2024 & 2025 Grand Jury Members
Our grand jury members comprise of internationally acclaimed and highly distinguished concert artists, conductors, professors and pedagogues who are excited to share their expertise and musicianship with participants, as well as offer them support in their musical journey.
Prof. Alan Fraser - Serbia
Canadian pianist, pedagogue and author Alan Fraser is best known for his books linking piano technique to the Feldenkrais Method. A student of pioneering pedagogue Phil Cohen in Montreal and the virtuoso Kemal Gekić in Yugoslavia, he is a trained Feldenkrais practitioner who has presented at numerous
music conferences worldwide and published articles in most of the major piano journals. He has performed in North America, Russia, China, Yugoslavia and many European countries, and leads regular seminars at his Alan Fraser Piano Institute in many North American and European capitals. His latest publication is Pianimals, a new children’s method with Phil Cohen-Feldenkrais style exercises to quickly improve a young pianist’s technique and musicianship.
Dr. Yoonie Han (Korea / China)
Praised for her "flowing tones, poetic phrasing and heavenly singing melodies" (Cincinnati Inquirer), and “musical imagination and feel for complex textures that drew vivid images” (Washington Post), South Korean pianist Yoonie Han has won top prizes in distinguished international competitions and the highest accolades for her poetic performances in major concert halls in the U.S. and around the world. In 2009, Yoonie Han was honored with the Gawon Music Award as the “most brilliant pianist aged 17 to 31 of any nationality who possesses the most promising potential for global prominence.” She is the first-prize winner of the Washington International Piano Competition, Fulbright Concerto Competition, World Piano Competition, Kosciuszko Chopin Competition, Juilliard’s Gina Bachauer Piano Competition, Juilliard’s Frederich Nordmann Piano Competition, Juilliard’s Chopin Piano Competition, Music Teachers’ National Association Piano Competition, and has garnered major prizes at the Helsinki Maj Lind International Piano Competition, Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli Prize, Concorso Pianistico Ettore Pozzoli Internaziole, and Valencia International Piano Competitions. Following her grand-prize award in the Korea National Music Competition in 2001, the Korean Ministry of Culture named her its “Most Promising Young Artist.” She is the recipient of “Brava!” award given by the Italian Academy Foundation, as well as an award from London Keyboard Trust. Having made her solo debut with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra at Seoul Arts Center at age 13, Ms. Han has since performed with the Berliner Symphoniker, Buffalo Philharmonic, Helsinki Philharmonic, Houston Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, Miami Symphony, Gangnam Symphony, Santa Cruz Symphony, Juilliard Symphony, New Jersey Festival, New Amsterdam, Presidential Symphony of Turkey, Hong Kong City Chamber, Hong Kong’s SAR Philharmonic, and Banff Festival Orchestras. She has played at such celebrated venues as at the Berlin Philharmonie, Concertgebouw, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Frick Collection, Symphony Space, Tanglewood Festival, Bergamo Festival in Italy, Salle Cortot in Paris, Hong Kong City Hall, and Sejong Performing Arts Center in Korea. In 2012-13, with the supports from Fulbright Foundation, she toured major Steinway Halls in the U.S. and Europe. Her debut album was released on Concert Artists label (2013), and she has released three albums with Steinway Records. Her ‘Love and Longing’ (2014) on Steinway Records made the Top 21 on the Billboard Classical Chart. Her second album, ‘Goyescas’ (2017), was released to mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of the composer, Enrique Granados. Her third album presents the complete ‘Le Rossignol Éperdu’ (2019) by Reynaldo Hahn. In 2020, she released ‘Hollywood Romance’ on Universal Records label. Her Piano Trio, Gloriosa, has released an album (2019) on the Centaur Records label. Dr. Han received her Bachelor’s degree from the Curtis Institute of Music, her Master of Music degree from the Juilliard School, pursued her Artist Diploma from the University of Montreal, and completed her Doctorate from Stony Brook University. She was an Assistant Professor of Piano and Artistic Events Coordinator at Bilkent University in Turkey in 2015-18. She is the founder and Artistic Director of the Istanbul International Piano Festival and Steinway Prize in Turkey. She worked as an Assistant Professor of Piano at Hong Kong Baptist University in 2018-23. From 2023, she is an Associate Professor of Art at New York University Shanghai. Yoonie Han is a Steinway Artist and Steinway Honorary Teacher.
Professor Amélie Fradette - Canada / USA
Canadian-American cellist Amelie Fradette was born in Saguenay, Quebec where she studied at le Conservatoire de musique de Chicoutimi. She obtained her bachelor’s of music and master’s of music degrees from le Conservatoire de musique de Montreal with Guy Fouquet. She was honored with le Prix avec Grande Distinction, the conservatory’s most prestigious award. Amelie continued her studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music with Richard Aaron and at Yale University with Aldo Parisot. Since 2001, she has been a member of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. As a soloist, Amelie has performed with l’Orchestre Symphonique du Saguenay Lac-St-Jean, l’Orchestre de chambre de Montreal, l’Orchestre du Conservatoire de musique de Montreal, Ars Nova chamber orchestra and the Buffalo Philharmonic orchestra. The Buffalo News praised her as “a spectacularly gifted cellist”. As a recitalist, she played several times for les Jeunesses Musicales du Canada and recorded live recitals for “Espace Musique” the network of Radio-Canada. She received the “Excellence” scholarship from l’Institut des Arts au Saguenay and was the 1st prizewinner at le Concours de Musique du Royaume. Amelie has participated in numerous festivals, including le Domaine Forget, Festival de musique de chambre de Montreal, le Centre d’Arts Orford, Sarasota Music Festival and the Banff Centre for the Arts. She attended Music Academy of the West on full scholarship and was awarded a fellowship to study at the Aspen Music Festival and School in Colorado. A sought-after chamber music player, Amelie regularly performs with the Buffalo Chamber Players, Trio con Fuoco and also in a cello ensemble with other members of the BPO. Amelie often plays concerts with the Chautauqua Symphony orchestra during the summer months.
