Gao studies at the Juilliard School in New York under Jerome Lowenthal and Emanuel Ax.
Yang (Jack) Gao performs during the third stage of the 19th International Chopin Piano Competition at the Warsaw Philharmonic on Tuesday. Photo courtesy of Poland's Fryderyk Chopin Institute/NIFC
Six other pianists were also scheduled to perform on Tuesday, among them Eric Guo of Canada, winner of the 2023 International Chopin Competition on Period Instruments in Warsaw.
Eric Guo. Photo courtesy of Poland's Fryderyk Chopin Institute/NIFC
Tuesday's remaining contestants were David Khrikuli of Georgia; Shiori Kuwahara of Japan, a laureate of several prestigious piano contests; South Korean brothers Hyo Lee and Hyuk Lee; and Tianyou Li of China.
Each performer plays a 45- to 55-minute recital, including a complete cycle of Mazurkas selected from Opp. 17, 24, 30, 33, 41, 50, 56 or 59; either the Sonata in B-flat minor, Op. 35—best known for its Funeral March—or the Sonata in B minor, Op. 58, often described as the essence of Romantic piano music; and other solo works by Chopin.
A total of 20 pianists are competing in the semifinals, including six from China, three from Japan, three from Poland, two each from South Korea and the United States, and one each from Georgia and Malaysia.
Poland’s Piotr Pawlak and Yehuda Prokopowicz are due to perform on Wednesday, while Piotr Alexewicz will appear on Thursday.
The finalists will be announced on Thursday night.
The prizewinners will be revealed on October 20, with a total prize fund exceeding EUR 240,000, including EUR 60,000 for the top prize.
(mk/gs)