2010 National Young Virtuosi Recital Winners
PROGRAM
Sonata in C Major K 330
I. Allegro Moderato
Sonata in A Minor; Op. 42
Intermezzo in A Major Op. 118
Scherzo in C# Minor; No. 3 Op.39
W. A. Mozart
F. Schubert
J. Brahms
F. Chopin
Heather Zhang
Ce que vu le vent d'ouest (What the West Wind has Seen) from Prelude Book I
Sonata in F minor Op. 57 No. 23
II. Andante con moto
III. Allegro ma non troppo
Mephisto Waltz No. 1
Jamie Cai
C. Debussy
L. van Beethoven
Prelude and Fugue in D minor, WTC II, BWV 875
Sonata in F Major KV 332/300K
III. Allegro assai
Scherzo No. 2 in B-flat Minor, Op. 31
Ciclo Brasileiro No. 3, “Festa no Sertão”
Alison Chang
J.S. Bach
W.A. Mozart
Grand Sonata No. 3, Op. 14, in F minor
I. Allegro brillante
III. Quasi variazioni (Andantino de Clara Wieck)
Jeux d'Eau
Mephisto Waltz No. 1
Katelyn Tran
R. Schumann
F.Liszt
F. Chopin
H. Villa Lobos
M. Ravel
F. Liszt
MEET THE YOUNG ARTISTS:
Sixteen-year-old Heather Zhang started her piano studies at the age of four and began working under
the tutelage of Dr. Ronn Yedidia who is both the founder and classical program director of the New
York Piano Academy. Heather Zhang has performed at Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall multiple times
and was featured several times at recitals held in Steinway Hall. Experts and jurors have referred to
her as “an innately musical young pianist” and “a young musician with an incisive sense of style and
remarkable depth”. She was the 2nd Prize Winner at the 2009 American Protégé International Piano
& Strings Competition where she was rewarded a chance to perform at New York's Merkin Hall.
Heather was the 1st Prize Winner at the 2009 New York City Piano Teachers Congress Competition
where she was awarded the Josephine Fry Award as well as a performance in a master class with
Oxana Yablonskaya at New York’s Steinway Hall. She was awarded Third Prize at the 2009 New
Jersey Music Teachers' Association Competition and was the winner of the 2009 Master class (with
Philip Kawin) Audition at the New Jersey Music Teachers’ Association Convention. She was the First
Prize Winner of the 2010 Crescendo International Music Competition, resulting in performing at
Carnegie's Weill Recital Hall and Montreal, Canada. Outside of piano, Heather plays the violin in her
school’s orchestra and string quartet. She is ranked in the top ten speakers of her county’s debate
league and has continued to follow her passion for both music and law.
Jamie Cai is 17 years old and goes to Phillipsburg High School where she is in her senior year. She
has been playing piano for 12 years, 9 of which were spent with her current teacher Professor Ingrid
Clarfield. Jamie has won a plethora of awards, some of which include first place in the NJMTA's
Young Artist's Piano Competition in 2009, 2007, and 2003 as well as second place in 2006, and she
has gotten High Honors for nine years in the NJMTA's High Honors Competition. She was also an
alternate for the NJMTA Master Class in 2009. She was a performer in the Piano Teacher's Congress
Winner's Recital and Master Class in 2008. Additionally, she performed at the American Fine Arts
Spring Gala Concert in Weill Recital Hall (located in Carnegie Hall) in both 2008 and 2006 and was a
winner of "first degree" in the Golden Key Music Festival, where she also performed at Weill Recital
Hall. She also won second place in the International Young Artist's Piano Competition in both 2008
and 2007, which was held in Washington DC. Furthermore, she was a performer in the Algonquin
Arts "Rising Stars" concert in 2007. In 2009, she was an alternate for the JCC on the Palisades Piano
Master Class and a performer in the master class in 2010. Besides competitions and recitals, Jamie
also helped raise money and perform in a couple piano performathons, which include NJMTA's
Children Helping Children performathon in 2008 and the Hope for Henry performathon in 2006.
Besides piano, Jamie enjoys computer programming and website/graphics design as well as reading,
writing, and some occasional video games. She will be attending University of California: Berkeley
with a major in computer science and a minor in music."
Fifteen year-old Alison Chang started piano at age of five and had her first solo recital to celebrate
her sixth birthday. At eight, she began violin and was accepted into the Pre-College Division of the
Manhattan School of Music (MSM) on both instruments a year later. She is currently studying piano
with Elena Belli, chamber music with Yegor Shevtsov, and conducting with Jonathan Strasser. An
all-time scholarship recipient and two times concerto competition prize winner at MSM, Alison is
also well received outside the music school, having performed in numerous venues including Weill
Recital Hall, Merkin Hall, CAMI Hall, Steinway Hall, Donnell Library, and Bryant Park. In addition,
she received the Associated Music Teachers League Joseph Liccardo, Sr. Scholarship Award, entered
semi-finals of the Queens Symphony Orchestra (QSO) 2009 Young Soloist Competition, and was
accepted to the Bowdoin International Music Festival and Boston University Tanglewood Institute
Young Artists Piano Program. Alison and her sister Serina’s piano duo also won 3rd prize at the 2010
Queens Symphony Orchestra Young Soloist Competition and the grand prize of 2009 Chicago Duo
Piano Festival. At her academic school, Hunter College High School, Alison is well known for being
multi-talented and academically outstanding, as well as for her leadership skills. She is the only
sophomore in chamber choir and leads a sight-singing group in concert choir. As an elected member
of chorus council, she is actively involved in concert planning, recruiting, and spirit-building. Her
favorite pastimes include watching movies on Saturday nights after a long day at MSM, singing songs
from Broadway musicals with her sister, and teaching new tricks to her beloved puppy, Cookie.
Sixteen year-old Katelyn Tran has been studying piano since the age of four. She has been praised
for her “brilliant facility” and “sheer elegance and grace.” Katelyn’s innate gift was nurtured by
Professor Veda Zuponcic . She has been furthering her studies under the guidance of Dr. Ronn
Yedidia. Katelyn’s talent, hard work, and devotion to music have been acknowledged in numerous
local piano competitions as well as abroad, with critics praising her “excellent artistry and technique”
,“maturity, sensitivity, and passion exceeding her years” , and citing her “exciting performances brimming with spirit and fire !”. Katelyn’s constant success in piano competitions over the years has
led to major solo performances at such venues as Carnegie's Weill Recital Hall & Steinway Hall in
New York City, as well as Philadelphia's Verizon Hall at Kimmel Center. She has also performed in
Canada, France and Spain as a Grand Prize competition winner. Katelyn’s charisma and projection
at the piano allow her to forge an intimate connection with her audience. She has been featured as a
soloist with multiple symphonic orchestras since the age of 8. She will perform Prokofiev’s 3rd Piano
Concerto with the Bravura Philharmonic Orchestra in New Jersey this coming May 23rd, 2010.
Katelyn is currently a sophomore at the Jackson Memorial High School of New Jersey. She is the
soloist in her school Jazz band and was awarded “The Best Overall Soloist Award” this year. She
believes that music is the language of the heart, and this spirit continues to motivate her toward her
artistic goals.