USOMC » Judges » Photos & Bios

		ANJELA ASRYAN Anjela Asryan received her Master's Degree in Piano Performance and Piano Pedagogy from the Turkmenian State Conservatory (USSR). In 1984, Mrs. Asryan was awarded first prize at the First National Piano Competition in Turkmenistan. During her teaching career at the Turkmenian Conservatory, Mrs. Asryan also served as a judge for national piano competitions. For many years she presented concert lectures on National TV. Currently, Anjela Asryan is Assistant Director at the Avloni Academy of Music.

		DR. UMIDA AVLONI Umida Avloni received her Master of Music degree from Tashkent State Conservatory and her Ph.D. from Uzbek Institute of Arts (USSR). Her expertise is in piano, music theory, ethnomusicology, and composition. Dr. Avloni has taught at Tashkent Conservatory, Uspensky Music School in the former Soviet Union, the Suburban School of Music in Pennsylvania, and the Amadeus School of Music and Arts in California. She has performed on Uzbek Radio and Television and has lectured in Europe and Asia. A member of the Governing Board of Tashkent Conservatory, she was also Vice President of the Young Composers Association of Soviet Union. Her students have won numerous competitions in piano, composition, and musicology. Dr. Avloni is the Director of the Lamorinda Academy of Music and Arts and the Avloni Academy of Music, located in San Jose, Saratoga, and Lafayette, California. She is a member of the Board of the Directors of the Junior Bach Festival in Berkeley and Director of the Awards for Excellence Competition of the Contra Costa MTAC.

		VIRGINIA BIGELOW A native of Corpus Christi, Texas, Virginia Bigelow was introduced to the piano early through her musical parents. She received bachelor's and master's degrees in piano performance from Baylor University and the University of Houston. In 1986, Ms. Bigelow won the Grand Prize in the teacher division of the National Guild of Piano Teachers' recording competition. Since 1971, she has lived and taught privately in the East Bay. And since 1991, she has taught piano at Diablo Valley College. Ms. Bigelow has performed concertos with Bay Area orchestras more than a dozen times. She gives benefit concerts upon request, and regularly performs as a member of the Berkeley Piano Club and the Contra Costa Performing Arts Society. She also attends and performs at international summer music conferences each year.

		DR. ROBERT BOWMAN Since 1960, Dr. Robert Bowman has performed extensively throughout the United States in solo and chamber ensemble recitals, appearances with orchestra, and on radio and television. He has also performed solo and ensemble recitals in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Japan, and Mexico. He obtained a B.A. in Music (1962) and an M.A. degree in Orchestral Conducting (1965) from Stanford University as well as a D.M.A. from the University of Southern California after serving two years as a Special Services Officer in the U.S. Army in New York. He served as coordinator of the keyboard program at California State University, Chico, from 1971-2003 and the Certification Program in Keyboard Pedagogy, and retired as Professor Emeritus in 2008. Dr. Bowman previously was a member of the of keyboard faculties of Eastern Illinois University (1969-71) and the University of Southern California (1965-69).

		JOHN BOYAJY John Boyajy received his Bachelor and Master degrees from the Juilliard School of Music. He has appeared at Avery Fisher Hall in Lincoln Center and at other venues, including many college campuses across the nation. In February, 2009, he joined several of the Bay Area's most visible classical pianists at Old First Church in San Francisco for the Chopin Foundation's fund-raiser. He has also appeared on the Concerts Grand piano series and the Barnsdall Gallery Theatre in Los Angeles. A full-length San Francisco recital with mezzo-soprano Kindra Scharich, as well as concerto appearances throughout northern California are scheduled for 2010. He has often joined his distinguished colleagues by serving as a judge at local piano competitions, and has extensive experience as a collaborative pianist and vocal coach. John teaches piano and coaches vocalists at his San Marin studio and in San Francisco.

		DANIEL CHENG Born in Burma and raised in China, Mr.Cheng began piano lessons with his mother at age six. At sixteen, he entered Shanghai Conservatory and was recognized as a top student. His teachers included Ma Si Sun, Li Ming-Qiang, a winner of the International Chopin Competition in Warsaw and Li Tsuei-Zhen, a member of the Royal Musical Association of Britain. Mr. Cheng became a widely recognized solo pianist and teacher in China. He taught at Shanghai Conservatory, Shanghai Normal University and An-Hui Normal University. Many of his students won international piano competitions. In the 1990's, Mr. Cheng immigrated to America, settled in the Bay Area and began teaching piano. Throughout the years, he has taught many advanced students who've been awarded prizes in various piano competitions; some have gained the honor of the YAG in the MTAC. His reputation has garnered him invitations to give master classes around the country and in China.

