2024 PIANO FACULTY

Consistently acclaimed for his exquisite tonal beauty and superb artistry, Boris Slutsky emerged on the international music scene when he captured the First Prize—along with every major prize, including the Audience Prize and Wilhelm Backhaus Award—at the 1981 William Kapell International (University of Maryland) Piano Competition. His other accomplishments include first prizes at the Kosciuszko Chopin Competition and San Antonio International Keyboard Competition, and major prizes at the International Bach Competition in Memory of Glenn Gould, Busoni, Rina Sala Gallo, and Ettore Pozzoli International Piano Competitions.

Since his orchestral debut at Carnegie Hall with the New York Youth Symphony in 1980, Slutsky has appeared on nearly every continent as soloist and recitalist, collaborating with such eminent conductors as Dimitri Kitaenko and Valery Gergiev. He has performed with the London Philharmonic, Stuttgart State Orchestra and Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Neuss am Rhein in Germany, Bern Symphony Orchestra in Switzerland, Bergen Philharmonic in Norway, RAI Orchestra in Milan, KBS Symphony Orchestra in Korea, and major orchestras in Spain, Russia, Columbia, and Brazil. In South Africa, he has been soloist with the orchestras of Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg. His North American engagements have included concerts with the Baltimore, Florida, Utah, and Toronto Symphonies.

Slutsky has been heard on recital series throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Latin America, and the Far East, making appearances at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Kaufmann Concert Hall, Bunka Kaikan in Tokyo, National Concert Hall in Taipei, Performing Arts Center in Seoul, and Teatro Colon in Bogota, among many others. An avid chamber musician, Slutsky’s more than two decades of chamber music collaborations include the critically acclaimed recording of Schumann’s Sonatas for Violin and Piano with Ilya Kaler on the Naxos label, as well as performances with many renowned artists.

Slutsky has presented master classes throughout North America, Europe, and Asia, and served as a jury member for many international piano competitions.

Born in Moscow into a family of musicians, Slutsky received his early training at Moscow’s Gnessin School for Gifted Children as a student of Anna Kantor, and completed his formal studies at the Juilliard School and Manhattan School of Music, studying with Nadia Reisenberg, Nina Svetlanova, John Browning, and Joseph Seiger. In addition, he has worked for many years with his mentor Alexander Eydleman.

Chun-Chieh Yen’s preeminence as Taiwan’s foremost young pianist of international caliber came into sharp focus in 1997, when he won the Third Prize at the third Tchaikovsky International Music Competition (Youth) in St. Petersburg, Russia 

Mr. Yen has concertized in Europe, Asia, and North America, embracing a wide range of repertoire. Making history at age 13 as the youngest pianist to perform in recital at Taipei’s National Concert Hall, his annual concert tours in Taiwan have brought widespread critical acclaim. His rendition of Balakirev’s “Islamey” at the Braunschweiger Kammermusikpodium Germany at age 14 drew significant public attention and received rave reviews.

Concerto performances take Mr. Yen to orchestras all over the world including the Russian National Orchestra, Staatsorchester Rheinische Philharmonie, and the National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan. He has enjoyed collaborations with many conductors, including Mikhail Pletnev, Henry Mazer, Uri Mayer, and Shao-Chia Lü.

Mr. Yen has given concerts in leading venues worldwide, including Paris’s Salle Cortot, the Grand Philharmonic Hall in St. Petersburg, and Alice Tully Hall in New York. In recent seasons, he has been a regular participant in international music festival including the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, Braunschweiger Kammermusikpodium, Holland Music Sessions, Sarasota Music Festival, and Piano Festival Ferruccio Busoni.

Mr. Yen’s debut album, released in December 2007 on Universal, earned him the award of Best Classical Performer at the 19th Golden Melody Awards in Taiwan.

Born in Taipei in 1983, Chun-Chieh began his piano studies with Mei-Fu Chen and Rolf-Peter Wille. From 1999 to 2007, his studies continued under the tutelage of Vladimir Krainev at the Hochschule für Music und Theater Hannover in Germany. During this time he won numerous prizes in competitions, including First Prize at the 4th Hamamatsu International Academy Piano Competition in Japan (1999) and Third Prize at the 4th Prokofiev International Competition in St. Petersburg (2004). He also received the “Prix de L’Ordre du Merite” in Luzern, where he was praised by Maestro Alexis Weissenberg.

In 2007, Chun-Chieh was given a full scholarship to study with John Perry at the Colburn Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles, where he is currently a candidate for an Artist Diploma. 

“Chung’s shaping of melody through dynamics, color, and rhythmic freedom…was always sensitive and sometimes even sublime.”  —— Boston Globe (Richard Dyer)

Grace Chung began her studies in the United States at the New England Conservatory Prep after winning Taiwan’s National Piano Competition. She made her debut as a soloist with the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra at age 16. Ms. Chung has performed in Jordan Hall and the Gardner Museum in Boston, Weill Recital Hall and Alice Tully Hall in NYC, among other venues in the US, Canada, Italy, Japan, China, and Malaysia.

