22 August 2023
3-10 September 2023
Congye Wang
Jury August 27-28
Lunch concert 27 August
Hailed as a “complete musician – a sensitive artist and an extremely talented young pianist”, Congyu Wang is an internationally renowned soloist who has garnered acclaim as a recitalist, accompanist and chamber musician.
Born in Singapore, Congyu Wang started playing the piano at the age of 3. He was selected for a scholarship that enabled him to attend the prestigious Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris, where he studied with renowned French pianists Jean-Marc Luisada and Odile Catelin-Delangle. He later enrolled in the Schola Cantorum (Paris) to continue his studies with Gabriel Tacchino (who had been Francis Poulenc’s only student). Ever since youth, Congyu Wang has enjoyed phenomenal success in international piano competitions, ultimately winning the Grand Prize in Berlin and Bordeaux. His other prizes include Vulaines-sur-Seine, Lagny-sur-Marne, Merignac, Paris, Jakarta, Tallinn and Cle d’Or Reunion. He was featured in the national news journal ‘Zao Bao’ as Singapore’s most promising young artist of the year in 2016.
At the Chopin International Piano Competition for Young Pianists in Slovenia, Congyu was awarded 6th Prize. One of the jury members, François Weigel, believed he should have won, and resigned thereupon in protest. Congyu Wang has since made appearances in over 800 recitals in France, England, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Croatia, Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Latvia, Mauritius, South Africa, Reunion Island, China, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and other countries.
Highlights of some of his performances include festival appearances at Château de la Verrerie (France), Ernen Music Festival (Switzerland), the Geza Anda Piano Festival Masterclasses (Berlin), the International Isang Yun Academy (Paris), International Hammer Klavier Piano Series (Barcelona), International Piano Festival (Amarante), Festival Langtang (Reunion Island) and Chopin Fest (Belgrade). Congyu Wang has performed for many important guests internationally – Celebrities, Bankers, Diplomats and Ambassadors including the Prince of Brunei, the Prime Minister of Singapore, Ambassadors and Consular of France, Singapore, China and Norway.
Congyu Wang has earned a reputation for delivering stunning performances of extremely demanding repertoire. His vast repertoire includes 30 piano concertos, along with the complete solo piano oeuvre of Chopin and Poulenc. Congyu Wang has shared the stage with many well-known musicians, such as Roman Leuleu, Agnes Kallay, Giancarlo de Lorenzo, Elena Xanthoudakis, Grigor Palikarov, quatour arsis etc.
In 2015 Congyu Wang published his first album ‘Charme’ on KNS classical featuring the works of Francis Poulenc to international acclaim. Recently he released his second album ‘Reflets’ dedicated to Claude Debussy commemorating the 100th death anniversary of the French Composer. His recordings are frequently broadcasted on radios internationally – France Musique, BBC radio 3 (UK), Radio Vie (Reunion), Radio Antena 2 (Portugal), Classic 1027 (South Africa), Symphony 92.4 (Singapore) etc. In 2019 Congyu Wang was featured on the movie ‘Une Barque sur l’Ocean’ directed by French director Arnold de Parscau.
Congyu Wang is the Founder and Artistic Director of the Piano Island Festival, Piano Concerto festival and the International Chopin Competition in South Africa. He is ambassador to several charitable foundations - Association des Jeunes Musiciens (Young musicians), Association Koinonia (International Refugees), Grace International Foundation Liverpool (Youth Development). Congyu Wang is a Young Steinway Artist.
Ecaterina Wehlander has been a piano teacher at Lilla Akademien since 2004 and is a pre-service teacher. She also teaches romance and opera interpretation, is responsible for chamber music in high school and pre-college. She is educated at Vadstena Folk High School and at the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm.
Ecaterina is primarily active as an educator and her students have won both national and international competitions. She has also been on the board of the Swedish Piano Teachers' Association for several years. Was a jury member no later than 2018 at Steinway Piano Festival in Stockholm.
"A basic prerequisite for me as an educator is to shape each individual through joy and inspiration and develop their full potential."
