The Hotchkiss School proudly announces the top prize winners of the inaugural Hotchkiss International Piano Competition, held May 15 to 17 in Katherine M. Elfers Hall at the Esther Eastman Music Center. Bringing together exceptional young pianists from around the world, the competition celebrated three days of extraordinary artistry, performance, and musical achievement.

Performances were evaluated by an internationally acclaimed jury including Gloria Chien, Olga Kern, Álvaro Teixeira Lopes, Leonel Morales, and Artistic Directors Fabio Witkowski and Gisele Nacif Witkowski.

The Yang-Hamabata Grand Prize winners in each division were:

Category A (Ages 10–12)

Sylvie Chiu (USA, age 10)

Category B (Ages 13–16)

Brendan Li (Canada, age 13)

Category C (Ages 17–18)

Jamil Sadizade (Azerbaijan, age 18)

Additional prize winners included:

Category A

2nd Prize

Dylan Zhang (USA, age 12) and Olivia Zheng (USA, age 11), ex-aequo

3rd Prize

Victoria Lyang (USA, age 12)

Honorable Mentions

Lucas Li, Claire Li, Austin Chan, Jayden Song, Feliz Zheng, Daye Ko, Brian Wu

Category B

2nd Prize

Crystal Pang (China, age 15)

3rd Prize

Minjae Jeon (South Korea, age 14)

Honorable Mentions

Jeremy Liu and Enzo Zhao

Category C

2nd Prize

Emma Liu (USA, age 18)

3rd Prize

Ian Lin (USA, age 16) and Perry Zhou (USA, age 17), ex-aequo

Honorable Mention

Jeremy Cao

The inaugural competition welcomed talented pianists ages 10 to 18 from across the globe and showcased an inspiring level of musicianship, dedication, and artistry. Congratulations to all finalists and prize winners on their remarkable accomplishments.

The event is sponsored by Murong Yang ’08.