		RICHARD CIONCO Pianist Richard Cionco first performed as soloist with orchestra at age nine, and has since performed with orchestras such as the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra and the Seijo Symphony of Tokyo, the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra, the Las Cruces Symphony (NM), the new Folsom Lake Symphony (CA), the Auburn Symphony (CA), the Saratoga Symphony (CA), with orchestras in Oakland and San Diego, and the Lawton Philharmonic in Oklahoma as a winner in the Louise D. McMahon International Music Competition. In Europe, he has performed with the Czech State Chamber Orchestra, and in Prague's Smetana Hall with the North Bohemian Philharmonic Orchestra as a winner in the Prague Spring International Music Competition. A Steinway Artist, Mr. Cionco graduated from the University of Maryland and The Juilliard School, where his major teachers included Rudolf Firkusny, Thomas Schumacher, and Audrey Bart Brown. He was awarded the Carl M. Roeder Memorial Prize in Piano and the Helen Fay Prize. A winner of many competitions, he is also a recipient of a Solo Recitalists Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and a career grant from the Bagby Foundation for the Musical Arts in New York City.

		EVAN CRAVES By day, Evan Craves is a project manager for DSI, a technology company in Santa Rosa that specializes in high-precision optical filters. By night, he is a freelance violinist, composer, and conductor. Evan graduated from UC Davis in 1998 with Bachelor degrees in both Chemical Engineering and Music. He has studied the violin since his youth and has worked with the extraordinary musical talents of Michael Sand, Marilyn Thompson, Jorja Fleezanis, Jeffrey Thomas, and Mark Sokol. Evan has performed with the UC Davis Symphony Orchestra, UC Davis Baroque Ensemble, Apollo Baroque Orchestra, Symphony of the Redwoods, Pacific Collegium and the San Francisco Lyric Opera. He is a co-founder of The String Quartet and has volunteered since 2000 with the American Philharmonic, Sonoma County, as concertmaster and assistant conductor -- most notably performing Shostakovich's Violin Concerto No. 1 in the spring of 2007 and conducting a concert of Quintessential Classics featuring works by Beethoven, Brahms, and Mozart, in the spring of 2009.

		STELLA FONG Ms. Stella Fong received her Master in Music from Texas State University, her Bachelor of Arts with honors from Hong Kong Baptist University, and a Performance Certificate from the Central Conservatory of Music. While pursuing her degrees, she studied under Professor Zhou Guang-Ren, Mr. Zhan Zhao Xuan, Professor Li Ming Qiang, Dr. Joyce Lindorff, and Professor Timothy Woolsey. Ms. Fong is a former faculty member at Texas State University, School of Music, from 1997-1999. She has been an adjudicator for piano competitions in China and the USA. She also performs collaboratively with the Baptist University Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Fong is currently on the piano faculty of the Central Conservatory of Music, Piano Academy at Gulangyu.

		DR. CHARLES FUERY Dr. Charles Fuery has traveled extensively performing classical piano recitals, concertos, and world premiers of contemporary music, including appearances on both coasts of the U.S. and on TV and radio. During his college years, Chuck won several piano competitions. In 1978, after extensive nationwide auditions, he was selected by Gil Kalish as first alternate - one of 6 pianists - to attend the Tanglewood Festival in Massachusetts. Rudolf Serkin called Fuery's playing: "unique and 'molto espressivo.'" His concerto performances of the Chopin 1st and the Beethoven 4th Piano concerti in Boston were highly celebrated and met with standing ovations, numerous curtain calls, and substantial critical acclaim. Equally versed in jazz piano styles, at the age of 19 Chuck was invited to participate in an extended tour with Princess Cruises, in which he formed a jazz trio and performed with the award winning musical group, "Standing Room Only." In 1984 he received his doctorate in piano performance and theory from Stanford University. For over a decade, Dr. Fuery was on the faculty at UC Berkeley and taught piano, harmony, and counterpoint at both UC Berkeley and Stanford University.

