Judges
- October 13, 2016
- Posted by: admin
- Category: Uncategorized
Distinguished Jury For Semi-Final
For Piano
Graduated from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and the Royal Academy of Music in London, Julie is currently a piano faculty member at Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, the Chinese University and the Baptist University. She is also the new hostess in a series of talk and demonstration on the ABRSM piano examinations at the RTHK radio 4.
Apart from giving lectures, masterclasses and acting as jury in many piano competitions, Julie also leads an active career in performance and composition. She formed the “HK Duo” (www.hkduo.com or hkduo2000 at Youtube) in 2000 giving local and overseas concerts. She had also appeared as Artist-in-Residence in the RTHK Radio 4 and the TV series, ‘Music and Beyond’. In 2007, she was commissioned by the local government to arrange a Chinese composition for ten pianists on ten pianos in the Dragon Jamboree concert celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the return of sovereignty. Her composition, “Tableau for 48 hands” for 24 pianists on 4 pianos, became one of the top 10 headlines of the Fine Music Magazine in 2008. In 2009, she was commissioned to compose for the 40th Anniversary of the Hong Kong Children’s Choir and the 20th Anniversary of the Cultural Centre. In 2010, her “Mahjong on Stage!” for 4 pianists on 4 pianos synchronizing with video clips on mahjong game attracted much attention from the press and the audience. She was then featured as one of the Hong Kong Ten Young Musicians in the i-cable TV “Close to Culture”.
Julie’s publications include lecture demonstration dvd on the 62nd Hong Kong Music Festival piano competition repertoire published under Brio, piano duo CD album “In a glimpse” published under Tammy Records, and piano duo composition “Nocturne” published under H’ing Publishing.
Originally from Taiwan, Evelyn Chang was invited to play at the Buckingham Palace at the age of 17 whilst studying at The Purcell School of Music. Later she graduated from the Royal College of Music studying under the late Irina Zaritskaya and Andrew Ball supported by the Russell Gandler Award and St. Martyn’s scholarship. In 2004 she made her debut at London’s South Bank Centre, followed by concert invitations in the UK, Europe and Asia. Evelyn’s recording with violist Maxim Rysanov on Avie label received many awards and was picked as Editor’s Choice by Gramophone, BBC Music and Muzik Magazine. Since then, she has collaborated with numerous international artists such as Douglas Boyd, David Cohen, Cho-Liang Lin and Jian Wang. Evelyn’s passion is in chamber music and contemporary works. After spending 18 years in the UK, she now resides in Hong Kong under government’s Quality Migrant Scheme. In additional to performing, she teaches at The University of Hong Kong. Evelyn is a Steinway Artist.
Pianist Michelle Kim has captivated audiences all over the world for her unique blend of pianistic power, poetry and striking stage presence. Ms. Kim has performed in concert halls throughout the US, Europe and Asia including performances at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Caramoor, the New Jersey Performing Art Center, the Sejong Cultural Center, the Hong Kong Cultural Center, LACMA and the Chicago Cultural Center. She has performed as a soloist with numerous orchestras across the world including the New Jersey Symphony, the Brevard Music Festival Orchestra, the Seoul Philharmonic, the Xiamen Philharmonic, the Bergen Philharmonic, the Orchestra del Teatro Massimo di Catania, among many others. Her performances have been televised in United States, Italy and South Korea and broadcast on radio stations throughout the US including NPR, WQXR, K-Mozart and WFMT.
Recently, Michelle Kim was featured as one of the “Inspiring Women of Hong Kong” in the October 2013 Anniversary Issue of Marie Claire for her charity work in Hong Kong. Ms. Kim is the founder and artistic director of Hong Kong Generation Next Arts (HKGNA), a Hong Kong Charity dedicated to nurturing artistic excellence and personal success in young artists and transforming lives through music. She has performed numerous concerts to raise money for Hong Kong Charities including performances with violinist Lu Siqing and the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre and” Concert of Power” event with Nick Vujicic.
