JANIA AUBAKIROVA (Kazakhstan)
Chairman of Jury
The renowned Kazakh pianist Jania Aubakirova is the laureate of international competitions. She is the People's Artist of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Laureate of the State Prize of Peace and Progress of the First President of the Republic of Kazahstan, the Laureate of the State Prize of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The Cavalier of the Order of Arts and Letters of France, the Holder of the Award of European Union of Arts of Gustav Mahler, the Holder of a II degree Order of Catherine the Great, the Holder of the Polish awards of Distinguished Services to Polish Culture and the Gold Cross of Merit. and winner of an Independent "Platinum Tarlan" Award. The director of the Kurmangazy Kazakh National Conservatory, “Steinway Artist”, professor.
1983 she won the Grand Prix of The Marguerite Long International Piano Competition and a special prize of the same Competition, “For the Best Performance of Contemporary French Composers' Works”. 1985 she won the Grand Prix International Competition of Chamber Ensembles of The Long-Thibaud Competition.
She studied at the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory in the class of professor Lev Vlasenko and received lessons from celebrated Russian pianist Mikhail Pletnev. At present pianist Jania Aubakirova is the one of the brightest classical music performers of the Central Asia. She leads concert activity as a pianist along with the great activity in social life not only of Kazakhstan, but also on international level.
Jania Aubakirova collaborated with many musicians and music collectives such as Mikhail Pletnev, Valery Gergiev, Martha Argerich, Alexander Sladkovsky, Alexander Vedernikov, Denis Shapovalov, Marat Bisengaliev, Alexander Trostyanskiy Christophe Mangou, the Quartet «Danel», Mariinsky Theatre Symphony Orchestra, Russian National Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra of French Radio, Symphony Orchestra of India, English Chamber Orchestra, Israel Chamber Orchestra and others. more
The official site: www.aubakirova.com
MIKHAIL VOSKRESENSKY (Russia)
 Mikhail Voskresensky commands an international reputation as a pianist in the great Romantic tradition. He graduated from the Moscow Conservatory where he studied under Ilia Klyachko, Boris Zemliansky, Yakob Milstein, Lev Oborin (piano) and Leonid Roizman (organ). As student of the famous Lev Oborin, the winner of the First Chopin Competition in 1927, Voskresensky adopted his teacher's refined romanticism and perfect taste in harmony with the piano's splendid sound. The images evoked by his playing suggest contrasting musical colors, never out of harmony, and a charming legato inducing the instrument to sing. 'His playing fascinates audiences with its artistry, cordiality and ingeniousness. Mikhail Voskresensky is a very talented and intelligent musician', wrote Oborin about his pupil. Mikhail Voskresensky is Prize-winner of the Schumann International Competition in Berlin, the International Competition in Rio de Janeiro, the George Enescu International Competition in Bucarest and the Van Cliburn Competition in Fort Worth.
In 1957 the young pianist took part in the Prague Spring Festival where he performed European premiere of Shostakovich Second Piano concerto with the presence of Shostakovich himself. In 1966 he was honored with the Merited Artist of Russia award and in 1989 the People's Artist of Russia.
Mikhail Voskresensky's concert geography is very large. He performed with more than 150 conductors in almost all countries of Europe, Japan, Korea, China, Australia, USA, Mexico, Cuba, Kenia, Zimbabwe and Peru.
He recorded more than 50 CD's. Among them all 27 concertos by Mozart, Liszt's sonata b minor, all nocturnes, preludes and sonatas by Chopin, all sonatas and etudes by Scriabin, Schumann's carnivals op.9 and op.26, Beethoven concerto No.3 in c minor, Brahms second concerto B flat major, etc. more
The official site: www.mikhailvoskresensky.com
DANG THAI SON (Vietnam-Canada)
A genuine musician” - Isaac Stern
An outstanding international musician of our time, Vietnamese pianist Dang Thai Son was propelled to the forefront of the musical world in October 1980, when he was awarded the First Prize and Gold Medal at the Xth International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw. It was also the first time that a top international competition was won by an Asian pianist.
He began piano studies with his mother in Hanoi. Discovered by the Russian pianist Isaac Katz, who was on visit in Vietnam in 1974, he pursued his advanced training at the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Russia with Vladimir Natanson and Dmitry Bashkirov.
Since winning the Chopin Competition, his international career has taken him to over forty countries, into such world renowned halls as LincolnCenter (New York), Barbican Center (London), Salle Pleyel (Paris), Herculessaal (Munich), Musikverein (Vienna), Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Opera House (Sydney), and Suntory Hall (Tokyo).
Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal, BBC Philharmonic, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, Czech Philharmonic, Dresden Philharmonic, Staatskapelle Berlin, Baden-Baden Symphony Orchestra, Oslo Philharmonic, Warsaw National Philharmonic, Prague Symphony, NHK Symphony, New Japan Philharmonic, Helsinki Philharmonic, Sydney Symphony, Hungarian State Symphony, Moscow Philharmonic, Russian National Symphony, as well as Virtuosi of Moscow, Sinfonia Varsovia, Vienna Chamber, Zurich Chamber, Royal Swedish Chamber Orchestras, and the Ensemble Orchestral de Paris. Also, he has appeared under the direction of Sir Neville Marriner, Pinchas Zukerman, Mariss Jansons, Pavvo Jarvi , Ivan Fisher, Frans Bruggen, Vladimir Spivakov, Dimitri Kitaenko, James Loughram, Jiri Belohlavek, Hiroyuki Iwaki, Ken-Ichiro Kobayashi, Pavel Kogan, Jerzy Maksymiuk, Sakari Oramo, and John Nelson.
