MEET THe Artists
Gwendolyn Mok, piano
Born in New York City, Ms. Mok has appeared in many of the world's leading concert halls, including the Barbican, Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Avery Fisher Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Davies Symphony Hall, and the Hong Kong Performing Arts Center. She is frequently invited to play and record with major international orchestras, such as the London Symphony, the Philharmonia, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, the Beijing Philharmonic Orchestra and the Residency Orchestra of the Hague.
Ms. Mok is a recording artist for Nonesuch/Elektra, Musical Heritage Society, Musician Showcase Recordings, Cala Records, and EMI. Her highly acclaimed debut CD with the Philharmonia of Ravel's “Piano Concerto in G Major” on the Cala label was nominated for an Alternative Edison award. A second Cala recording of Saint-Saëns’s “Africa—Fantasy for Piano and Orchestra” with the London Philharmonic has been equally applauded. Three solo CDs, “Ravel Revealed” (Ravel’s piano works) and “Brahms: Late Piano Works,” and “Legacy, The Spirit of Beethoven” were recorded on historic pianos for the Musicians Showcase Recording label. All (3)CDs received outstanding reviews and are broadcast frequently around the world. Recently two new CDs have been released: Poldowski Art Songs with soprano Angelique Zuluaga and pianist Gwendolyn Mok on the Delos label and EKTA Trilogy, featuring Mok as soloist on EKTA II, a concerto written for her by composer Brent Heisinger.
As a chamber musician, Ms. Mok appears regularly in the San Francisco Symphony Chamber Music Series, as well as in the San Jose Chamber Society and the Sacramento Chamber Society series. She collaborates often with members of the New York Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra. A popular soloist with the Symphony Silicon Valley, Ms. Mok co-produced and appeared in four sold-out performances of The Gershwin Radio Hour. In 2016 Ms. Mok was named President’s Scholar by San Jose State University, the highest honor given to an outstanding faculty member for their scholarship and research. Mok was also presented with the Artistic Acheievement Award by the College of Humanities & the Arts in 2008.
Ms. Mok began her studies at the Juilliard School of Music, completed her undergraduate work at Yale University, and earned her Masters and Doctorate at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. She is currently Coordinator of Keyboard Studies at San Jose State University and maintains a busy performing and recording schedule.
Jeffrey LaDeur, piano
Jeffrey LaDeur is known for his rare blend of insight, spontaneity, and approachable, communicative stage presence. Clic Musique Magazine (France) lauded “…an irreproachable legato, a beautiful palette of nuances, and an always well-balanced sound.” Having inherited a rich tradition of pianism and interpretation from Annie Sherter, student of Vlado Perlemuter and Alfred Cortot, LaDeur has established himself as a compelling exponent of classic and new repertoire. In March of 2018, LaDeur made his solo recital debut at Carnegie Hall on the centennial of Claude Debussy’s death. He appears regularly with orchestra and maintains a repertoire of over 40 concerti. LaDeur is the founder and artistic director of the San Francisco International Piano Festival and president of the American Liszt Society, San Francisco Bay Area Chapter.
LaDeur’s most recent solo recording features music of Liszt and was released by Music & Arts in April of 2022. Critic Henry Fogel wrote, “The beauty of his coloration, the rightness of his phrasing, and his sensitive dynamic shaping, all draw the listener into Liszt’s world.” A chamber musician of distinction, Jeffrey’s collaboration with mezzo soprano Kindra Scharich has produced To My Distant Beloved, an album exploring the connections between Beethoven and Schumann through cycles in song and solo piano works. LaDeur has collaborated with distinguished artists such as Robert Mann, Bonnie Hampton, Ian Swensen, Axel Strauss, Geoff Nuttall, and the Alexander String Quartet.
An active educator, Jeffrey offers masterclasses frequently as guest artist in universities throughout the United States and coaches gifted pre-college piano and string ensembles at Young Chamber Musicians in Burlingame, California. LaDeur holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music and San Francisco Conservatory of Music in piano performance and chamber music, respectively. Jeffrey counts among his teachers Mark Edwards, Douglas Humpherys, Yoshikazu Nagai, and Robert McDonald.
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Asiya Korepanova, piano
The only pianist in the world who performed the complete Rachmaninoff solo piano works within the composer’s 150th-anniversary year in 2023, Asiya Korepanova is a pianistic powerhouse hailed as a "tremendously gifted pianist who exhibits a singular affinity for Rachmaninoff’s Russian romantic idiom and possesses the blazing technique to fully realize his distinctive scores" (South Florida Classical Review), who is also highly recognized as a composer, visual artist, and poet.
