Past Romantic/Impressionistic Competitions

ROMANTIC/IMPRESSIONISTIC COMPETITION 2022

Judges: Maria Demina, Mark Richman, Matthew Bagasao

Competition Chair, Nobuyo Nishizaka

Church of the Good Shepherd, United Methodist Church – May 14, 2022

2021 Romantic/Impressionistic Competition Winners

CATEGORY I, under-12 years old

I Place – Yuumi Kawamura, studio of Junko Garrett

II Place – Mason Szeto, studio of Pamela Lam

III Place – Xingchen Lin, studio of Shan Jiang

Honorable Mention – Ethan Li, studio of Agatha Hou

Honorable Mention – Kristina Brick, studio of Vanessa Fadial

CATEGORY II, 13-15 year old

I Place – Lillian Feng, studio of Vanessa Fadial

II Place – Samarah Lunde, studio of Agatha Hou

III Place – Kaito Le Tenoux, studio of Vanessa Fadial

Honorable Mention -Sarah Tran, studio of Stephen Pierce

Honorable Mention – Jiaqi Demi Yu, studio of Agatha Hou

Honorable Mention – Enni Harlan, studio of Bernadene Blaha

Honorable Mention – Mihilo Kato, studio of Nobuyo Nishizaka

CATEGORY III, 16-18 year old

I Place – Emma Tio, studio of Nobuyo Nishizaka

II Place – Lucas Peters, studio of Vanessa Fadial

III Place – Celine Chen, studio of Nobuyo Nishizaka

Honorable Mention – Lauren Tran, studio of Ivana Grubelic Malo

CATEGORY IV, 19-23 year old

Honorable Mention – Yihan Xu, studio of Jocelyn Chang

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ROMANTIC/IMPRESSIONISTIC COMPETITION 2021

Judges: Dr. Joel Clifft, Sharon Townsend, Carmina Glicklich

Competition Chair, Nobuyo Nishizaka

Online Competition – May 1st, 2021

2021 Romantic/Impressionistic Competition Winners

CATEGORY I, under-12 years old

I Place – Sarah Tran, studio of Stephen Pierce

II Place – Ashlyn Ho, studio of Vera Hoalim

III Place – Elaine Liu, studio of Lin Livu

Honorable Mention – Analisa Kim Lunde, studio of Agatha Hou

CATEGORY II, 13-15 year old

I Place – Galileo Skye Chrisman Caro, studio of Ivana Grubelic Malo

II Place – Emma Tio, studio of Nobuyo Nishizaka

III Place – Qiao Zhang, studio of Vera Hoalim

Honorable Mention – Lillian Feng, studio of Vanessa Fadial

Honorable Mention – Lauren Tran, studio of Ivana Grubelic Malo

Honorable Mention – Mihilo Kato, studio of Nobuyo Nishizaka

CATEGORY III, 16-18 year old

I Place – Elijah Wen, studio of Bernardine Blaha

II Place – Celine Chen, studio of Nobuyo Nishizaka

III Place – Evelyn Chi, studio of Michelle Santoso

Honorable Mention – Rikki Kahn Yee, studio of Stephen Pierce

CATEGORY IV, 19-23 year old

I Place – William Chang, studio of Stephen Pierce

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ROMANTIC/IMPRESSIONISTIC COMPETITION 2020 – CANCELLED DUE TO COVID-19 PANDEMIC

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ROMANTIC/IMPRESSIONISTIC COMPETITION 2019

Competition Chair Ivana Grubelic Malo with judges E. L. Lancaster, Mark Richman and Andrew Park.

