Washington International Piano Festival: Faculty

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Joseph Banowetz
Nikita Fitenko
Thomas Hecht
Maurice Hinson
Ivo Kaltchev
Yong Hi Moon
Santiago Rodriguez
Jose Ramos Santana
Yasumi Taki

Joseph Banowetz

Joseph Banowetz Joseph Banowetz has been described by Fanfare Record Review (U.S.) as "a giant among keyboard artists of our time," by Russia's News (Moscow) as "a magnificent virtuoso, who amazed the public by his deep understanding of the composer's spirit," and by Ruch Muzyczny (Warsaw) as "a virtuoso in the noblest sense of the word." A graduate with a First Prize from the Vienna Akademie für Musik und Darstellende Kunst, his teachers have included Carl Friedberg (a pupil of Clara Schumann) and György Sándor (a pupil of Béla Bartók). Banowetz has been heard as recitalist and orchestral soloist on five continents, with performances in recent seasons with such orchestras as the St. Petersburg (formerly Leningrad) Philharmonic, the Moscow State Symphony, the Prague and Bratislava Radio Orchestras, the Budapest Symphony, the New Zealand Symphony (on a twelve-concert national tour), the Beijing Central Philharmonic, Barcelona Concert Society Orchestra, the Hong Kong Philharmonic, and the Shanghai Symphony.Banowetz was awarded the Liszt Medal by the Hungarian Liszt Society in Budapest, in recognition of his outstanding performances of Liszt and the Romantic literature. Banowetz has recorded over thirty compact discs for the Naxos, Marco Polo, Warner Brothers, Toccata Classics, and Altarus labels, these including the Tchaikovsky Concerto No. 1, Liszt Concertos and Totentanz, d'Albert Concertos, and world-premiere recordings of all eight of the Anton Rubinstein piano and orchestra works, the Balakirev Fantasy on Russian Folk Songs, and the Taneyev Piano Concerto. His recorded solo repertory includes music of Bach, Busoni, Balakirev, Chopin, Debussy, Godowsky, Huang, Liszt, Mendelssohn, Rubinstein, Schumann, Stevenson, and Taneyev. One of the Rubinstein orchestra and piano series was named by Fanfare Record Review (U.S.) as an outstanding international release for 1993, and a similar citation was given in 1987 by the German Music Critics Association for his world-premiere of works by Balakirev.

Banowetz is also internationally recognized as an author and editor. His book, The Pianist's Guide to Pedaling (University of Indiana Press, U.S.) has to date been printed in seven languages. Many of his piano editions have been translated into Chinese, Korean, and Japanese. He has served on major piano juries such as the Arthur Rubinstein Master Piano Competition (Israel), the Scottish International Piano Competition (Glasgow), the Belarussian International Piano Competition (Minsk), the Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition (U.S.), the 2001 World Piano Competition (U.S.), the Antonin Dvorák International Piano Competition (Czech Republic), the Hilton Head International Piano Competition (U.S.), and the Louisiana International Piano Competition (U.S.). Banowetz has been invited to teach and lecture at many schools, including the St. Petersburg Conservatory, the Juilliard School in New York City, London's Royal College and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, theArtmúsic Escola de Música I Dansa of Barcelona, the Chopin Academy of Warsaw, Hong Kong's Academy for the Performing Arts, and China's national Conservatories of Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. To date, Banowetz has concertized in 35 countries worldwide, with most recent performances at festivals in the Czech Republic, Italy, France, Portugal, Spain, South Africa, and Singapore.

Students of Joseph Banowetz have been awarded important national and international competition prizes, including first prizes at the Hilton Head International Piano Competition (U.S.), Shreveport Symphony International Piano Competition (U.S.), Missouri Southern International Piano Competition (U.S.), Los Angeles International Liszt Competition, and McMahan International Piano Competition (U.S.). Other awards have been received at such competitions as the Minsk (Belarus) International Piano Competition, the Varna (Bulgaria) International Orchestral Soloist Competition, and the Louisiana International Piano Competition (U.S.). Several of his students have been heard on internationally distributed commercial compact disc recordings. His former student, Petronel Malan, received a Grammy nomination from the Recording Academy (U.S.) for one of her recordings on the Hänssler label.

