Festival artists 2026
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Hong Xu
Hailed by the New York Times as “technically brilliant, insightful musician and seemingly limitless potential”, Hong Xu is one of the China’s most accomplished pianists in his generation.


Ching-Wen Hsiao
American pianist Ching-Wen Hsiao has performed extensively as soloist and chamber musician throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. She collaborated with conductors Kurt Masur, James Conlon, and James DePreist, and violinist Cho-Liang Lin……

Douglas Humpherys
Since winning the gold medal at the first Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition, Douglas Humpherys’ concert career has spanned four decades across four continents. During recent years, he has concertized in many of the major cities of Asia. A frequent guest artist ……

Dr Rae de Lisle
Dr Rae de Lisle, MNZM is one of New Zealand’s foremost piano pedagogues. Formerly Associate Professor and Head of Piano at the University of Auckland, she has produced many outstanding students, most notably John Chen, first prizewinner of the 2004 Sydney International Piano …

Hanqing Zhou
A Golden-age advocate, Mr.Zhou’s musical esthetics represents the purest quality of classical performing arts in various settings. He has performened as soloist with the Firelands Symphony Orchestra, performing the Prokofiev’s Third Piano Concerto under James Feddeck, shared stage with …



Jerry Wong
Steinway Artist Jerry Wong has been described by Pulitzer Prize-winning critic Martin Bernheimer as “eloquent…sensitivity and a finely-honed sense of style” and the Orange County Register praised him for “clean technique, forthright sound and a straight-forward approach to classical textures”. He has …

Jinhong Li
Jinhong Li has graced the world’s stages in many prestigious concerts, establishing a distinguished reputation as both a sensitive soloist and a highly sought-after collaborative pianist. He made his exceptional public debut with an orchestra ……

Kohstantinos Valianatos
Konstantinos Valianatos has appeared as a soloist and chamber musician in North and South America, Asia, and Europe. As an award-winning musician, he won first prizes at the International Seiler Piano Competition, the International Ibiza Piano ……

Krzysztof Jablonski
Krzysztof Jablonski is a Laureate of the F. Chopin International Piano Competition in Warsaw in 1985. He has won numerous top prizes at international piano competitions in Milan, Palm Beach, Monza, Dublin, New York, and Calgary, and a Gold Medal at the Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master …



Michael Endres
The German/New Zealand Pianist Michael Endres has been described by Richard Dyer of the Boston Globe as, “…one of the most interesting pianists recording today ” and by British Gramophone Magazine “…he is an outstanding Schubert Interpreter “. Among his many recordings ( thirty-three in total ) he has …


Songwen Li
Dr. Li, Songwen is among the most recognized pianists and pedagogues in the piano community in China. Currently he is serving as a full professor and the chairman at the Piano Department, Guangzhou Xinghai Conservatory of Music, also the Dean of Music Department at the Southern College of Sun …

Stephen de Pledge
New Zealand pianist Stephen De Pledge has a wide-ranging career as soloist, chamber musician and song accompanist. After studying at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, where he won the Gold Medal, he spent two years as a Junior Fellow at the Royal College of Music. Stephen currently …


Yumeng Pan
Yumeng Pan, born in China, has performed to great critical acclaim throughout the Asia, Europe, UK and US as a pianist. She has given recitals in venues such as National Centre for the Performing Arts in China, Beijing Concert Hall, the Forbidden ……

Zidong Zhou
Zhou has won the gold medal at the Protege International Piano Competition in the United States (2016) and the Gold Medal at the Fine Arts Festival Piano Competition in the United States (2017). In recent years, he has held piano solo recitals successfully in many concert halls and grand theaters in the …