Born in Seoul Korea, Ms. Kim began her musical studies at age four. At age ten, she gave her orchestral debut with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. She went on to graduate from The Juilliard School earning both a Bachelors and Masters of Music. She was also the recipient of the prestigious Arthur Rubinstein Award and garnered top prizes in national and international competitions including the Bartok-Kabalevsky-Prokofiev International Piano Competition and the Vincenzo Bellini International Piano Competition.
For Strings
Jeremy Williams began his career as a violinist with the London Symphony Orchestra. He was a member of the Delme Quartet and Nash Ensemble, playing regularly with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields and the London Sinfonietta. As violinist with the York Trio and violist with the Beethoven String Trio of London, he featured regularly on BBC broadcasts and made numerous recordings. Concert tours have taken him to major festivals all over the world including Edinburgh, Salzburg, Prague, Hong Kong and venues ranging from the Wigmore Hall, London, Sydney Opera House to the Forbidden City, Beijing. In 1998 Jeremy was appointed Principal Viola with the Hong Kong Philharmonic and taught at the HK Academy for Performing Arts. Jeremy became a member of the Australian String Quartet in 2003 and in 2009 was appointed Lecturer in Chamber Music and Director of Strings at the University of Tasmania. He has taught at the Sydney and Adelaide Conservatorium and Artist in Residence at the Queensland Conservatorium.
He was first violinist with the Diemen Quartet whilst resident in Tasmania. He relocated to Hong Kong in 2015 dedicating himself to education, currently conducting the Yew Chung International School Orchestra and mentoring chamber music at Wah Yan School. In 2016 he formed Hong Kong Camerata Strings, an ensemble for talented young string players. With Gian Paolo and Richard Bamping he plays viola with the Fiorini String Trio. Jeremy studied violin at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London with Yfrah Neaman and David Takeno. He has recorded the Dvorak Piano Quintet with the Nash Ensemble for Virgin Classics.
A native of Seoul, Korea, Ms. Park won the 1997 Artist International Competition and was presented as the Recipient of The Special Presentation Award in her New York Recital Debut at Carnegie Hall.Her solo appearances include performances of the Haydn and Saint-Saens Concertos in Carnegie Hall, New York and in Korea, as well as the Brahms Double Concerto in Hong Kong and Korea. Recent recitals took her to Kumho and Young San Art Halls in Seoul and City hall in Hong Kong. Ms. Park was also invited to be a jury member at the VIMC Vienna International Music Competition.
Ms. Park studied at The Juilliard School and later on graduated from the Manhattan School of Music, where she received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees under the guidance of Paul Tobias, Zara Nelsova, Myung Wha Chung and Ardyth Alton. While attending at Manhattan School, Ms. Park had the honor to be recipient of the President Marta Istomin Award and the Hans & Klara Bauer Cello Scholarship. Her chamber music coaches were Jerry Grossman, Nathaniel Rosen, Yehuda Hanani and Alan Stepansky as well as members of the Guarneri, American & Vermeer String Quartets.
Ms. Park participated in the music festivals of The International Symphony Orchestra, Israel, The National Orchestra Institute (MD) and National Repertory Orchestra (CO) among others. As a recitalist, chamber musician and soloist, Ms. Park has performed in Asia, Europe and the U.S.A. She gave quartet recital at Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center, played in Musicarama – the International Contemporary Music Festival Concerts and recorded for RTHK (Radio 4) in Hong Kong.
Si Won Park is a prizewinner of other competitions including the Weschester SUNY of 1992 Korean Monthly Music Magazine Competition of 1989 and the Youth String Orchestra Competition of 1987.
Currently, she is a member of the Hong Kong Sinfonietta and the Bauhinia Piano Trio. She is also a faculty member of The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and teaches at the Hong Kong International School.
