Dubbed by Singapore music reviewer Dr. Chang Tou Liang as having "a beautiful touch and an instinctive feel for the ebb and flow of the music that is admirable," Malaysian pianist Sean Gan has established himself as a dedicated and probing musician. In his pursuit of artistic excellence, he is enrolled in the MM degree program at The Juilliard School in New York studying with Mr. Hung Kuan Chen. He also studied under Prof. Albert Tiu during his undergraduate studies at the YST Conservatory. Under the esteemed and illuminating guidance of his mentors, Sean accentuates the complex interactions between the value of art and its creators through imaginative programming and diversified repertoire.

A versatile and enthusiastic performer, his passion lies in both the realms of the soloistic and collaborative. As a soloist, his achievements include joint first prize in the Artist Category of the 2021 National Piano & Violin Competition in Singapore. The piano duo setting is one of his favorite mediums for collaboration; as a sustained team with pianist Lyu-Yan Kuo, they achieved First Prize in the Senior Division of the 2022 7th North-West International Piano Ensemble Competition. His participation in Juilliard’s 2023 and 2024 Chamberfests also testify his evolving passion for chamber music. Performing in works involving larger forces, he recently performed as second pianist in Pierre Boulez’s demanding sur Incises under the baton of David Robertson and Susanna Mälkki.

Sean Gan was generously supported by the George Brough Memorial Endowment.

Praised by the Boston Musical Intelligencer for his “fiery performance” and “virtuosity in full display,” Ranfei Wang is the third musician from Canada to be designated a Young Steinway Artist. He holds a Bachelor’s degree and Master’s degree in piano performance from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, where he has studied with Gabriel Chodos and Vivian Weilerstein. Ranfei has also studied with Susan Starr, Dr. Craig Sheppard, and Dr. Robert Silverman.

Ranfei has been the winner of international music competitions, such as the first prize winner of the International Keyboard Odyssiad Competition and Olga Kern Special Award, first prize winner of the GOCAA International Piano and Strings Competition and Signatory Young Artist award, second prize winner of the Canadian Music Competition, and second prize winner of the Pan-Pacific International Piano Competition and Yamaha Grand Prize. In 2023, Ranfei won the New England Conservatory’s Piano Honors Competition.

Ranfei Wang has performed at concert halls in Canada, the United States, and Europe including Carnegie Hall and the Vancouver Orpheum. Ranfei has performed extensively with symphony orchestras, including Benjamin Britten’s Saint Nicolas with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Saint-Saens’ Carnival of the Animals with the Fort Collins Symphony Orchestra, and is a regular guest at the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s Prelude concert series.

Ranfei Wang was generously supported by the Heather Edwards Artist Award.

Engaging audiences with his charismatic and moving performances, pianist Aaron Kurz enjoys a burgeoning career. Aaron has soloed with numerous orchestras and across three continents, in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Salle Cortot, and the Palace of Peace and Harmony in Astana, Kazakhstan. His performances have been lauded by the press, called both “nuanced musical journeys” (Belgium’s "Le Soir") and “a lesson in pianism” (England’s "Cambridge Independent"). Most recently, Aaron has just completed a tour of Asia, where he performed and taught at numerous venues across China and Indonesia.

Aaron’s playing has also garnered recognition in competitions, winning top prizes in the New York, Los Angeles, Virginia Waring, and World Piano Teachers Association International Piano Competitions, among others. Aaron holds recent degrees from SFCM (studying with Jon Nakamatsu and Jeremy Denk) and Yale (with Boris Berman), and he is now pursuing his DMA at the University of Texas with Anton Nel. He is also a teacher himself, maintaining a large group of private students in Austin. In his spare time, Aaron loves watching sports, reading, and spending time with his friends and fiancée, Vivian.

Aaron Kurz was generously supported by the Heather Edwards Artist Award.

Chinese-Canadian pianist Linda Ruan is passionate about sharing the potential of music to overcome boundaries across cultures. Since being introduced to the drums at the age of four and then the piano at age seven, music has remained a stabilizing force in her childhood from Tokyo, Shanghai to Vancouver. Her unconventional path from a young age broadened her horizons and cultivated a fascination for diverse cultures. Her curiosity guided her beyond her solo piano studies, expanding to pedagogy and community engagement, fortepiano, conducting and chamber music projects.

Linda is a top prize winner in international piano competitions including the ARD International Music Competition 2021. She has performed in venues across the world, from Carnegie’s Weill Hall and Lincoln Center’s Rose Studio to a recital tour in China spanning Guangzhou to Shanghai.

Linda received her Bachelor of Music with Honours and Master of Music degrees from The Glenn Gould School, The Juilliard School, and the Tianjin Juilliard School respectively. Her past teachers include James Anagnoson Hung-Kuan Chen, Corey Hamm, Xiao Li, Li Wang, and Xiaohan Wang.
Currently, she is studying at the UBC School of Music with Dr. Corey Hamm.

Linda Ruan was generously supported by the Helen Graham Artist Award.

As a veteran of the concert stage having presented solo recitals in numerous cities in China, France, Italy, Germany and the US, Yanyan has emerged as one of the most promising young pianists in China. After admitted into the Colburn School, she continued her piano study with Professor Fabio Bidini. Yanyan has won many prizes including the First prize of the International Piano-e-Competition and the Second Prize of the Cleveland International Piano Competition for Young Artists, Singapore International Piano Competition (Junior) and Beijing Chopin International Competition. She has performed with many orchestras such as the Canton Symphony Orchestra, Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra and the Saltzburg Soloists Orchestra. She has also been fortunate to have taken masterclasses with celebrated pianists such as Gary Graffman, Arie Vardi and Sa Chen.

Yanyan Bao was generously supported by the Boris Roubakine Memorial Endowment.
 

Maxim Heijmerink, born in 2000 in Amsterdam, is a Dutch pianist and composer who has performed in renowned venues such as Carnegie Hall, Steinway Hall and the Concertgebouw. Since 2020 he has been a member of the Van Gogh Trio. Maxim has won two first prizes at the Princess Christina Competition, the Classic Young Masters Award and the first prize at the Orbetello International Piano Competition in Italy. In collaboration with the Rotterdam Youth Orchestra (RYO) he performed Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 1 in Rotterdam and Berlin. He also wrote a composition for orchestra, piano and choir, which was performed in a charity initiative for an audience of 25,000 people in Ahoy. Internationally, Maxim toured the United States and Canada in 2019 and performed for the Dutch community in Zurich at the Zurich University of the Arts. Maxim completed his master's degree in New York with Jerome Rose. He has attended masterclasses with leading musicians including Dmitry Bashkirov, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Jerome Lowenthal and Boris Berman. Maxim is currently studying in the Meisterklasse in Leipzig with Professor Markus Tomas.

Maxim Heijmerink was generously supported by the Maria Francisca Josepha Brouwer Fund for Dutch Artists.
 

Wang Shu (Ada) is an 18-year-old female from China. She is currently studying piano performance at the Eastman School of Music in the United States. She is a student of the famous pianist Professor Joseph Rackers. She won the second place in the gold medal of the Asia-Pacific Finals of the Mendelssohn International Piano Competition (2022-2023) and the champion of the Steinway International Youth Piano Competition in China (2021-2023). She has held many solo concerts, including a solo performance at the Bechstein Concert Hall. - Participated in international stages such as the Vienna International Youth Music Festival and the China-Austria Cultural Exchange Concert. - Selected for the Huanglong Music Festival Master Class and received guidance from international pianist Bruce Brubaker.

Shu Wang was generously supported by the Helen Graham Artist Award.