Born in 1991 in Hakodate (Japan) she was 3 years old when Kana Okada started learning piano, at 9 years old Kana Okada she performed her first recital and she was 13 years when she played all the studies by Chopin. Arrived in France at 15 years she is unanimously admitted at the CNSM in Paris in the courses of Georges Pludermacher, Claire Desert and Frédéric Guy. She obtained in June 2010 the Piano Superior Formation Diploma with the distinction “très bien” unanimously and the Chamber Music Superior Diploma in the course of Itamar Golan and François Salque.

In June 2013 she got the Master Diploma in the course of Frank Braley and Haruko Ueda at the CNSM in Paris.

She was invited by many festivals in Europe (Poland, France, Portugal) and Japan. Her concerts were broadcasted at many times by Japanese radio and TV.

She obtained many rewards at different international piano competitions in Europe and Japan. In 2013 Kana Okada was Prizewinner of the Piano Campus International Piano Competition, semi finalist at the Elisabeth Queen International Competition in Brussels and Prizewinner of the 8th Francis Poulenc International Piano Competition.

She studied chamber music with Halina Czerny-Stefanska, Elzbieta Stefanska, Stefan Wojtas, Ikuko Endo, Katsumi Ueda, Kevin Kenner and was finalist of the Zinetti Chamber Music Competition in Italia.

Toronto-based Canadian citizen from South Korea, Younggun Kim is a pianist known for his blazing technical capacity and a lush sound supported by a natural phrasing sense (Timothy Gilligan, New York Concert Review). He has performed around North America and Europe, and was a prize winner at the 11th San Antonio International Competition, where he also won the Best Performance of a Work by a Spanish or Latin American Composer.

In 2013, Younggun won the second prize at the 8th Concours International de Piano Francis Poulenc, held under the high patronage of Mr. François HOLLANDE, President of France and commemorating the 50th anniversary of the death of Poulenc.

Younggun’s recent performances include recitals in San Antonio, Texas. He performed the 2nd Concerto by Rachmaninoff, with the Niagara Symphony conducted by the chief Bradley Thachuk and the 1st Concerto by Brahms with the Kindred Spirits Orchestra under Kristian Alexander’s baton.

Doctor of Musical Arts he has also been closely involved since 2011 with the Health Arts Society of Ontario, providing classical music concerts to audiences who no longer can make it to concert halls.

He studied with Pr. Kyung Rok Park in Seoul, Dr. Roger Admiral and Pr. Alexandra Munn in Edmonton, Pr Boris Slutsky. Younggun is currently pursuing his Doctor of Musical Arts Degree at the University of Toronto with Pr. Marietta Orlov. Younggun Kim is currently supported by the Canada Council for the Arts.

Originally from China, Xi CHEN has won several awards including 1st-prize at the Eastern Division MTNA/Steinway Young Artists Competition in 2013, and the Fujian Province Division of the China Kawai Piano Competition in 2007. He earned his Bachelor of Engineering Degree with a major in Thermodynamics from Zhejiang University, where he performed regularly with the student orchestra and chamber groups, not only as a pianist, but also on the French horn. During his undergraduate study in Hangzhou, Xi was teached by Shuxing Zheng from the Shanghai Conservatory. He completed his Master's Degree of Music at the Eastman School of Music, and is currently pursuing his Doctorate of Music Arts degree, as a student of Douglas Humpherys.

  In addition to his solo piano performances, Xi is highly sought after as an accompanist and performer of chamber music. He is a member of the Eastman Wind Ensemble where he plays piano, celesta and harpsichord.

Jean Dubé, born in 1983, is internationally recognized as one of the most famous young pianist at this time. 9 years old he was the Prizewinner of the National Competition “Mozart Young Prodigies in Paris” and played live on France-Musique with the Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra. 10 years old he was the youngest French soloist. 14 years old he got the 1st Prize at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris in Jacques Rouvier’s class. Then he was rewarded in the most prestigious international competitions, he plays in the whole word as soloist or with the most famous orchestras, he teaches in master classes and he is member of international competitions juries.