Pasadena Steinway Gallery – May 11th 2019

2019 Romantic/Impressionistic Competition Winners

CATEGORY I, under-12 years old

I Place – Ashlyn Bendorf, studio of Adam Bendorf

II Place – Galileo Skye Chrisman Caro, studio of Ivana Grubelic Malo

III Place – Lillian Feng, studio of Roger Wright

Honorable Mention – Vittorio Ponti, studio of Ivana Grubelic Malo

Honorable Mention – Jeremy Alexander, studio of Lynn Nakamura

CATEGORY II, 13-15 year old

I Place – Yiting Han, studio of Yung-Mee Rhee

II Place – Mandy Shao, studio of Lynn Nakamura

II Place – Aaron Kwan, studio of Agatha Hou

III Place – Emma Tio, studio of Nobuyo Nishizaka

III Place – Lina Hisada, studio of Nobuyo Nishizaka

Honorable Mention – Isabella Cao, studio of Agatha Hou

Honorable Mention – Haeun Cho, studio of Lynn Nakamura

CATEGORY III, 16-18 year old

I Place – Varun Gupta, studio of Lynn Nakamura

II Place – Dylan Lee, studio of Lynn Nakamura

III Place – Ankur Mukhopadhyay, studio of Kevin Fitz-Gerald

Honorable Mention – Anna Yakura, studio of Sarkis Baltaian

Honorable Mention – Jeffrey Pendo, studio of Ellie Ikeda

Honorable Mention – Travis Graening, studio of Rosemary Carswell

CATEGORY IV, 19-23 year old

I Place – Abbygayle Baker, studio of Lauren Mason

I Place – Shan Jiang, studio of Lucy Nagrizyan

Keyboard Concept’s Special Prize for the Best Performance of the Romantic/Impressionistic Competition 2019 – Yiting Han, studio of Yung-Mee Rhee

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ROMANTIC/IMPRESSIONISTIC COMPETITION 2018

Competition Chair Ivana Grubelic Malo with judges Gayle Kowalchyk, Robert Thies and Eugene Alcalay.

Pasadena Steinway Gallery – May 5th 2018

2018 Romantic/Impressionistic Competition Winners

CATEGORY I, under-12 years old

I Place Mihilo Kato from the studio of Nobuyo Nishizaka,
Ravel: La vallee des cloches

I Place Adina Pak from the studio of Elena Makarova,
Verdi-Liszt: Concert Paraphrase on Rigoletto

II Place Jacqueline Mancera from the studio of Grace Zhao,
I. Tchaikovsky: Dumka Op.59

III Place Ashlyn Bendorf from the studio of Adam Bendorf,
Chopin: Etude in G-flat Major, Op.10 No.5

Honorable Mention Bella Medrano from the studio of Dmitry Rachmanov,
Chopin: Nocturne in E flat major Op.9 No.2

Honorable Mention Benjamin Tseng from the studio of Yin Yin Huang,
Rachmaninov: Polichinelle, Op.3 No.4

CATEGORY II, 13-15 year old

I Place Celine Chen from the studio of Nobuyo Nishizaka,
Debussy: Etude: Pour les degres chromatiques

II Place Sudi Feng from the studio of Susan Svrcek,
Chopin: Nocturnes, Op.9 No. 1 and 2

III Place Lauren Lee from the studio of Mi Kyung Lee,
Philippe Gaubert: Nocturne et Allegro Scherzando

Honorable Mention Leila Wu from the studio of Susan Svrcek,
R. Schumann: Kinderszenen, Op.15 Nos. 1,2,3,6,7

Honorable Mention Anna Audenis from the studio of Rufus Choi,
Chopin: Barcarole Op. 60

Honorable Mention Dylan Lee from the studio of Lynn Nakamura,
Verdi-Liszt: Concert Paraphrase on Rigoletto

CATEGORY III, 16-18 year old

I Place Shelby Wong from the studio of Kevin Fitz-Gerald,
F. Liszt: Les jeux d’eaux à la Villa d’Este, S. 163

II Place Althea Li from the studio of Elena Makarova,
F. Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody No.8 in F# min.

III Place Mengyue Wang from the studio of Xiao He,
Chopin: Scherzo in B flat minor No.2 Op.31

Honorable Mention Matthew Lee from the studio of Lynn Nakamura,
Verdi-Liszt: Concert Paraphrase on Rigoletto

CATEGORY IV, 19-23 year old

II  Place Eri Wong from the studio of Nobuyo Nishizaka,
C. Debussy: Etude XI: pour les Arpeges composes

II  Place Yirong Wang from the studio of Bernadene Blaha,
Strauss/Dohnanyi: Schatz-Walzer

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ROMANTIC/IMPRESSIONISTIC COMPETITION 2017

Competition Chair Ivana Grubelic Malo with judges Kary Kramer, Mona Wu DeCesare and Wojciech Kocyan.