		NATSUKI FUKASAWA Natsuki Fukasawa's has appeared in Europe, Scandinavia, Israel, Australia, Japan, and China as both soloist and chamber musician. As a founding member of the award-winning Jalina Trio, Natsuki has won many accolades and international prizes, including a January 2006 rave review in Fanfare magazine and the Best Chamber Music Recording of the Year from the Danish Music Awards. Recent highlights include a tour of Italy performing Gershwin's Concerto in F and performances of Beethoven's 3rd Piano Concerto with the Sacramento Philharmonic and Rachmaninov's 2nd Piano Concerto with the Camellia Symphony. Natsuki debuted with the Folsom Lake Symphony and Maestro Michael Neumann in 2009. Natsuki is on the artist faculty for the Schlern International Music Festival in Italy, Calcap Chamber Music Workshop, and the Associate Director of SYS Advanced Chamber Music Workshop. She is a Fulbright Scholar and has earned her degrees from Juilliard, Prague Academy, and the University of Maryland. Natsuki records for Classico and Da Capo labels and her career is noted in the World of Women in Classical Music and Who's Who in America.

		JAMES GARDNER A Juilliard-trained conductor, pianist, and oboist, many of James Arthur Gardner's students have gone on to win top prizes in important competitions at the state, national, and international levels, including the Pinault International Piano Competition (New York City), From the Top (Boston), The Russian Piano Competition (San Jose), MTAC State Solo and Concerto Competitions (California), Pacific Music Society (San Francisco), and others. Gardner's dedication to young people is evident in his annual Kids Play the Darndest Things program in which musical prodigies are brought together to perform works by the great classical composers. Mr. Gardner's musical training has been wide ranging. As a conductor, he was a finalist in the National Orchestral Association's Conducting Competition at Carnegie Hall. Subsequently he became conductor of the Detroit Chamber Orchestra and Wind Symphony of Detroit before founding Pro Arte Symphony in 1993. In his early career Gardner performed as an oboist with the Juilliard Orchestra, the Brooklyn Philharmonic, and the New York City Ballet Orchestra. He has performed in many of the country's finest concert halls.

		JOHN HILLEBRANDT John Hillebrandt has been Staff Accompanist and Lecturer at California State University, Stanislaus, since 1996. He is also the principal keyboardist for the Modesto Symphony Orchestra. His numerous and highly acclaimed performances include solo recitals, chamber music, concertos, and original compositions. He graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. degree in music from the University of Central Florida, and M.M. and DMA in piano performance from the University of Michigan. He has received numerous honors as both a pianist and composer, including first prize in the Florida West Coast Chopin Piano Competition and first prize in the Clara Wells Memorial Piano Competition. He received a dissertation grant for the composition and performance of microtonal piano music, and won the University of Michigan's concerto competition for which he composed and performed his First Piano Concerto. In concerts presented by the California Composers' Consortium, Dr. John Hillebrandt has performed original works around the Central Valley and in the San Francisco Bay Area. Hillebrandt teaches at Modesto Junior College, as well as privately. He has had numerous award-winning students.

		DR. DORIAN HO Born in Taiwan, Dorian Ho made her New York solo piano debut at Carnegie Recital Hall as Winner of the Thirteenth Annual Artists International Competition. Dorian received her MM from Juilliard, Concert Diploma from the Vienna Academy of Music and Art, and a Ph.D. in Piano Performance from New York University. Her teachers include Beatrice Beauregard, Marin Canin, Eugen List, and Bruno Seidlhofer. Ms. Ho has performed as soloist with orchestras in the United States, as well as the Fine Arts Orchestra of Taiwan, Moscow Chamber Orchestra, Slovak Sinfonietta, the State Chamber Orchestra of Kazakhstan, the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra of Budapest, and others. Recently she performed with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra at the Shanghai Grand Theater. Ms. Ho has also performed at Alice Tully Hall, Davies Symphony Hall, Herbst Theatre, Atlanta Symphony Hall and in Japan, China, Austria, Russia, Switzerland, and the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall in Taiwan. Since 1988, Dorian Ho has been a faculty member at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

		AUDINGA JACOBSON Audinga Jacobson has extensive performance and teaching experience in both Europe and the United States. A distinguished representative of the Russian school of violin playing, she continues the tradition of David Oistrakh as taught by her teachers Alexander Livortas, Victor Radovich, and Dana and Yuri Mazurkevich. Her method of teaching with modification from her association with American pedagogical methods, combines the best aspects of both traditions. Ms. Jacobson is also an accomplished pianist, studying 15 years with the renowned Lithuanian pianist M. Rubackiene. She was a first prize winner of the national Lithuanian violin competition. She has toured Europe extensively as a member of the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra, received two performance Master Degrees from the Lithuanian Academy of Music: one in violin and one in chamber music. She has appeared as soloist in television and radio broadcasts for Lithuanian national television and radio and hosted a musical education program for children on Lithuanian national television. She has appeared in solo recitals and chamber music performances throughout New England. She is both a founder and faculty member of the San Francisco Institute of Music.

