Katarzyna Popowa-Zydron is an internationally acclaimed Polish pianist of Bulgarian origin. A former student of Alexander Jenner at the Hochschule fur Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Vienna, and a participant in masterclasses with Suzanne Roche, Dieter Zechlin and Gyorgy Sebok, she was also among the finalists and winners of some prestigious national and international competitions.

She is a regular performer in Poland and abroad. Her repertoire includes compositions from the baroque to the present day, with particular emphasis on the works of Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Chopin, Debussy, Bartok and others. She is known for premiering Polish modern music. She has also performed as a chamber musician with renowned soloists and ensambles. Her concerts and recordings ( for Accord Musidisc, CD Accord, Art Records and Fryderyk Chopin Institute) have been enthusiastically received by critics and audiences: "It is that highest art of striking the listener at the heart that Katarzyna Popowa-Zydron has mastered to absolute perfection...” (Marcin Gmys, about the ACD 189-2/2013 CD ACCORD); "I received the distinct impression that Popowa-Zydron was less of a performing artist but had become or had been transformed into a perfect conduit or channel for the spirit and music of Schubert speaking directly through her.” ( Michael Moran's blog: 73rd International Chopin Piano Festival, Duszniki 2017).

 Katarzyna Popowa-Zydron is a professor at the Feliks Nowowiejski Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz, where for a number of years she was also Head of the Piano Department. She  frequently gives masterclasses, conducts seminars and courses for piano teachers at home and abroad. She has frequently been on juries, judging national and international competitions. She is President of the I. J. Paderewski Music Society in Bydgoszcz, the organizer of the Paderewski International Piano Competition and the Paderewski Piano Academy, one-of-a-kind summer courses in piano playing with a symphonic orchestra.

Her pupils and students have won awards in numerous competitions, are busy performing, and some of them are successful teachers, also abroad. Among her former pupils are Krzysztof Herdzin, Rafal Blechacz, Jakub Kuszlik, Pawel Wakarecy, Katarzyna Borek, Radoslaw Kurek, Michio Nishihara Toro, Michal Szymanowski and others.

For her artistic and pedagogical achievements, Katarzyna Popowa-Zydron has received a number of awards, including those of national significance.

Peter Bithell studied with Gordon Green at the Royal Academy of Music and subsequently with Guido Agosti in Italy and with Maria Curcio in London.

He won many prizes and awards at International Piano Competitions, notably Busoni (Bolzano), Reina Sofia (Madrid), Paloma O’Shea (Santander), Dudley, Marguerite Long (Paris) and the Rachmaninoff Prize in Italy.

Bithell has played extensively in Europe and South America. He gives regular master classes, notably in Spain, and has served on the juries of several International Piano Competitions. He has been a professor at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama since 1987.

Canadian pianist Winston Choi is Associate Professor of Piano and the Head of the Piano Program at Roosevelt University's Chicago College of Performing Arts. His professional career was launched when he was named Laureate of the 2003 Honens Piano Competition and winner of France’s Concours International de Piano 20e siècle d’Orléans in 2002. An inquisitive performer, his fresh approach to standard repertory, and masterful understanding, performance and commitment to works by living composers, make him one of today’s most dynamic young concert artists.

Choi maintains an active international performing schedule. In demand as a concerto soloist, orchestras he has appeared with include the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, the CBC Radio Orchestra, the Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra, the Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra, the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, the East Texas Symphony Orchestra, the Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra, the Fort Collins Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Iowa, the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra, the Kamloops Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Iowa, the New Philharmonic, the Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra, the Peninsula Music Festival Orchestra, La Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Colombia, the Symphony Orchestra of Oak Park and River Forest, l’Orchestre Symphony d’Orléans, l'Orchestre National de Lille, the Mississauga Symphony Orchestra, the Peninsula Music Festival Orchestra, the Richmond Symphony Orchestra, and the Victoria Symphony Orchestra.