Ms. Chung graduated from the Curtis Institute of Music, The Juilliard School, and Rutgers University. Her major teachers include Wha Kyung Byun, Seymour Lipkin, Jerome Lowenthal, and Susan Starr. Ms. Chung is currently full time Professor of Piano at the Tainan National University of the Arts in Taiwan.

Since the beginning of his career, Spanish-born pianist Juan Lago has attained numerous prizes in the foremost piano competitions in Spain. Most recently, he has been awarded at the XXIII Concorso Internazionale “Valsesia-Musica” in Varallo, Italy; the XX “Cidade de Ferrol” Piano Competition; the IX Premio Internazionale Pianistico “A. Scriabin” in Grosseto, Italy; and the VI “Compositores de España” International Competition of Las Rozas de Madrid. As a consequence of these successes, Juan Lago performed his first European tour and his first recording of an album for “Radio Clásica,” Spanish National Radio, featuring works by Beethoven, Scriabin, and Bartók.

Juan Lago has performed in Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, England, Russia, Latvia, Turkey, United States, China, South Korea and all major cities in Spain as a recitalist, chamber musician and as concerto soloist playing under conductors such as Ovidiu Balan, Emin Guven Yasliçam, José Ramón Encinar, Ernest Martínez Izquierdo, Joachim Jousse, José Luis Martínez and Francisco de Gálvez among others, as well with orchestras such as the Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana (Italy), “Mihail Jora” Philharmonic Orchestra of Bacau (Rumania), Çukurova State Symphony Orchestra (Turkey), Istambul Chamber Orchestra (Turkey), and the Spanish Orquesta de la Comunidad de Madrid, Orquesta de Córdoba, Orquesta de Valencia and Orquesta Sinfónica de Málaga.

Lago has appeared as a master artist at the Washington International Piano Festival (Washington, D.C., U.S.A.); the Festival del Mediterráneo at the Palau de les Arts (Valencia, Spain), directed by Zubin Mehta; Talent Music Summer Courses (Brescia, Italy); Hochschule für Musik und Tanz in Cologne (Germany); Musical Krasnogorsk (Moscow, Russia); Schubertiaden Schnackenburg (Germany); Festival de Vila-seca (Spain); Alion Baltic International Music Festival or Semaine Internationale Piano et musique de chambre (Blonay, Switzerland).

As an avid chamber musician, Juan Lago has collaborated with violinists Vasco Vassilev, Alissa Margulis and Santiago Juan, violist Santiago Cantó, cellist Alexander Buzlov and Iván Balaguer and pianist Belén Navarro. He has presented lectures at Universidade de Aveiro (Portugal), Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln (Germany), Hochschule für Musik Aachen (Germany), Gulangyu Conservatory of Xiamen (China), Latvian Academy of Music, Riga (Latvia) or Conservatorio José Iturbi of Valencia (Spain).

Juan Lago is the Founder and Artistic Director of Campillos International Piano Competition since 2007, Piano Department Director of Valencia International Performance Academy and Festival (VIPA) and Artistic Director of Malaga International Piano Festival (FIPMA). In addition, he is the Artistic Director of the “Amadeus” piano concert series. He is often invited to serve as a jury member in competitions like Cantù (Italy), S. Rachmaninoff (Moscow, Russia), F. Chopin (Hartford, CT. USA), Parnassós (Monterrey, Mexico) and many others. Since 1999, Juan Lago has served as professor of piano at the “José Iturbi” Conservatory of Valencia, where he became piano department Chair in 2010. He has also been teaching piano performance at the Talent Music Master Courses in Brescia, Italy, since 2017. Up until 2023, Juan Lago has been teaching piano at the Qatar Music Academy by the Qatar Foundation. Currently he serves as faculty at “Escuela Superior Musical Arts” in Madrid, and at Concervatorio “José Itrubi” in Valencia. His students have been awarded numerous times in international and Spanish competitions.

Lago holds a Master’s degree in Performance and Musical Research from the Valencia International University; an Artist Diploma from the Amsterdam Conservatorium, where he studied under the tutelage of Professor Jan Wijn; a Bachelor’s degree from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Madrid, where he studied with Professor Ana Guijarro, and a degree from the Conservatorio Superior de Málaga (Professional Degree), where he studied with Professor Juan J. Peralta. He has also been influenced by pianists Gyorgy Sebok, Eugen Indjic, Stanislav Pochekin, Imre Rohmann, Claudio Martínez Mehner and Leonel Morales.