Nikita Fitenko

Internationally acclaimed pianist and Yamaha Artist Nikita Fitenko has performed recitals and with orchestras in the former Soviet Union, Europe, Asia, and South and North America. He has appeared as a soloist with such orchestras as St. Petersburg Capella Symphony, Russian Chamber Philharmonic, Russian Philharmonic Orchestra of Moscow, St. Petersburg State Conservatory Orchestra, State Hermitage Orchestra, Slovak National Philharmonic, Lewisville Symphony, Rapides Symphony, Northeast Texas Symphony, and Northwestern Symphony Orchestra. His future engagements this year besides the concerts in the US will bring him to Italy, China, South Korea, Japan, and Russia.

While performing a wide and diverse repertoire, Nikita Fitenko is an acknowledged master of Russian piano music. He recorded three CDs for Altarus Records of works by leading contemporary Russian composers. His initial recording of solo piano works by Georgy Sviridov(1997) and his two-CD set of music by Sergei Slonimsky (2000) have garnered rave reviews from the international music press. Fanfare Music Review wrote, "Fitenko plays magnificently!" Slonimsky himself described Fitenko's interpretation of his piano music as "outstanding." He also added, "It is very vivid, imaginative, virtuosic, fascinating, and pianistically brilliant." Mr. Fitenko's latest recording - Scriabin's Piano Concerto with the Russian Philharmonic Orchestra of Moscow was released on Classical Records label in December 2007.

In addition to solo recitals, Nikita Fitenko performs extensively in piano duo with Katerina Zaitseva. Hailed by critics for their "superlative sound, superlative interpretation, and superlative pianism…", the duo has performed worldwide with most recent appearances at Yamaha Hall (NYC), Piano Duo Series (Tokyo, Japan), Nancyphonies Music Festival (Nancy, France), and Berkeley University (California, USA). In 2005 the Fitenko-Zaitseva duo recorded their first CD on the Classical Records label featuring works for piano four hands by Robert Schumann and Johannes Brahms.

Native of St. Petersburg, Russia, Nikita Fitenko graduated from the St. Petersburg State Conservatory with a citation for excellence given to only five other graduates in the last fifty years. After receiving the Anton Rubinstein Memorial Award he came to study to the US pursuing his master's and doctoral degrees from the University of North Texas. His principal teachers included Roman Lebedev, Igor Lebedev, and Joseph Banowetz. Nikita Fitenko is a prizewinner of several competitions including Belarusian International Piano Competition (Minsk, Belarus), Beethoven Piano Competition (Memphis, TN), and Houston Symphony National Young Artist Competition (Houston, TX) among others.

Dr. Fitenko has been invited to serve on many international piano competition juries including 2003 World International Piano Competition in Cincinnati, OH; 2008 Rachmaninov International Piano Competition in Moscow, Russia; 2008 Nordic International Piano Competition in Malmo, Sweden; 2008 Andorra International Piano Competition; 2009 American Pianists Association's Discovery Week Piano Competition in Indianapolis, IN; and 2010 Premio internazionale pianistico "A.Scriabin" in Grosetto, Italy.

Currently, Dr. Fitenko holds a position of Associate Professor of Piano at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. and co-directs the Washington International Piano Festival. Prior to that he was Associate Professor and Coordinator of Keyboard Area at Northwestern State University of Louisiana. Mr. Fitenko is the founder and artistic director of the Louisiana International Piano Competition as well as one of the organizers and the Vice-President of the Florida International Piano Competition (formerly Orlando International Piano Competition). Until 2008 he was also the artistic director of the Louisiana Piano Series International held on NSU's campus.

Thomas Hecht

American pianist Thomas Hecht has appeared on five continents as soloist, chamber musician and as a member of the internationally acclaimed duo-piano team of Hecht & Shapiro, winners of the Munich International Two Piano Competition and the USA National Duo Piano Competition. He has performed in many of the world's cultural centers, appearing with leading orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony, Stuttgart Symphony Orchestra, Bavarian Radio Orchestra, Johannesburg Festival Orchestra, Singapore Symphony Orchestra and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. Highlights of recent tours include performances at the Lincoln Center in New York, the Berlin Philharmonic Hall, the Kennedy Center in Washington, and recitals in Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, Italy, Serbia & Montenegro, South Africa, and throughout all the major centers of Australia and New Zealand.

