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Founding Member of Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra: Akiko Danis

Akiko Danis is highly sought after concert artist. As a soloist and a chamber musician she widely performed in her home country Japan as well the US and Australia. Akiko was a founding member of Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, accepted the position of Principal Keyboard in the MPO in 1998. As one of the leading pianists in Malaysia she is playing an active role in the development of classical music culture in Kuala Lumpur, the rest of the country and the region. Akiko is regularly adjucating competitions, gives masterclasses, coaches MPYO(Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra).

Akiko has graduated from Aichi Prefectural University of Fine Arts and Music with a Master Degree. She then continued with her post-graduate studies with Oleg Vlasenko at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music. Some of her other influential teachers include Lev Vlasenko, Jane Jando and Victor Rosembaum.
Akiko was the winner of Ienaga Concert Management for Young Artists.

As a cultural ambassador for Japanese prefecture Gifu, Akiko has collaborated with highly respected artists from different countries. As such she performed a series of concerts with the Abramyan String Quartet both in USA and Japan, performed with the Mozart Trio (Japan) .

In the MPO Akiko has been highly praised by number of worlds most renowned artist and conductors. As a soloist she appeared with the MPO in Triple Concerto by Beethoven, and most recently teamed up in recital programs with Baiba Skride and Pacho Flores.

Malaysian Pianist: Dr. Bernard Tan

Malaysian pianist Dr. Bernard Tan graduated with a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) degree in collaborative piano from University of Michigan, USA, under the tutelage of the world-renowned Martin Katz. He previously resided in Birmingham, United Kingdom, where he graduated with Master of Music with Distinction from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. His performance was remarked by Russian concert pianist Mikhail Kazekevich as “an outstanding performance marked by technical excellence and fluency, original approach to interpretation and highly developed sense of ensemble playing”.

Being a versatile pianist, Dr. Tan has won numerous prizes, awards, and fellowships for his works as a pianist in art songs, operas, and chamber music. He was awarded the John Ireland Accompanist Prize, Birmingham Town Hall Symphony Hall prize, highly-commended pianist in the Edward Brooks Lieder and English Songs Prizes, a recipient of the Denis Matthew Memorial Trust, Hester Dickson full scholarship award, amongst others. His works as an opera répétiteur has seen him being appointed as an opera coach in productions in Italy, Canada and the USA. In 2019, he attended the prestigious Music Academy of the West as a vocal piano fellow and was a coaching fellow in both Opera on the Avalon (Canada) and International Lyric Academy (Italy) opera companies in 2018. Bernard is a regular vocal coach with Melofonetica in London, coaching in their annual Veneto Opera Summer School in Italy.

Dr. Tan is also a passionate music educator. He started teaching as a teenager and has since devoted his time to developing his teaching philosophy not only as a vocal coach, but also as a piano tutor. Praised for having “an admirable physiological setup” by pianist Robin Bowman, Bernard is known in his piano teaching to emphasise on technique as a foundation for expressive playing. One of his highlights is guiding a pianist in his 70s to perform a full-length piano recital. Bernard has also given masterclasses at University Putra Malaysia (UPM), Kuala Lumpur City Opera, and Opera Emporio in the UK. His constant work with pianists and singers alike has led him to be described as a “knowledgeable and enthusiastic coach” by soprano.

Member Of Jury: Samuel Tan Hsien Chih

Samuel Tan is a collaborative pianist devoted to the fields of teaching, opera, art song, chamber music, musical theatre, and contemporary music. After completing his Malaysian Higher School Certificate (STPM), Samuel was offered a bursary to study Bachelor of Computer Engineering at the National University of Singapore. However, his love of music prevailed. Eventually, Samuel completed his Bachelor of Performing Arts (Music) from the University of Malaya with First Class Honours, under the tutelage of Miss Geneviene Wong Jen – Pei. Following that, he gained both of his Master of Music in Piano Performance and Accompanying with Distinction and Advanced Postgraduate Diploma in Professional Performance with Distinction from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire (UK), where he was on a full scholarship. At the conservatoire, Samuel studied with professors Malcolm Wilson, John Humphreys and Simon Nicholls. He also performed in piano master classes conducted by Louis Lortie, Steven Osborne, Peter Donohoe, Mikhail Kazekevich, Andrew Ball, Martin Jones, Kálmán Dráfi, and Graham Johnson.

