Conero Competition Judges

Preliminary Round Adjudicators

National Round

United States Division

Dr. Alan Woo

Concert Pianist; Lecture in Piano, University of Georgia

Dr. Ching-Ming Cheng

California State University San Marcus Chair of Music Department

Dr. Clara Yang

Head of Keyboard Studies; Associate Professor at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill

Dr. Hye-Jung Hong

Associate Professor of Piano at Missouri State University; Immediate Past- President for the Missouri Music Teachers Association.

Dr. Karen Follingstad

San Diego State University
Chair of Piano Department

Dr. Kunyoung Kim

Concert Pianist; former Assistant Professor of Piano at Ithaca college and the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam

Dr. Nicholas Susi

Concert Pianist; Assistant Professor in University of South Carolina

Dr. Sarkis Baltaian

Director of Instrumental Music at the Orange County School of the Arts; Piano faculty of the Pasadena Conservatory of Music

Dr. Scott McBride Smith

Cordelia Brown Murphy Professor of Piano Pedagogy, University of Kansas
Distinguished Professor, China Conservatory of Music

Dr. Stephen Pierce

Piano faculty at the University of Southern California; RCM Academic Ambassador and Examiner

Dr. Wei-Han Su

Professor of Piano and Coordinator of the Keyboard Area at Missouri State University; Chappell Gold Medal, Royal College of Music

Dr. Wenjing Liu

piano faculty of the Orange County School of the Arts;Director and CEO at the North Orange County Conservatory of Music

Enrico Elisi

Concert Pianist; Steinway Artist; Professor of Piano in Texas Christian University.

Ivy Lu Wang

Assistant Professor of the Practice in Piano Pedagogy, University of Kansas
Artistic Director, International Piano Professionals Association

Wei-Yi Yang

Professor of Piano in Yale University

Türkiye Division

Belinda Chen

Piano Faculty of Bilkent University;
Director of Türkiye Division

Gökhan Aybulus

Piano Professor of Music and Fine Arts University

Gülsin Onay

Turkish Republic State Artist

Oliver Jia

Piano Faculty of Bilkent University

United Kingdom Division

Alexis White

Head of Keyboard - St. Paul's Girls' School; Yehudi Menuhin School

Enrico Elisi

Concert Pianist; Steinway Artist; Professor of Piano in Texas Christian University.

Ilya Kondratiev

Piano Faculty of Purcell School; Royal College of Music

Richard Evens

Head of keyboard at the Trinity School

William Fong

Head of Keyboard - Purcell School; Royal Academy of Music

Canada Division

Dr. Corey Hamm

Killam Teaching Award; Associate Professor of Piano, University of British Columbia

Dr. Emma Rui-Xuan Shi

Artist director,Doctor Music Academy;
Music Minister of Cloverdale United Church;
RCM examiner and senior certified teacher

Dr. Jacques C. Després

Professor of Piano, University of Alberta

Dr. Jani Parsons

Assistant Professor of Piano, University of Calgary

Dr. Michael Esch

Piano Faculty, The University of Toronto;
Senior Examiner, RCME;
Steinway Top Teacher,2016-2021

Dr. Ronald Morgan (Canada: Vancouver)

Leading piano teacher in Canada;Adjudicator;
Senior Examiner of RCM

Langning Liu

Piano Faculty in the Glenn Gould School and the Royal Conservatory of Music.

China Division

Andrew Tyson(China)

Concert Pianist;
Yamaha Artist;
Piano Faculty, Zhejiang Conservatory of Music(China)

Dr. Alvin Zhu (China)

Artistic Director, China Division;
Professor in Piano, Tianjin Juilliard School;
Steinway Artist;
Fulbright Scholar;

Dr. Chenggang Yang(China)

Professor, Vice-Chair of Piano department, Sichuan Conservatory of Music(China);
Prestigious YAMAHA Teaching Award,2013

Felix Tao Chang

Piano Professor at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.

Mengyang Pan

Concert Pianist; Piano Professor, Royal College of Music (London); Imperial College Blyth Centre for Music

Indonesia Division

South America Division

Chiara D‘Odorico(South America)

Concert Pianist;
National Youth Award, granted by the President of the Republic

DIEGO SANCHEZ HAASE

principal conductor of the Symphony Orchestra of the National Congress of Paraguay, president of the Bach Society

Maria Fernanda Zapata

Piano Professor at Conservatory of the Catholic University of Asunción; Visiting Professor at the National University of Asunción

Orlando Riveros(South America)

Concert Pianist;
Academic Director, Conservatorio Musicarte.

Online Division

Dr. Alejandro Avila

Director, IPPA South America Division; Instructor of Keyboard Studies and Director of Accompaniment at Barton Community College

Dr. Christopher Madden

Assistant Professor of Piano Pedagogy and Director of Undergraduate Studies at the UMKC Conservatory

Dr. Rixiang Huang

Concert Pianist;Artistic Director of Pacific Stars International Piano Competition

Reena Berger Natenberg

Professor of Piano, Pittsburg State University;
Concert Pianist

Final Round Judges

Dr. Alan Woo

Concert Pianist; Lecture in Piano, University of Georgia

Dr. Brenda Wristen

Professor of Piano and Piano Pedagogy at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Dr. Hye-Jung Hong

Associate Professor of Piano at Missouri State University; Immediate Past- President for the Missouri Music Teachers Association.

Dr. Jack Winerock

Chancellor’s Club Teaching Professor at the University of Kansas;
The prestigious Kemper Teaching Award

Dr. Michael Esch

Piano Faculty, The University of Toronto;
Senior Examiner, RCME;
Steinway Top Teacher,2016-2021

Dr. Nicholas Susi

Concert Pianist; Assistant Professor in University of South Carolina

Dr. Scott McBride Smith

Cordelia Brown Murphy Professor of Piano Pedagogy, University of Kansas
Distinguished Professor, China Conservatory of Music

Dr. Wei-Han Su

Professor of Piano and Coordinator of the Keyboard Area at Missouri State University; Chappell Gold Medal, Royal College of Music

Felix Tao Chang

Piano Professor at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.

Ivy Lu Wang

Assistant Professor of the Practice in Piano Pedagogy, University of Kansas
Artistic Director, International Piano Professionals Association