Dr. Hecht is a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory where he won first prize in the concerto competition and the Kaufmann Award for excellence in chamber music. Later he was accepted for graduate studies at the Peabody Institute as a student of Leon Fleisher, who was so impressed with the young pianist's abilities that was soon asked to become his mentor’s teaching assistant, an honor which Fleisher - one of the great pianists of our time - had never before bestowed on any pianist. His merits and many noteworthy achievements were recently celebrated at Peabody where he was presented with the coveted Young Maestro Award, honoring alumni who have distinguished themselves in their performing careers.

Dr. Hecht also enjoys a well-deserved reputation as one of the leading teachers of his generation, having produced a multitude of first prizewinners in competitions throughout the United States, Europe, Russia, and now Australasia. He has served on the jury panels of the Geneva and Gina Bachauer International Piano Competitions in addition to the national piano competitions of Japan, Thailand, Australia and South Africa. He receives regular invitations to summer piano festivals, including performances in Sydney, Beijing, Wellington and Brasov (where he was recently named Honorary Professor of Piano at the University of Transylvania), and continues to be in frequent demand for guest lectures, workshops and music conferences throughout the world. Thomas Hecht is a Steinway Artist and records for the Azica, Elysium & Atoll Labels.

Maurice Hinson

Maurice Hinson One of America's most respected authorities on piano literature, Dr. Maurice Hinson received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Music Teachers National Association at its Washington, D.C. convention in the spring of 1994, the Outstanding Alumni Award from the University of Florida in 1990 and the Outstanding Alumni Award from the University of Michigan in the fall of 1995. Hailed as a specialist in American piano music, some of his most recent articles appear in the New Grove Dictionary of American Music in the United States.

Dr. Hinson received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Florida and his Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from the University of Michigan. He also studied at The Juilliard School and the Conservatoire National in Nancy, France.

As Senior Professor of Piano in the School of Church Music at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, Dr. Hinson's curriculum includes teaching piano, piano literature and piano chamber music. He has performed, lectured and given masterclasses worldwide. His books and editions have become classic standards in the studios of serious piano teachers and students the world over.

Ivo Kaltchev

Ivo Kaltchev Prizewinner of international piano competitions and a Bösendorfer Artist, Ivo Kaltchev is enjoying a successful performing career as recitalist, soloist with orchestras, chamber musician and recording artist. “Formidable technique” (Piano Journal, England), “possesses the genius of rubato”(Diapason, France), “superb musicianship” (Phar, Israel), “distinctive and original” (Soviet Culture, Russia), "impressive" (Frankfurter Neue Presse, Germany), "most beautifully and idiomatically played" (International Record Review, England), “glittering” (The Washington Post, USA), “his tonal qualities are astounding…first class” (American Record Guide, USA), “fine” (Fanfare, USA), “a master of the whole range of pianistic attacks and coloristic effects” (The Star Ledger, USA) - these are some of the words which music critics have used to describe Mr. Kaltchev’s unique artistry.

Mr. Kaltchev has performed in musical centers throughout the world, including Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, Kennedy Center, Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory Malii and Rachmaninov Halls, St. Petersburg State Philharmonic Hall, Warsaw National Philharmonic Hall, Teatro Verdi (Italy), Tel Aviv Museum Recanati Auditorium, Mendelssohn Hochschule für Musik Hall (Germany), Princeton University’s Richardson Auditorium and Bulgaria Hall. He has performed and taught at festivals throughout the world including the Perugia International Music Festival (Italy), Nancyphonies International Music Festival (France), Mozart International Music Festival (Frankfurt, Germany), the Toledo International Music Festival (Spain), the Sofia Music Weeks International Festival (Bulgaria), the Lincoln Center French Music Festival, the Prague Spring International Music Festival (Czech Republic), the Varna Summer International Festival (Bulgaria), the Rutgers SummerFest (USA), Music Naturally Summer Festival (USA), and Florida University Young Pianist Festival (USA). Some of the highlights of recent seasons include both a solo recital and a concerto performance with the New York Festival Orchestra (now EOS Orchestra) in Alice Tully Hall, performances of the complete solo piano works of Debussy and the complete songs of Henri Duparc as well as concerts in the U.S., China, Russia, Germany, Spain, Finland, Bulgaria, Italy, and the Virgin Islands. Mr. Kaltchev performs regularly at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory with Russian pianist Prof. Irina Koulikova. A respected chamber musician, Mr. Kaltchev has collaborated with New York Metropolitan Opera soloists Sharon Christman, Fabiana Bravo and Patrick Carfizzi; pianist Ilana Vered; Essex Quartet, French actress Marie Christine Barrault as well as members of the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra and Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. His engagements for the 2008-09 concert season include concerts and master classes in the United States, Italy, Thailand, Singapore, Germany, Czech Republic, France, Bulgaria and China.

