Jury

Xin Wang (China) – president

Xin Wang established herself in spite of her young age as one of the leading pianists of the inner Mongolia China. She came into public attention when she won a special prize at the national Piano Competition China with the age of seven and has since gone on to give piano concerts an recitals in concert halls all over China. She studied with Jolio Largacha and Gabriel Rosenberg in Cologne and Nurnberg. During her study she got a scholarship of the DAAD. Xin Wang has won numerous honors and prizes including the piano competition Lengano Italy, the piano competition Bettona Italy and many others.

 

She is regularly a welcome guest at diverse well-known concert places in Europa and Asia like Berliner Philharmonie, Schloss Elmau in Germany, Qintai Concert Hall in Wuhan, Concert Hall in Xiamen, Henan Art Center in Zhengzhou, Concert Hall in Ningbo, Poly Grand Theatre in Hohhot and many others. As a soloist Xin Wang appeared with many famous orchestras, among them Wuhan Philharmonic Orchestra, Sinfonieorchester Aachen, Sinfonia Rotterdam, Kammerphilharmonie St. Petersburg, Marchigiana Philharmonic Orchestra, Karlsbad Symphony Orchestra, Zagreb Soloists and Berliner Camerata under the baton of famous conductors like Kazem Abdullah, Christopher Ward, Conrad van Alphen, Marek Štilec, James P. Liu, Juri Gilbo, Eduardo Strausser and Fuad Ibrahimov.

 

She is a regular guest at international festivals such as Skrjabin Piano Festival Grosseto Italy, Piano Festival „federi musica“ Neapel Italy, International Piano Festival Salerno Italy, „IBLA Claasic“ Sicilia Italy, Piano Festival Orbetello Italy, „Friday Nights with Yury Revich“ Wien Austria, International Art Festival Kotor Montenegro, International Music Festival Deià Spain, Festival „Palau March Museu“ Palma Spain, „Festival de musique classique a Pompignan“ Toulouse France, Palais Sommer Dresden Germany, „Monschau Klassik“ Germany, „International Piano Festival Wuhan" China and many others. As a passionate chamber musician she regularly works with colleagues like Echo-Klassik prize winner Yury Revich or Alexandre Debrus in China and Europe.

 

Xin Wang is founder and artist director of the international piano festival in Geilenkirchen Germany and jury president of the international piano competition "Euregio Piano Award". She is often inivited as a jury member in many international piano competitions such as Campillos Spain, „Isidor Bajic Piano Memorial Competition“ Novi Saad Serbia, „Neue Sterne“ Wernigerode Germany, „Mauro Paolo Monopoli Prize“ Barletta Italy, „Notes in Harmony“ Bettona Italy, „Academy Award“ Rom Italy, Asian Youth international piano Competition Hongkong, and many others.

 

Since 2012 she teaches as a guest professor at different music universities in China and gave several master classes in China and Germany with prestigious teachers from well known music universities in Europe.

Aleksandar Đermanović (Serbia)

Aleksandar Đermanović is a pianist, an Assistant Professor at the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad and a General Manager for the International Piano Competition Memorial Isidor Bajić. He is a frequent jury member for international competitions in Europe for both Piano and Composition. He is currently on his Doctoral studies at the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad under the mentorship of Dr Dorian Leljak. He has finished a Postgraduate course at the Universitat Mozarteum in Salzburg studying with Jacques Rouvier and the highly prestigious Artist Diploma course and Masters degree, both at the Royal College of Music in London where he was working with Ian Jones, Dmitri Alexeev and Sofya Gulyak.

 

During his time at RCM, he has received generous financial support as an ABRSM scholar, Gary and Eleanor Brass Scholar and as a beneficiary of the Henry Wood Trust, Lee Abbey Award and a Leverhulme Postgraduate Studentship. After the studies he held a post as a Junior Fellow at the RCM, being awarded the Anthony Saltmarsh Junior Fellowship in piano accompaniment for 2015/16 and has been selected as a Park Lane Young Artist for 2016/2017 with the violinist Eunsley Park. His early and undergraduate musical studies were undertaken in Serbia where his piano Professors were Tatjana Vukmanović and Dorian Leljak respectively, after starting to play the piano at the age of 11.

