Kate Liu Archives - Cleveland Classical

Cooper International Piano Competition: the winners

July 31, 2010 by Special to ClevelandClassical.com

Cleveland, OH, July 31, 2010

The winners (l-r): George Li (first prize), John Chen (second prize), Kate Liu (third prize). Photo: Roger Mastroianni

The three winners of the 2010 Cooper International Piano Competition are:

First Place: George Li (14, Lexington, MA)

Second Place: John Chen (16, Leesburg, VA)

Third Place: Kate Liu (16, Chicago, IL)

The awards, announced by donor Thomas Cooper after the young pianists played concerti by Chopin, Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev with Jahja Ling and The Cleveland Orchestra in Severance Hall on Friday evening, include four-year, full tuition scholarships to The Oberlin Conservatory and cash prizes of $10,000, $6,000 and $3,000, respectively. Mr. Li will also play concerts with orchestras in Shanghai and Beijing.

ClevelandClassical.com’s reports on the semifinalists’ concert in Reinberger Chamber Hall on Friday afternoon and the finals on Friday evening will be posted later this weekend.

Cooper International Piano Competition: three advance to finals, 4th, 5th, 6th place and audience favorite winners announced

July 29, 2010 by Special to ClevelandClassical.com

Oberlin, OH, July 29, 2010

The finalists (l-r): George Li, John Chen, Kate Liu (photo: Roger Mastroianni)

Following the solo rounds in Warner Concert Hall at the Oberlin Conservatory on Wednesday evening, July 28, WCLV president Robert Conrad announced the audience favorite, 4th, 5th and 6th place winners and the three finalists in the 2010 Cooper International Piano Competition. Here is the list with prize money indicated:

Audience Favorite ($500)

Tristan Teo (13, Canada)

6th Place ($1,000)

Tristan Teo (13, Canada)

5th Place ($1,000)

Anna Han (14, Arizona, USA)

4th Place ($1,000)

Sahun Hong (16, Texas, USA)

Finalists

The following contestants (listed here in alphabetical order) will play concertos in the finals with Jahja Ling and The Cleveland Orchestra on Friday evening at 8 in Severance Hall in a concert to be broadcast live over WCLV, 104.9 FM (and streamed on the Internet):

John Chen (16, Virginia, USA) — Tchaikovsky Concerto No. 1
George Li (14, Massachusetts, USA) — Chopin, Concerto No. 1
Kate Liu (16, Illinois, USA) — Prokofiev, Concerto No. 3

Tickets for the Severance Hall finals may be ordered through the box office at 216.231.1111.

Cleveland Orchestra’s holiday concerts return with plenty of festive cheer (Dec. 11)

by Stephanie Manning

This article was originally published on Cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio — If the twinkling lights, leafy green garlands and festive poinsettias didn’t already clue you in, the holidays have arrived at Severance Music Center. ‘Tis the season for annual traditions — including The Cleveland Orchestra’s holiday concerts, which began on Wednesday evening.

Running through December 22, the programs feature plenty of seasonal classics plus some potential new favorites. The first performance proved that this mix is a delightful recipe for festive cheer.

“Look at you all, out on a school night!” conductor Sarah Hicks proclaimed joyfully from the podium. Just as many concertgoers donned red outfits to get into the spirit, Mandel Concert Hall was also decked out with decorations and stage lighting effects.

[Read on…]

Oberlin Conservatory convincingly tells Omar’s story (Dec. 8)

by Stephanie Manning

The Cleveland premiere of Rhiannon Giddens’ and Michael Abels’ Pultizer Prize-winning opera Omar on December 8 at the Maltz Performing Arts Center proved that concert productions of opera can succeed without sets, elaborate costumes and extensive staging. Indeed, the Oberlin Conservatory presentation offered more than enough to keep the audience in the crowded house enthralled.

The Opera, which was also presented at Oberlin’s Finney Chapel two days earlier, is based on the 1831 autobiography of Muslim scholar Omar ibn Said, the only such work written by an enslaved person during their enslavement, and the only such document written in Arabic.

Rhiannon Giddens’ brilliant libretto chronicles the life of ibn Said, beginning in present-day Senegal and following him through his capture, journey via the Middle Passage, and enslavement in North and South Carolina. [Read on…]

Kirill Gerstein is captivating on piano as Cleveland Orchestra recital series continues (Dec. 4)

by Daniel Hathaway

This article was originally published on Cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio — There’s no dearth of first-class piano performances to enjoy in Northeast Ohio, but Kirill Gerstein’s contribution to the collective wealth Wednesday night was extraordinary both in concept and execution.

Playing as part of the Cleveland Orchestra’s ongoing recital series at Severance Music Center, Gerstein wove an overarching narrative from the 21 little masked ball portraits in Robert Schumann’s “Carnaval.” Then he helped composer Francisco Coll blow up the idea of the waltz in two striking, brand new pieces written for Gerstein and joined Maurice Ravel in redefining that most civilized of dances in a cataclysmic performance of “La valse.”

[Read on…]

See all reviews

Follow ClevelandClassical.com

Contact us