Mr. Kaltchev’s critically acclaimed commercial recordings on the Bulgarian “Gega New” label include an all-Charles Griffes CD (hailed by the French magazine Diapason as “the most accomplished interpretation known until now”) and a CD with the world premieres of solo piano works by the French composer Florent Schmitt. Mr. Kaltchev has been a featured artist for the New York City’s WNYC and WQXR Radio Stations, Radio Free Europe (Germany), Radio Moscow, Klara Radio Station (Brussels, Belgium), Bulgarian National TV and Radio, and many others.

Mr. Kaltchev holds the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Rutgers University (USA), the Master of Music degree from Yale University (USA), the Bachelor of Music degree from the Sofia State Academy of Music (Bulgaria) and a Diploma from the Franz Liszt Hoscschule fur Musik (Weimar, Germany). His principal teachers include pianists Ilana Vered, Boris Berman, Milena Mollova as well as chamber musicians from the Guarneri and Tokyo String Quartets.

Dr. Kaltchev is a recipient of pedagogy awards for teaching excellence from the Piano Teachers Society of America and the Princeton Steinway Society. He has presented lectures, workshops and master classes at the World Piano Pedagogy Conference, the European Piano Teachers Association Conference, the American College Music Society Conference as well as in the United States, Europe, China, Korea and the Virgin Islands. Dr. Kaltchev is an active adjudicator and has judged the following international piano competitions: Louisiana (USA), Vladigerov (Bulgaria), Jacinto Guerrero (Spain), Florida (USA), Andorra, International Young Artist (USA) and Los Angeles International Liszt Piano Competition (USA). Mr. Kaltchev’s students are prizewinners of more than 20 piano competitions and have performed with numerous orchestras including I Solisti di Perugia (Italy).

Currently, Dr. Kaltchev is Associate Professor of Piano and Chair of the Piano Division at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C (USA). He is also a Visiting Professor at the China Conservatory of Music in Beijing, China.

Yong Hi Moon

Young Hi Moon Accomplished pianist and teacher Yong Hi Moon made her solo debut with the Seoul Philharmonic at age 10 after winning the National Korean Broadcasting Competition. Among many awards and prizes Moon has won top prizes in the Elena-Rombro Stepanow Competition in Vienna, the Viotti International Competition in Vercelli, Italy, received the Chopin Prize from Geneva International Competition in Switzerland, and was also a prizewinner in the Vienna da Motta Competition in Lisbon, Portugal.

Moon has performed extensively throughout Asia, Europe and the U.S. as a recitalist and with orchestras including the Osaka, Seoul, Tokyo, and Korean National symphony orchestras. She has collaborated with her husband, pianist/conductor Dai Uk Lee, in duo piano concerts in the U.S. and Korea, and has performed under his baton with the Busan Philharmonic. In the summer of 2000, she made her first extensive concert tour of Korea, including solo recitals in five cities as well as performances with the Orchestras of Kwangju and Daejun. Upcoming engagements include Moon’s return to Korea to perform with the Ulsan Philharmonic.

In 1975 Ms. Moon was invited officially by the Korean government to participate in a festival commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Korean liberation, and since 1990 has been regularly invited to perform and give master classes throughout Korea. In 1991 she performed in a cycle of the complete Mozart piano concerti with the Bu-Chon Philharmonic Orchestra to commemorate the composer's bicentennial year. During 1997 Moon performed six all-Schubert solo recitals in both Korea and the U.S. Her discography includes a CD recording on the Music and Art label of Czech four-hand piano music that has received outstanding critical acclaim.

Moon is in high demand as a guest master class teacher and adjudicator. In 1993, she released a teaching video in Korea titled Artistic Piano Playing which has earned great popularity. Moon has been a regular faculty member at Shandelee, Aria, Prague and Bowdoin Summer Festivals. In addition, she has been invited to perform and conduct master classes in Chautauqua Summer Festival in New York and the International School for Musical Arts in Canada.