In the field of chamber music, he has performed with the Berlin Philharmonic Octet, the Smetana String Quartet, Barry Tuckwell, Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi, Pinchas Zukerman, Boris Belkin, Joseph Suk, and Alexander Rudin, and he has played duo-piano with Andrei Gavrilov. more
The official site: www.dangthaison.net
JURA MARGULIS (USA)
 Jura Margulis is a third generation pianist and pedagogue; born in Russia, raised in Germany, American by choice, European at heart. He divides his time between the McAllister endowed professorship for Piano at the J.W. Fulbright College of Arts & Sciences in Fayetteville, USA, and traveling internationally as a concert pianist, master teacher, and lecturer.
Jura Margulis' orchestral appearances include performances with the Russian National Orchestra at the Hollywood Bowl and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra under Charles Dutoit. The past seasons have brought him to New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Dallas, Cincinnati, Carmel, Austin, Phoenix, Minneapolis, Memphis, and New Orleans in the US, as well as abroad to Berlin, Freiburg, Elmau, Salzburg, Vienna, Warsaw, Bologna, Bruxelles, Bayreuth, Budapest, Bangkok, Barcelona, Madrid, Moscow, St.Petersburg, Seoul, Sapporo, Tokyo, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Aix-en-Provence, Tbilisi, Yerevan, and Lugano.
Margulis has recorded numerous CDs covering a wide spectrum of repertoire from Bach to Berg; over 50 titles from his CDs can be found on iTunes. His latest CDs include an all Liszt Piano/Violin Duo recording with his sister Alissa Margulis; a world premier recording of Berg's '7 early songs' and the original 20 songs version of Schumann's Dichterliebe with Tenor Arnold Bezuyen; and a world premier recording on the MSP Steingraeber D-232 with an all Schubert Con Sordino program. The MSP website www.margulissordinopedal.com states: "The Margulis Sordino Pedal is a quantum leap for the dynamic (sound volume) and spectral (sound color) expressive palette of the modern concert grand piano."
Margulis is the artistic director of the Fulbright Concerto Competition, an international piano contest in the US, and the executive director of the International Piano Academy Freiburg, a summer master class and piano festival in Germany. more
The official site: www.juramargulis.com
HYOUNG-JOON CHANG (South Korea)
Professor of Piano at Seoul National University.
Since his debut with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra at the age of sixteen, Korean born pianist, Hyoung-Joon Chang has worked with eminent conductors including Walter Hendl, Tadaaki Otaka, Thomas Sanderling and Paul Freeman. Chang has collaborated with world-renowned orchestras such as the London Philharmonic at the Barbican Centre, the Tokyo Philharmonic at the Tokyo Culture Center, the Symphony Orchestra of Russia, the Czech National Symphony, the Osaka Symphony at the Osaka Symphony Hall, the Victoria Symphony, and the Chautauqua Symphony during its summer music festival. Chang was the soloist for the Korean premiere of “Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra” by Vaughn Williams and the “Rainy Day for the Piano and the Orchestra” by Kang-Yul Lee, the latter winning the 2004 Art Award of the Year in Korea. In addition, Chang has given acclaimed solo recitals on international stages in Europe, the United States, Canada, Japan, and Korea.
Chang received his doctoral degree from the Manhattan School of Music where he studied with legendary American pianists Earl Wild and Constance Keene. He has also played often for the late Abram Chasins. He has been a jury member of Dublin International Piano Competition, Cleveland, Shanghai, Dresden, Kiev, “The Top of the World International Piano Competition” in Tromso,Norway and many of his students have won major and special prizes from numerous international piano competitions. He has taught master classes at leading schools around the world, including the Eastman School of Music, Manhattan School of Music, Shanghai Conservatory, Royal College of Music, Royal Scottish Academy, Dresden and Mannheim Hochschule. He has been a Professor of Piano at Seoul National University since 1995. An active and popular recording artist, Chang has recorded diverse piano concertos of Mozart, Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky, Gershwin and Schnittke with labels such as Pro Arte, Warner Music and Genuin.
MAXIM MOGILEVSKY (Belgium)
 Prize-winner at international competitions.
Pianist Maxim Mogilevsky works with the world’s leading orchestras and has participated in numerous international art projects.
At the age of thirteen he made his debut with the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Dmitry Kitayenko and quickly earned acclaim from audiences and critics alike. Maxim Mogilevsky has been a prize-winner of international piano competitions in Tokyo (1989), Pretoria (1992) and Porto (1995); he has also been a recipient of the Sergei Rachmaninoff Foundation Prize, the Edinburgh Festival Angel award and the Golden Mask (2009).
In 1994 at the Gold Medal Series festival at the Ambassador Auditorium in Pasadena the pianist made his American debut. In December 2007 Maxim Mogilevsky performed for the first time at Carnegie Hall with the Mariinsky Orchestra under the baton of Valery Gergiev. In 2010 he made his debut with the New York Philharmonic, also under the baton of Valery Gergiev.
Maxim Mogilevsky has additionally appeared with the New Japan Philharmonic, the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre National de France, the Seattle Symphony, the Pittsburgh Symphony, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Rotterdam Philharmonic, the Symphony Orchestra of the St Petersburg Philharmonic and the Russian National Orchestra under such maestri as Seiji Ozawa, Gerard Schwarz, Joel Revzen, Mikhail Pletnev, Jean-Claude Casadesus and Leif Segerstam.
The pianist has appeared at the Salzburg Festival, the Hollywood Bowl Festival, the Mikkeli Festival, the Gergiev Festival in Rotterdam, the Edinburgh Festival, the Ravinia Festival’s Rising Stars series, the Settimane musicali di Stresa, the Michelangelo Festival in Brescia (Italy), the Gilmore Festival in Kalamazoo (USA), the Rachmaninoff Festival, the Moscow Easter Festival, the Sydney Festival and the Ruhr Piano Festival.
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