Known for his colorful approach to programming and insightful commentary from the stage, Choi has recently appeared in recital at the National Arts Centre of Canada, the Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto, New York’s Carnegie-Weill Recital Hall and Merkin Recital Hall, the Kennedy Center and the Library of Congress in Washington D.C., the Kravis Center in Florida, and the “Cicle Grans Solistes" in Spain. Choi performs extensively in France, having played venues such as the Salle Cortot, Lille’s Festival Rencontre Robert Casadesus, the Messiaen Festival, and the Strasbourg Festival. Frequently in demand throughout his native Canada, his numerous performances can often be heard on CBC radio broadcasts. Recently, he toured Eastern Ontario and Quebec under the auspices of Jeunesses Musicales and embarked on a 10-city Prairie Debut tour of the Canadian Prairie provinces. An accomplished chamber musician, he has performed with the Aeolus, Avalon, Philomusica and Spektral string quartets He also tours regularly with the Civitas Ensemble, and as a part of Duo Diorama (with his wife, violinist MingHuan Xu). As Duo Diorama, they are the Artistic Directors of the Unity Chamber Music Series held at the Unity Temple in Oak Park, IL.

As a dedicated champion of contemporary music, Choi has premiered and commissioned over 100 works by young composers as well as established masters. A composer himself, being involved with the creative process is an integral part of his artistry. He was the first pianist to perform Pierre Boulez’s last version of Incises in North America and made the South American premiere of Luciano Berio‘s Sonata for pianoforte solo. He also regularly appears in concert at IRCAM, the world’s most renowned institution for contemporary music. Composers he has collaborated with include William Bolcom, Elliott Carter, John Corigliano, Brian Ferneyhough, Jacques Lenot, George Lewis, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Bright Sheng, Christian Wolff, Chen Yi and John Zorn. He is also a core member of Ensemble Dal Niente. A frequent performer on the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's MusicNOW Series, Choi has also performed with Contempo and the Fulcrum Point New Music Project.

A prolific recording artist, Choi’s debut CD, the complete piano works of Elliott Carter (l’Empreinte Digitale in France) was given 5 stars by BBC Music Magazine. He has also recorded the complete piano music of Jacques Lenot for the Intrada label, having won the Grand Prix du Disque from l’Académie Charles Cros for Volume I. His recording of the piano works of Thomas Adès was recently released on the Buisonne label. Other labels he can be heard on include Aeolian Classics, Albany, Arktos, BIS, Cedille, Crystal Records, Naxos, New World Records and QuadroFrame.

Choi obtained his Bachelor and Master of Music from Indiana University, and his DM from Northwestern University. His studies were with Vivienne Bailey, James Tweedie, Menahem Pressler and Ursula Oppens. An accomplished teacher, Choi is also in demand as a master class clinician and lecturer on a variety of pedagogical topics. Two of his presentations: “Towards a More Organic Approach to Phrasing at the Piano” and “Symmetrical Inversion: A Pianist’s Journey Towards Ambidexterity” have been presented nationally and internationally at conferences. Prior to his position at Roosevelt University, he was on the faculties of Bowling Green State University and the Oberlin Conservatory. He has been a guest professor at Indiana University, and he also currently teaches at the Academy of the Music Institute of Chicago as well as the New Music School in Chicago.

Eun Jung Shon, a native of Seoul, Korea.  Graduate of  the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University where she earned Bachelors degree, Masters degree, Graduate Performer’s Certificate and Artist Diploma on full scholarships.

Since her orchestra debut at age 11 with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, Shon has appeared as a soloist with many orchestras and won first prizes at numerous competitions in Korea.

After coming to the United States, she successfully expanded her global career by winning many international competitions, including the first prize at the New Orleans International Competition, the St. Charles International Competition, and the Russell Wonderlic Competition as well as other top prizes from the Frinna Awerbuch International Competition, the Five Towns Competition, and the William Garrison Duo Competition. 