As an adjudicator, she judged in Senigallia International Piano Competition in Italy, Gilmore International Piano Competition as well as numerous MTNA (Music Teachers National Association) related competitions throughout the U.S. and Korea. After teaching at Michigan State University School of Music for fifteen years, Moon joined the faculty of Peabody Conservatory of Music in 2002 where she currently maintains a full-time position.

A native of Korea, Moon studied at the Vienna Academy, from which she graduated with highest honors. She then continued her studies in London before completing her Artist Diploma degree at Indiana University. Her teachers include Dieter Weber, Maria Curcio, Georgy Sebok, Leon Fleisher, Wilhelm Kempff and Fu Tsong, who were always an inspiration to her work.

Santiago Rodriguez

Santiago Rodriguez has been called "a phenomenal pianist " (The New York Times) and "among the finest pianists in the world" (The Baltimore Sun). He has performed internationally with leading orchestras, including the London Symphony, the Dresden Staatskapelle, the Weimar Philharmonic, the Yomiuri-Nippon Symphony Orchestra of Japan, the Tampere Philharmonic of Finland, the Berliner Symphoniker, the Philadelphia, Chicago, St. Louis, Baltimore, Seattle, Indianapolis, American Composers', and Houston Symphony Orchestras, the National Symphony Orchestra of Washington, D.C., and the American Symphony Orchestra at Avery Fisher Hall in New York. Mr. Rodriguez has appeared in recital at the Schauspielhaus in Berlin, Leipzig's Gewandhaus, Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, Montreal's Theatre Maisonneuve, the Santander Festival in Spain, Alice Tully Hall in New York, The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., the Herbst Theater in San Francisco, the Ambassador Auditorium in Pasadena, and at the prestigious Ravenna Festival in Italy where the critics proclaimed that "he conquered the audience." Mr. Rodriguez made his Carnegie Hall debut under the baton of Dennis Russell Davis, and also traveled to Finland for a series of concerts with Eri Klas, conducting. In recent seasons, Santiago Rodriguez has returned for engagements in Korea and Taiwan.

As a chamber musician Mr. Rodriguez has enjoyed collaborations with illustrious ensembles such as the Guarneri String Quartet and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. He also toured extensively as member of a piano trio with Ruggiero Ricci and Nathaniel Rosen; and performed with such distinguished musicians as Walter Trampler, Ransom Wilson, Gervaise de Peyer, Aurora Nátola-Ginastera, and Robert McDuffie. A recent highlight was fulfilling his life-long wish to collaborate in a performance of Schubert's Winterreise; a wish realized in partnership with the renowned Swiss artist, Françoise Loup. In a highly laudatory review of one of two sold-out engagements at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at Maryland, Tim Page, writing in the Washington Post, called the evening "A 'Winterreise,' Exquisitely Chilled." He summarized Mr. Rodriguez' contributions as " [he] was a splendid partner, whether roaring through heroic passages or emphasizing Schubert's harmonic daring with little pointillist stabs." In a recent radio interview, Santiago Rodriguez described the song cycles of both Schubert and Schumann as "…the most-perfect and sublime of human creations, and the ultimate musical and technical challenges for any performer."

Santiago Rodriguez' vast repertoire of concertos and recital programs reflect his great versatility and musical interests. Commanding a repertoire of over sixty-five (65) concertos, he has performed concertos of Bach, Bartók, Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Grieg, Gershwin, Liszt, Schumann, Franck, Mendelssohn, Prokofiev, and Rachmaninov over his 35-year performing career. His all-encompassing list also includes the more unusual works of Khachaturian, Strauss, Saint-Saëns, MacDowell, Falla, Pónce, Surinach, Albéniz, Castelnuovo-Tedesco, and Previn. His recital list, displaying a stunning variety of solo works, ranges from the music of J.S. Bach, Mozart, Brahms, Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt, and Debussy, to Scriabin, Prokofiev, Albéniz, Granados, Ginastera, Chávez, and Lecuona.

One of today's foremost interpreters of the music of Sergei Rachmaninov, Santiago Rodriguez has performed all of the composer's major piano works in concert. He is currently recording The Rachmaninov Edition, which, when completed, will encompass the entire catalog of Rachmaninov's original solo piano compositions. The three volumes which have been released have received international acclaim: In reviewing Volumes 1 and 2, Bryce Morrison of Gramophone stated that "Santiago Rodriguez, the Cuban-American virtuoso, is born for Rachmaninov, and I doubt whether any of the works on these two discs have often been played with such a spellbinding mix of high-born virtuosity and poetic glamour." Volume 2 was awarded the Washington Area Music Award for best classical recording of 1995, and Volume 3 was selected by Classical Pulse as one of the best recordings of 1995.