Samuel was awarded the Yamaha Asian Music Scholarship in 2008. He was also the Champion in the Solo Classical Piano Category of the Roland Piano Festival Competition in 2009. While studying at the Conservatoire, Samuel was the winner of the Delia Hall Accompanist Prize for Pianists, the John Ireland Solo Piano Prize as well as the grand AdvPgDip Course Prize. He was also selected from the Piano Department to receive the Burke Trophy for Piano – Playing and was subsequently awarded a full scholarship to study at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, Hungary. Besides, he was the finalist in Birmingham Conservatoire Piano Prize, Reginald Vincent Lieder Prize and Gordon Clinton English Song Prize.

Samuel has been involved in a variety of projects, from helming curriculum development to programme leadership with various music departments of tertiary institutions. He is currently the Programme Leader for the Music Performance programme at Sunway University. He is also pursuing a PhD in Ethnomusicology at Sunway University, focusing on the research of the sociocultural and historical background of the Malaysian Chinese art song.

Member Of Jury: Hii Mei Lin

Mei Lin Hii is a celebrated Sarawak-born Malaysian pianist known for her unique musical style and technique. She won numerous awards and scholarships, including the Rubinstein Award in New York and the Miecyzslaw Munz Piano Competition in New York, among others. Mei Lin received a Bachelor of Music degree from the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago and a Master of Music degree and The Professional Studies Certificate from the Manhattan School of Music in New York. In addition to teaching at the Manhattan School of Music, Mei Lin has coached with several renowned chamber musicians and worked as a vocal accompanist in New York.

After returning to Kuala Lumpur in 2009, Mei Lin performed regularly as a soloist and collaborated with other artists, including Lewis Pragasam, with whom she released a classical crossover album entitled “Beat Goes Bach.” Mei Lin launched the “Ivory Series” in Kuala Lumpur in 2018, which aimed to promote classical music appreciation through diverse collaborations with local and international artists from various disciplines. The series was held at Kuala Lumpur’s premier jazz club No Black Tie once a month until 2020 and quickly became a regular addition to the city’s cultural scene.

As a jury member, Mei Lin served on the panel of several music competitions, including the UNESCO International Music Council Le Parnasse Young Talents Competition in Paris and Aix-les-Bains, France, and the New Jersey Young Artists Piano Competition. Mei Lin’s collaborations with other artists and her efforts to promote classical music in Malaysia have made her a respected and influential figure in the country’s cultural scene.

Member Of Jury: Soon Kun Ming

Kun Ming is a Malaysian pianist who received his Bachelor’s degree in Classical Music (Hons.) from UCSI University and his Master’s degree, MA Music Performance with distinction, from the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama (RWCMD) in Cardiff, UK. He has studied under several renowned pianists and had masterclasses with Imogen Cooper, Llŷr Williams, Christian Ihle Hadland, Richard McMahon, Peter Hill, and Graham Caskie.

During his time at RWCMD, Kun Ming actively performed solo, chamber, choral, and orchestral works with the Royal Welsh Symphony Orchestra. After returning to Malaysia, he frequently participated in performances and became a resident pianist and artistic committee member of the Kuala Lumpur City Opera (KLCO). He also actively involves himself in adjudicating piano and music competitions, as well as teaching at various institutions and private studios.

Apart from his piano performances, Kun Ming is also a choir member of Dithyrambic Singers and has served as a rehearsal pianist and singer for various performances, including with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra. He has also contributed as the president of the School of Music Student Association (SMSA) in UCSI University between 2011 and 2012.

