$Free Admission
Hear students from the University of Arizona Piano Area perform in the final round of the 2024-25 President’s Concerto Competition. One winner will be selected to perform with the Arizona Symphony at the President’s Concert in February 2025.
Program:
Dmitry Kabalevsky (1904-1987)
Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Major, Op. 50
Allegro molto
Presto
Katherine Dilley, soloist
Greta Pasztor, orchestra
***
Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953)
Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Major, Op. 26
Andante -Allegro
Jun Hao Chong, soloist
Greta Pasztor, orchestra
***
INTERMISSION
***
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major, Op. 15
Allegro con brio
Minkyoung Song, soloist
Sophia Su, orchestra
***
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Piano Concerto in G Major
Allegramente
Jing Jin, soloist
Jialiang Li, orchestra
The jury’s deliberation and the announcement of the winner will take place following the performances. The keyboard area winner will perform with the Arizona Symphony at the President’s Concerts on Saturday, February 8th and Sunday, February 9th, 2025, in Crowder Hall.
Performer Biographies:
Katherine Dilley, a Tucson native, is currently studying piano performance with Dr. Fanya Lin at the University of Arizona. Katherine began piano lessons at age ten and studied with Jennifer Faulkner Friede, Victoria MacDonald, and Dr. Nino Bakradze. In 2013, she performed in the National Piano Playing Auditions and received a Superior Plus (the highest possible) rating. In 2015, she was a finalist in the auditions for the James R. Anthony Honors Recital. Between 2021 and 2023 she was named alternate three times in the University of Arizona School of Music Concerto Competitions. She also received second place in the Michael Moore Memorial Piano Competition in Spring 2021, and first place in Spring 2023. Over the past several years, she has performed in master classes with Bernadette Harvey, Bernadene Blaha, and Alexander Malofeev. An avid composer, Katherine was involved in the Tucson Symphony Orchestra Young Composers Project for five years. Her compositions have been performed in several concerts, and she has released two albums on Spotify to date. Katherine runs her own piano studio in Tucson and enjoys teaching students of all ages. When she is not working on music, she enjoys reading books, watching movies, and spending time with her family and friends.
Jun Hao Chong is currently pursuing the master’s degree in piano performance, studying with Dr. Fanya Lin at the University of Arizona. He completed the Bachelor of Music (Honours) program with First Class Honours, awarded by the Royal College of Music – Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. Jun Hao has achieved notable success in national and international competitions, including the 1st place in the Lucien Wang Piano competition, 1st place in the Lois Trester Piano Competition, 2nd place in the University of Arizona President’s Concert Concerto Competition, 3rd place in the Artist Category of the National Piano and Violin Competition and the 3rd Nanyang International Music Competition.
Minkyoung Song is currently pursuing her Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance at the University of Arizona. She holds a Master of Music degree from West Texas A&M University and a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Suwon in South Korea. Throughout her academic journey, Minkyoung has been guided by esteemed mentors, including Dr. Daniel Linder, Choong-ha Nam, and Minna Sungmin Han, and has participated in masterclasses with distinguished artists. Her dedication to music education is evident in her teaching experience, where she has successfully supported students of diverse ages and skill levels.Minkyoung’s achievements include 1st place in the Concerto Competition at WTAMU and multiple academic scholarships, reflecting her commitment and talent. Her extensive performance experience spans solo recitals and collaborative projects, showcasing her versatility and dedication to the art of piano. In addition to her performance career, she actively pursues professional development within the field of music education.
Originally from China, Jin Jing dedicates herself to musical exploration in both classical and contemporary realms. In the fall of 2020, she earned her Master of Music (MM) in Performance degree from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, studying under the guidance of Dr. Jonathan Korth. Currently, she is advancing her musical journey by pursuing the Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) program at the University of Arizona School of Music, mentored by Dr. Daniel Linder. Jin Jing’s performance experience reflects her passion for both classical and contemporary music. Her enthusiasm for artistic exploration led her to participate in diverse musical events, including “Stellarscape” and the “Music Plus” festival in 2022. These performances showcased seamless collaborations, integrating the keyboard with multimedia and other artistic expressions, including dance. In the realm of classical piano, Jin Jing completed a solo recital and an ensemble recital as part of her DMA degree pursuit in 2023. Her collaborative experience also extends to large ensembles dedicated to both classical and contemporary music. In 2024, she studied with Prof. Bernadene Blaha in Europe at the “Euro Arts” and “Amalfi” music festivals, performing at both events.
Special thanks to our esteemed judges.
Preliminary Round:
Dr. Evan Kory
Dr. Jay Rosenblatt
Final Round:
Dr. Ivona Kaminska
Dr. Christopher Bowlby
Christopher Goodpasture
Please consider making a contribution to the University of Arizona Piano Fund to further support student success and make our engaging programming possible. You can make your gift online by visiting https://give.uafoundation.org/PianoFund
Download The
Event Program