Guest Artists & Faculty

Since his triumph as winner of the 1970 Chopin International Piano Competition, pianist Garrick Ohlsson has established himself worldwide as a musician of magisterial interpretive and technical prowess. Although long regarded as one of the world’s leading exponents of the music of Frederic Chopin, Mr. Ohlsson commands an enormous repertoire which ranges over the entire piano literature ecompassing more than 80 concerti. For the first time in its history, the Chopin Competition has invited an American to chair the jury, and Mr. Ohlsson assumes that role for the 19th incarnation in October 2025. He will then return as guest soloist to the Cleveland Orchestra and National Symphony (DC), followed in the winter by a duo tour with violist Richard O'Neill which takes them from Los Angeles to Charlottesville (VA), St. Paul (MN), and New York's 92Y. In solo recital he can be heard in Vienna, London, Philadelphia, and Chicago.

Collaborations with the Cleveland, Emerson, Tokyo and Takacs string quartets have led to decades of touring and recordings. His solo recordings are available on British label Hyperion and in the US on Bridge Records. Both Brahms concerti and Tschaikovsky’s Second piano concerto have been released on live recordings with the Melbourne and Symphony symphonies on their own labels and Rachmaninoff Concerto No. 3 with the Atlanta Symphony and Robert Spano.

A native of White Plains, N.Y. Garrick Ohlsson began piano studies at the age of 8 at the Westchester Conservatory of Music and at 13 he entered the Juilliard School. He was awarded the Avery Fisher Prize in 1994 and the University Musical Society Distinguished Artist Award in Ann Arbor, MI in 1998. He is the 2014 recipient of the Jean Gimbel Lane Prize in Piano Performance from the Northwestern University Bienen School of Music and in August 2018 the Polish Deputy Culture Minister awarded him with the Gloria Artis Gold Medal for cultural merit. He is a Steinway Artist and makes his home in San Francisco

An outstanding international musician of our time, Vietnamese - Canadian pianist Dang Thai Son was propelled to the forefront of the musical world in October 1980, when he was awarded the First Prize and Gold Medal at the Xth International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw. It was also the first time that a top international competition was won by an Asian pianist.

He began piano studies with his mother in Hanoi. Discovered by the Russian pianist Isaac Katz, who was on visit in Vietnam in 1974, he pursued his advanced training at the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Russia with Vladimir Natanson and Dmitry Bashkirov.

Since winning the Chopin Competition, his international career has taken him to over forty countries, into such world renowned halls as the Lincoln Center (New York), Barbican Center (London), Salle Pleyel (Paris), Herculessaal (Munich), Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Opera House (Sydney), and Suntory Hall (Tokyo).

Pianist Hung-Kuan Chen’s career - as well as his life -- has been a vivid example of the concept of yin-and-yang. In that Chinese philosophy, apparent opposites are actually complementary: each fulfills a need in the other; one cannot exist without the other.

Mr. Chen embodies a synthesis of seeming opposites that coalesce into a unique artistic personality. Hung-Kuan Chen was born in Taipei and raised in Germany. He established a strong connection to Germanic Classicism in his early studies which he integrated with the sensibility of organic Chinese philosophy. “I’m Chinese by birth,” he says, “but I’m actually more European. I’ve read and studied a tremendous amount of the great literature and language of Germany.”

One of the most honored pianists of his generation, Mr. Chen won top prizes in the Arthur Rubinstein, Busoni, and Geza Anda International Piano Competitions, and in the Young Concert Artists International Piano Auditions. He also won prizes in the Queen Elisabeth, Montreal International Musical and Van Cliburn International Piano Competitions, as well as an Avery Fisher Career Grant.

Mr. Chen has performed in many of the world’s foremost concert venues, including Carnegie Hall in New York, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco, the Tonhalle in Zürich, the Herkulesaal in Munich, the Sala Verdi in Milan, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, National Concert Hall in Taipei, Shanghai Concert Hall and the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing. He was the first to perform the Rachmaninoff Third and Beethoven Fourth Piano Concertos in Taipei, and gave the Shanghai premiere of the Bartók Second Piano Concerto. His plans for the 2015-2016 season include solo and orchestral performances in China and Switzerland, in Boston, and at Aspen and Yale. He is also preparing new recordings to be made in Switzerland in 2016. 

Hung-Kuan Chen has enjoyed fruitful artistic collaborations with, among  others, Christoph Eschenbach, Hans Graf, George Cleve, Joseph Silverstein, David Shifrin, Roman Totenberg, ChoLiang Lin, the Shanghai Quartet, Sui Lan and Andrew Parrott. His most meaningful artistic partnership is with his wife, Tema Blackstone, with whom he frequently performs as a piano duo. 

