$Free
This competition honors the memory of Michael Moore, a dedicated pianist-performer and alumnus of our school. Our undergraduate piano students will perform for generous scholarship awards. Join us for this exciting event as we celebrate the achievements of our talented young pianists.
The Michael Moore Prize, a prestigious accolade with roots tracing back to 2011, evolved into a standalone competition in 2017.
Contestants
Drew Le Febvre
Drew Le Febvre is a Piano Performance major in his freshman year studying under Dr. Linder.
He enjoys performing a lot and is always eager to share his love of music. Drew’s favorite era of
music is classical, and he especially enjoys contemporary music as well. Outside of music, Drew
also enjoys reading, spending time outdoors, and volunteering.
Parker Guss
Parker Guss is a sophomore at the University of Arizona pursuing a Bachelor of Science in
Biomedical Engineering, with minors in Mathematics, Biochemistry, and Piano Performance
under Dr. Linder. His primary interests lie in the music of the late 19th-century, as well as in
modern video game music and its cultural influences. Parker also conducts research into the
efficacy of transcranial magnetic stimulation, an emerging therapeutic approach for individuals
with dementia. He hopes to apply his growing understanding of neurology and psychology to the
musical field, namely in the demystification of perfect pitch, and in the development of
instructional protocols to teach it. Lifting weights, hiking, and website creation are among some
of his other hobbies.
Hesheng Guan
Hesheng Guan, a native of China, is a second-year undergraduate student currently pursuing a
Bachelor of Music degree in piano performance under the guidance of Dr. Daniel Linder. He
started piano lessons at the age of 10, studying with Yidan Yu at the Affiliated Music High
School of Jilin College of Fine Arts (Changchun, China), where he earned the Yamaha (Asia)
Music Scholarship based on his outstanding academic studies and major-area-related
performance. He has also participated in master classes, most recently with Alexander Malofeev
sponsored by Arizona Friends of Chamber Music. Hesheng earned fourth place at the 2023
Michael Moore Piano Competition. This will be his second time entering the 2024 Michael
Moore Piano Competition. Besides piano, Hesheng also loves inline roller skating and cooking.
Natalie McLaren
Natalie McLaren is a double major in Music Education (piano emphasis) and Vocal Performance. She has been playing piano for over 13 years, and had the privilege of performing at the Lincoln Center in April of 2022. In her spare time, she enjoys composing, reading, and spending quality time with family and friends.
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