Judges
Drew Petersen (Piano)
Acclaimed young American pianist Drew Petersen is a sought-after soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician. He has been praised for his commanding and poetic performances of repertoire ranging from Bach to Zaimont. He is the recipient of the 2018 Avery Fisher Career Grant and winner of the 2017 American Pianists Awards and Christel DeHaan Classical Fellowship.
The 24/25 season begins with a return to the Terre Haute Symphony and includes recitals in series from Fresno, CA to Boise, ID and Plainfield, IN with a program ranging from Mozart to Liszt and John Adams. 2018 marked the release of his first solo recording of music by Barber, Carter, and other American composers on the Steinway & Sons label for which BBC Music Magazine acknowledged his presence as a rising star.
A frequent radio contributor, Petersen has performed on McGraw-Hill Young Artists Showcase, From the Top, and Performance Today. Profiles include The New York Times, New York Magazine, and the documentary “just normal” by award-winning director Kim A. Snyder. A champion of chamber music, Petersen has appeared on French radio’s France Musique while a member of a Verbier Festival piano trio.
Drew Petersen’s firm belief in the importance of music in contemporary society led to collaborations with Young Audiences NY that presents performances in New York City’s public schools. His appearance in Andrew Solomon’s New York Times bestselling book, Far From the Tree, sparked a nation-wide conversation on raising extraordinary and different children who test the willpower and capabilities of their families and society. Petersen continually advocates for the necessity of classical music and other arts in society, and was named a 2006 Davidson Fellow for his portfolio entitled Keeping Classical Music Alive.
Jiayan Sun (Piano)
Praised by the New York Times for his “revelatory” performances, pianist Jiayan Sun has performed with the Cleveland Orchestra, the Hallé Orchestra, the Chinese and RTÉ (Ireland) National Symphony Orchestras, the Fort Worth and Toledo Symphony Orchestras, and the Toronto and Aspen Concert Orchestras. He has collaborated with prominent conductors such as Sir Mark Elder, Michail Jurowski, Stefan Sanderling, Daejin Kim, and the late Leon Fleisher. As a Steinway Artist and a prize winner in the Leeds, Cleveland, Dublin, and Toronto International Piano Competitions, his performances have been broadcast by the BBC, the RTÉ, China Central Television, and classical music radio stations in North America. His solo album Busoni and His Muses, released on Bridge Records in commemoration of Busoni’s centennial of death, garnered critical acclaim on Gramophone and International Piano.
Born in Yantai, China, Mr. Sun received the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from The Juilliard School under the tutelage of Yoheved Kaplinsky and Sir Stephen Hough. Currently Assistant Professor of Music and the Associate Chair for Performance Activities at Smith College, he has performed Beethoven’s complete piano sonatas and complete sonatas for piano and violin with Elizabeth Chang, in addition to presenting recital series devoted to the works by Schubert and Chopin.
Eric Tsai (Violin)
Eric Tsai is an up and coming Taiwanese-American violinist whose playing has been described as both “dashing” and “heart-wrenching” (NZ Herald), and whose thoughtful approach to old and new works alike has earned him a place on stages across the globe. The 2nd prize winner of the 2019 Michael Hill International Violin competition, Eric has garnered critical acclaim as a soloist and chamber player on stages worldwide, as well as a champion of music from his home country of Taiwan. Simultaneously, he is a committed educator, passionate about raising up the next generation of young musicians and maintains a successful private pre-college studio.
Performing as a featured artist throughout the United States, Europe, Taiwan, and New Zealand, Eric is deeply committed to spreading hope and light to audiences around the world through his art. In 2021, at the height of the worldwide pandemic, his quartet partnered with Taiwan Connection’s education outreach program and traveled to elementary schools situated in under-reached communities across the country. Eric also held the Morse Fellowship at Juilliard, allowing him to participate in outreach opportunities and bring music to hospitals and impoverished neighborhoods across New York City. Other recent projects include the inaugural season of Callis Ensemble, a chamber society based in Westchester, NY, as well as a new series of video projects exploring the themes of grief and hope.
Eric’s previous mentors include Catherine Cho, Ida Kavafian, and Shmuel Ashkenasi, and he has also worked closely with renowned artists such as Pamela Frank, Peter Wiley, and Joseph Lin. Recent awards include the bronze medal at the 2021 Fischoff Competition with his piano trio, the prestigious 2022 Chimei Arts Award, and his quartet, the Quatuor Cael, being selected as an Honors ensemble at Juilliard for the 2022-23 season. Eric received his B.M. from the Curtis Institute of Music and his M.M. from the Juilliard School and is currently a doctoral candidate and Staller Fellow at Stony Brook University.
Ian Tyson (Clarinet)
Dr. Ian Tyson is a New York City clarinetist. He is a founding member of Trio 212, was a clarinetist with the United States Air Force bands, and was most recently an Orpheus Chamber Orchestra Fellow. A champion of new music, Dr. Tyson commissioned Crystal Cathedral from composer Leanna Primiani, and performed it at the International Clarinet Association’s 2018 ClarinetFest in Ostend, Belgium. He has performed with orchestras, chamber groups, and given solo recitals in such prestigious venues as The Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, and Semperoper Dresden.
A dedicated pedagogue, Dr. Tyson is faculty at Vassar College, Manhattan School of Music Precollege, Special Music School, and Lucy Moses School. He has performed and given master classes throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, and Africa. As a teaching artist with Daraja Music Initiative, Dr. Tyson works in Tanzania teaching students to play the clarinet and helping to conserve the African Blackwood tree.
Ben Larsen (Cello)
Praised for having “a charming, warm tone”, cellist Benjamin Larsen has performed internationally throughout North America, Asia and Europe, and currently plays with chamber ensembles in the New York City area. He is also the founder and Artistic Director of the chamber music series, Concerts on the Slope. Mr. Larsen has performed at the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, the Quartet Program, Music@Menlo and Pacific Music Festival. His primary teachers were Eric Dahlin, David Finckel, Julia Lichten and Clive Greensmith. As an orchestral musician, he has performed with the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong, Ensemble 212, the Pacific Music Festival Orchestra, the Union City Philharmonic, and is principal cellist of the New York Scandia Symphony. Mr. Larsen holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from Manhattan School of Music, where he was the recipient of the Hans and Klara Bauer Scholarship and the 2011 Pablo Casals Award.