		CHRISTYNA KACZYNSKI-KOZEL Christyna Kaczynski-Kozel started her piano studies at the age of five and studied at the Conservatory of Trois-Rivières, Montréal, Barcelona, and the Musik-Hochschule in Stuttgart. She studied 10 years with conductor Sergiu Celibidach and performed with the Munich Philharmonic. Christyna was one of the first directors of the "Internationale Stiftung zur Foerderung von Kultur und Zivilisation" where she initiated and managed two cultural projects: a series of concerts for senior citizens, performed in historic castles throughout Germany; and Mozart von Jedermann, part of a Mozart Festival in the original ambience of the residenz in Salzburg. Since moving to California in September 2000, Christyna has been performing regularlyas a member of the Berkeley Piano Club, the Fortnightly Music Club in Palo Alto, the Women Musicians' Club of San Francisco, and the Performing Art Society in Walnut Creek. Christyna has served as President for the California Music Teachers' Association, Alameda branch, and was a member of the Crowden Center for Music in the Community faculty in Berkeley from 2002 to 2007.

		DR. SHARON MANN Sharon Mann, D.M. is widely respected for her penetrating interpretations of Bach's keyboard music; her recording of the Six Partitas has recently been re-released by Cappella Records. She holds degrees from The Juilliard School, Stanford, and Northwestern universities. Early studies were with Rudolph Ganz, Isador Buchhalter, Irwin Freundlich, Rosalyn Tureck, and Dorothy Taubman. Dr. Mann was recipient of the George Eastman Fellowship, artistic director of the Governor's Series in Ohio, co-producer of the Soviet Emigre Orchestra, Switzerland's Somermusikwochen, and artistic director of the Junior Bach Festival. She has served on the faculties of California Summer Music Festival and Itzhak Perlman's Perlman Music Program. Her recent master classes were in Greece, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Utah, and California.

		DR. PAUL MIHALY Paul Mihaly studied piano at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and completed his BM at Juilliard and DMA at USC. His principal teachers have been Adolph Baller, Ilona Kabos, and Daniel Pollack. Dr. Mihaly taught piano at Santa Rosa Junior College from 1978 to 1995 and opened a music school in1989 with his wife, Joanne Kim. In 1998 the Mihalys moved to Mountain View, where they teach all levels and perform as duo pianists at Mihaly Music Studio. Dr. Mihaly is an active member of MTAC and has served as President of the Palo Alto Branch. He has concertized extensively in California including appearances with the San Francisco, Thousand Oaks, and Santa Rosa Symphonies. In 1975 he performed and lectured at Seoul National University, and Seoul National Theater. In 1997 he toured Lebanon, performing at the American University of Beirut and National Conservatory of Music. The following year he returned to South Korea where he performed with the Korean Chamber Ensemble of Seoul.

		DR. VICTORIA NEVE Victoria Neve was awarded a BM from Illinois Wesleyan University and MM and DMA degrees from the University of Kansas, Lawrence. Since 1975, Dr. Neve has been a faculty member of San Francisco State University as Full Professor of Music. As a distinguished piano soloist, chamber musician, duo pianist, and accompanist she has appeared at the College Music Society, the National Conference on Women in Music, the Memphis State Music Festival, the State Conventions of the California Association of Professional Music Teachers, Music Teachers Association of California, and the National Convention of the Music Teachers National Association. Dr. Neve has been heard on the National Public Radio series "Early American Keyboard Music" and on SFSU's "University Concert Series," as well as KQED in San Francisco, KPFA in Berkeley, and others. Dr. Neve is an active member of the Women Musicians' Club of San Francisco, the California Association of Professional Music Teachers, the Music Teachers Association of California, the Sonneck Society, and the Liszt Society.

