Philadelphia Young Pianists' Academy to Bring International Students to Curtis Institute of Music

The Philadelphia Young Pianists' Academy (PYPA) will be celebrating its fifth year as an international event when it returns to the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music located at 1726 Locust St in Philadelphia from August 8 through August 15, 2017.

Twenty outstanding young pianists, aged from 12-26, are selected from a worldwide pool of applicants to learn from international concert masters. The young pianists were invited based on a rigorous selection process that included submitting a written application and an audio recording for review.

Each student participating in PYPA will have the opportunity to learn alongside world-renowned international concert masters led by PYPA Director and Founder Ching-Yun Hu in her fifth year. Other international concert masters include Ursula Oppens, Concert Pianist and Distinguished Professor of Music at Brooklyn College and CUNY Graduate Center; Idith Zvi, world renowned pianist who is also Artistic Director at the Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition in Tel Aviv, Israel; and former Curtis Institute of Music president Gary Graffman, Concert Pianist.

Founded by Philadelphia-based concert pianist and recording artist, Ching-Yun Hu, PYPA was launched in 2013 to help young artists from Asia and the West achieve their dreams of professional careers as world class concert pianists. Each of the young artists chosen will experience these special opportunities during the eight day-long PYPA:

- Master classes taught by PYPA Faculty members Ching-Yun Hu, Ursula Oppens, Idith Zvi, and Gary Graffman

- Access to practice rooms with Steinway pianos at the Curtis Institute of Music

- The opportunity to perform in the Field Concert Hall at Curtis Institute of Music

- The option for a day-trip to tour the Juilliard School of Music in Manhattan

- The chance to make friends with young artists from around the world

- The opportunity to participate in the Philadelphia International Piano Competition

Ching-Yun shares her enthusiasm for this program. She said recently, "We are extremely proud of reaching this exciting landmark 5th Anniversary for PYPA. We have worked with many stellar students who have participated throughout these years. We are honored to have Gary Graffman, Ursula Oppens and Idith Zvi joining us this summer. The unique aspect of PYPA is the focused attention each student receives in a concentrated period of eight days. At PYPA, every young artist concentrates on their best work for several days in a row, while getting immediate feedback from each of the faculty artists on site. This level of individualized training can lead to real progress or even genuine breakthroughs in performance."

Between Tuesday, August 8 and Tuesday, August 15, 2017, there are numerous performances in the 240-seat Field Concert Hall at Curtis Institute. Open to the public, there are young artist concerts, master classes, recitals by PYPA faculty and a chamber music concert. General admission tickets for each of the PYPA faculty concerts are $25 in advance at www.pypa.info or at the door, and $12 for students with valid I.D. Cash only at the door. A pass to observe a session of a PYPA master class is $10. The prices for each of the events are the same, unless otherwise noted.

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Tuesday, August 8, 7:30 pm

Ching-Yun Hu Piano Recital

Program: Bach/Rachmaninoff Recital

Wednesday, August 9, 3:30 pm

Gary Graffman Masterclass ($10)

Thursday, August 10, 7:30 pm

Young Artist Concert (free - reserve in advance)

Friday, August 11, 7:30 pm

Young Artist Concert (free - reserve in advance)

Saturday, August 12, 10 am-4 pm

Philadelphia International Piano Competition (Preliminary Round)

*free event

Saturday, August 12, 7:30 pm

Chamber Music Concert

Program: Schubertiade - Schubert

Sunday, August 13, 4 pm

Ursula Oppens Piano Recital

Program: Stravinsky, Rachmaninoff, Scriabin, Carter, Coriglian, Nancarrow

Sunday, August 13, 7:30 pm

Philadelphia International Piano Competition (Final Round)

*free event

Tuesday, August 15, 7:30 pm

Philadelphia International Piano Competition: Winners' Concert and Reception

For more information and for tickets, visit www.pypa.info.

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About Ching-Yun Hu: Distinguished Taiwanese concert pianist Ching-Yun Hu is the artistic director of both the Yun-Hsiang International Music Festival in Taipei and Philadelphia Young Pianists' Academy. After winning top prizes at the Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition in Tel Aviv and Concert Artists Guild International Competition in New York City, her career has taken her to prestigious concert halls and music festivals across the globe on five continents. Considered one of the most important concert pianists from her native Taiwan, she has received honorary recognitions from the Taiwanese Cultural Committee and Ministry and the Golden Melody Awards. Besides her performing activities, she also serves on the faculty at the Esther Boyer College of Music at the Temple University in Philadelphia.

About Ursula Oppens: A four-time Grammy nominee, Ursula Oppens has performed with many of the world's major orchestras, including the New York and Los Angeles philharmonics, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the American Composers Orchestra and the orchestras of Chicago, Cleveland and San Francisco. Abroad, she has appeared with such ensembles as the Berlin Symphony, Orchetra de la Suisse Romande, the Deutsche Symphonie and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Oppens is an avid chamber musician and has performed with the Arditti, Juilliard and Pacifica quartets, among others. Over the years, she has premiered works by many leading composers.

About Gary Graffman: The former President of Curtis Institute of Music, Gary Graffman is world renowned. He has numerous recordings with the orchestras of New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Cleveland, and Chicago under such conductors as Bernstein, Ormandy, Szell, and Mehta. He has performed concertos by the most highly respected composers in history -- Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev, Brahms, Chopin, and Beethoven. Despite a hand injury in 1979, he continues to have an active performing career. After studying at Curtis Institute of Music beginning in 1936 and graduating ten years later, he returned in 1986 and served as director until May 2006, and then president from 1995 to 2006.

About Idith Zvi: This international star, Idith Zvi is a pianist who has given recitals and played with orchestras in Israel, Europe and the US. She recorded for radio stations in Israel, Saarbrücken, Berlin, Stuttgart and the BBC London and has toured Canada, Alaska, Europe, and the USA. Zvi's "off-stage" career commenced as a Music Producer at the National Classical Radio Station of Israel, where she served for over 35 years. From 1991 - 1992, she organized and directed the "Mozart Picnic", commemorating Mozart's 200th. Today, apart from her position as the Director of the Rubinstein Competition, Zvi is a faculty member of the Buchman-Mehta Music School at the Tel Aviv University.

About Philadelphia Young Pianists' Academy (PYPA): Founded in 2013, the Philadelphia Young Pianists' Academy (PYPA) is recognized as an important learning opportunity for some of the world's best young concert pianists. PYPA founder Ching-Yun Hu is also the artistic director of the Yun-Hsiang International Music Festival in Taipei. The winner of top prizes at the Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition in Tel Aviv and Concert Artists Guild International Competition in New York City, she performs in some of the most prestigious concert halls and music festivals in the world on five continents. Considered one of the most important concert pianists from her native Taiwan, Hu has received honorary recognition from the Taiwanese Cultural Committee and Ministry and the Golden Melody Awards. In addition to performing, she also serves on the faculty at the Esther Boyer College of Music at Temple University in Philadelphia.