2026 Finalists

Maggie Bai

Maggie Bai, a fifteen-year-old from Newton, MA is a rising sophomore at Nobles and Greenough School. She started taking piano lessons at the age four, and currently studies with Angel Ramon Rivera and Kanako Nishikawa. Maggie is also enrolled at the New England Conservatory, where she participates in CHIPS and the Prep Piano Seminar, studying chamber music with Ms. Blustein.

Her awards include First Prize in the Steinway Society Piano Competition, the International Young Artists Competition (NLPA), the XV Chopin International Piano Competition, the Michael H. Welles Wellesley Symphony Young Soloist Competition, and the New England Philharmonic Young Artists Competition, with additional prizes from the Concord Orchestra and Brockton Symphony Orchestra concerto competitions. She has performed at Jordan Hall (Boston), Concord Center, Carnegie Hall (New York), Ganz Hall (Roosevelt University), Liszt’s House (Weimar), and the Schumann Museum (Leipzig).

Beyond play the piano, Maggie enjoys singing, accompanying choirs, and sharing her music through community service. 

Daniel Beal 

Daniel Beal is eighteen years old and hails from Moscow, ID. He currently studies with Dr. Roger McVey, head of Keyboard Studies and professor of piano at the Lionel Hampton School of Music.

Daniel was a national finalist in the 2022 MTNA-Kawai Piano Performance Competition and is a two-time winner of the Washington State MTNA competitions and a five-time winner of the WSMTA State Recitalist Competition five times, as well as forty gold medals and the 2023 and 2025 Adjudicators' Choice Award at Musicfest Northwest. He was named the winner of the 2024 Musicfest Northwest Young Artist Competition and the 2024 Washington-Idaho Symphony Young Artist Competition, resulting in concerto performances with the Spokane Symphony and the Washington-Idaho Symphony.

Daniel was a soloist with the North Idaho Philharmonia and North Idaho Chamber Ensemble. He was an official competitor of the 2026 Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition, a quarterfinalist of the 2025 Palm Springs International Piano Competition, and a Student Jury member at the 2024 Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition.

Daniel's passion for piano has earned him many other national and international awards, including top prizes at the 2025 Silicon Valley International Piano Competition, 2025 OPUS National Music Competition, 2025 Fanny Mendelssohn International Music Competition, 2025 Northern Lights International Piano Festival and Competition, 2025 Orbetello International Piano Competition, 2024 Carmel Klavier International Piano Competition, 2023 Charleston International Piano Competition, 2023 European Classical Music Awards Grand Prix, 2023 London Young Musician Awards, and 2023 UK International Music Competition.

Daniel has work and consult with esteemed musicians such as Inon Barnatan, Dr. Theresa Bogard, Professor Alan Chow, Dr. Alvin Chow, Dr. Renato Fabbro, Dr. Fabio Menchetti, Dr. Silvan Negrutiu, and Dr. Del Parkinson, among others.

Beyond music, he excels academically and enjoys foreign languages, tennis, chess, and hiking in his spare time. Daniel gives back to the community through benefit concerts, music presentations at retirement centers, and as a performer and presenter on NPR radio.

Stephen Chen

Hailing from the greater Richmond area of Virginia, pianist Stephen S. Chen is a dedicated and accomplished young musician currently pursuing his artistic development under the tutelage of Dr. Yinfei Wang. Stephen started his piano journey with Ms. Ruta Smedina-Starke at the age of five. Since then, his burgeoning career has been marked by a remarkable string of successes in competitions spanning international, state, and district levels. Stephen's exceptional talent has been recognized with top honors including the Grand Prix from the XVI Chopin International Piano Competition in Hartford, CT, and the Music Matters International Music Competition. He has also garnered the Platinum award from the International Young Gifted Musicians Competition, and the Gold and Young Virtuoso Awards from the WPTA Singapore International Piano Competition. Further accolades include First Place prizes in the WPTA Spain International Piano Competition, V International Chopin Competition in Vienna, XV Savshinsky International Music Competition, American Protégé International Competition, Stockholm Tenth International Music Competition, Carles & Sofia International Piano Competition, Vienna Virtuoso International Competition and many others. Demonstrating consistent excellence within his home state, Stephen was elected First Place in the Virginia Music Teacher Association (VMTA) State Auditions in both 2024 and 2022. He also received First Place recognition in the Richmond Music Teacher Association (RMTA) Central Virginia District Auditions for five consecutive years (2021-2025).