 

He has performed throughout Europe in venues such as Rachmaninoff Hall (Moscow), in London at Wigmore Hall, St John’s Smith Square, Royal Albert Hall, Steinway Hall, Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall, Purcell Room, Cadogan Hall, Southbank Centre, St. Martin’-in-the-Fields and the French Institute as well as giving many performances at RCM, also at Kolarceva zaduzbina (Belgrade), Pump-room Hall (Bath), Concert Halls of Skandenborg and Viborg (Denmark), Hubad Hall (Ljubljana), Archeological museum and Concert Hall of the culture center in Osijek (Croatia) and many more.

 

He collaborated with conductors such as Gianluca Marciano, James Blair, Neil Thomson, Peter Bassano, Andrej Bursać, Aleksandar Kojić etc. and orchestras such as Young Musicians Symphony Orchestra, Royal Tunbridge Wells Symphony Orchestra, City of Rochester Symphony Orchestra, Locrian ensemble, Novi Sad Academy Orchestra, Camerata Academica performing concertos by Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Ravel, Prokofiev and Medtner.

 

As an EPTA Serbia representative (European Piano Teachers Association) his composition is to be published in London by Faber Music. His Woodwind Quintet was premiered in Serbian Parliament and in the Pavle Beljanski Art Gallery and was aired on the RTV Radio in Novi Sad. He played for a concert at the French Institute in London which was recorded by the BBC3 Radio. His concert with James Blair and the YMSO at the St John’s Smith Square Hall was recorded and published on a CD.

Francesca Vidal (Italy)

Francesca Vidal, born in San Donà di Piave(Venice),  started playing piano at early age. In 2002 year she graduated summa cum laude at “G. Rossini” Conservatory in Pesaro and in 2008 year she achieved the Diploma Accademico Superiore-2nd level- summa cum laude,  under the supervision of M° V. Balzani, at “G. Verdi” Conservatory in Milan. In 2002 year she earned master’s degree,  mentored under the tutelage of M°Piero Rattalino, at  “Santa Cecilia Foundation” in Portogruaro (Venice). She has study with M°F. Scala, M° B. Petrushansky and M° G. Valentini at “Incontri con il Maestro” International Piano Academy in Imola and also with M° Marian Rybicki at “Alfred Cortot” Ecole Normale de Musique in Paris (France).  In 2010 year she earned the “Konzert Diplom”, under the tutelage of M° Filippo Gamba,  with full marks excellence at Musik-Akademie der Stadt Basel in Basel (Switzerland). From 2011 year she pursued the academic career at “Santa Cecilia” Academy in Bergamo under the tutelage of M° K. Bogino and his aides. She attended Master classes taught by M° L. Morales, M° P. Badura.Skoda, M° C. Berner, M° E. Fadini, M° M. Beroff and M° A. Jasinski. 

 

She won numerous prizes at national and international music competitions, i.e.: “Mozart Prize”, “Yamaha Music Foundation of Europe” in 1999 year, “Taddei” competition in 2003 year, “Paul Harris 2005” international competition in Milan , “Val Tidone 2005” international competition, “Valsesia Musica Monterosa Kawai” international competition in 2007 year, “Dino Ciani in the world” award plaque by Dino Ciani Association, international competition “Karl Drechsel Forderprieis” in Norimberga (Germany) in 2009 year, “Umanitaria” Competition in Milan and reached the final at the international competition “Pecar” in Gorizia,  the third prize at international competition “Abano Terme City” in Abano Terme (Padua). In 2014 year She won the first prize at international competition “Hyperion,” in duos category and the second prize at international contest “Gaetano Zinetti” in Verona and Val Tidone (Piacenza). 

 

She performed piano concerts at renowned associations both in Italy and abroad; i.e.: “Verdi” auditorium in Milan , “Alfred Cortot” theatre for Animato Association in Paris (France), “Stora Salen” at Royal College in Stoccolma (Sweden), “Manuel De Falla” theatre in Granada (Spain), “Steiway and Sons” concert hall in Monaco (Germany), Hamamatsu Concert Hall in Hamamatsu (Japan), “Gran Teatro La Fenice” in Venice, Italian Culture Institute of Barcellona (Spain), “Grosser Saal della Musik” Academy in Basilea (Switzerland), “Cancelleria di Roma” palace in Rome on occasion of “Uto Ughi for Rome” festival, “Teatro dell’Aquila”  for Sinfonica Abruzzese Orchestra, Unesco World Heritage Center in Paris (France), “PucciniHall" for Società dei Concerti in Milan Conservatory, “Pierre Giannada Martigny” Foundation in Switzerland, “Parco della Musica ” in Rome, San Girolamo church in Assisi on the occasion of “Assisi nel Mondo” festival, “Sala Mozart” Philharmonic academy in Bologna, "Piatti Hall" in Bergamo and many other esteemed organizations.