Pasadena Steinway Gallery – May 6th 2017

2017 Romantic/Impressionistic Competition Winners

CATEGORY I, under-12 years old

I Place Ziyu Chen from the studio of Mina Perry,
Liszt: Mephisto Waltz No. 1 S. 514

I Place Sabrina Sy Lo from the studio of Mina Perry,
Mendelssohn: Fantasy in F-sharp minor, op. 28

II Place Mihilo Kato from the studio of Nobuyo Nishizaka,
Ireland: The Island Spell

III Place Annelise Kraft-Williams from the studio of Agatha Hou,
Glinka/Balakirev: The Lark

Honorable Mention Ashlyn Bendorf from the studio of Adam Bendorf,
Rachmaninov: Prelude in G minor, op. 23 No. 3

Honorable Mention Neil Chen from the studio of Roger Wright,
Ravel: Sonatine, I Modere

Honorable Mention Denise Cheng from the studio of Roger Wright,
Chopin: Nocturne in D flat major, Op. 72

Honorable Mention David Enji Zhang from the studio of Stephen Cook,
Chopin: “Minute” Waltz op. 64 No. 1

CATEGORY II, 13-15 years old

I Place Ankur Mukhopadhyay from the studio of Kevin Fitz-Gerald,
Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody No. 12

II Place Dylan Lee from the studio of Lynn Nakamura,
Liszt: Liebestraume

II Place Jessica Wong from the studio of Lynn Nakamura,
Chopin: Scherzo No. 1 in Bminor op. 20

III Place Vincent Baugh from the studio of Agatha Hou,
Liszt: Gnomenreigen

III Place Lina Hisada from the studio of Nobuyo Nishizaka,
Chopin: Nocturne Op.48 No.1

Honorable Mention Isabella Cao from the studio of Agatha Hou,
Liszt: Ave Maria

Honorable Mention Sudi Feng from the studio of Susan Svrcek,
Chopin: Preludes op.28 No. 1, 6, 23 & 18

Honorable Mention Leila Wu from the studio of Susan Svrcek,
Debussy: Reverie

CATEGORY III, 16-18 years old

I Place Madeline McCanne from the studio of Sarkis Baltaian,
Ravel: VI. Toccata – Le Tombeau de Couperin

II Place Erica Lee from the studio of Susan Svrcek,
Chopin: Etudes Op. 25 No. 1
Debussy: Jardin Sous la Pluie

II Place Xiaolong Liu from the studio of Eduardo Delgado,
Rachmaninov: Moment Musical op. 16 No. 6
Liszt: Tarantella

III Place Davina Lin from the studio of Lynn Nakamura,
Chopin: ScherzoNo. 2in B flat minor op. 31

Honorable Mention Clarice Kwan from the studio of Bernadene Blaha,
Liszt: Un Sospiro

Honorable Mention Rebekah Voshall from the studio of Kyoko McDonald,
Liszt: Grandes Etudes de Paganini No. 6 in A minor

CATEGORY IV, 19-23 years old

I Place Matthew Krell from the studio of Kenneth Mays,
Liszt arr. A. Volodos: Hungarian Rhapsody No. 13 S. 244/13

II Place Eri Wong from the studio of Nobuyo Nishizaka,
Ravel: Alborado del Gracioso, Miroirs

III Place Yo Han Lee from the studio of Yung-mee Rhee,
Schumann: Fantasiestucke op. 12 No. 1-5

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ROMANTIC/IMPRESSIONISTIC COMPETITION 2016

Competition Chair Ivana Grubelic Malo with judges Edward Francis, Janet Favreau and Stephen Pierce.
Pasadena Steinway Gallery – April 30, 2016

2016 Romantic/Impressionistic Competition Winners

CATEGORY I, under-12 years old

I Place Leila Wu from the studio of Susan Svrcek,
Chopin: Nocturne in c minor, Op. Posth.