Including a performance as a soloist with the orchestra at Musikverein in Vienna, Eun-Jung also had appearances with many of major orchestras in the United States, the Europe and the Asia: the Moscow Symphony, the Prague Chamber, the Wiener Mozart Akademie, the Slovak Radio Symphony, the Louisiana Philharmonic, the Arcadian Symphony, the Kosice Philharmonic, the Korean Broadcasting System Symphony Orchestra, the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, the Jeonju Symphony Orchestra, the Incheon Philharmonic Orchestra, the Chungnam Philharmonic Orchestra and the Seoul National University Medical Orchestra.

In 2006, as a grand prize winner of the Seoul Arts Center Music Festival Concerto Audition, Shon played with the Korean Broadcasting System Symphony and made the grand finale of the festival. She has been performing in many concerts with orchestras as well as solo recitals and chamber music recitals, including the chamber recital for the concert series of 200th Anniversary of Chopin’s birth, hosted by KBS Class FM. She was also invited as a soloist with the Gangnam Symphony Orchestra for the Children's Concert and with the Korean Symphony Orchestra for the "11AM Concert" at the Seoul Arts Center. Lately she has been invited to teach at various universities in Taiwan as well as summer festivals in Korea. She also played a solo recital in the main hall of the Berliner Philharmoniker.

Besides playing many concerts in Korea and abroad, Ms. Shon teaches at many schools in Korea including Yewon School, Seoul Arts High School and Sunhwa Arts High School.

Dr. Amy Sze holds a Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music from the Eastman School of Music, where she was awarded the prestigious Performer’s Certificate, prior to which she had studied at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts since the age of ten. Her teachers include Gabriel Kwok, Nelita True and John Perry. She was the recipient of numerous scholarships including the Avis D. Vaughn Scholarship, the Sir Edward Youde Memorial Scholarship and the Hong Kong Jockey Club Music and Dance Fund Overseas Scholarship.

Amy Sze has won many prizes and awards, and performances have taken her to different continents over the years.  She has appeared as a concerto soloist with various orchestras, including the Texas Fort Worth Chamber Orchestra, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, the Hong Kong Sinfonietta, and the Eastman Symphony Orchestra. She has also performed in recital and as a chamber musician at major international festivals including the Aspen Music Festival, the Cliburn Piano Institute, the Harbin Summer Music Festival and the Salzburg Mozarteum Academy. She was featured in Hong Kong Sinfonietta's Beethoven Piano Concerto Cycle, performing Beethoven's Second Concerto, and in the Sinfonietta's CD release "This is Classical Music 3" performing Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals. In 2016, she performed in the Beethoven Piano Sonatas Marathon in Vienna, along with other celebrated pianists from different parts of the world, which saw the first Hong Kong-Vienna Music Festival. Last year, she had the privilege to participate in the 25^th anniversary of the HKSAR and perform for Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife during their visit to Hong Kong.

As an avid chamber musician, Amy Sze has collaborated with various distinguished artists, notably Derek Bermel, David Childs, Peter Cooper, Benedict Cruft, Amihai Grosz, Yoshiyuki Ishikawa, Takako Nishizaki, Raphael Severe and John Williams. She was also a member of the Eastman Chamber Music Society, which engages in outreach projects and charity concerts in public schools and community centres. An active performer of contemporary music, she has appeared as featured artist in various festivals, including the Contemporary Song Festival of the Intimacy of Creativity, the Hong Kong New Generation Concert, the International Society for Contemporary Music Festival, and the French May Festival.

Amy Sze is currently on the faculty of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, the University of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Baptist University. She was also previously a teaching assistant in piano studies, accompaniment and chamber music at the Eastman School of Music. She is a Trinity College London music diploma examiner, and frequently serves on jury panels for scholarships and competitions and has been on the music advisory committee for her alma mater, the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and St. Paul’s Co-educational College.

