PianoArts 2018 Winners

Posted on: June 6th, 2018

On Tuesday, June 5 at 7:30 p.m., the grand finale of the 2018 North American Competition and Festival featured PianoArts Finalists Derek Hartman, Tianyuan Liu, and Muzi Zhao performing concertos with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and Associate Conductor Yaniv Dinur at the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts. At the conclusion of the performances and the jury’s deliberation, the 2018 PianoArtists were presented with prizes, awards, and fellowships for Milwaukee Residencies. The winners are as follows:

FIRST PLACE
$12,000
Tianyuan Liu, age 20, Beijing, China, and Baltimore, Maryland

SECOND PLACE
$6,000
Derek Hartman, age 20, Blaine Minnesota

THIRD PLACE
$4,000 contributed by Clair and Mary Baum
Muzi Zhao, age 19, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China, and Evanston, Illinois

BEST PERFORMANCE OF A COMPOSITION WRITTEN BY J. S. BACH
$2,000 contributed by Woodrow and Andrea Leung
Tianyuan Liu, age 20, Beijing, China, and Baltimore, Maryland

BEST PERFORMANCE OF A NORTH AMERICAN WORK WRITTEN AFTER 1950
$500 contributed by John Ambrose
Tianyuan Liu, age 20, Beijing, China, and Baltimore, Maryland

AUDIENCE COMMUNICATION AWAR
$500 contributed by Marilyn McGriff
Godwin Friesen, age 19, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

BEST PERFORMANCE OF A PIANO AND VIOLIN DUO
Two prizes of $500 each contributed by Sigma Alpha Iota Music Fraternity, Milwaukee Alumnae Chapter
Derek Hartman, age 20, Blaine, Minnesota
Christopher Richardson, age 19, Danville, California

JUNIOR JURY AWARD
$300 contributed by Barbara Bunge
Muzi Zhao, age 19, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China, and Evanston, Illinois

SCHOLARSHIP TO THE INTERNATIONAL KEYBOARD INSTITUTE & FESTIVAL – NEW YORK CITY
A value of over $2,000 supported with funds from the Edmund Assaly Memorial Fund of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation
Ariel Mo, age 19, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

WISCONSIN CONTESTANT AWARD
$750 contributed in part by the Milwaukee Music Teachers Association
Nicholas Suminski, age 21, Appleton, Wisconsin and Williamsburg, Michigan  

MUSICAL SCORES PUBLISHED OR DISTRIBUTED BY HAL LEONARD CORPORATION
A value of $250 each
Evan Lee, age 20, Brooklyn, New York
Niav Maher, age 17, Norwell, Massachusetts
Nicholas Suminski, age 21, Williamsburg, Michigan
Lewis Warren, Jr., age 21, Haltom, Texas

Congratulations to all our semifinalists for a fantastic 2018 North American Competition!