A herald of an enormous repertoire encompassing over 60 piano concertos and solo works ranging from early Baroque period to music of living composers, Asiya is a quintessential completist. She finds unique joy in performing complete collections of works such as the 24 Liszt Etudes or the entire Well-Tempered Clavier by Bach. Her emotionally charged and colorfully nuanced performances have gained her the admiration of audiences and resulted in many repeat engagements.
Asiya, a pianist and composer, draws her musical inspiration from the legacy of Dmitry Shostakovich, having studied composition under his direct disciple, Albert Leman. She is the author of original works in multiple genres and instrumentations. Her historic solo piano transcriptions of Richard Strauss’ 'Ein Heldenleben', Rachmaninoff's Cello Sonata, Tchaikovsky's 'Manfred' Symphony, Mussorgsky's 'Songs and Dances of Death' have placed her among today’s formidable transcribers. The most recent composition events include the world premiere recording of Asiya’s concerto for alto saxophone and piano, Poéme, performed by Thomas Giles and Liana Pailodze Harron; the publication of her transcription of Rachmaninoff's cello sonata; the premiere of her Piano Quintet ‘I marvel at the sky’, commissioned by the Third Dimension Music Festival; and the premiere of Con Brio for two pianos, performed with her duo partner Ilya Kazantsev as a part of the Dranoff Two Piano Foundation series.
An avid chamber musician, Asiya collaborates with a wide array of musicians. Her partners include David Shifrin, the Hermitage Piano Trio, Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt, Svetoslav Stoyanov, Giora Schmidt, and Alexander Fiterstein. She regularly performs as part of the '88 by 20' piano duo with her friend and former classmate, Grammy-nominated pianist Ilya Kazantsev.
Uninhibited in her artistic expression, Asiya is also sought after her work as a visual artist and poet. Her uncompromising dedication to the arts have culminated in several projects featuring original poetry and visual art that serve as interpretive commentary for a particular cycle of piano works. These cycles include Liszt’s Transcendental Etudes, Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier, Tchaikovsky’s 18 Morceaux, Op. 72, and, most recently, Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition. Asiya's live performances of these compositions have astounded audiences and organizers alike.
Caring about the development of society, in 2017 Asiya founded Music for Minds, a non-profit organization that brings classical performances into classrooms and creates music festivals featuring unique programming. From 2017 through 2019, Asiya directed her brainchild 'Festival Baltimore,' a two-week chamber music series and summer academy dedicated to the performance and study of complete cycles, one of Music for Mind's projects. In just three years, the festival solidified itself as a highly original music series and academy, presenting a wide array of styles and performers.
Born in Izhevsk, Russia, to a musical family, Asiya began learning the piano at 4 years old from her mother Soreya, her first piano teacher. At the age of 6, she was taught to read music in orchestral clefs by her father Sergey, an exemplary composer, and started composing her own music. At 9, she made her orchestral debut, playing Mozart Concerto No. 8 with her own cadenza, and gave her first full philharmonic recital. Simultaneously, she began studying composition with Albert Leman, the chair of Moscow Conservatory's composition department and a student of Dmitry Shostakovich. She continued working with him until his passing in 1998. That short period has influenced all future aspects of her musical and artistic development.
As a result of her early bond with composition, she appreciates new music. In Russia, she premiered three piano concertos by Vladislav Kazenin and Shamil Timerbulatov, performing with the Svetlanov Symphony Orchestra, the Saint Petersburg Capella Symphony Orchestra, the Ural Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Tatarstan National Symphony Orchestra. In the U.S., she has premiered various works by Michael Daugherty, Thomas Sleeper, Orlando Garcia, among others.
Throughout her early years in Russia, Ms. Korepanova received various awards for her prodigious abilities. These include the Russian Federation Presidential Award for Exceptional Achievement in the Arts, the National Award from the Republic of Udmurtia (2002), the Germany Berliner Salon Award (2003), the Russia Youth Triumph Award (2005), and the title of Honored Artist of Udmurtia (2009).