Twenty-six-year-old Prudence Hiu-Ying Poon, from Hong Kong, has studied piano since age three. At age 10, she made her first orchestral debut with the Hong Kong Metropolitan Youth Orchestra. In 2022, she was awarded honorable mention and the Audience Prize in the 70th Wideman International Piano Competition and Piano Division Runner Up in the Naftzger Young Artists Auditions & Awards. She has also received prestigious awards and scholarships from such organizations as The Bernard Van Zuiden Music Fund and Irving & Lena Lo (ILLO) Scholarship Fund. She earned her Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance and Vocal Accompanying at Oberlin Conservatory under the tutelage of Robert Shannon and Philip Highfill. As a Dean’s Scholarship recipient, she earned a Master of Music degree from New England Conservatory, where she studied with HaeSun Paik. Poon is currently pursuing a Doctor of Music degree in Music Literature and Piano Performance with a minor in Music Education at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in the studio of Roberto Plano. At Jacobs, she serves as Associate Instructor and Program Assistant of the Secondary Piano Program.

Yeonglee Kim, a native of Korea, is an active performer and educator based in the United States and South Korea. She began her violin studies at the age of 3 and she went on to attend the pre-college program at the Korea National University of the Arts, Seoul Arts High School and earn her Bachelor of Music degree in violin performance at Seoul National University. Kim has also earned her performer diploma and masters degree at Indiana University with full scholarship supported by Jacobs Chairman Awards and Graduate Tuition Awards.

Kim has won many competitions throughout her career. She was the winner of the Prokofiev Concerto Competition at Indiana University (2017), she attained 3rd prize in the Vladigerov International Violin Competition in Bulgaria (2019), and 2nd prize in the Hammelburg International Violin Competition in Germany (2022). Her passions and pursuits also extend into chamber music as well. Kim and her string quartet won the Chamber Music Competition held by Seoul National University which led to a performance at the Seoul Arts Center (2012). She has also won a prize with her quartet at the Glass City Chamber Music Competition in Ohio (2022).

She has collaborated with renowned musicians such as Jozsef Lendvay (2007), Daekun Jang (2014), Sungmi Im (2018) and Julia Bentley (2018). She has also recorded a music album titled "Rest in Violin" with Sony Music Korea.

Kim also expanded her musical pursuits into the field of historical performance on the violin which led her to featured performances as the soloist with the Baroque Orchestra at Indiana University. She has since completed a minor in baroque violin. Kim has taught numerous students over the years, many going on to attend prestigious music programs and school internationally, and she has also furthered her teaching experiences as an associate instructor at Indiana University in recent years.

Her teachers and mentors include Bonju Koo, Jungho Jeong, Sunny Lee, Heejung Huh, Stanley Ritchie and Lee Phillips. Kim has also attended masterclasses led by Namyun Kim, Victor Danchenko, Sergey Kravchenko, Miriam Fried, Mikyung Lee, Svetlin Roussev, Vadim Gluzman and Ani Kavafian. Kim is currently pursuing her doctoral degree under the tutelage of Professor Kevork Mardirossian and Ingrid Matthews (Baroque Violin) at Indiana University.  

South Korean cellist Yubin Lee is a musician who wants to bring joy to people with her playing. Yubin showed her talent in music from an early age; she was selected as an outstanding performer in SunHwa Art School, playing the Beethoven Triple Concerto in her first solo performance there. She graduated from Yonsei University, where she studied under Sung Won Yang. Yubin showed a great passion for the cello ensemble as a founding member of the Aka Celli Cello Ensemble; she was also a member of the Seoul Solist Cello Ensemble in Korea. She has played as guest cellist with the Suwon Philharmonic Orchestra in South Korea. Yubin moved to the United States in 2018 and completed her Master of Music degree at the Jacobs School of Music, studying under Peter Stumpf, and is currently pursuing Doctoral studies there. She is also studying Baroque cello under Joanna Blendulf. Yubin joined the Bloomington Bach Cantata Project as a Baroque cellist. She is a recipient of Tignes Music Alp Festival in France and Casalmaggiore International Festival in Italy.