President: Françoise Thinat

Celebrated French pianist and pedagogue Chevalier de L’ordre des Arts et des Arts Français

(Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters)

Graduated from the CNSMDP, Françoise THINAT studied under the guidance of Yvonne LEFEBURE, a famous French pianist and educator, Marguerite LONG, a famous pianist and the founder of the International Competition Lundibo, famous directors, George TZIPINE and Louis FOURESTIER, as well as the great Italian educator, Guido Agosti. She has won the Gold Award of Barcelona Piano Competition in Spain, grand prizes of Marguerite LONG Competition in France, and the grand prize of Geneva Piano Competition. Besides, she has held a wealth of concerts and masterclasses across Europe, USA, Canada, Japan, and Korea, etc.,recorded several solos and duos(cooperated with pianist Jacques BERNIER),and also participated in several live programs recorded by French Radio. Françoise Thinat has published a number of books, among which“10 Years with the Piano”(City of Music)has generated considerable influence, gained an international reputation and lay a foundation for the modern piano music in the 20th century. F. THINAT has also been invited as a judge of multiple international competitions. In the field of musical education, Françoise Thin at used to teachat the National Conservatory of Toulouse and the National Conservatory of Orleans and now teaches at the Ecole Normale Musicin Paris.Françoise Thinat was awarded the French Press Music Education Award and was rewarded the Chevalier de L’ordre des Arts et des Lettres in January 2016.

Member of Jury: Elena Rozanova

Professor at the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Regional de Paris (CRR in Paris) Celebrated Russian pianist

As Professor of Piano at CNSMDP, Professor of piano at the Central Conservatory of Music, Frankfurt, Germany, President of the Union of Conservatories of South France, “Classical”, Chairperson of the “Les Classiques au Val d’Isère” and “Chatel classic” Festival, National Symphony Orchestra, long-term contract pianist with Orchestre National de France and French Radio Symphony Orchestra, Elena ROZANOVA also cooperates with the St.Petersburg Symphony Orchestra, the Moscow National Symphony Orchestra, the Irish Symphony Orchestra, and other world-class orchestras. As one of the most popular pianists in the mainstream classical music in Europe, she created Ravel Mirror collection, Chopin’s First Piano Concerto recorded by Continuo classics, among which Russian Ballet Les Ballets Russe was rated “Five Stars” by the Fono Forum as the most popular album. Cooperated with Svetlin Roussev (chief violin of the French National Symphony Orchestra) and Francois Salque (professor of the Ecole Musique d’paris and Ecole Musique d’lausanne), she founded the Sergei Rachmaninoff Chamber Music Trio, and recorded Chamber Music Work De l’ecole-belge Du Franco which is regarded as a teaching model. In addition, she has long been invited to major festivals all around the world. She graduated from the Chaykovsky in Moscow, ranking first in her class, and won several famous piano competitions around the world, such as the Margaret LONG –Jacque THIBAUD in France, the Dragon-Thibodaux International Piano Competition, the Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition, Cziffra, etc. She isalso the judge of multiple international piano competitions. In 2018, Elena Rozanova was hired as a senior foreign expert by the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs.

Member of Jury: Marian Rybicki

Progessor of Piano at Ecole Normale Musiquede Paris Professor of Piano Performance

After giving performance in various countries, Marian RYBICKI began to teach at the Paris Conservatoire in 1979. Many of his students have won major international competitions, including the First Prizes in Marguerite LONG-Jacques THIBAUD (2004), Leeds (2009), Hamamatsu(2012), and Tel Aviv-Arthur RUBINSTEIN (2014).He used to be the judge of multitudes of international competitions held in Beijing, Moscow (Choppin and Alexander Scriabin), Shanghai, Tokyo, Horowitz, Monte Carlo, Tbilisi, Porto, and Jaén, etc. He was awarded the Golden Cross in recognition of his contribution to the musical field.

