Meet our Finalists!
PianoArts is proud to present our Finalists!
Mohan Jia, Quang Minh Vo,and Yoav Roth have worked very hard to earn an opportunity to solo with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. On Tuesday, June 2, they take the stage for the concerto round of the PianoArts North American Competition. Please join us in congratulating these fine musicians on their achievement.
Mohan Jia
FinalistMohan Jia’s trust in “the transformative power of music-magic” has led her from her home in the People’s Republic of China to the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she is studying for a degree in piano performance. Mohan, aged 19, also is taking advantage of a dual degree program that allows her to take classes in theater directing and German at Case Western Reserve University.
Born in Beijing, Mohan made her solo recital debut at the age of seven, and her concerto debut, with the Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestra, at 11. She graduated from Beijing’s Central Conservatory of Music Middle School. Mohan has participated in festivals and competitions in the U.S., China, Germany, Singapore, Canada, and Vietnam. She frequently performs in Cleveland-area concerts and, as a volunteer, shares her music-magic by playing for patients and their families at cancer hospitals in
Beijing.
Since enrolling at CIM, Mohan has expanded her keyboard studies to include organ and carillon. “I am a free spirit,” she says, “and the piano, along with all these wonderful instruments, gives me the imagination to create another world, an entirely different planet.”
Yoav Roth
FinalistYoav Roth says he has always enjoyed having three things in his life: music for his soul, math for his brain, and sports for his body. He began playing the piano at the age of nine, and is now a 19-year-old student at The Julliard School studying piano performance.
Yoav was born in Tel Aviv, Israel, and grew up in a small village, later studying piano and composition at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance. He also attended a specialized high school for advanced mathematics.
Yoav’s experience includes awards at several competitions in Israel. Under the sponsorship of Morningside Music Bridge in 2023, he performed solo, duo, and trio repertoire in Boston, Poland, and London for the Wimbledon International Music Festival. He took first prize in the Julliard Piano Concerto Competition in 2024. The PianoArts competition appeals to him because it emphasizes musical and verbal communication, collaboration, and community engagement. This combination, he said, “reflects the way I aspire to grow as a musician.”
Yoav trained extensively in judo as a child, and became a top martial artist in Israel. “I stopped training in judo to protect my hands,” Yoav said, but still enjoys playing soccer and doing calisthenics.
Quang Minh Vo
FinalistQuang Minh Vo, a 20-year-old native of Hanoi, Vietnam, is a competition veteran, winning more than 40 domestic and international piano awards in locations ranging from Hungary to Malaysia. After completing studies in 2022 at the Vietnam National Academy of Music, he enrolled at Florida Gulf Coast University to study piano performance. Quang is a finalist in the 2026 MTNA National Young Artist Competition.
Quang is especially drawn to collaboration with other musicians. His membership in orchestra and a trio as a cellist “taught me how to listen differently,” he said. “I learned how to shape a phrase not just for myself, but for the sound of a group.” The inclusion of chamber music opportunities drew Quang to the PianoArts competition. “Chamber music, in particular, feels like a conversation where every detail matters,” he said.
Quang also applies his discipline and energy to sports, especially swimming, soccer, and martial arts. He also enjoys sharing ideas through website design.