Winners of 2006 International Web Concert Hall Competition

Winner of 2006

Joel Hastings (Canada – Piano)

A Canadian-born pianist was the winner of the International Bach Competition at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and placed second in the Chicago Chopin Competition. He took first prize in the Royal Canadian College of Organists National Competition and has been the recipient of multiple grants from the Canadian Council for the Performing Arts.

Mr. Hastings received ARCT diplomas in piano and organ from the Royal Conservatory of Music and received a gold medal for the highest score in the country. He holds degrees in both instruments from the university of Michigan and taught as visiting faculty at the University of Windsor, Ontario. Mr. Hastings has recently recorded a CD of Franz Liszt’s song and operatic transcriptions, available on the Prestant Records label. His debut CD Sessions received laudatory review and has been featured on CBC radio. Forthcoming is a recording the 24 Etudes of Frederic Chopin. [Interview] [Performance]

Canadian Joel Hastings pulled his audience to their feet with a wild performance of Liszt’s Totentanz. –Yahlin Chang, Newsweek

“Pianist Has Power, Smarts” He [Hastings] couples gale force power with spontaneity and intelligence. –Mark Stryker, Detroit Free Press

The kinetic fingers of this young Canadian reminded me strongly of his late countryman, Glenn Gould. . . . He gave a dazzling, sweeping performance of Liszt’s Totentanz and a vivid, alive one of Mendelssohn’s Serious Variations. But most amazing of all was his performance of a new Sonata by Australia’s Carl Vine, a piece of superhuman difficulty that is an impressive addition to the repertory and which Mr. Hastings tossed out with supreme confidence and glittering wizardry. –John Ardoin, The Dallas Morning News

“Cliburn Audience Fave”

Canadian-born, Michigan-based Joel Hastings emerged as one of the more interesting personalities at the [Van Cliburn] competition last summer. –Wayne Lee Gay, Fort Worth Star Telegram

First-prize winner Hastings is a very exciting and confident performer and he brought a highly distinctive interpretation to the (Bach) Fantasia. –The Washington Post

Winner of 2006

Anna Kravtchenko (Ukraine – Piano)

In 1991, at 15 years old, Anna Kravtchenko won both first prizes in the International Competition “Concertino Praga” and Busoni International Piano Competition. Born in Kharkov, Ukraine, she began to study the piano at the age of five and at nine entered the conservatory, where she studied with Leonid Margarius. Since winning the competition, Miss Kravtchenko has performed at some of Europe’s most important halls in events: the Festival of Brescia and Bergamo, Sala Verdi in Milan, Teatro La Scala, Herjulessaal in Munich, Ruhr Klavier-Festival, Salle Caveau in Paris, Tonhalle in Zurich, Sala Grande of Musickverein in Vienna, to mention few. She moved to Italy in 2000 and received a Master’s degree from Accademia Pianistica Internazionale. Miss Kravtchenko has performed in Europe, Japan, South Africa, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, and the United States. [Interview] [Performance]

"she evoked the style of Guiomar Novaes, whose radiant sound and poetic interpretations" could at times "bring her listeners to tears"

---- Harold C. Schonberg ---- New York Times Magazine, "Old Hand,"

"a star was born... that brilliant hope has become a reality on the international piano scene."

---- Piero Rattalino

Honorary Mentions

Christopher Atzinger (USA – Piano)

A native of Jackson, Michigan, Christopher Atzinger was the first place winner of the 2005 National Federation of Music Clubs Competition and the gold medalist of the 50^th annual Nina Plant Wideman International Piano Competition. He has also received honors from the Frinna Awerbuch International Piano Competition, the National Society of Arts and Letters, and the Music Teachers National Association Competition. Mr. Atzinger won the Premio Citta di Ispica prize with special recognition for his performance of Samuel Barber at the IBLA Grand Prize Competition in Ragusa-Ibla, Italy.

Mr. Atzinger received the Doctor of Musical Arts from the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University. Currently, Mr. Atzinger is a faculty member at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota and upcoming engagements for the 2006-07 season include appearances in Rome, Vienna, Paris, Chicago, and Dayton. [Interview] [Performance]

Chia-Yuan Liang (USA – Harp)

Miss Liang was a fellow of the Verbier Music Festival in Switzerland and Pacific Music Festival Orchestra where she toured Japan and Europe. She was an alternate winner for Ann Adams Award of the American Harp Society and was the only American that reached top-ten in the Arpista-Ludivico International Harp competition in June, 2005. She has also been selected as a candidate of the 2006-07 U.S. Fulbright program in Germany.

A graduate from the Curtis Institute of Music and received her Master of Music from the Juilliard School and she is scheduled to give her New York debut recital at Weill Hall, Carnegie Hall in April, 2007. Recently, she was appointed as a faculty member at the Taipei National University of Art. [Interview] [Performance]

Miao Hou (China – Piano)

A graduate from the Curtis Institute of Music, Miao Hou began her piano study in her native China at the age of four. In 1997, Miss Hou received the grand prize at the Pearl River Young Artist Piano Competition and Hong Kong International Piano solo competition. After moving to the United States in 2000, she has won Thousand Island International piano competition, the Kingsville International young artist competition, Isabel Scionti competition, and the Wideman piano competition. Miss Hou also received the “Best Performance of French Music” in the International Russian Music Competition and the Grand prize in Midland National Young Artist Competition. She recently made her Carnegie debut, where she performed Mozart piano concerto No. 19 with Curtis Orchestra under the Maestro Leon Fleisher conducting. [Interview] [Performance]

Teresa Trevisan & Flavio Zaccaria (Italy - Piano-Duo)

Flavio Zaccaria graduated from the Music Conservatory “B.Marcello” in Venice. Mr. Zaccaria began duo with the pianist Antonella Perini, where they were the only Italian piano duo honored in the International Chamber Music Competition “Provincia di Caltanissetta” and the International Piano Competition “Citta di Marsala.” In 2005, the current duo team recorded a CD entirely devoted to unpublished works by Max Reger. Mr. Zaccaria was a piano professor at the Music Conservatory of Venice from 1992 – 2003 and he currently teaches at the Music Conservatory “G. Tartini” of Trieste.

Teresa Trevisan was born in Palmanova and graduated “cum laude” from the Music Conservatory “G. Tartini” of Trieste. Since 1998, she has been the artistic director of the “Musiche in Fortezza” Festival of Palmanova and the annual International Piano Competiton “Filippo Trevisan” at the Dante Alighieri” theater of Ravenna. Ms. Trevisan currently is a piano professor at the Music Conservatory “G. Tartini” of Trieste. [Interview] [Performance]

Duehlmeier-Gritton Duo (USA – Piano Duo)

Duehlmeier-Gritton Duo is listed as a Steinway artists and have released CD of all-Gershwin, the concerto for two pianos and orchestra by Manookian with the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra, Wolking Jazz two-piano Concerto with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra which was nominated for a Grammy in 2002 on the MMC label. Most recent performance engagements include Nanjing, China, Austria, Poland, Scotland, Israel. Washington D.C. and Connecticut.

Susan Duehlmeier received a doctoral degree from Boston University and Bonnie Gritton received a doctoral degree from University of California at Los Angeles. Currently, they are faculty members at the University of Utah. [Interview] [Performance]