		DR. HAGGAI NIV Dr. Haggai Niv holds a Master degree in Piano Performance and DMA from Tel Aviv University, Israel. He also studied under Gina Bachauer and Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli in Italy. His career includes solo performances with the Israel Philharmonic and many european orchestras, including the Concertbouw and Suisse Romande. In 1978 he was invited to participate in the 200th anniversary concerts of Orchestra Della Scala and performed the Chopin 1st Concerto under the baton of Zubin Mehta. Since 1979, Dr. Niv has been an active musician in the Bay Area. He has taught for 11 years at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and at the San Diego Chamber Music Workshop, besides giving pedagogic seminars for teachers. He is frequently a guest teacher at the Santa Cecilia Academy in Rome, The Chigi Academy in Sienna, and Aspen Music Festival. Many of his students have been winners of local and national competitions. Some have become teachers in music schools such as Juilliard, the San Francisco Conservatory, and Houghton College.

		LINO RIVERA Born in the Philippines, Lino Rivera won his first national competition at age eight. He has performed as a solo recitalist, concerto soloist, chamber musician, and accompanist on three continents. He has been featured on several radio and television broadcasts, notably live performances with the Manila Symphony Orchestra and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra. Rivera's dedication to seldom-performed piano literature resulted in his 1997 doctoral dissertation on the piano transcriptions of great romantic pianists and composers. He holds piano performance degrees from the University of Santo Tomas, the University of Hawaii, and his doctorate from the University of Maryland. He serves as Chair of the Performing Arts Department at Saint Mary's College of California. He actively promotes and performs music by contemporary composers.

		DR. CHARLES SEPOS Charles Sepos holds a DMA from the College-Conservatory of Music of the University of Cincinnati, where he taught theory and composition. As Visiting Assistant Professor at the Shepherd School of Music, he earned Rice University's highest Course/Instructor Evaluation. He also taught at the University of Colorado and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Charles Sepos is the winner of numerous awards in composition, including the Broadcast Music, Incorporated (BMI) Award. He is the first recipient of the Bradmark Composition Award. His music has been performed by the Houston Symphony, American Philharmonic, Sonoma County, the Grand Rapids Symphony, and other artists and ensembles internationally. As a pianist, Charles Sepos has performed with the Santa Rosa Symphony, the American Philharmonic, Sonoma County, as well as solo and chamber music appearances. He was a co-founder of American Philharmonic, Sonoma County, served as its Composer-in-Residence and acted as its first Communications Director. Since 1995, Charles Sepos has been host and producer of Curtain Call every Friday from noon to 1 on KRCB 91 FM, Sonoma County Public Radio. His guests have included pianists Andre Watts, Garrick Ohlsson, Angela Hewitt and Ingrid Fliter, violinists Joshua Bell and Pinchas Zukerman, flutist James Galway, Kronos, Juilliard and Emerson Quartets, and Eroica Trio

		GREGORY TABOLOFF Gregory Taboloff made his Carnegie Hall debut at age 27 and received critical acclaim from The New York Times. In 1986 and 1987, he competed in the Tchaikovsky Competition and the Queen Elisabeth Competition. Upon his return, he performed for England's Prime Minister Heath at the Blackhawk Country Club. In 1990, Maestro George Cleve engaged Taboloff as piano soloist with the Oakland Symphony. Appearing on TV and radio programs, Taboloff performed in TCI Cable's "Grand Piano" and KQED's "West Coast Weekend Live." He was interviewed on KDFC by Dianne Nicolini in 1996 showcasing his "Rare Russian Masterpieces" CD, and has produced five recordings to date. Taboloff adjudicates many piano competitions throughout the Bay Area. An active fundraiser, he raised over $100,000 for the Make a Wish Foundation performing three piano concerti in one night at Wente Winery. Along with a BM from Peabody Conservatory, he studied at the San Francisco Conservatory. His teachers include Leon Fleisher, Milton Salkind, and Walter Hautzig. Mr. Taboloff is an active teacher in the Bay Area with 25 years of experience. He frequently gives master classes at California state universities.

		DR. STEPHEN THOMAS Stephen Thomas performs as soloist, collaborative musician, and with orchestra. He has performed in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Japan. Past engagements include solo performances with orchestras in the United States and Europe, as well as concerts in cities from Kyoto to Copenhagen. Dr. Thomas has recorded for television and radio broadcast for stations such as WQXR in New York City. His most recent recording, "Music of Two Worlds," exploring solo piano works by Haydn, Brahms, and South American composers, was released in November, 2007. He has also recorded and performed throughout the Bay Area with principal players of the San Francisco Symphony, including an appearance at Davies Hall for the Symphony's Chamber Series. Dr. Thomas holds degrees in piano performance from Brigham Young University, Yale University, and the University of Michigan, having studied with Irene Peery, Claude Frank, Peter Frankl, and Arthur Greene. Since his appointment to the faculty of the Department of Music at California State University, Stanislaus, in 1996, he has founded the widely-recognized Sylvia M. Ghiglieri Piano Competition, and the Piano Sessions of Summer Music at Stanislaus.