Member of Jury: Laurent Cabasso

Professor at the Conservatoire Nationale Supérieurde Musiqueet de Danse, Pariset Lyons (CNSMD in Paris and Lyons)

Laurent CABASSO graduated from Conservatoire Nationale Supérieurde Music at de Danse in Paris, where he obtained first prize for piano and chamber music at the age of 18 (Class of Yvonne Loriod, Jean Hubeau, Ventsislav Yankoff and Christian Ivald). Hethen fur there his studies under educator Maria Curcio-Diamand.Laurent Cabasso has won awards in many international competitions, such as: Prix Géza de Zürich in 1982, Tokyo Competition in 1983, Clara Haskil Competition in 1987, and performed in well-known concert halls around the world, such as Paris, Zurich, Amsterdam, and Geneva, etc. He was invited to cooperate with major symphony orchestras, such as the French National Radio Philharmonic, Paris l’ensemble orchestre, and orchestras in Switzerland, Monte Carlo, etc. The conductors he used to cooperate with include Charles Dutoit, Ferdinand Leitner, Armin Jordan, Tibor Varga , Serge Baudo, Emmanuel Krivine, Michel Plasson, Jean-Claude Casadesus, etc. In addition, as a chamber-music enthusiast, he has been long invited to perform with other musicians, including pianist Alexandre Tharaud, violinist Gérard Poulet, and Rosamonde Quartet.In 2010, Laurent Cabasso was appointed as one of the performing pianists at the Paris Chopin Festival, and performed on Chopin’s bicentennial anniversary. His CD works also fully demonstrate his approach and attitude towards music, such as 《Schumann –Chocdu monde de la musique, Prokofiev: Grand Prix du Disque de l’Académie du disque français》，etc., which are well received by the public, and published by many well-known media. Since 1993, Laurent Cabasso has taught at the Conservatory of Salzburg and an assistant professor at the National Conservatory of Music in Paris. In September 2016, he joined the teaching team of the Conservatory of Music in Lyon.

Member of Jury: Jean-Louis Caillard

French Pianist Professor, Debussy College of Music, Paris

Graduated from CNSMD in Paris, Jean-Louis GAILLARD studied under the guidance of Vlado Perlemuter. He won the first prize in Piano and Chamber Music and studied under the guidance of Pierre Sancan, G. Sebok, D. Baschkirov and R. Gianoli. From 1982 to 1983, he studied under the guidance of Aldo CICCOLINI and Arturo BENEDETTI-MICHELANGELI. He then performed Ravel’s Left-hand Piano Concerto with the conductor Sylvain CAMBRELING at the Gaveau Concert Hall in Paris and received, at the end of the concert, congratulations from Pierre Boulez.Jean-louis Gaillard is the winner of several competitions such as the Viotti, Pozzoli, and Busoni.As the founder and host of Piano l’atelier, Jean-louis Caillard also hosted master classes,debates, and conferences on music and theatre interpretation. He currently teaches at the National School of Music in Paris.His recitals and concert with orchestras ranges from tours around France (Gaveau, Cortot, Champs Elysees, Dinard, Vaison-la-Romaine, Périgord, Arcs, Provence, Evian, etc.), and various other countries like Britain (London, Barbican Centre), Germany (Berlin; Geneva, Switzerland), Italy (Milan, Rome, Santa Cecilia College, Royal Belgian Conservatory; Athens, Greece; Istanbul, Turkey; San Jose Theatre, Costa Rica).

Executive Director / Pianist in France: Liu Suxian

President of Sino-French Art Practice Association (A.P.A.)

In 2007, she graduated from the High School Attached to Nanjing University of the Arts, and studied under professor YEHuifang, a famous Chinese pianist and educator. In 2010, she earned a master’s degree in piano from the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional du Grand Chalon, France. The following year, she studied under the guidance of Ravel’s student Jean Louis Caillard. In 2015, she received the Piano Professional Performance diploma fromÉcole Normale de Musique de Paris, and the Professional Advancement Award from Conservatoire Claude Debussy in Paris. She then studied under Francoise THINAT, a well-known French pianist, educator, and chairman of the Orleans International Piano Competition. In 2017, as the first invited Chinese female pianist, Suxian staged a perfect cross-border combination of piano and fashion show in the prestigious Grand Palais in Paris, and was interviewed and reported by European and global media.

Our judges

The Jury (Malaysian Preliminary Rounds)

The Jury (Paris Finals)