A native of Israel, Mr. Yehudayan performs around the world, as a soloist, recitalist and chamber musician. He recently performed at the International Chamber Music Festival of AMEROPA in the Czech Republic and a few Concertos in USA, Hong Kong, Korea and Israel. Mr. Yehudayan was also invited to play solo at the main event of the World Peace Festival 2005 in Korea in which all proceeds from the festival were donated to Unicef. Past few years’ projects include solo and chamber music concerts with members of the Berlin Philharmonic and the Hamburg symphony, as well as CD recordings with Hong Kong Pure Strings. The first CD, “Popsinera”, was awarded “The 10 Hottest CD of the year 2008″ and “The Best Light Music Album of the year 2008″ by the Radio Guangdong “Voice of the City.” The second CD “Surprise – Happy Birthday” was awarded the “Best CD of 2009″ by Canton Radio. This is one of the biggest awards in China which incorporates playing, music selection and arrangements. Mr. Yehudayan also gave master classes in Indiana University and California, and was a jury member at the International Vienna Music Competition and Hong Kong Bauhinia Cup Strings Competition 2012.
Mr. Yehudayan received his Bachelor of Music Degree and Artist Diploma in the Faculty of Performing Arts from the Jerusalem Rubin Academy of Music and Dance. There he studied violin and viola with Prof. Samuel Bernstein, a renowned teacher and the first mentor of Gil Shaham. He had the honor to be the first and only Israeli student to be sent to the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Russia from which he received a diploma under the guidance of Yuri Bashmet and Prof. Fiodor Druzhinin. Subsequently, he acquired his Master of Music Degree from the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied with Michael Tree, violist of the Guarneri String Quartet and Pinchas Zukerman.
Mr. Yehudayan was a member of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra and the Hong Kong String Quartet between 1995-2001. He participated in the Geneva Competition in 1992 and was a prizewinner of many competitions in Israel. He has performed many recitals in Israel, America and Europe, and recorded for Israeli National Radio & RTHK (Radio 4) in Hong Kong.
Mr. Yehudayan is the violist of the Pure Strings Ensemble and Orchestra and Strings Director at Hong Kong International School since 2000.
Born in Tainan City, Taiwan, Ms Su was among the first selected group of talented music students who were under special educational program by the Ministry of Education of Taiwan. She was a full-scholarship recipient of many major music festivals in the United States, including Aspen Music Festival, National Orchestral Institute in Maryland, National Repertory Orchestra in Colorado and Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo, Japan. Besides giving solo concerts in these music festivals, Ms Su also performed and collaborated with world-class conductors such as Rostropovich, Joseph Silverstein, Christoph Eschenbach, Michael Tilson Thomas and Jahja Ling. Ms Su received her Master degree of Music from University of Southern California, where she studied with Ronald Leonard, former principal cellist of Los Angeles Philharmonic. Ms Su has been the faculty member of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts since she moved to Hong Kong with her family in 2000. She had released 3 CDs and 3 DVD albums. Ms Su joined Kaohsiung American School as the first performing arts director in 2015.
Distinguished Jury For Final
For Piano
Gabriel Kwok was born in Hong Kong and studied at the Royal Academy of Music with Guy Jonson and later with Louis Kentner in London. He has been Head of Keyboard Studies at The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts since 1989. A Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music in London, he is Visiting Professor at the Shenzhen Arts School, Xian Conservatory of Music, Xinghai Conservatory of Music, Wuhan Conservatory of Music and China Conservatory of Music in China. He has served on the faculty of the Cliburn Piano Institute (USA), International Institute for Young Musicians (USA), Colburn Academy Festival (USA), Chetham¡¦s International Piano Summer School (UK), Beijing International Music Festival and Academy (China), Beijing International Piano Festival (China), Shanghai International Piano Festival (China), Singapore International Piano Institute (Singapore), Asia International Piano Academy and Festival (Korea) and Tel-Hai International Piano Master Classes (Israel).He has given masterclasses at the Central Conservatory of Music (Beijing), Shanghai Conservatory of Music, Royal Academy of Music (London), Royal College of Music (London), Royal Northern College of Music, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Hannover