Ecaterina Wehlander
Master class 26 August
Jury August 27-28
István I. Székely
Master class 26 August
Jury August 27-28
István I. Székely is a concert pianist and internationally recognized teacher, professor at the Conservatorio Superior
"Katarina Gurska" in Madrid. He has been invited to give masterclasses at the Bartók Béla Faculty of Art in Szeged, Ádám Jenő Conservatory in Budapest (Hungary), University of the Arts in Graz, Gustav Mahler University in Klagenfurt (Austria), World Teachers Conference in Novi Sad (Serbia), Katarina Gurska Conservatory of Madrid, Forum Musikae (Madrid), International Piano Festival "UIS" in Bucaramanga, Manizales (Colombia), Special School of Music in Apatin, Sombor, Senta, Backa Topola (Serbia), Conservatory of Alicante and Dénia, in International Music Festival in Valencia (Spain) etc. He is a frequent jury member in international competitions such as the Franz Liszt International Competition in Rome (Italy), Takác's International Competition in Oberschützen, Bartók Béla International Competition in Graz (Austria), Bucaramanga (Colombia), IMFV Valencia competition, Ibiza International Competition, "Villa de Xabia" International Competition etc. Winners of several awards in national and international competitions. Since the age of 15 he has given concerts in Europe, USA, South America and Asia. To name a few: Concerts in Russia with the Symphony Orchestra A. Safonov, Subotica Filharomic Orchestra, San Juan Orchestra, Orihuela Orchestra, in Alexandria and New Harmony (Indianapolis, USA), Hungarian Academy in Rome (Italy), in the International Piano Festival in Bucaramanga, International Piano Festival in Barrancabermeja, cycle "International Season in Manizales" (Colombia), "Kolarac" in Belgrade (Serbia), in "Kodály" Institute, "Kodály" School, in "Béla Bartók" Museum, in one of the most important festivals "Zsidó Kulturális Fesztivál" in Szeged (Hungary), concerts in Sweden, Greece, in the festival "Midis-minimes", in "Muziekacademie de Berchem-Sainte-Agathe in Brussels (Belgium) and in Spain in important auditoriums such as the Palacio de Cibeles in Madrid, the Palau de la Música in Valencia, the Teatro Principal de Alcoy, the congress center "Victor Villegas" in Murcia, in "Adoc", at the University of Burgos, in the International Chamber Music Festival in Calpe, in "Denia Classics ", Aula de la Cam in Alicante, Teula da Auditorium, La Beneficencia i Valencia, i Auditorio de la Diputación, "ADDA" i Alicante, Auditorium Mediterrania i La Nucia among others. he has performed in private concert for Princess of Thailand SAR Chulabhorn Mahidol. His teachers were Aleksandar Madzar, Daniel Blumenthal, Orsolya Szabó, Benjamin Oren, Michael Boguslavski, Mátyás Molcer, Valéria Utasi, Milica Dundjerov in Brussels Royal Conservatory, Jerusalem Rubin Academy, Kodály Institute of Kecskemét, the Conservatory of Subotica and the Music School in Sombor.
He has performed with international artists such as Clara Novakova, Joaquin Palomares, Joan Enric Lluna, Jovan Bogosavljevic, Susanna Gregorian, with the soloists from the Valencia Orchestra, etc. In 2017, he recorded several Chopin studies of exceptional virtuosity of the animated short film Impromptía, directed by Marpromía Lorenzo and produced by Enrique Millán, with the participation of Cultur Arts (Generalitat Valenciana) and the network A Punt Media. Impromptu has been one of the most relevant Spanish animation shorts from last year, nominated for the Goya 2018 Awards. It was premiered at the Alcalá de Henares Emblematic Film Festival, and has so far been screened in more than 50 events in 20 countries, such as the Animation Festival of Annecy (France), Bristol Encounters (UK), Anima Mundi (Brazil) or Animation Nights (New York). Winnings: Best Art Animation at Expression Art Movie Festival (Los Angeles, USA), Best Short Film (exaequo) at Animaze Animation International Festival (Montreal, Canada), Best Experimental Animation Card at International Animation Cardboard Festival - La Tribu (Buenos Aires, Argentina), Best Animation Short Film at Astorga Film Festival (Spain), Best Valencia animation at Cortoons (Gandía) István I. Székely is the founder of the artistic director of the Franz Liszt Center Piano Competition, the Great Masters Piano Competition and the Sombor Philharmonic.
Patrick Jovell
Master class 26-27 August
Jury August 28th
Patrick Jovell is the former President, now an Honorary Member of the Swedish Piano Teachers Association (EPTA).
Educated in Sweden, the USA and France, he has given concerts as both soloist and chamber musician in fifteen countries and has participated in Swedish Television, Swedish Radio and Italian RAI.
As an educator, he has worked as a senior lecturer and associate professor at the music academies in Gothenburg, Sweden and Tilburg, the Netherlands. Jovell's students have received prizes at Swedish and international piano competitions.
As a lecturer and masterclass holder, he has recently been invited to festivals and other forums in Sweden, Italy, Iceland, Estonia, Poland, Serbia and the USA. Jovell regularly participates as a writer and editor for the EPTA Sweden Magazine, Piano Street Magazine and the magazine The World of Piano Competitions.
In this capacity he also received assignments from The Chopin Institute in Warsaw. As an innovator and pianist, Patrick Jovell collaborated with a number of filmmakers in the project "Swedish Piano Films", which led to a nomination by the Swedish Film Institute to compete at the International Film Festival in Venice.
He holds workshops on various topics, from Alexander Scriabin's color hearing (synaesthesia) to today's digitization of music education. Jovell is a former board member of the Swedish Music Council - the National Committee of the International Music Council (IMC/UNESCO). He has enjoyed support from The Royal Swedish Academy of Music, The Swedish Institute, The Wallenberg Foundation and the French Government a.o.