II Place Aron Kwan from the studio of Agatha Huo,
Rachmaninov: Liebesleid

II Place Sudi Feng from the studio of Susan Svrcek,
Chopin: Nocturne in E, Op.9 No.2

III Place Audrey Lin from the studio of Vera Hoalim,
Liszt: Paganini Etude #5 “La Chasse” S.141

Honorable Mention Yiting Han from the studio of Yung-mee Rhee,
Chopin: Grand Waltz, Op.18

CATEGORY II, 13-15 years old

I Place Eugene Han from the studio of Sarkis Baltaian,
Schumann: Faschingsschwank aus Wien, Op.26, 5th movement

II Place Anna Yakura from the studio of Sarkis Baltaian,
Schumann: Arabesque, Op.18

III Place Sofia Li from the studio of Eduardo Delgado,
Chopin: Etudes Op.10 No.4 & 5, Op.25 No.6

Honorable Mention David John Morgan from the studio of Kyoko McDonald,
Rachmaninov: Prelude Op.23 No.5

Honorable Mention Davina Lin from the studio of Lynn Nakamura,
Chopin: Scherzo in b minor Op.20 No.1

Honorable Mention Sebastian Salazar from the studio of Susan Pascale,
Koussevitzky: Chanson Triste Op.2

CATEGORY III, 16-18 years old

II Place Daniel Lee from the studio of Yung-mee Rhee,
Chopin: Ballade Op.52 No.4

Honorable Mention Alex Li from the studio of Kevin Fitz-Gerald,
Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody No.12

Honorable Mention Clarice Kwan from the studio of Bernadene Blaha,
Tchaikovsky: Dumka Op.59

CATEGORY IV, 19-23 years old

II Place Eri Wong from the studio of Nobuyo Nishizaka,
Ravel: Une barque sur l’ocean, Miroirs

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ROMANTIC/IMPRESSIONISTIC COMPETITION 2015

Competition Chair Ivana Grubelic Malo with judges Antoinette Perry, Charles Fierro and Fang-Fang Shi.
Pasadena Steinway Gallery – May 15, 2015

2015 Romantic/Impressionistic Competition Winners

CATEGORY I, under-12 years old

I Place Anna Avdenis from the studio of Eduardo Delgado,
Mendelssohn: Song Without Words, Venetian Boat Song

II Place Isabella Cao from the studio of Agatha Hou,
Liszt: Widmung

III Place Ankur Mukhopadhyay from the studio of Kevin Fitz-Gerald,
Chopin: Impromptu in A flat major op.29 No.1

CATEGORY II, 13-15 years old

I Place Wenfang Han from the studio of Eduardo Delgado,
Ravel: Ondine (from Gaspar)

II Place Elizabeth Sun from the studio of Bernadene Blaha,
Liszt: Waltz from Faust, Concerto Paraphrase (Gounod)

II Place Sakurako Eriksen from the studio of Bernadene Blaha,
Liszt: Concert Etude No.2 “La Leggierezza”

III Place John Smith from the studio of Dr. Sarkis Baltaian,
Chopin: Scherzo op.31 No.2

Honorable Mention Ryuichi Haneda from the studio of Nobuyo Nishizaka, Chopin: Heroic-Polonaise in A flat major op.53

Honorable Mention Sabrina K. Tsoi from the studio of Nobuyo Nishizaka,
Schumann: Grande Sonata, I – Allegro vivace

Honorable Mention Benjamin Krasner from the studio of Dmitry Rachmanov,
Chopin: Ballade op.23 No.1

Honorable Mention Jessica Wong from the studio of Lynn Nakamura,
Liszt: Paganini Etude No.5

CATEGORY III, 16-18 years old

I place Siyuan Liu from the studio of Eduardo Delgado,
Ravel: La Valse

II Place Dorothy Kang from the studio of Agatha Hou,
Liszt: Ricordanza in A flat Major

III Place Luke Y. Sapir from the studio of Robert Ward,
Liszt: Sposalizio, From Annees de Pelerinage (Italia)

Honorable Mention Nancy Luo from the studio of Mona Wu DeCesare,
Rachmaninov: Etude-Tableaux op.39 No.2

CATEGORY IV, 19-23 years old

I Place Alexander Agate from the studio of Dmitry Rachmanov,
Chopin: Polonaise in F sharp minor op.44 & Rachmaninov: Etude-Tableaux in A minor op.39 No.6

II Place Yohan Lee from the studio of Edward Francis,
Schumann: Fantasiestuke op.12 No.1,2,3,4,5

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ROMANTIC/IMPRESSIONISTIC COMPETITION 2014

Competition Chair Ivana Grubelic Malo with judges Gloria Cheng, Jackie Petitto and Francoise Regnat.
Pasadena Steinway Gallery – May 31st 2014

2014 Romantic/Impressionistic Competition Winners

CATEGORY I, under-12 years old