The Jury

With a vibrant concert schedule, a legacy of 28 CDs, and a stream of superlatives from major critics around the globe, pianist Frederic Chiu occupies a special place in the world of classical music. In an eclectic career encompassing unusual collaborations and little-played repertoire, along with explorations into the psychology of performance, Mr. Chiu has demonstrated an ability to go beyond boundaries and to bring listeners with him.

Ms. Aoki records exclusively for German Label Hänssler Profil. Her debut album, comprised of the piano works of Zoltan Kodaly, was released in the fall of 2011 and won critical acclaim. Her second CD, ‘The Belyayev Project’, features fascinating compositions varying from solo piano works by Liadow, Glazunov and Blumenfeld to the expressive and rhapsodic piano Trio by Rimsky-Korsakov. It was released in 2013. The Fanfare Magazine praised ‘The Belyayev Project’ as a “graceful, expressive and transparent performance”, and The Ensemble Magazine (Germany) wrote, “…pianist Miki Aoki interprets magically.” Her third CD, ‘Mélancolie’, was released in May 2016 and was awarded a special prize by the Japanese music magazine “Record Geijutsu”. ‘Tokyo Story’, was released in 2018. This recording is a world-premiere, featuring music from the films of Yasujiro Ozu in their original piano manuscript versions and has enjoyed an especially enthusiastic reception from the Japanese media.

“Adventurous and passionate” (The New Yorker) Ukrainian-born pianist Inna Faliks has established herself as one of the most communicative, and poetic artists of her generation. She has made a name for herself through commanding performances of standard piano repertoire, as well genre-bending, interdisciplinary projects, and inquisitive work with contemporary composers. Her new memoir, Weight in the Fingertips, A Musical Odyssey from Soviet Ukraine to the World Stage, was published by Globe Pequot Press in October 2023.

Praised for his sensitive musical expressions and superb technical artistry, pianist Wenjie Lyu has
given solo, chamber, and concerto performances across continents of Asia, North America, and
Europe. In 2005, Wenjie gave concerto debut in Guangzhou, China. In 2010, he gave concerto
debut in the United States. In 2015, Wenjie gave his Carnegie Hall solo debut as the winner of
the Eastman School Lowry Award.
Wenjie is the State winner of the MTNA Young Artist Piano Competition, First prize winner at
the OMTA/Graves Young Artist Piano Competition, Winner of Lowry Award at the Eastman
School, and First Prize Winner of the Heida Hermanns Competition.
As a pedagogue, Wenjie works with a variety of students across age and levels. Many of his
students have entered music schools around the world, and some is participating in prestigious
competitions such as the Ettlingen Competition. Wenjie is recognized as an Honorary Teacher by
Steinway.
Wenjie holds a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree from the Eastman School, studying under the
tutelage of Professor Barry Snyder. He was also a graduate of Capital University and Pre-College
Division of Central Conservatory of Music, studying with Dr. Tianshu Wang and Professor Jin
Zhang, respectively. Wenjie is currently a member of Shanghai Professional Pianists’ Society.

Award-winning concert pianist, Julia Siciliano has been heralded as a musician with “fabulous creative power” by the Bonn General-Anzeiger. Ms. Siciliano has become a well respected artist
on the world stage, being invited as a solo artist by many prestigious orchestras, and festivals, most recently with the Orquestra Sinfónica de la Region de Murcia for the MurciArt Music
Festival. A winner of many local and international piano competitions, Julia has won top prizes at the Sicily International Piano Competition, Heida Hermanns Competition, Iowa Piano
Competition, and MTNA National Competition. A highly active chamber musician, Julia has been invited to perform on concert series and festivals with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
Chamber Players, the Euskadiko Orchestra (Basque National Orchestra)’s chamber music series “Miramon Matinees”, the MurciArt Festival in Murcia, Spain, and with the soloists of the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano. She has given recitals with Metropolitan Opera stars Amanda Pabyan, Eric Owens, and Marina Domashenko, and internationally acclaimed string players Ray Chen, Simone Lamsma, and Kyril Zlotnikov. Most notably, Julia performed the complete “accompanied sonatas” of Beethoven in the year 2020 at the Teatro Victoria Eugenia in Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain, and in various venues throughout the United States, France, and Sweden.

Laureate of the 2021 International Beethoven Competition in Bonn, Germany, Russian-American pianist Alexei Tartakovsky has been called a “fantastic musician and pianist” by Martha Argerich and “one of the finest young pianists in recent years…truly exceptional…superb playing…a thoughtful and serious musician” by the
New York Concert Review.
Tartakovsky is a laureate of numerous international competitions, including the 2006 New York Piano Competition, the 2007 Rolf and Brigitte Gardey International Competition in Daytona Beach, Florida, the 2008 James Mottram International Piano Competition in Manchester, UK, the New York Concert Artists
International Competition, and the 2008 Heida Hermanns International Piano Competition. In 2012, Tartakovsky swept all three prizes at the San Jose International Competition receiving 1 st Prize, Audience Prize, and prize for the best performance of a Russian work. He was a semifinalist the 2015 Fryderyk Chopin
International Piano Competition in Warsaw and in 2016, Tartakovsky was awarded the French Prize at the Cleveland International Piano Competition. In 2021, he received both the 2 nd Prize and the Deutsche Telekom StreamOn Beethoven Award at the International Telekom Beethoven Competition in Bonn, Germany. Tartakovsky has performed both solo and with orchestra in the USA, Canada, Mexico, Russia, Europe, China, and Japan at halls that include the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, the Warsaw Philharmonic, Yokohama Minato Mirai Hall, and Carnegie Hall. His playing has been broadcast on Dutch Radio 4, Polish Radio 2, Russian Radio Orpheus, Chicago’s WFMT, and New York’s WQXR. Tartakovsky keeps an active concert schedule, teaches at Brooklyn College (CUNY), and maintains a private studio. The upcoming season includes concerts in the United States and China. He is also a commercial pilot.