In 2012, Asiya moved to the United States at the invitation of renowned pianist and maestro Santiago Rodriguez, to earn a Doctoral degree under his guidance at the University of Miami. Later that year, she was awarded the Gold Medal at the Nena Wideman International Piano Competition—an achievement that proved invaluable in establishing her concertizing career in the U.S. In 2017, she added a University of Miami Artist Diploma degree to her portfolio, having earned it in the studios of Kevin Kenner and Tian Ying.
Asiya has since continued to garner national attention with performances at the Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall, the Phillips Collection, and many other notable recital series, symphony orchestras, and festivals throughout the country. She has been featured on CNN, NPR stations, WFMT, and WETA.
In 2023, Asiya embarked on a monumental project in celebration of Rachmaninoff’s 150th birth anniversary, performing his complete solo piano music in 6 recital programs throughout the United States. She premiered her latest transcription—the Manfred Symphony by Peter Tchaikovsky; toured performing Clara Schumann, Grieg, and Rachmaninoff piano concertos; anticipates the releases of scores of her compositions: the Poéme for alto saxophone and piano and Con Brio for two pianos, as well as transcriptions of works by Mussorgsky, Franck, Amy Beach, Fauré, Berg, and Bach.
Asiya and her husband Dmitry reside in a forest-rich Boston suburb, where she has unlimited time and hours of the day to practice or listen to music. She is an avid runner, hiker, and advocate for a healthy lifestyle. Find out more
Stephen Prutsman, piano
Stephen Prutsman has been described as one of the most innovative musicians of his time. Moving easily from classical to jazz to world music styles as a pianist and composer, Prutsman continues to explore and seek common ground and relationships in the music of all cultures and languages.
In the early 2000s Stephen was Artistic Partner with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, where he wrote several new works for the orchestra, led performances of other composers as a conductor and pianist, and developed the orchestra's contemporary and world music series. Later he was the Artistic Director of the Cartagena International Festival of Music, South America’s largest festival of its kind, programming and curating concerts with themes ranging from Mozart celebrations, to eclectic evenings of folk and popular music of the Americas, to hybrid programs fusing art and dance music of multiple musical dimensions.
In the early 90’s he was a medal winner at the Tchaikovsky and Queen Elisabeth Piano Competitions, and received the Avery Fisher Career Grant. Since then Stephen has performed the classical concerto repertoire as soloist with many of the world’s leading orchestras and his classical discography includes acclaimed recordings of the Barber and McDowell concerti with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, recordings of Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier, and a solo jazz album entitled "Passengers".
Born in Los Angeles, Stephen first began playing the piano by ear at age 3 before moving on to more formal music studies. In his teens and early 20s he was the keyboard player for several art rock groups including Cerberus and Vysion (and was a winner of television’s “The Gong Show”!) During those years, he worked regularly as a solo jazz pianist playing in many southern California clubs and lounges and was the music arranger for a nationally syndicated televangelist program.
As a composer, Stephen’s long collaboration with Grammy Award winning Kronos Quartet has resulted in over 40 arrangements and compositions for them. Other leading artists and ensembles who have performed Stephen’s compositions and arrangements include Leon Fleisher, Dawn Upshaw, the St. Lawrence String Quartet, Yo-Yo Ma, Spoleto USA, and the Silk Road Project. In 2010, his song cycle “Piano Lessons” was premiered by Ms. Upshaw and Emanuel Ax at Carnegie Hall (New York), the Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Disney Hall (Los Angeles) and the Barbican Centre (London). As a pianist or arranger outside of the classical music world he has collaborated with such diverse personalities as Tom Waits, Rokia Traore, Jon Anderson of “YES”, Sigur Rós and Asha Bhosle. He has scored for a variety of ensembles 15 silent films from the 1920s which are regularly presented at various venues throughout the world.
He is a board member of several organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area promoting the well-being of people living with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and regularly produces and curates "Azure Concerts" musical performances tailored for individuals on the autism spectrum and their families. He was recently named Creative Director for Phenotypic Recordings, a new company specializing in recordings of contemporary music, and in January of 2023 Prutsman began a 2-year appointment as Visiting Artist at Stanford University.
Sharon Mann, piano
Sharon Mann's early training on the piano began in Chicago with teachers Rudolph Ganz and Isador Buchhalter and continued with Irwin Freundlich and Rosalyn Tureck. She holds the country's first doctorate in piano/chamber music from Northwestern University in addition to her degrees from The Juilliard School and Stanford University. A respected soloist and ensemble player, Dr. Mann is widely acclaimed for her penetrating interpretations of Bach’s keyboard music: Her recording of the Six Partitas has recently been re-released by Cappella Records, and she has performed with such artists as Alain Marion, Michael Grebanier, Elaine Skorodin-Fuhrmann, and the Cavani String Quartet.