Hochschule fur Musik und Theater, Rotterdam Conservatorium, Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Queensland Conservatorium of Music, University of Auckland, University of British Columbia, Carnegie Mellon University, Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Eastman School of Music, University of Kansas, Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Peabody Institute, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Temple University, Texas Christian University and The Yale School of Music as well as classes in Taiwan, Singapore, Korea and Portugal.Gabriel Kwok has been a jury member of many international competitions including the Asia Mozart Bicentenary, Rome, Vianna da Motta, Gina Bachauer, Hong Kong, China, Missouri Southern, Hilton Head, Minnesota Piano-e, Darmstadt Chopin, Japan PTNA, Rio de Janerio BNDES, Singapore Chopin, James Mottram and Asia Chopin International Piano Competitions.He has collaborated with many distinguished artists in concerts, among whom were Pierre Amoyal, Alexander Ballie, Siegfried Behrend, Alan Civil, Eugene Fodor, Lu Siqing, Albert Markov, Yuri Mazurkevich, Clarence Myerscough, Roberta Peters, Qian Zhou, Jean-Pierre Rampal, Jenny Ren, Aaron Rosand, Nathaniel Rosen, Rohan de Saram, Hansjoerg Schellenberger, Jeffrey Solow, Leon Spierer, Richard Stolzman, Wang Jian and Xue Wei. He has also been an Artist-in-Residence for Radio Television Hong Kong.
Ms. Nancy Loo is one of Hong Kong’s most versatile artists, as pianist, radio programme host, actress and writer. She was a recipient of the Ten Outstanding Young Persons Award in 1978. She currently teaches piano at The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and The Chinese University of Hong Kong and is often invited to host music talks and master-classes and to serve as a juror for piano competitions.Ms. Loo is the presenter of a music programme Belle Nuit and Hong Kong’s only classical music radio show for children, Children’s Corner, on Radio 4 of Radio Television Hong Kong. She has participated in multi-media performances such as Kung Chi-shing’s M Garden, and in several drama productions. As a narrator, she has performed in Peter and the Wolf with the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, Barbar the Elephant and Carnival of the Animals with the Hong Kong Sinfonietta and The Blue Planet LIVE with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra.
As a pianist, Ms. Loo has given solo recitals and performed with orchestras in England, Europe, North America and Asia. Locally, she has appeared in the Hong Kong Arts Festival and performed with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra and the Hong Kong Sinfonietta. In addition to founding the piano and woodwind sextet Les Six, she has also worked with numerous local and visiting artists in chamber music concerts. A keen promoter of contemporary music, she has participated in the annual Musicarama and the ISCM World Music Days Festival.
Ms. Loo attended the Juilliard School on scholarship, where she studied with Adele Marcus. After graduating with a Master’s degree, she studied with Vlado Perlemuter in Paris and Guido Agosti in Italy. She was first prizewinner at the Fourth Rina Sala Gallo International Competition in Monza in 1976 and has won many other international competitions, including the Marguerite Long International Competition in Paris.
She has played the piano part for the soundtrack of several Hong Kong films and television series. She has also published two books. Her recordings include a piano solo album of Christian music, Ambush and Moonlight on Spring River with the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra and piano works by local composers.
Professor Eleanor Wong began her musical studies in Hong Kong with Betty Drown and later as an Associated Board Scholar at the Royal Academy of Music, London with Frederic Jackson and Max Pirani .Besides winning numerous prizes and awards, Eleanor was one the few students graduated with both the Graduate Diploma (G.R.S.M), and the Recital Diploma as well as top honours: the Walter Macfarren Gold medal and Majorie Whyte Memorial Award for the most outstanding students. After winning the coveted Boise Scholarship ,Eleanor studied in Paris with Vlado Perlemuter and later in New York with Artur Balsam.
Winner of silver medal at the Viotti International Competition Italy, Professor Wong broadcasted on RTHK (Hong Kong), WNYC (New York), BBC (UK), and overseas services.As a soloist she has given recitals extensively in the United Kingdom (including the Wigmore Hall and Purcell Room in London)in Hong Kong and the United States ,as a Piano Duo with her sister they have performed together in Hong Kong , in cities of China and in the States.