		DR. LARRY WARKENTIN Larry Warkentin is professor emeritus at Fresno Pacific University, where he taught piano performance and music composition for forty years, before his retirement in 2002. He has appeared as soloist with the Tulare County Symphony in a performance of his Piano Concerto No. 1. In June 2005, he presented a recital of Chopin's works in Gdansk. His "Academic Variations for Piano" was awarded First Prize in the California State MTA competition. In June 2004, his composition "Chungking, May 5, 1939" for baritone, piano, and piano effects was premiered in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. In 2004, in collaboration with Harold Haak, as author-narrator, his piano composition "Mubox Bugs," a children's story with music, premiered and was recorded on CD. Dr. Warkentin holds a DMA degree from the University of Southern California. Since retirement he has performed in recitals at Fresno Pacific University, including an appearance with renowned flutist Paul Fried. He has also taught courses in music theory and composition at California State University, Fresno. He has been commissioned to compose a major work for choir, soloist and orchestra, for the Centennial Celebration at Tabor College, in Kansas.

		DR. BETTY WOO Betty Woo received her DMA from Stanford University and pursued graduate studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London, receiving the MacFarren Gold Medal. Her teachers include Bernhard Abramowitsch, Gordon Green, and George Barth in piano and William Pleeth in cello repertoire. Betty Woo has made major solo appearances in London and New York, received a special prize for the best performance of a twentieth-century piece in the Gina Bachauer International Competition, and a special award in the International American Music Competition. Ms. Woo has also performed, taught master classes, and given lectures in Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong, as well as California. As a chamber music player, Betty Woo has performed with prominent musicians in the Bay Area and with such contemporary ensemble groups as Earplay and the San Francisco Contemporary Chamber Players. Recently, she collaborated with the flutist Elena Duran in Edinburgh, Scotland, and in Mexico. Ms Woo is also an experienced teacher, formerly on the faculty of Stanford University and the San Francisco Conservatory, and currently on the faculty of Holy Names University in Oakland and University of California, Berkeley.

		TIAN-EN YU Tian-En Yu was born in Shanghai and entered the Music Conservatory at the age of twelve. Her studies were interrupted by the Cultural Revolution, but she continued her study of classical piano in secret with her teacher Benjamin Yu. In July 1977 she was chosen to give the first classical piano recital in Liberation Theatre, Shanghai, after the Cultural Revolution was pronounced officially ended. In 1986 she was awarded a full scholarship for study towards the Artist's Diploma by the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio. She graduated in 1988, having distinguished herself there as a solo and chamber pianist. In 1989 she relocated to California and has since given numerous solo, duo, chamber, and concerto performances in the Bay Area, and has recorded for the local television program Grand Piano. Tian-en has taught piano since 1972, and was a faculty member at the Shanghai Philharmonic Affiliated Music School. Several of her students there have continued their studies at the Curtis Institute, University of Toronto, and other noted schools.

		DR. YEUNG YU Dr. Yeung Yu received his DMA from the University of Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, his MM from Texas State University, his Piano Diploma from The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, School of Music, and his BA from Central Conservatory of Music, Beijing, China. While pursuing his degrees, Dr. Yu studied under Professors Wang Mei Ling, Li Hui Li, Yin Shi Zhen, Zhou Guang Ren, Gabriel Kwok, Timothy Woolsey, Russel Reipe, James Tocco, and Joel Hoffman. A former faculty member at Shenzhen Arts School, Dr. Yu was awarded first prize at theGraves Piano Competition, a Teaching Excellence Award from The First Shenzhen Youth Piano Competition, and a Teaching Excellence Award from the Steinway Piano Competition, 2007. Dr. Yu is an active soloist and has performed internationally in the US, Hong Kong, Japan, China, and on collaborative events with the Ohio Metropolitan Orchestra. He is a frequent adjudicator for piano competitions in China and the US. His 2007 recording, "Beautiful Melodies for Piano Duets," has been published by China Contemporary Recording Company.