An appointee of Governor Richard Celeste, Dr. Mann was, for six years, Artistic Director of Ohio’s Governor’s Series, lecturing on radio directly from the state mansion. She has also served as Artistic Director of California’s Junior Bach Festival and as producer of the Soviet Emigré Orchestra.
Dr. Mann has held faculty positions with the Itzhak Perlman Music Program, the Bowdoin International Music Festival, the California Summer Music Festival, St. Olaf College, and Mills College. She has taught internationally in Germany, Greece, Italy, and China (where she returns annually), as well across the U.S. in Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, and Utah. She is currently working on a new edition of the complete Bach Keyboard Suites. Learn More
Telegraph Quartet
Joseph Maile, violin
Eric Chin, violin
Pei-ling Lin, viola
Jeremiah Shaw, cello
The Telegraph Quartet formed in 2013 with an equal passion for the standard chamber music repertoire and contemporary, non-standard works alike. Described by the San Francisco Chronicle as “…an incredibly valuable addition to the cultural landscape” and “powerfully adept… with a combination of brilliance and subtlety,” the Telegraph Quartet was awarded the prestigious 2016 Walter W. Naumburg Chamber Music Award and the Grand Prize at the 2014 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition. The Quartet has performed in concert halls, music festivals, and academic institutions across the United States and abroad, including New York City’s Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, San Francisco’s Herbst Theatre, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s Chamber Masters Series, and at festivals including the Chautauqua Institute, Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival, and the Emilia Romagna Festival. The Quartet is currently on the chamber music faculty at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music as the Quartet-in-Residence.
Kindra Scharich, mezzo-soprano
Mezzo-soprano Kindra Scharich has been praised by the San Francisco Chronicle for her “fearless technical precision,” “deep-rooted pathos” and “irrepressible musical splendor.” As a dedicated recitalist, she has performed more than 250 art songs in 15 languages, and enjoys the full complement of recital, concert and opera engagements alike. Ms. Scharich has sung more than 40 roles from Monteverdi to Philip Glass, and been engaged in a number of premières and new works, including: John Adam’s Antony & Cleopatra (San Francisco Opera), Bright Sheng’s Dream of the Red Chamber (San Francisco Opera) Laura Kaminsky’s Today it Rains (Opera Parallèle) and Missy Mazzoli’s Breaking the Waves (West Edge Opera, west coast première) Scharich’s recordings include: In meinem Himmel: The Mahler Song Cycles, with the Alexander String Quartet (2018), To my Distant Beloved, with pianist Jeffrey LaDeur (2020) and Chosen Eyes, with pianist Ricardo Ballestero (2021)
Alvise Pascucci, piano
Italian pianist Alvise Pascucci has been defined by music critics as an outstanding young pianist who possesses a virtuoso technique as well as musicianship of a high order. His repertoire covers a wide range from Baroque to contemporary music. To date he has been awarded over 60 prizes in National and International competitions.
Alvise has performed in various venues, including Steinway Hall in London, UK, Military Circle Hall in Ploieşti, Romania, Teatro degli Industri of Grosseto, Italy, Dar Sebastien in Hammamet, Tunisia, and the Gnessin Academy of Music concert hall in Moscow, Russia. He has played as a soloist with several orchestras including Orchestra Città di Grosseto, the Taipei Philarmonia Orchestra, and the Philharmonic Orchestra of Ploiesti. His 2019 commitments included concerts in New York at the Weill Recital Hall of Carnegie Hall, Taiwan and Italy.
Demonstrating his musical versatility, in addition to the piano, Alvise started to learn the violin at the age of nine. After graduating in September, 2006 from St.Cecilia conservatoire in Rome in violin, Mr. Pascucci decided to concentrate on his piano studies and completed his degrees in the R. Franci conservatoire of Siena, P. Mascagni Conservatoire of Livorno, International Piano Academy of Imola, and Trinity Laban Conservatoire of London. In 2017 he relocated to Indiana, where he obtained a Performer Diploma from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, studying with Roberto Plano. He is now working towards his DMA at UC Santa Barbara with Paul Berkowitz, where he has been awarded the prestigious Chancellor’s Fellowship. Find out more.
