From left to right: Julian Miles Trevelyan, Junyan Chen, Khanh Nhi Luong, Jaeden Izik-Dzurko, Kai-Min Chang
After the passionate performances at the Semi-Finals, there are now five competitors left standing for the Concerto Finals, the last round of the 2024 Leeds Piano Competition. So who’s left? And where did they come from, anyway? Click on a name below to see their Semi-Finals replay!
The Finalists
Julian Miles Trevelyan (United Kingdom): Julian is a British pianist and musicologist who has won several major competitions, such as the Concours Festival pour le Répertoire Pianistique Moderne, the Ile de France International Piano Competition, and the Concours International Long-Thibaud-Crespin. Julian studied at the École Normale de Musique de Paris under Rena Shereshevskaya, where he earned a diploma for piano performance, as well as a diploma for composition. He also holds a musicology degree from Oxford University.
Kai-Min Chang (Taiwan): Kai-Min has traveled all over the world performing with renowned orchestras such as The Cleveland Orchestra, RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra, and the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra. He currently studies at the New England Conservatory under Dang Thai Son. In 2021, Kai-Min was a quarterfinalist at The 18th International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, and more recently he won the top prize at the inaugural Ljubljana International Piano Competition in 2023.
Junyan Chen (China): Junyan is a Chinese pianist who has rich experiences as both a concert pianist and chamber musician. Her performances encompass a diverse range of works and she has appeared as a guest artist and collaborator with the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra, Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra, the Manson Ensemble, and the Royal Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra. Junyan is currently studying for her advanced diploma at the Royal Academy of Music under Joanna MacGregor.
Khanh Nhi Luong (Vietnam): Khanh Nhi is a Vietnamese pianist who has performed across three continents. After starting piano at the age of four, she studied at the Kunstuniversität Graz in Austria. She has won at various competitions such as the Yong Siew Toh Concerto Competition, and Lee University International Piano Competition. Notably, her performances at the Sicily International Piano Competition earned her a concert tour in Italy. She is studying at the University of Michigan under Christopher Harding.
Jaeden Izik-Dzurko (Canada): Jaeden has performed with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid, and the Jove Orquestra Nacional de Catalunya, among others. He has studied at The Juilliard School under Yoheved Kaplinsky, as well as the University of British Columbia under Corey Hamm. Now in Europe to hone his craft, Jaeden currently studies with Jacob Leuschner at the Hochschule für Musik Detmold and Benedetto Lupo at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia.
What to Expect
The final round of the Leeds Piano Competition will see these five pianists perform a diverse range of repertoire, showcasing their technical skills and interpretative abilities within the orchestral setting. It is split up into two sessions, with three performers playing on September 20th, and two performers on September 21st. The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra will accompany these rising stars and allow their virtuosity to reach new heights. Don't miss these final performances as the music world holds its breath to see who will win the 2024 Leeds Piano Competition!