common crowd – and the elegant somewhat detached style of his works. There is in his music a certain restraint, a hidden reserve of power as Robert Schumann once noted, “Chopin’s works are cannons buried in >lowers.”

Chopin’s music represents one of the highest forms of human achievement. The subtle complexity of his musical style, with its precise and integrated embellishments, its gracefully reserved dynamics and its painterly-colored emotions effortlessly communicates with the human heart. Chopin’s style of music never needs to scream, only to sing. 
November 2023, Paris Steven Lagerberg

ARCHIVES:
The Scent of the Lily
The Piano Capitol of the World
Chopin in the Time of Cholera and COVID
Recognition
What Motivated Chopin
An Educated Guess
A Personal Challenge
Emotional Music
The Long Suffering
Of Hands and Heart
Why Do We Have a Chopin Festival
A Fateful Journey
Chopin's Pianos
What's Not to Like About Chopin's Music
To Compete or Not Compete

Dr. Steven Lagerberg is retired as a practicing physician from Kaiser Permanente and is the founder of the NW Council of the Chopin Foundation. Steven is the author of: Chopin's Heart: The Quest to Identify the Mysterious Illness of the World's Most Beloved Composer and Essays on Chopin.

Copyright 2020-21. Steven Lagerberg. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher. 

Donate

Support The Chopin Foundation of the United States
The Northwest Council of the Chopin Foundation of the United States, an all-volunteer, 501(c)(3) non-profit arts organization, will continue the tradition of encouraging talented young American pianists to study and perform classical music, especially highlighting the music of Chopin. Your donation is tax deductible and we would like to express our sincerest appreciation for your donation.

DONATE HERE

DIAMOND SUPPORTER
$10,000 & up

  • Helen & David Belvin
PLATINUM SUPPORTER
$2,000-$9,999

  • Rainier Group, Inc., Alison & Skip Bell
  • Dr. & Mrs. Steven Lagerberg
  • George & Amy Tu
  • Dr. Adam Aleksander
  • Dr. Hanna Cyba
  • Allan Park
GOLD SUPPORTER
$1,000-$1,999

  • Kurt Kolb
  • Dr. Yelena Balabanova
  • Dr. Vladimir Balabanov
  • Yunbo Cassady
  • Rob and Janet Coe
  • Nicole and Weiyou Cui
  • Senu and Yuki Nakazato
  • Nino Merabishvili
SILVER SUPPORTER
$100-$999

  • Randall Jackson
  • Dr. Mary Chandler
  • Gourmet Music & Culture Club Foundation
  • Ni Liu
  • Tim & Cristelle Grote
  • Dr. Sasha Starcevich
  • Connor & Jaden Zhang
  • Conney Vernall
  • Ilene Garland
  • Christopher Moorhead
  • Ellen King
  • Daisy Tsang
  • Haiyuan & Mei Lu
  • Dr. Mary Chandler
  • Judy Baker
  • Bozena Checinska
  • Piali Choudhury
  • Betty Tonglao
  • Cindy Zhang
  • Long Cheng
  • Namdeuk Kim
  • Kun Chen
  • Dr. Oksana Ezhokina
  • Teresa Zhu
  • Alan Ying
  • Maria Maltseva
  • Jing Zheng
  • Dr. James Wang and Simone Wang

Address & Email

Northwest Chopin Festival
4957 Lakemont Blvd. SE
Suite C-4, #259
Bellevue, WA 98006

Email:
Dr. Hanna Cyba, President

Follow Us

VISIT OUR FACEBOOK PAGEE

FRIENDS & SPONSORS

Kennelly Keys Music
Violet N Photograph
Orchestra Seattle
Cascade Symphony
Seattle Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra
Bellevue Symphony
Classic Pianos
Opus4 Studios
Rainier Group

© Copyright 2024 Chopin Northwest - All Rights Reserved