For further information : www.jeandube.net
Photo : © Allard WILLEMSE

Tamayo Ikeda was born in Japan in 1971, and began playing at the age of three. She joined the Toho Gakuen institute 1986 and she moved to France to complete her studies at the Conservatoire National Supérieur in Paris, where she studied piano with Jacques Rouvier and chamber music with Régis Pasquier. She was awarded two first prizes in these disciplines before joining the higher studies class of Pascal Devoyon.
Tamayo Ikeda is the beneficiary of a grant from the APEF, the Société Générale Bank and the Sazakawa foundation, and has received valuable advice from leading artists such as Dimitri Bashkirov, Halina Czerny-Stefanska, Léon Fleisher and Maria Joao Pirès. Her intuitive yet structured playing style adds poetry, charm and coherence to her interpretation.. Her unique approach to the repertoire has been rewarded in many competitions, including Second Prize and the special Claude Debussy prize at the Yvonne Lefébure International competition (no first prize was awarded that year), a special prize at the Porto International competition, and First Prize at the Francis Poulenc International competition.
Tamayo Ikeda has appeared at a number of major European festivals, in South Africa, Russia, Indonesia and at prestigious venues such as the Carnegie Hall in New York. She has appeared on several television and radio programmes.
Her discography includes a recording of works by Poulenc and Fauré (Arcobaleno, 2001) as well as a DVD of Stravinsky and Ravel works (creativ art japan) and a CD of works by Schubert (Warner-Lontano, June 2009).

For further information : www.tamayo.fr

Murad Huseynov, born in 1973 in Baku, started his musical studies in the State Consevatory with E. Y. Safarova and F. Badalbayli after. His talent gave him the opportunity to progress with his studies at the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris with Jacques Lagarde and at the Tchaikovski Conservatory in Moscow with A. Petrov. He was the Prizewinner of several international competitions and he has been the ambassador of the culture’s development in Azerbaïdjan. He took part to many international festivals and did a lot of turns in the whole world. He has played very often with the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra.

For further information : www.muradguseynov.gilanpianos.com

Jean Muller was born in 1979 in Luxemburg. “An unusual presence, like if he is Chopin himself” wrote Patrice Imbaud in the specialized magazine l’Education Musicale in Feb. 2012. Jean Muller is a pianist with an exceptional artistic natural whose professional press highlights the amazing mix of authenticity and originality. He performs a various repertoire with a privileged place reserved for Beethoven, Chopin and Liszt. He recorded a lot of CD – all the Sonatas for Piano by Beethoven included – which were greeted with enthusiasm by the critics and he has been very often rewarded.

For further information : www.jeanmuller.lu

Yusuke Kikuchi was born in 1977. After learning at the prestigious Toho-Gakuen Music School in Japan with Noriko Minagawa and Nobuyoshi Kato, he studied in France with Jacques Rouvier at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris where he specialized in chamber music with Itamar Golan. Yusuke Kikuchi was the Prizewinner of many international competions – Maria Canals in Barcelone in 2000, Porto in 2003 -. He performed recitals in the most famous halls in Japan and in Europe. Since 2008 he has been being teacher at the Tokyo University.

Sofja Gülbadamova, born in 1981, began her piano’s studies when she was 5 years old. After 1996 she studied at the Lübeck Musikhorchschulle in James Tocco class and then in 2004 at the Consevatoire Supérieur de Musique de Paris in the improvement stage with Jacques Rouvier. Since 1992 Sofja Gülbadamova has performed as well as soloist, chamber music interpreter or with famous orchestras in Russia, Europe and specially in Germany. She has been invited at many international festivals and rewarded at a lot of international competitions.

For further information : www.gulbadamova.com

Kyoko SOEJIMA, born in 1987 in Fukuoka, studied at Music Department of the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music and then in 2007 at the Moscow Tchaikovski Conservatory. She was taught by Japan, Russian and French teachers. She got at 9 years her first prize in Japan and many others after 2003 in competitions reserved for young pianists. Her rewards in international competitions have opened the doors to plenty of international festivals and performances as soloist or with orchestras. She got the 1st Prize, and the Special Chopin and Poulenc Prizes at the 7th Poulenc International Piano Competition.

For further information : www.concerts.fr/Biographie/kyoko-soejima