2024 PYPA Piano Festival

Program

TBD

Ticket: $15

Alexander Liu

Winner, 2023 Philadelphia International Piano Competition

Alexander Liu began his musical journey at the age of five and a half with esteemed teachers such as Felicia Feng Zhang, Dr. Diyi Tang, Professor Miyoko Lotto, and currently, Professor Orli Shaham at Juilliard Pre-College. Despite his young age, Alex has received several awards, including grand prize in the National Young Virtuosi Recital Competition (2023), first-place win at the XIII Chopin International Competition (2022), Anselmo Academy IV International Youth Competition (2022), Tell School of Music Keyboard Division Piano Competition (2022), VI Paderewski International Piano Competition (2021), and the American Protégé International Music Talent Competition (2021). Additionally, he has been awarded prestigious scholarships from Manhattan School of Music and The Juilliard School.

Alex has graced the stages of iconic venues like Isaac Stern Auditorium, New York Town Hall, Himalayas Art Center Shanghai, and Carnegie Hall, where he has performed over ten times for various competition winner’s recitals. At just ten years old, he won the Sound Symphony Concerto Competition and showcased his talent by performing Mozart Concerto No. 23 with the orchestra. Alex has been featured on the TV show Gifted Young Pianist and achieved First Class Honors with Distinction in RCM Piano Level 10. Passionate about giving back, he volunteers as a Youth Leader for Piano Village Foundation/All Talent Academy and Tutors for a Good Cause.

Zixuan Yang

Winner, 2023 Philadelphia International Piano Competition

At the age of 4, Zixuan began to learn the piano. She won a prize at the age of 5. At the age of 11, she successfully held a solo piano recital. At the age of 12, she was selected to participate in the fifth PYPA Music Festival. At the age of 15, she held solo piano recitals in Guangzhou, Shandong, Sanya and other places.

She has studied under teachers Yang Xiaoming, Zhao Weifeng, Director of the Piano Department of Shenzhen Art School Lan Chen, Professor of Piano at Central Conservatory of Music Hua Chang, Hong Kong famous pianist Cong Ma, young pianist Sheng Zhou, and American pianist Dr. Nansong Huang. She has received guidance and recognition from many famous pianists, such as former director of the Curtis Institute of Music Gary Graffman, legendary Swiss pianist Mira Evtich, Director of the Piano Department of the Hanover Academy of Music and Drama Roland Kruger, and Director of the Piano Department of the Harbin Conservatory of Music Yuan Jie. Zixuan has been carefully guided by the winner of the highest prize of the Rubinstein International Piano Competition, Ching-Yun Hu.

She has won numerous awards. She was titled one of the Top 15 Young Pianists in the Henan Province in 2016. In 2017, she won the gold medal in 3 categories at the 25th American Music Open National Finals and was invited to perform at the Ningxia Grand Theatre. She also was the champion of Children’s Group A in the China Final of the 3rd European National Conservatory of Music Youth Piano Competition. She won the 81st Steinway National Youth Piano Competition in Henan, China and was invited to perform in the Great Hall of the People in the Henan Province. She won first prize in the China Division of the 6th International Young Pianist Competition in Nagoya, Japan in 2018.  

In 2021, she was admitted to the high school affiliated with the Xinghai Conservatory of Music. Now, she is in the second grade at that high school where she won the Outstanding Student Scholarship and has studied with professor Pengjie Sun and Dr. Yuntian Liu. Zixuan has a wide range of hobbies, such as reading, dancing, and swimming.