 

She performed for Italian national radio broadcaster and tv stations such as Radio Classica, Canale 5 and Italia Uno. She played with Philharmonic orchestra “Mihail Jora” in Bacau (Romania), “La Piccola Sinfonica” orchestra in Milan, Ensamble Discovery Orchestra on the occasion of MITO (Milan-Turin International Music Festival), “Cantelli” orchestra of Milan. She played chamber music V. Balzani, M. Massa and A. Vinnisky. In 2017 year with Radio TV orchestra of Kiev she performed N° 5 concert by Beethoven – M° Vladimir Sheiko conductor – at “Gesualdo da Venosa” Auditorium of Conservatory in Potenza. 

 

She is teaching Piano at "A. Buzzola" Conservatory of Adria. She has been teaching at " F. Cilea" Conservatory of Reggio Calabria, "A. Peri” Conservatory in Reggio Emilia and she is Art Director of International Piano Competition "Città di San Donà di Piave”. She hold several masterclasses and she has the honor of being part of the jury at several international competitions both in Italy and abroad.

Florian Koltun (Germany)

The German pianist and music manager Florian Koltun studied at university of music in Cologne and at the University of Music Trossingen by Prof. Ilja Scheps and Tomislav Baynov.

 

He had Masterclasses also with prestigious teachers like B. L. Gelber or G. Rosenberg. His active concert work started at the age of 14 when already calling attention to himself by winning several first prizes at the German competition Jugend musiziert as well as the national Bach Competition in Köthen.

 

He is first prize winner of several international piano competitions, like the piano competition in Caraglio / Italy, the international piano competition for young pianists in Luxembourg, the Henri Herman Concours in Maastricht / Netherland or the international piano competition “Notes in harmony” in Bettona / Italy. Florian Koltun is regularly a welcome guest at diverse well-known concert places in Germany, Belgium, Netherland, Italy, France, Spain or China. He performed recitals in prestigious places such as the Alte Oper Frankfurt, Berliner Philharmonie, Thürmer-Saal Bochum or Schloss Koethen.

 

He is artistic director diffrent concert series and festivals in Germany (Heinsberg, Aachen, Windeck, Geilenkirchen, Boltenhagen and Monschau) and gave several masterclasses at different music universities in China and Europe since 2012. From 2015 until 2017 he was teaching piano at the music university Cologne.

Xiaofeng Zhang (China)

Studied piano at the Central Conservatory of Music High School under the tutelage of Professor Zhang Jin. In his second year of high school, he was admitted to Manhattan School of Music, Mannes School of Music and Michigan Conservatory of Music in the United States, and received the first-class scholarship of the Solomon Teaching Foundation. Professor Solomon Mikowski, a world-renowned pianist and educator, said that "Zhang Xiaofeng is a rare talent." 

 

Zhang Xiaofeng studied under Professor Yang Jun at the Piano Department of the Central Conservatory of Music. Zhang Xiaofeng was admitted to the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin in Germany with the first place in the master's program. He studied under Professor Gabriel Kupfernagel, the director of the piano department of the academy, a famous pianist and educator, and graduated with excellent results. The symphony orchestras Zhang Xiaofeng has collaborated with include: China National Symphony Orchestra, China Music School Symphony Orchestra, China Film Symphony Orchestra, Hangzhou Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra.

 

In 2002, Zhang Xiaofeng was hired by the China Conservatory of Music and became the main piano teacher at the beginning of the establishment of the piano major at the Affiliated Middle School of the China Conservatory of Music. Zhang Xiaofeng himself has also won the title of "Excellent Instructor" awarded by the organizing committees of various international and domestic piano competitions. He has been awarded the Advanced Worker of the Affiliated Middle School of the China Conservatory of Music for many years.

 

In June 2015, he was invited by the University of Florida School of Music to become the only expert in China and judge of the Florida International Piano Festival in the United States. In July 2016, he was invited by the Lancaster International Piano Festival in the United States to be an expert and give a piano solo concert. From 2017 to 2019, 2023, and 2024, he was invited again to become an expert and judge of the international competition of the Florida International Piano Festival and the Lancaster International Piano Festival in the United States.