Dr. Julie-Anne Derome - Canada
(Violinist & Founder Violinist from Fibonacci Trio)
Julie-Anne Derome started playing the violin at the age of three. She has studied with Taras Gabora and Sonia Jelinkova at the Montreal Conservatoire, Christopher Rowland at the Royal Northern College of Music in the UK and Mitchell Stern at the Hartt School in the USA.
Awards & Recognition
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Virginia Parker Prize 2003
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Loan of a Pressenda violin from the Canada Council for the Arts instrument bank from 2003–2006
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Loan of a Rocca violin from the Canada Council for the Arts instrument bank from 2000–2003
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Loan of an Amati violin from the Royal Northern College of Music from 1992–1995
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Prix opus in 2001 with Trio Fibonacci (shining abroad )
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Mendelssohn Trust Award, UK, in 1995
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Special prize for "Anthèmes" by Pierre Boulez at the Yehudi Menuhin competition, Paris, France in 1991
Julie-Anne Derome prioritizes a scintillating technique, a rigorous bow and original poetic colours. She gave the world première of the revised version of the Berg Violin Concerto with the symphony orchestra of the RNCM in 1992, which triggered her passion for 20th Century Music. She regularly premieres concertos by Canadian composers and solo works with ensembles.
In 1998 Julie-Anne founded the Trio Fibonacci. The group plays music for piano trio of all eras, being particularly recognised for its brilliant performances of contemporary repertoire. The group has played on all continents with the exception of Oceania and premiered over fifty works by Canadian and International composers such as Mauricio Kagel, Enno Poppe, Michael Finnissy, Pascal Dusapin and Jonathan Harvey.
Massimilian Valenti (Italy)
Prof. Massimiliano Valenti began his studies at age of 4 and then continued his musical studies at the Musical Institute "V. Bellini" in Catania with Professor Ms Mariapia Tricoli, graduating with top honors. Subsequently furthered his potential in Germany with the masters Paul Buch in Stuttgart, and later on in Monaco with the scholar Gerhard Oppitz . In 2000 he met Maestro Aldo Ciccolini in Paris with whom he begins an in-depth analysis of the French repertoire and finally in Romania with Diana Apan. Other Masters who have also contributed to his development are Oxana Yablonskaja, Marian Mika, Luigi Mostacci , Massimiliano Damerini and Dana Borsan.
At a very young age Valenti won numerous national and international competitions in all parts of Italy. Thus he began a brilliant concert activity which led him to perform in Festivals in main Italian cities. In 2004 debut in Brasov ( Romania ) he was described by the critics : "A talent out of the ordinary, who places himself on the path of the great pianism”. Soon he is invited to perform at the Banatul Philharmonic of Timisoara and Sibiu, European Capital of Culture at that time, at the International Festival " Carl Filtsch " in the State Philharmonic. Progressively he obtains appreciation from the international scene, performing at Festivals in prestigious European and overseas halls including: Berlin, Vienna, London, Edinburgh, Barcelona, Porto, Leon, Detroit, Baltimore, Toronto, Montreal and Seoul. since 2016 he has been a regular guest of the most important theaters of China, while 2019 opens the door to Japan. He is regularly invited to give courses of Advanced Piano in Italy and abroad including : the University of Aveiro Music Conservatory of Oporto (Portugal) , the University of Virginia Tech, Radford and Greenville (USA), the Department of Music in Timisoara (Romania) and the National University of Music in Seoul (Korea).
His programs, span all works for keyboard which comprehends the classical period, romantic and modern with a particular predilection for avant-garde music. Massimiliano Valenti does not follow the score but he dominates it through his reading of the music which grasps the most hidden movements. His personality is expressed through sound refinement and endless colours that are not written on paper but are set alive in the music halls: "It is not enough to follow the score, but you must master it all to render adequately the enthusiasm and the recollections”. He continuously manages to astonish and amaze his audience, who cannot but feel immediately overwhelmed by his stage presence. A presence only great artists are able to produce, the real ones , who transcend from superficial acrobatic techniques or artificial exhibitionists, aiming to the true and profound nature of the music.
Professor Warren Cohen - USA
Warren Cohen has been music director of the MusicaNova Orchestra since its founding in 2003. Under his leadership the orchestra has developed an international reputation for its performances and recordings of new and unjustly neglected music.
In addition to his work with MusicaNova, Warren is artistic director of the New Jersey Intergenerational Orchestras. He previously was music director of the Scottsdale Baroque Orchestra, the Fine Arts String Orchestra, and the Southern Arizona Orchestra, where he was appointed music director laureate in 2005.
Warren began his musical career as a pianist and composer. His early positions included a stint as a ballet accompanist for Honolulu City Ballet and as music director of the Kumu Kahua Theatre in Honolulu, where his work in theatre and opera led to his becoming a conductor. Over the past two decades he has conducted more than 1,000 orchestral, operatic, and choral works.
He divides his time between New Jersey and Arizona with his wife, soprano Carolyn Whitaker, and his 18-year-old son Graham, an award winning composer and violist (and frequent presenter on MNO educational outreach visits), now at the Juilliard School in New York.