Stephen has achieved significant performance milestones, making his debuts at Carnegie Hall and the Ehrbar Saal Vienna in 2023, followed by appearances at Harvard University and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 2024, and Van Cliburn Hall in2025. He was also a featured performer at the Washington International Piano Festival in both 2023 and 2024. Adding to his growing list of achievements, Stephen has been chosen as a junior performer for the prestigious PianoTexas International Festival & Academy 2025. Recently, Stephen has been accepted to the 2026 Cleveland International Piano Institute for Young Artist. His musical growth has been further enriched through masterclasses with esteemed professors including Alessio Bax (New England Conservatory), Yoshikazu Nagai (San Francisco Conservatory), Young Hi Moon (Peabody Institute), Jan Jiracek Von Arnim and Vladimir Kharin (Vienna University of Music and Performance Arts), and fortepianist Daniel Adam Maltz.

Beyond his dedication to the piano, Stephen enjoys reading, mathematics, painting and charity. His artistic inclinations extend beyond music, evidenced by his First Prize in the Chopin in Art Contest from the Chopin Society of Atlanta. Academically, he has been recognized with a Merit Award from John Locke Global Essay Competition 2024, the President’s Education Award for outstanding academic excellence in 2024 and received the Grand Award (99%) from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth Testing in 2021.

William Feng

William Feng is fourteen years old and an eighth-grade student at Lakeside School in Seattle, WA. He began studying piano at age six with Dr. Christopher Bowlby at the Chopin Academy of Music, and currently studies with Dr. Peter Mack.

William has earned numerous top prizes in national and international competitions, including first place at the 2024-2025 MTNA Washington State Competition; second place at the 2025 Oberlin Piano Festival; first prizes at the 2024 Seattle International Piano Competition and the 2024 Carmel Klavier International Piano Competition; Grand Prix at the 2024 Bellevue Symphony Concerto Competition; and a gold medal with the Helen Belvin Scholarship at the 2023 Chopin National Foundation Northwest Competition. He also received the absolute first prize and Expressive Performance Award at the 2023 UK International Music Competition, first prize with Judges’ Distinction Award at the 2022 American Protégé International Competition, and has been a seven-time Distinguished Gold Medalist at the Seattle International Piano Festivals. Most recently, William advanced to the final round of the 2026 Kaufman International Piano Competition, and recently won first prize with the Musical Excellence Award at the 2026 SMTA Competition and first place with the Judith Thiel Artist Award at the 2026 PAFE Competition.

William has performed at Zankel Hall and Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York, as well as at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts in Arizona, and Benaroya Hall in Washington.

Beyond the piano, William enjoys composing music, singing in choir, and playing the violin. At Lakeside School, he founded the Music Inspires New Day (MIND) Club - along with its blog, magazine, and chamber ensembles - to foster musical engagement within the community. He also performs regularly at local senior centers and at a variety of fundraising events.

Alexander Liu

Alexander Liu, 14, studies piano at the Juilliard Pre-College under the guidance of Orli Shaham.

He is a 2024–2027 Young Scholar of the Lang Lang International Music Foundation, a 2025–2026 Fellow of the Artemisia Foundation, and a 2025–2026 full-scholarship recipient of the Chopin Foundation of the United States.

At the age of ten, he made his orchestral debut performing Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23, K.488 with the Sound Symphony Orchestra. He has since appeared as a soloist with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra USA, the Brooklyn Conservatory Community Orchestra, the Midwest Young Artists Orchestra, and the MostArts Festival Orchestra. His performances have taken place at venues including Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium and Weill Recital Hall, New York Town Hall, the National Arts Club, and New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall, with additional performances in Germany and China. In 2025, his performances were featured on Interlochen Public Radio and WQXR’s Young Artists Showcase.

Alexander has received over seventeen top prizes at international piano competitions. In 2026, he was selected to compete in the Gina Bachauer International Young Artists Piano Competition, with the solo rounds taking place in June 2026 in Salt Lake City.