Solomon Ge, piano
Solomon Ge is a pianist and composer from San Jose, CA, who currently studies with Ms. Haesun Paik and Mr. Alessio Bax at the New England Conservatory of Music. He has won First Prize at the 2022 PianoArts North American Competition, 2021 Arthur Fraser International Piano Competition and the 2021 Ann & Charles Eisemann International Young Artists Competition. As an active soloist, he has performed with the South Carolina Philharmonic, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, Richardson Symphony Orchestra, and Peninsula Symphony, among others. In the summer of 2022, he joined the San Jose Youth Symphony as a soloist on a tour to the Baltic countries and Finland.
This summer, he studied at the Ravinia Steans Music Institute’s Program for Piano and Strings, where he worked with musicians such as Robert Levin, Miriam Fried, and Gary Hoffman, and was further invited to the prestigious Marlboro Music Festival for the summer of 2024. His prior festival appearances include the Amalfi Coast Music and Arts Festival, International Maestro Piano Festival in Taipei, and Southeastern Piano Festival.
He regularly performs his own compositions in recitals, and recently recorded his solo piano work,Threnody, for the Pinna Records label, with all proceeds from the release being donated to the Jed Foundation, an organization dedicated to supporting the mental well being of teenagers.
Karina Tseng, piano
Pianist KARINA TSENG is a San Francisco Bay Area native currently studying in Rochester, New York at the Eastman School of Music. Most recently, she was the youngest finalist at the 2023 Bösendorfer USASU International Competition and the winner of the 2022 Marian Garcia International Competition. Karina has performed alongside orchestras such as the Palo Alto Philharmonic, New Millennium Chamber Orchestra, and the Golden State Youth Symphony and played in venues including Weill-Carnegie Hall (NY), Merkin Hall (NY), Leighton Hall (IN), Merrill Auditorium (ME), and the Mondavi Center (CA). She is a top prizewinner of the Kaufman International, Arthur Fraser International, National YoungArts, Pacific Musical Society, Enkor International, Ross McKee, and Junior Steinway competitions, among others. In 2020, Karina was inducted into the distinguished MTAC (Music Teachers Association of California) Young Artist Guild through which she is offered semi-professional paid performance opportunities throughout California.
Karina is honored to have worked with artists such as Simon Trpčeski, Douglas Humpherys, Gary Graffman, Dang Thai Son, Boris Slutsky, Sasha Starcevich, and Richard Goode through various masterclasses. Over previous summers, she attended the Southeastern Piano Festival, Bowdoin International Music Festival, Vivace International Music Festival, Boston University Tanglewood Institute Young Artists Piano Program, Gina Bachauer Piano Festival, and the Philadelphia Young Pianists Academy. Find out more.
Sarah Yuan, piano
Sarah Yuan, age 17, lives in Moraga and is a senior at Miramonte High School. She began piano studies at age seven and is currently a student of Dr. Sharon Mann. Since 2015, Sarah has won awards at the Pacific Musical Society Competition, Etude Club’s Young Artist Competition, the Sturm-Page Scholarship Competition, and the Ross McKee Piano Competition. She was also an Honorable Mention winner for the 2022 YoungArts competition. As part of the Young Chamber Musicians program, Sarah is currently the pianist for the Aveta Trio, which won the gold medal at the Junior Fischoff National Competition in 2021. She has performed in masterclasses for artists such as Tamas Ungar, Albert Kim, Michael Tan, Jeff LaDeur, the Gryphon Trio, and the Lee Trio, and has attended programs such as PianoTexas at Fort Worth and the Bowdoin International Music Festival.
Munan Cheng, piano
Munan Cheng, 17, is a rising senior at Valley Christian High School, San Jose, California. She currently studies with Dr. Sharon Mann.
Munan has been a laureate of the Ross McKee Piano Competition, Celia Mendez Beethoven Competition, Dubois Piano Competition, Princeton Festival Piano Competition, Young Euregion Piano Award, CAPMT Honors Competition, United States International Competition, San Jose International Piano Competition, Los Angeles Young Musician International Competition, and Pacific Musical Society Competition.
Munan studies chamber music through Young Chamber Musicians in Burlingame, and she is also a member of Bay Area Youth Music Society, a non-profit community service program. Outside of music, Munan loves to cuddle with her dogs and eat good food.
