We are delighted to present the laureates of the 2024 season
Dario Zanconi
Dario Zanconi, born in 1997 in Lugo, Italy, graduated with first class honours from the Arrigo Boito School in Parma under Maestro Andrea Padova. Since 2021, he has been studying at the Universität für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Wien in Vienna with Christopher Hinterhuber, and has perfected his skills with pianist Ingrid Fliter at the "Incontri con il Maestro" academy in Imola. He has won twenty-one first prizes in national and international competitions, including the Stockholm International Music Competition and the 1st International Piano Competition in Empoli.Dario has performed at many major Italian festivals and concert seasons, including the Camerata Musicale Barese and Piano City in Milan. As a soloist, he has performed concertos with the Filarmonica Arturo Toscanini and the European Orchestra of Young Musicians. In Vienna, he made his debut at the Radio Kulturhaus in the radio concert Kovacic Entdeckungen broadcast on ORF Ö1 in March 2022.
Erik Breer genannt Nottebohm
Erik Breer genannt Nottebohm, is a German pianist born in Neuss in 2000. He began learning the piano at the age of five and became a student at the University of Music and Dance in Cologne at the age of 12. He later studied at the Paris Conservatoire, where he was unanimously awarded a Premier Prix in 2022. Erik has benefited from the teaching of several great pianists, including Denis Pascal, and has won numerous prizes in early competitions. As a soloist, he has performed with various orchestras and at renowned festivals in Germany and France. Erik has also received grants from several foundations to support his musical career.
Hyunji Kim
A South Korean pianist born in 1995, Hyunji Kim obtained her degree in piano at Seoul National University under the tutelage of pianist Hie-yon Choi. From the age of 13, she performed with the Seoul National Symphony Orchestra and continued to play throughout Europe, notably at the Philharmonie de Paris and the Cité de la Musique. In 2022, she was invited by Murray Perahia for his Beethoven masterclass in Munich. At the Académie Philippe Jaroussky, she plays at the Seine Musicale and on Génération France Musique. A pupil of Hortense Cartier-Bresson, she obtained the Performer's Diploma at the CNSMDP and was awarded the "France Excellence" scholarship by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 2022/2023, she will be pursuing a Master's degree in accompaniment and a Master's degree in pianoforte at the CNSMDP with Jean-Frédéric Neuburger and Daria Fadeeva.
Milda Daunoraite
Lithuanian pianist Milda Daunoraite, born in 2001 in Anykščiai, began her piano studies at the age of six and studied at the Purcell School. She is currently studying with Tessa Nicholson at the Royal Academy of Music, and has been awarded several scholarships, including those from the "S.O.S. Talents - Fondation Michel Sogny pour les Enfants Talentueux" and the "Mstislav Rostropovich Foundation".
Since the age of nine, she has taken part in an annual Christmas concert at the Hôtel Dassault on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, broadcast on Mezzo and TV5 Monde. Milda has performed all over Europe, including prestigious venues such as the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and the United Nations headquarters in Geneva. A winner of numerous national and international competitions, she has taken part in masterclasses with renowned artists.
Bocheng Wang
Bocheng Wang, a British-Chinese concert pianist, was born in China in 1997 and began learning the piano at the age of five with his grandfather. He continued his musical studies at the Junior Xi'an Conservatory of Music in China before moving on to the Purcell School and then the Royal Academy of Music in the UK. Bocheng has obtained several diplomas with the highest distinctions and has benefited from the financial support of various institutions and personalities, including Sir Elton John. Bocheng also had the honour of performing at the 90th birthday concert of Queen Elizabeth II and of being presented to Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh.
Adrian Herpe
Adrian Herpe, a Franco-Ukrainian born in 2000, began his musical studies in Uzhgorod in western Ukraine. In 2015, he won various national and international prizes, including the Henrich Neuhaus piano competition in 2016 and the Grand Prize in the "FEURICH virtuoso" competition. In 2017, he won 1st prize ex æquo at the Nice International Competition. In October 2018, he played Rachmaninov's 2nd concerto with the Lviv Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra and passed his baccalaureate S with distinction. He joined the Royal Conservatoire in Brussels in 2019 and obtained his master's degree four years later with the highest distinction. Second prize in the Young Euregio Piano Award competition in 2022. He decided to continue his studies at the prestigious Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Vienna with Anna Malikova. In 2023 he won first prize in the Brueghel piano competition.