Professor Wong is recognized as one of the foremost piano pedagogues with many of her pupils winning top prizes in international piano competitions. Being one of the most sought-after teachers, Professor Wong frequently hosted lectures and workshops on Piano Pedagogy and has given master-classes in China, Korea , Poland, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Uruguay, South Africa ,England and USA. She is also a frequent member of jury in various international piano competitions and festivals.
Presently, Professor Wong is an Artist in Residence and Senior Lecturer at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. She is also a visiting professor at the Shenzhen School of Arts and Wuhan Music Conservatory, and an honorary professor of the Tianjin Music Conservatory. She is a Steinway Artist, Co-Director of the Hong Kong Summer Music, and the Chairperson of the Piano Teachers’ Association in Hong Kong and Artistic Advisor of The Dalcroze Society of Hong Kong. She has served as Advisors for the Hong Kong Arts Development Council (ADC), Trinity Guildhall music exam (Hong Kong) .In 2008, Professor Wong was elected one of 2007 Outstanding Leaders by Singtao Daily in Hong Kong for her contributions to the musical world.In 2013 Professor Wong was awarded the Hong Kong Women of Excellence in the Six Arts for her work in field of Music by the Hong Kong Federation of Women.
Hailed as “an artist of intense passion and profound sincerity,” pianist Michelle Kim has captivated audiences for her unique blend of pianistic power, poetry and stage presence.She has performed solo recitals and concerts at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Caramoor, LACMA, the Chicago Cultural Center, the Sejong Cultural Center. and the Hong Kong Cultural Center. She’s performed as soloist with numerous orchestras including the New Jersey Symphony, Brevard Music Festival Orchestra, Seoul Philharmonic, Bergen Philharmonic, Bangor Symphony, Paducah Symphony, Ridgefield Symphony, Reading Symphony, Lima Symphony, Flagler Symphony, Brooklyn Symphony, Xiamen Philharmonic, and the Orchestra del Teatro Massimo di Catania, among others. Ms. Kim’s performances have been televised in South Korea, Italy and the United States, and broadcast on radio stations in New York, Chicago, Cincinnati, Los Angeles, San Francisco, West Palm Beach, National Public Radio and WQXR.In 2009, pianist Michelle Kim founded Hong Kong Generation Next Arts (HKGNA), a registered Hong Kong Charity dedicated to supporting next generation young artists and transforming lives through music. In 2011, HKGNA was awarded “Hong Kong & Shenzhen Charity of the Year Award” by the Southern Metropolis Daily for being an advocate for culture and performing arts and promoting youth development in Hong Kong. In 2013, Ms. Kim was featured as one of the “Inspiring Women of Hong Kong” in the October 2013 Anniversary Issue of Marie Claire for her charity work in Hong Kong.
Ms. Kim began her musical studies at age four. At age ten, she gave her orchestral debut with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. She graduated from The Juilliard School where she earned her Bachelors and Masters of Music and was recipient of the Arthur Rubinstein Award. Ms. Kim garnered top prizes in national and international competitions including the Leschetizky Piano Competition, the Bartok-Kabalevsky-Prokofiev International Piano Competition and the Vincenzo Bellini International Piano Competition. Ms.Kim makes her home in Hong Kong with her husband Thomas and her son, Max.
For Strings
Violist Richard O’Neill is an Emmy Award winner, two-time Grammy nominee, and Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient. He has appeared as soloist with the London, Los Angeles, Seoul, and Euro-Asian Philharmonics; the BBC, KBS, and Korean Symphonies; the Moscow, Vienna, and Württemburg Chamber Orchestras; and Alte Musik Köln with conductors Andrew Davis, Vladimir Jurowski, and Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Highlights of this season include collaborations with Gidon Kremer, concertos with Kremerata Baltica, his first tour to China with Ensemble DITTO and a European tour and complete Beethoven quartet cycle with the Ehnes Quartet. As recitalist he has performed at Carnegie, Avery Fisher, Kennedy Center, Wigmore, Louvre, Salle Cortot, Madrid’s National Concert Hall, Tokyo’s International Forum and Opera City, Osaka Symphony Hall, and Seoul Arts Center.