Santiago Rodriguez' other recordings of repertoire from Bach to Ginastera, all on Élan Recordings, have been acclaimed for their "blazing conviction, tremendous technical strength, unswerving concentration and galvanic excitement..." (American Record Guide). National Public Radio's Guide to Building a Classical CD Collection recommends three of Mr. Rodriguez' recordings as "the best available" performances, and his recording of the Rachmaninov and Prokofiev Third Concertos has been internationally acclaimed as one of the best in recorded history; the Chicago Tribune spoke of "the enormous sweep and impeccable control," and American Record Guide concluded that "this Rachmaninov Third goes immediately to the top of the list." Mr. Rodriguez has recorded numerous world premieres, including Piano Concerto No. 1 by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco; the Concertino for piano, strings, and cymbals of Carlos Surinach; Leonard Bernstein's Touches; piano concertos from the movies Nightsong and Phantom of the Opera, both of which are featured on his release, Piano in Hollywood, and the Piano Sonata No. 2 of Alberto Ginastera, which was premiered by Mr. Rodriguez at Alice Tully Hall in New York. Santiago Rodriguez' latest project took him to Berlin where he recorded Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 2 and Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Berliner Symphoniker and Stephen Gunzenhauser, conducting. This is his 14th recording for the company.

Santiago Rodriguez was born in Cárdenas, Cuba and began his piano studies at age four. After Castro seized power in Cuba, his parents sent Mr. Rodriguez and his younger brother to America under the care of the Catholic Charities. He spent the next six years in an orphanage in New Orleans. Fortunately, his mother had concealed money along with a note begging the nuns to continue his musical education. Two years after his arrival, he made his concert debut at age ten performing Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 27 with the New Orleans Philharmonic. His international career was launched in 1981 when he won the Silver Medal at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition; he also received a special prize for the best performance of Leonard Bernstein's Touches, a work commissioned for the competition. Mr. Rodriguez' unique life and artistry were profiled on CBS Sunday Morning with Charles Kurault in 1993. He has also been featured numerous times on the ABC, NBC, PBS, CNN, BBC, and CBC television networks.

Santiago Rodriguez also enjoys a distinguished reputation as a teacher and master-clinician. Since 1980, he was a member of the Piano Division at the University of Maryland where he held the rank of Professor and Artist-in-residence. Beginning in September, 2009, he accepted the position of Professor and Artist-in-residence at the Frost School of Music, University of Miami. Mr. Rodriguez has presented masterclasses at many major music schools and national/state teacher's conferences in the U.S. and abroad, and has been actively involved in the outreach programs of almost every musical organization for which he has performed. Most recently, he was Chair of the Jury at the William Kapell International Piano Competition in College Park, Maryland, and the San Antonio International Piano Competition in Texas.

Santiago Rodriguez holds a masters degree from the Juilliard School, where he studied on full scholarship as a pupil of Adele Marcus, and he completed his undergraduate studies magna cum laude with William Race at the University of Texas.

Jose Ramos Santana

Jose Rams Santana A native of Puerto Rico, Jose Ramos Santana is one of the most acclaimed pianists of his generation. He performs a wide and diverse repertoire while being an acknowledged master of Spanish Music. Mr. Ramos Santana has appeared as a guest soloist with such major orchestras as the New York Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of London, Detroit Symphony, Saint Louis Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, San Antonio Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, 92nd Street Y Orchestra, The New York Virtuosi, Casals Festival Orchestra, Puerto Rico Symphony, Orchestra of L’Hermitage of Saint Petersburg, Russia, Moscow Philharmonic, and the orchestras of New Mexico, Sioux City, Utah, Syracuse among many others. He has collaborated with distinguished musicians and conductors such as Krzsztoff Penderecki, John Adams, Dennis Russell Davies, Jerzy Semkow, Dimitri Kitaenko, Joseph Silverstein, cellist Arto Noras, violinist Gregory Zhislin, and pianist Vladimir Viardo.

