Keyboard Area, University of Illinois School of Music

Congratulations to our outstanding piano students who were recognized in this year’s School of Music Concerto Competition!

Among the four students selected by the judges (two winners and two honorable mentions), three are pianists.

Winner
🎹 Hyunjae Yoo – Frédéric Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21
Student of Prof. Timothy Ehlen

Honorable Mention
🎹 Chanmi Lee – Maurice Ravel: Piano Concerto in G major
Student of Prof. Timothy Ehlen

🎹 Zhen Liang – Edvard Grieg: Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16
Student of Dr. Chi-Chen Wu

Congratulations as well to Destina Sarussi (flute), student of Dr. Jonathan Keeble, winner performing Lowell Liebermann: Concerto No. 1 for Flute and Orchestra, Op. 39.

Bravo to all for their wonderful performances!

An inspiring masterclass with Jon Nakamatsu. Huge applause for our student performers. You played beautifully.

Our very own MTNA UIUC Collegiate Chapter, in collaboration with the Illinois Leadership Center, is pleased to invite students to a CliftonStrengths Workshop on Friday, September 26 at 1:30 pm in the Music Building Auditorium.

This 60-minute session is designed to help you discover your top five natural strengths and reflect on how to use your unique talents in academic, professional, and personal settings.

The workshop is open to all undergraduate and graduate students, and you DO NOT need to be a member of the chapter to participate. You can find the RSVP form and a short video introducing the workshop here: https://forms.gle/QxHH4QSBTCN9V8LU8.

If you have any questions, please contact the chapter at [email protected]. We look forward to seeing you there!

We had a wonderful time yesterday at the Masterclass with Prof. Kenneth Drake!

Join us tonight at 7:30 for First Notes I: The Walter & Sohn Fortepiano Debut Recital. We hope to see you in Smith Building Memorial Room as we explore the sound world of our newly acquired instrument!🎹

Join us for the fortepiano debut recitals this weekend!

Congratulations to DMA Piano Performance student, Ana Huerta Fernández for winning 3rd prize in the 2025 Vertex International Concerto Competition! As a result, she has been invited to perform as a soloist with orchestra at the Classical Hugs Music Festival in Estonia in July 2026! Ana is a student of Dr. Chi-Chen Wu. Please join us in congratulating Ana on her very impressive achievement!

🎶 Huge congratulations to Zijian Lin, our first-year DMA student, who recently performed Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with the ASMI Chamber Orchestra in beautiful Premilcuore, Italy! 🌟 The performance was met with enthusiastic applause and praised for its artistry and technical brilliance!

Congratulations to our DMA student Chin-Hsuan (Sharon) for bringing wonderful news to our area. We will all be there for your Krannert recital! Way to go!🎹💪🏻

Congratulations to Chin-Hsuan (Sharon) Cheng, piano student of Prof. Rochelle Sennet, who has been named the 2025 Krannert Debut Artist!

Chin-Hsuan (Sharon) Cheng, a Taiwanese pianist, has actively performed across the United States, Poland, South Korea, and China. Her recent accomplishments include a recital performance at the 2025 MTNA Collegiate Symposium, master class performance at the 2024 ISMTA Conference, and guest speaking and performance at the 2024 Intercollegiate Taiwanese American Students Association National Conference. As the First Place winner, she will present a salon-style performance at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts’s Foellinger Great Hall on Sunday, March 30 at 3:00 PM.

We also celebrate the outstanding achievements of this year’s finalists:
🥈 Second Place (Tie): Brynna Paros, flute & Jae Hyun Moon, flute (Students of Prof. Jonathan Keeble)
🥉 Third Place: Farah Wu, violin (Student of Prof. Salley Koo & Prof. Meg Freivogel)

Tickets: https://krannertcenter.com/events/kcda-cheng

Welcome back, students! We’re kicking off the Spring semester with an exciting event you won't want to miss! This Saturday, February 8th at 7:30 PM, DMA student Ana will be performing her recital "A Journey Through Spain" in the Foellinger Great Hall at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. As the winner of the most recent 21st Century Piano Commission Competition, Ana will play a program featuring works by Mateo Albéniz, Tania León, Blasco de Nebra, Granados, Debussy, Falla, and the world premiere of the new piece ‘Eterno’ composed for the occasion by Caleb Liddell (DMA, composition) for piano and electronics. Ana, a student of Dr. Chi-Chen Wu, is sure to deliver an unforgettable performance. See you there!

21st Century Piano Commission Winner’s Recital Pianist Ana Huerta Fernandez performs new music for the piano, including the premiere of a new work by composer Caleb Liddell. A public reception will follow the performance.

Our students Zijian and Chin-Hsuan (Sharon) had the honor to play in a masterclass with Prof. Frederic Chiu at last week’s ISMTA Conference. Congratulations on your wonderful performances! What a way to represent our school!🎹