Matthias Santucci, piano
Matthias Santucci is a 2023 high school graduate from Bend, Oregon. As a newly admitted student of SFCM, he will be working toward a degree in piano performance in the studios of Professors Garrick Ohlsson and Jon Nakamatsu. In addition to studying at SFCM this fall, he will be receiving coaching from Dr. Kathleen Riley, Optimal Performance Biofeedback Specialist, to heal and retrain an overuse injury. Matthias has won scholarships from both Sunriver Music Festival and Bend Rotary Club for the last 6 years. He has competed in several Oregon based competitions such as Oregon Mozart Players and the Central Oregon Symphony, as well as attending the Young Musicians and Artists summer camp and Interlochen Arts Camp where he has won the opportunity to play with the orchestra and in showcase performances. He was awarded Interlochen’s Piano Prize. He has performed in numerous student recitals and masterclasses with renowned pianists, including Cliburn competition medalists Dmytro Choni and Kenneth Broberg. When not practicing or performing, Matthias enjoys weight lifting, games with family and friends, as well as playing with various music ensembles.
Aveta Trio
Sarah Yuan, piano
Eunseo Oh, violin
Elliott Kim, cello
Winners of the 2021 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition (Junior Division) the Aveta Trio has dazzled audiences with their performances of Beethoven, Dvorak, Cassado, Mendelssohn and more. The Trio was formed and continues to study through Young Chamber Musicians, Burlingame, in partnership with Music at Kohl Mansion.
Coco Connor, piano
Coco Connor is a rising senior at Lowell High School in San Francisco. She has attended the San Francisco Conservatory of Music since age 6 where she is a student of Sandra Wright Shen. She participated in the John Perry Academy Summer Piano Festival in 2018 and 2019 (JPA). In 2019 and 2022, she performed at "Flower Piano" in the San Francisco Botanical Garden, and in 2019 she participated in the AIMS Strings and Piano Academy in Solsona, Spain. She was also invited to premiere a composition by Daniel Felsenfeld at the MTAC convention. In the summer of 2022, she also participated in the Masterworks Music Festival in Spartanburg, SC, where she won the Masterworks Concerto Competition and played with the Festival orchestra. Coco was invited to perform a solo recital in the Noon Arts and Lectures Series in San Jose, CA, in June, and presented her Junior Recital at San Francisco Conservatory the same month. Coco is also a prizewinner of the 2019, 2020, and 2022 US Open Music Competition, the 2019 and 2022 Marilyn Mindell Piano Competition, and honorable mention in 2023 MTAC Concerto Competition. She has performed regularly at Laguna Honda Hospital and Family House to entertain the patients and their families. She is also a member of the ensembles Trio 413 and Quartet 465, which both won First Place in the VOCE State Finals for chamber music. Coco has performed in masterclasses with many great pianists, including John Perry, Ann Schein, Sasha Starcevich, Mack McCray, Steven Spooner, and Jon Nakamatsu. She loves to read, hike, and bake.
Iris Cai, piano
Iris Cai, 16, is a piano student of John McCarthy and a rising junior at The Harker School in San Jose. She has performed in Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall as first prize winner in the American Protege Music Talent Competition, and most recently, was named a laureate of the 2023 Ross McKee Piano Competition. Iris has also received awards in numerous other competitions, including the Henry and Carol Zeiter Piano Competition, the ENKOR Int’l Music Competition, and the United States Open Music Competition.
In addition to her enthusiasm for her piano studies, Iris participates in competitive math and is an avid poet.
Jacob Rockower, piano
Jacob Rockower began studying piano performance at the age of three. He currently studies under the direction of Professor Hans Boepple and previously studied with Lena Grozman. At 14 years of age, Jacob has won awards including Winner in 2022 Music Teachers’ Association of California (MTAC) Concerto Solo Competition North California Regional, 2022 Marilyn Mindell Piano Competition Junior Division, and 2021 Pacific Musical Society & Foundation Annual Competition, 1st place in 2021 MTAC Concerto Solo Competition State Finals, 2015 and 2020 California Association of Professional Music Teachers (CAPMT) Contemporary Music Competition State Finals, 2017 CAPMT Contemporary Music Competition District 2, 2022 and 2021 CAPMT Honors Competition, District 2, and the 21st Annual San Francisco Chopin Competition for Young Pianists, and First Alternate in 2021 MTNA Junior Performance Competition California. He also enjoys frisbee, table tennis, and math.