Alexander has received full scholarships to Morningside Music Bridge, the Aspen Music Festival, and Musikfestspiele Saar in Germany, and was invited to participate in a collaborative chamber music project at Yellow Barn.

Deeply committed to music outreach, Alexander has received the President’s Volunteer Service Award (Gold Level) for two consecutive years for his volunteer service through music.

Jeremy Liu

Jeremy Liu, fourteen years old, is a 9th grader at Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville, Il. He has been under the tutelage of Mrs. Sueanne Metz since the age of six. He made his Carnegie Hall debut at the age of 7.  Since then, he has competed in various competitions.

Jeremy is the 2025 winner of the Crain-Maling Foundation CSO Young Artists Competition with resulted in an orchestra debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra last fall. He is a first prize winner of the Chicago International Music Competition as well as the Carmel Klavier International Competition. He is a four-time winner of the Illinois State Music Teachers Association (ISMTA) Competition and a three-time winner of the MTNA (Junior Division of Illinois) in 2022, 2023 and 2025. He is also a three-time first winner of the Sejong Music Competition.

Additionally, he has earned first prizes in prestigious competitions such as the Walgreens National Concerto Competition, the O’ Malley Foundation National Concerto Competition, the Chicago International Music Competition, the Carmel Klavier International Competition, Quebec Competition, NOMEA Competition, Odin International Competition, Liszt Center International, Pacific International Competition, Aloha International Competition and the Mozart With a View International Competition.

In the summer of 2023, he performed with an orchestra in Perugia, Italy and will return to perform again this summer. Jeremy is a co-director of ‘88Keys to Cure’, a nonprofit organization that aims to bring hope and inspiration to local communities and hospitals through donations raised.

Bethany Rech

Bethany Rech is eighteen years old and a senior from Almond, NY. As a homeschooled student, she began taking piano lessons with her sisters at the age of six, where she developed a love and passion for the instrument from her first instructor, Janice Phelps. She has continued to pursue that passion in her current studies under the tutelage of Dr. William Newbrough.

Bethany has performed in multiple competitions, both nationally and internationally. She received second prize in the 2025 Charleston International Piano Competition, as well as First-Class Honors with Distinction through the Royal Conservatory of Music Certificate Program in 2022 and 2023. Bethany has gained recognition as an accomplished collaborative pianist, a pursuit she began at the age of 11. She has accompanied vocal groups from both the Alfred State and Alfred University campuses, as well as several high school choirs and soloists in the Alfred-Almond and Hornell areas. She is an active musician at her church, performing special music for worship services.

In addition to the piano, Bethany enjoys dance, musical theatre, culinary arts, and spending time with her family.

Rei Yamazono

Rei Yamazono, thirteen, was born in Tokyo, Japan, and is a student at Tyee Middle School in Bellevue, WA. She began studying piano at age four with Aya Tani and currently studies with Dr. Peter Mack.

Rei has earned numerous awards in regional and national competitions, including gold medals at the Bach Festival International (2021), Pacific NW Piano Competition (2022, 2024), and Sonafest (2023). She won first place at the Simon-Fiset Piano Competition (2021) and The Willard Schultz Scholarship Competition (ESMTA) (2024), and received silver medals at the Chopin NW Competition (2021, 2025). Rei was awarded a bronze medal and the President's Pick Award at the Bellevue Symphony Concerto Competition (2023), named Alternate Winner in the Concerto Category at the Seattle Young Artist Music Festival (2024), won the Eastside Symphony Young Soloist Competition (2024), and received silver medal at Bellevue Symphony Concerto Competition (2025).

Rei has performed as a soloist at the Shining Stars Concert presented by the Russian Chamber Music Foundation of Seattle (2023), the ESMTA Eastside Chapter Music Artistry Program Honors Recital (2023, 2024), and the Marathon Recital of Music Fest Perugia at Sala dei Notari in Italy (2024). As a concerto soloist, she performed with the Orchestra delle Cento Città at Music Fest Perugia (2024).

Outside of the piano, Rei is a member of her school's dance, theater, and choir programs and has been studying the Japanese education and cultural curriculum at weekend Seattle Japanese School. She aspires to work in a field where she can make people happy through music.