Division 1 (ages 19-26)
Jacob Nydegger, 2nd Prize
Final Round Performance Piece:
Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Major, Op. 26, Mvt. 3 by Sergey Prokofiev
A gifted performer with formidable technical skills (Theater Jones Journal), American pianist Jacob Nydegger’s smooth, elegant power brings memories of that great pianist [Van Cliburn] (Fanfare Magazine). Nydegger’s debut album with Toccata Classics record label received widespread acclaim and was placed on the Classical New Releases: Spotify Picks Playlist in 2018. In addition to commercial recording success, Nydegger is a top prizewinner of multiple competitions including the 2021 Grand Prize Virtuoso Competition, 2021 Richardson Symphony Orchestra Young Artists Competition, 2019 Weatherford International Piano Competition, and the 2018 Kuleshov International Piano Competition. Jacob has performed as soloist with the Colorado College Festival Orchestra and the University of North Texas Symphony Orchestra, and in 2019 he performed and presented in Malaysia as Lecturer-in-Residence of International Music House Kuching and guest artist at University Malaysia Sarawak. Jacob holds a M.M in Piano Performance from University of North Texas where he studied with Joseph Banowetz. He also has worked with pianists Nikita Fitenko, William Wolfram, and Jon Nakamatsu. Upcoming engagements include a 2021-2022 season performance debut at Royal Albert Hall in London, as well as a second recording with the Toccata Classics record label, featuring the piano music of eminent Dutch composer, Leo Samama.
Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Major, Op. 26, Mvt. 3 by Sergey Prokofiev
A gifted performer with formidable technical skills (Theater Jones Journal), American pianist Jacob Nydegger’s smooth, elegant power brings memories of that great pianist [Van Cliburn] (Fanfare Magazine). Nydegger’s debut album with Toccata Classics record label received widespread acclaim and was placed on the Classical New Releases: Spotify Picks Playlist in 2018. In addition to commercial recording success, Nydegger is a top prizewinner of multiple competitions including the 2021 Grand Prize Virtuoso Competition, 2021 Richardson Symphony Orchestra Young Artists Competition, 2019 Weatherford International Piano Competition, and the 2018 Kuleshov International Piano Competition. Jacob has performed as soloist with the Colorado College Festival Orchestra and the University of North Texas Symphony Orchestra, and in 2019 he performed and presented in Malaysia as Lecturer-in-Residence of International Music House Kuching and guest artist at University Malaysia Sarawak. Jacob holds a M.M in Piano Performance from University of North Texas where he studied with Joseph Banowetz. He also has worked with pianists Nikita Fitenko, William Wolfram, and Jon Nakamatsu. Upcoming engagements include a 2021-2022 season performance debut at Royal Albert Hall in London, as well as a second recording with the Toccata Classics record label, featuring the piano music of eminent Dutch composer, Leo Samama.
Gregory Hartmann, 3rd Prize
Final Round Performance Piece:
Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 37, Mvt. 1 by Ludwig Van Beethoven
Pianist Greg Hartmann is currently pursuing his doctoral studies at the Graduate Center, CUNY, as a student of Julian Martin. Greg has won first prize in the 2018 Memphis International Piano Competition, second prize in the top division of the 2021 Schubert Club Scholarship Competition, third prize in the 2019 Thousand Islands International Piano Competition, and third prize in the 2018 High Point University Piano Competition, among others. Also an accomplished composer, Greg won the 2018 Paula Nelson-Guenther Young Composer Competition. He has performed concerti with the New Albany Symphony Orchestra, Rochester Symphony, Lakeshore Wind Ensemble, Concord Chamber Orchestra, and Waukesha Area Chamber Orchestra. He also maintains an interest in Music Theory, and recently presented a paper of his at the 2020 conference of the Society for Music Theory. Greg has participated in music festivals including the Aspen Music Festival and School, Pianofest in the Hamptons, the Bowdoin International Music Festival, the Sejong International Music Festival, Euro Music Festival and Academy, and the Gijon International Piano Festival. In his free time, Greg enjoys tennis, running, and ping pong.
Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 37, Mvt. 1 by Ludwig Van Beethoven
Pianist Greg Hartmann is currently pursuing his doctoral studies at the Graduate Center, CUNY, as a student of Julian Martin. Greg has won first prize in the 2018 Memphis International Piano Competition, second prize in the top division of the 2021 Schubert Club Scholarship Competition, third prize in the 2019 Thousand Islands International Piano Competition, and third prize in the 2018 High Point University Piano Competition, among others. Also an accomplished composer, Greg won the 2018 Paula Nelson-Guenther Young Composer Competition. He has performed concerti with the New Albany Symphony Orchestra, Rochester Symphony, Lakeshore Wind Ensemble, Concord Chamber Orchestra, and Waukesha Area Chamber Orchestra. He also maintains an interest in Music Theory, and recently presented a paper of his at the 2020 conference of the Society for Music Theory. Greg has participated in music festivals including the Aspen Music Festival and School, Pianofest in the Hamptons, the Bowdoin International Music Festival, the Sejong International Music Festival, Euro Music Festival and Academy, and the Gijon International Piano Festival. In his free time, Greg enjoys tennis, running, and ping pong.
Ainslie Matthew, Honorable Mention
Final Round Performance Piece:
Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 22 by Camille Saint-Saëns
Ainslie Matthew currently studies at McGill University’s Schulich School of Music as a student of Professor Sara Laimon. Prior to McGill, Ainslie was a student in the piano conservatory (directed by Dr. Sarkis Baltaian) of the Orange County School of the Arts in California. In 2019, she was named the conservatory’s Musician of the Year. Her private piano teachers have included Dr. Grace Fong and Dr. Joseph Matthews. She has performed in masterclasses for Victor Rosenbaum, Ning An, Kevin FitzGerald, Golda Vainberg-Tatz, Patrick Lechner, Phoenix Park-Kim, Dr. Junko Garrett, Dr. Mark Sullivan, Dr. Haewon Song, Mina Perry, Nina Scolnik and Edward Francis, among others. Ainslie has participated in numerous summer piano festivals, including the Oberlin Cooper Festival, the Carmel Klavier International Festival and Competition, and the New York University Summer Piano Intensive, where she studied closely with Eduardus Halim. Her selected achievements include: First Place Scholarship MTAC, (2019), Grand Prize Winner, MTAC (Orange County) Theme Festival (2018), and 2nd place, Carmel Klavier International Piano Competition (2018).
Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 22 by Camille Saint-Saëns
Ainslie Matthew currently studies at McGill University’s Schulich School of Music as a student of Professor Sara Laimon. Prior to McGill, Ainslie was a student in the piano conservatory (directed by Dr. Sarkis Baltaian) of the Orange County School of the Arts in California. In 2019, she was named the conservatory’s Musician of the Year. Her private piano teachers have included Dr. Grace Fong and Dr. Joseph Matthews. She has performed in masterclasses for Victor Rosenbaum, Ning An, Kevin FitzGerald, Golda Vainberg-Tatz, Patrick Lechner, Phoenix Park-Kim, Dr. Junko Garrett, Dr. Mark Sullivan, Dr. Haewon Song, Mina Perry, Nina Scolnik and Edward Francis, among others. Ainslie has participated in numerous summer piano festivals, including the Oberlin Cooper Festival, the Carmel Klavier International Festival and Competition, and the New York University Summer Piano Intensive, where she studied closely with Eduardus Halim. Her selected achievements include: First Place Scholarship MTAC, (2019), Grand Prize Winner, MTAC (Orange County) Theme Festival (2018), and 2nd place, Carmel Klavier International Piano Competition (2018).