Born in Málaga, in 1973, Mr Abalos began his musical training at the age of nine, always obtaining the highest grades. In 1984 he won the First Prize at the “Marisa Montiel” National Piano Competition (Linares, Spain), also getting the “Musicality trophy” (children’s level).

He finished his elementary music school studies being awarded with the Honor Prize, under the tutelage of Mrs. Julia Casquero. In January 1990 he won the First Prize at the “Gregorio Baudot” National Piano Competition in Ferrol (La Coruña, Spain).

In May 1991, she obtained the Third Prize at  “Marisa Montiel” National Piano Competition, (Youth Level).

In 1992 he won the First Prize (for solo piano) at Muestra de Jóvenes Intérpretes (Málaga Young Performers Contest); for this reason he made his début at Teatro Cervantes, Málaga, Spain).

He ended his Piano Intermediate Grade being awarded with Honorary Mention, as student of professor Mr. Horacio Socías (Conservatorio Superior de Música de Málaga). He also obtained Intermediate Grade Honor Prize at Chamber Music Department.

In 1993, he won the Second Prize at Muestra de Jóvenes Intérpretes (Málaga Young Performers Contest). This year, he also got Honorary Mention at “Albacete Piano National Competition” (organized by Jeunesses Musicales of Albacete, Spain).

In 1994, he got the First Prize at Málaga Young Performers – High Level, this time competing against other instrumentalists. For this reason he took part in the recording of a CD, and offered a Concert at Teatro Cervantes in Málaga.

He has attended Piano Workshops with Professors Giovanni Carmassi, Greorgy Sándor, Manuel Carra, Guillermo González, Ana Guijarro, Leonel Morales, Pilar Bilbao, Almudena Cano, and others.

In 1993-94 academic year, he graduated at Conservatory of Music of Málaga, getting his Piano Degree with Honorary Mention, being his teacher Mr. José Felipe Díaz Álvarez-Estrada.

He has been a finalist at the National Competitions of Granada, Melilla, Carlet (Valencia) and Albacete; being awarded with the Fourth Prize at Albacete last two editions. He has performed in a Young Talents Series organized by Jeunesses Musicales of Seville.

He obtained the Third Prize at the National Piano Competition City of Albacete.
He has completed his studies along two years in Seville, with Mrs. Pilar Bilbao, Professor and Concert Pianist.

He has collaborated with the Opera Choir of Málaga as Master Repetiteur. He has also been a jury member at different national and international piano competitions.

He has also been invited as a professor in several piano workshops and festivals. He has performed as a concerto soloist with some orchestras, under the direction of conductors such as Octav Calleya, Dorian Wilson, Francisco de Gálvez, Juan Baeza, Maria del Mar Muñoz, Alberto Navarrete, etc. always playing successfully.

He is President of the Malaga Piano Association and General Director of the Malaga International Piano Festival (FIPMA).

He is currently a Piano Teacher at the Professional Conservatory of Music “Manuel Carra” in Malaga.

He pursued his musical studies at the Conservatories of Denia and Alcoy, guided by Sonia Cáller. For three years, he was a student of Mª Lluisa Reñaga and Albert Atenelle (piano), and Jordi Mora (chamber music) at the Escola de Música de Barcelona and completed his piano degree at the Joaquín Rodrigo Conservatory in Valencia with Miguel Ángel Herranz. In 2002, he moved to Germany to undertake postgraduate studies at the Richard Strauss Conservatory in Munich, earning the Staatliche Musikreife Diploma under the guidance of Thomas Böckheler. Since 2006, he has been refining his studies with Luca Chiantore in the Musikeon Specialization Courses. In this and other entities, he has taken courses with distinguished teachers such as Menahem Pressler, Miguel Zanet, Dimitri Bashkirov, Anatoli Povzoun, Piero Raulino, Josep Colom, Eric Heidsieck, WanIngOng, Marieta Gormezzano, Josep Vicent Giner, Klaus Kaufmann, and Oliver Kern, among others.

He has given concerts in Spain and Germany (Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Munich, Wasserburg, and Waldkraiburg, among many other cities). For seven years, he worked closely both personally and professionally with Miguel Zanet, honing his skills in the operatic repertoire, German lieder, and Spanish song. He has been a pianist for the classes of Ana M.ª Sánchez, Manuel Cid, and Robert Expert at the International Singing Courses of Callosa d’en Sarriá. He has also performed a recital with oboist David Walter, a professor at the Paris Conservatoire.

For the World Mission Project, he has performed a tour of 6 charity concerts in Indonesia and one in Stuttgart, where funds were raised for associations supporting disabled children in Toraja, blind children in Surabaya, cancer patients in Yogyakarta, and orphans in Bali.

He currently balances his solo concerts in the World Mission Project and with Essentia Ensemble, with Salvador Tarrasó, and frequently collaborating with renowned soloists, with intense pedagogical work at the Conservatory of Catarroja.