Jose Ramos Santana’s much lauded guest appearance with the American Composers Orchestra at Carnegie Hall during the Sonidos de las Americas Festival was described by critic Allan Kozinn of The New York Times as “ powerful…Mr. Ramos Santana played with virtuosity and precision”. This event marked his third Carnegie Hall performance in one year.

A top prize winner of the Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition, he has performed extensively in the United States, Latin America, Europe and the Far East. He has appeared in music festivals such as Spoleto, Caramoor, Casals Festival, Grant Park Festival in Chicago, Festival de Musica Contemporanea in El Salvador, and Festival Bravissimo in Guatemala as a soloist with the Guatemala Symphony Orchestra.

As a recitalist, Mr. Ramos Santana has performed at The Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theatre and the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. Radio Svizzera Italiana in Lugano Switzerland, Bösendofer Hall in Osaka, Japan, Cherbourg’s 50th Anniversary of the American Invasion in France, Center for the Arts in Hong Kong, China and at the 25th Annivesary of Musica de Camara Series at Merkin Hall in 2004.

A frequent performer on radio and television, he has been featured in documentaries including the 1986 Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition on the PBS network, “Casals Festival 1995” on the Arts and Entertainment Channel and on “CBS Sunday Morning”. In 1989 he was selected from over one hundred pianists to participate in the prestigious Xerox Affiliate Artist Program.

Mr. Ramos Santana is a graduate of the Juilliard School where he studied with Adele Marcus, William Masselos and Sylvia Rabinof. He has also coached with Leon Fleisher and Alicia de Larrocha.

Jose Ramos Santana’s recently released world premiere recording of “Glosas” by Roberto Sierra with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, has been described by the Hong Kong Hi Fi Review magazine as “Jose Ramos Santana who established his career as an interpreter of Spanish Music is indeed extraordinary in his performance, which excites our desire to repeat this auditory experience”. Other works included in this CD are Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G and Saint-Saens Piano Concerto in g minor op. 22, on the Fleur de Son Label.

During the summers Mr. Ramos Santana is an artist faculty member of the Washington International Piano Festival in Washington DC and International Keyboard Institute and Festival at Mannes College in New York City. Mr. Ramos Santana is a Steinway Artist.

Yasumi Taki

Born in Osaka, Japan, Yasumi Taki studied at Toho Gakuen School of Music, majoring in piano performance. After her graduation she continued her study in Germany and Austria. She has performed solo and chamber music recitals and as soloist with orchestras, including premieres of many contemporary works, in Asia, Europe, and the U.S. All of her activities have earned her a remarkable reputation.Her chamber music performances with Martine String Quartet in Czech Republic in 1999, with a concertmaster of Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra in Poland in 2000, with Dvorak String Quartet in Slovakia in 2001, and with Czech Sextet Philharmonic Orchestra in Czech Republic in 2002 have received an outstanding critical acclaim.

Yasumi Taki has proved to be an outstanding piano teacher as many of her students have received various prizes at competitions in Japan and abroad, which have led them to become pianists with international careers. With these students, she has toured Europe several times: to Germany with the invitation from Japan-Germany Zacsen Foundation in 1993, to the U.K. with the invitation from Eaton College sponsored by Daiwa Japan-England Foundation in 1994, to the U.K. again with the invitation from Whitgift School in 1995 and to various parts in Europe with the invitation from Jugent Musiziet of Germany in 2003. She was awarded the Outstanding Performance Prize by Japan Classical Musical Association, Outstanding Teacher Prize by the Piano Teachers' National Association of Japan, and Toyota Outstanding Teacher Prize among others.

Since 2004, she has given series of concerts in various parts of Japan named "A Treasure Box of Music by Yasumi Taki". Recently she published a series of books for beginners studying chamber music titled "The First Step for Chamber Music", which was published by Toon Kikaku.

Currently her activities include performing, teaching, judging at various piano competitions, lecturing on performance and teaching methods, giving seminars on chamber music, and writing articles for classical music magazines. She is a member of Japan Federation of Musicians, Councilor of the Piano Teachers' National Association of Japan, an instructor for Tokyo Chamber Music workshop, a supervisor of "Jasmin-Oto-no-niwa Station" and "Music Studio C", piano faculty at Showa Music College, chief of the ensemble group of teaching methods committee, member of the media committee, and teacher of the preview academy provided by Showa Music College.