CIPC Young Artists is an international competition for pianists ages 12 through 18 presented by the Cleveland International Piano Competition. Launched by the CIPC in 2003 as a one-day competition for Ohio piano students, the program has been reorganized this year to follow the multi-round format of the CIPC.
15-year-old Jae Hong Park from South Korea is the first prize winner in the Junior Division, and 18-year-old Yuanfan Yang from the United Kingdom won first prize in the Senior Division.
Jae Hong Park
Age: 15
Citizenship: South Korea
Teacher: Daejin Kim
Jae Hong Park has won top honors at several prestigious international competitions, most recently fourth prize at the 2014 Ettlingen International Piano Competition (Germany) and first prize at the 2014 Ewha-Kyunghyang Concours (South Korea). He has performed with the Banatul Philharmonic of Timisoara, Romania and presented a Kumho Prodigy Concert in Kumho Art Hall in Seoul. Mr. Park, a student of Daejin Kim and Eunyoung Hong also has participated in master classes with Phillip Kawin, Wolfgang Watzinger, Jeno Jando, and HaeSun Paik.
Yuanfan Yang
Age: 18
Citizenship: United Kingdom
Teacher: Dr. Murray McLachlan
Yuanfan Yang has won many national and international competitions, including first prize and special prizes at the 2014 International Franz Liszt Competition for Young Pianists (Weimar) and the 2010 European Piano Teachers Association UK Piano Competition. He won the keyboard category of the BBC Young Musician of the Year in 2012, and third prize of the 2013 e-Piano International Competition (Minneapolis, MN). Mr. Yang has performed extensively for many major music societies and festivals, and has played with orchestras including the Royal Northern Sinfonia, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, and more. A prolific composer, Mr. Yang also has won multiple prizes in composition competitions. He studies piano with Dr. Murray McLachlan.