Our 2025 Artist

Twenty-three-year-old William Yang won first prize at the 2025 National Chopin Piano

Competition in Miami, Florida. Along with the $100,000 first prize, he also receives a

recording project on the Steinway label and a concert tour that includes a performance at

Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in June, 2025. 

At the same Competition, William was

awarded prizes for the best performance of a mazurka and sonata. Recognition at earlier

competitions include Second Prize at the 2014 Midwest International Piano Competition,

Sixth Prize at the 2018 Thomas and Evon Cooper International Piano Competition, and

semifinalist and winner of the special Bach Prize at the 2015 Cleveland International Piano

Competition.

As a soloist, Mr. Yang has appeared with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Southeast

Iowa Symphony Orchestra, and the Minnesota Orchestra. He studied at the Curtis Institute of

Music and is currently a Kovner Fellow at The Juilliard School studying under Robert

McDonald. His previous teachers were Alexander Korsantia and Paul Wirth. Mr. Yang has

also received instruction from Hung- Kuan Chen, Yoheved Kaplinsky, Antonio Pompa-Baldi,

Gary Graffman, Peter Takacs, Boris Berman, and Andre Watts, among others.

William Yang began piano studies at the age of four and gave his first performances at age

seven. Outside of piano, William enjoys playing table tennis

The New York Concert Review described Evelina's playing as one of "remarkable maturity,

poise, and control. She let the music speak for itself simply and directly without overthinking - a

refreshing performance."

Evelina was awarded first prize and the Szymanowski award at the 2020 Kosciuszko Foundation

Chopin Piano Competition for Young Pianists in Washington D.C. In 2022, Evelina

participated in the 7th Tureck International Bach Competition and won the Rosalyn Tureck

prizes in the contemporary and Prelude and Fugue categories. Most recently, Evelina was

awarded third prize and audience award at the 2024 Thomas F. Hulbert International Piano

Competition. She has also participated in lessons and masterclasses with such acclaimed pianists

and pedagogues as Kirill Gerstein, Garrick Ohlsson, Ewa Pobłocka, Kevin Kenner, Michael

Lewin, Golda Vainberg-Tatz, Krzysztof Jablonski, Jeffrey Swann, and others.

Evelina studies privately in Washington D.C. with Dr. Martin Labazevitch and is a recipient of

the 2023-2024 Chopin Foundation Scholarship. Evelina is also part of the National Symphony

Orchestra Youth Fellowship Program.

Antoni Kleczek has been described by Katarzyna Popowa-Zydroń as a pianist who plays each

piece with "deep understanding...natural expression, communicativeness of emotions and all this

while playing with apparent ease.”

Antoni has won top prizes at such competitions as the 68th Kosciusko Foundation Chopin Piano

Competition, the 29th International Chopin Competition for Children and Youth in Szafarnia,

and the 6th Rosalyn Tureck International Bach Competition. Antoni has also had the privilege of

working with such pianists as Horacio Gutiérrez, Kirill Gerstein, Garrick Ohlsson, Jeffrey

Swann, Krzysztof Jabłoński, Piotr Paleczny, Kevin Kenner, Ewa Pobłocka, and others.

Antoni is currently studying privately with Dr. Martin Labazevitch in Washington D.C and is a

recipient of the 2024-2025 Chopin Foundation Scholarship.