A Universal/DG recording artist, he has made eight solo albums that have sold more than 150,000 copies. Dedicated to the music of our time, he has premiered works composed for him by Elliott Carter, John Harbison, Huang Ruo, and Paul Chihara. In his tenth season as Artistic Director of DITTO he has introduced tens of thousands to chamber music in South Korea and Japan.
The first violist to receive the Artist Diploma from Juilliard, he was honored with a Proclamation from the New York City Council for his achievement and contribution to the arts. He serves as Goodwill Ambassador for the Korean Red Cross, The Special Olympics, and UNICEF; runs marathons for charity; and teaches at UCLA. He is a former member of CMS Two.
Yao Jue was born in Shanghai, China, and is the only violinist to be included in the 1995 book “China’s Famous Females” published by the International Women’s Congress in Beijing. Ms. Yao was awarded a full scholarship by the San Francisco Conservatory of Music to continue her violin studies with Zaven Melikian. Later she graduated from the Juilliard School in New York where she studied under Dorothy DeLay.
Music critics since then have universally employed phrases such as, “technically impressive and intensely moving”, “impeccable technique”, “captivating”, “poetic”, “stylish” and “lustrous” to describe her performance. Ms. Yao’s professional career has been punctuated by widely acclaimed performances throughout Asia, Europe and the United States.
Ms. Yao made her New York recital debut before a standing room only audience at Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall in 1993. She has performed in numerous international festivals and major concert halls. They include The Ravinia Music Festival, The Aspen Music Festival, The Yachats Music Festival; The Avery Fisher Hall, The Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, The Herbst Theater and The Tchaikovsky Hall.
Orchestras with which she has performed in concert are: Brooklyn Philharmonic; Brooklyn Chamber Orchestra; Russia Philharmonic Orchestra; Honolulu Symphony Orchestra; Prague Chamber Orchestra; Suk Chamber Orchestra; National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba; Japan Century Symphony Orchestra; Singapore Symphony Orchestra; Little Orchestra Society of New York; Central Philharmonic of China; China National Symphony Orchestra; China Broadcasting Symphony Orchestra; Radio Orchestra of Shanghai; Shanghai Symphony Orchestra; Shanghai Philharmonic; Shanghai Chinese Orchestra; Hong Kong Sinfonietta and Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra. In 2000, Ms. Yao was the featured soloist with the China National Symphony Orchestra on their concert tour of Mexico.
Ms. Yao founded the “Yao Jue Music Academy” and the “Hong Kong Children’s Chamber Orchestra” in 2002. She also founded the “Hong Kong String Orchestra” in 2013. She is also the first Chinese musician to be received by President Castro of Cuba. Ms. Yao was awarded the “Outstanding Violinist Rado Timeless Award” in 2002, the “Ten Outstanding Young Persons of Hong Kong” and “Most Charismatic Award” in 2004, the “Ten Most Successful Women” in 2005, the “Outstanding Women Professionals Award” in 2008 and the “Outstanding Women of the Year” in 2012.
Ms. Yao served on the International Jury Panel for the Montblanc Arts Patronage Award in 2003. She also served as the University Artist of the University of Hong Kong from 2008 to 2010 and was appointed the Artist-in-Residence of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University from 2014 to 2015.
Minhye Clara Kim has appeared as soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. She has performed and taught at the Jerusalem Music Center, Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, Seoul Music Festival, Great Mountains Music Festival, Beauvais Music Festival, and Festival Music Alp in France. In 2003 she was the youngest ever appointed to the string faculty at the Juilliard School Pre-College Division. She is also on the faculty of Columbia University and the Perlman Music Program. Recipient of numerous grants, she studied at the Juilliard School (Pre-college), the New England Conservatory of Music (B.M.), and Columbia (Ed.D.C.T., Teachers College) and Yale (M.M.) Universities.