Hundreds of students worldwide have benefitted from Hung-Kuan Chen’s knowledge and love of music. “Teaching and performing complement each other,” he declares. “Teaching is sharing, and by sharing, our search continues in a more objective way. When I share, I become the beneficiary of the results of the investigation and the continued questioning. This benefits my playing, as I’m often coming up with new ideas and insights.”

Mr. Chen is currently on the faculty of The Juilliard School and is a visiting professor at Yale, and is also on the faculty for Artemisia Akademie at Yale. He previously served as Chair of the piano department of Shanghai Conservatory, and was on the faculty of New England Conservatory. He has adjudicated prominent international piano competitions such as the Van Cliburn, Busoni, Shanghai, and Honens. His 2015 summer teaching engagements included the Chinese Foundation for the Arts, Piano Summer Institute in New Paltz, International Music Akademie in Lichtenstein and Aspen Music Festival. Among notable pianists he has taught or coached are Yuja Wang, Sean Chen and Niu Niu.

In 1992, Hung-Kuan Chen suffered a hand injury which caused neurological damage and eventually resulted in focal dystonia. Through meditation and his own unique research, he was able to heal and return to his life as a concert artist. His first post-accident solo recital in 1998 received rave reviews and he was described as a transformed artist.

Mr. Chen addresses his extraordinary journey in these terms: “What gave me the drive and courage to find a cure? On one side was the curiosity about the human body, awareness and consciousness; and on the other, my desire to continue my art. This was the biggest learning curve I had ever encountered. It meant having to detach from ego and ambition. It taught me to embrace all that comes to me and be extremely grateful…to notice the tiny things - those details which create a full life and are often missed by most people. To be ‘in the moment’ sounds clichéd but is not. And as part of the search for meaning, the joy of being able to play again - that was a true miracle.”

A many-faceted individual, Hung-Kuan has painted and drawn, danced, and played several other instruments. He is a serious chef, bakes his own bread and homebrews beer. He is an artisan of home improvement, a skilled woodworker and an electronics whiz. He is a meticulous piano tuner, a knowledgeable jazz enthusiast, and an avid hiker. He brings the same level of curiosity and dedication to both spiritual and worldly pursuits.

Pianist Kate Liu has garnered international recognition, notably winning the Third Prize at the 17th International Fryderyk Chopin Competition in Warsaw, Poland. She also received the Best Mazurka Prize, as well as the Audience Favorite Prize awarded by the Polish public through Polish National Radio. Since then, she has toured internationally, performing at some of the world’s most renowned venues and collaborating with orchestras around the globe.

As a distinguished soloist, Kate has been presented in numerous prestigious halls, including the Seoul Arts Center, Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre, Warsaw National Philharmonic, La Maison Symphonique de Montréal, Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall, Severance Hall in Cleveland, Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Shanghai Concert Hall, Osaka Symphony Hall, and the Phillips Collection. Esteemed orchestras she has collaborated with include the Warsaw Philharmonic, Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Daegu Symphony Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic, Hilton and Head Symphony Orchestra. She is a regular invitee to the Chopin and His Europe Festival in Warsaw, and in 2024, was the recipient of the Olivier Berggruen Prize as part of the Gstaad Menuhin Festival.

In 2025, she released her debut album featuring Beethoven and Brahms sonatas with Orchid Classics.

Born in Singapore, Kate began her piano studies at the age of four and relocated to the United States at age eight. She studied at the Music Institute of Chicago under Emilio del Rosario, Micah Yui, and Alan Chow. Early in her career, she achieved first prizes at the Third Asia-Pacific International Chopin Competition and the New York International Piano Competition. Kate holds a Bachelor’s degree from the Curtis Institute of Music, as well as a Master’s and Artist Diploma from The Juilliard School, where she studied with Robert McDonald and Yoheved Kaplinsky.

 Ted Rosenthal is one of the leading jazz pianist/composers of his generation.  He actively tours worldwide with his trio, as a soloist, and has performed with many jazz greats, including Gerry Mulligan, Art Farmer, Phil Woods, Bob Brookmeyer, and James Moody.

Winner of the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition, Rosenthal has released fifteen CDs as a leader.   Rhapsody in Gershwin, which features his arrangement of Rhapsody in Blue for jazz trio, reached #1 in jazz album sales at iTunes and Amazon. Wonderland, was selected as a New York Times holiday pick, and received much critical praise: “Sleek, chic and elegant” – Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune.  Impromptu, showcases his reimaginings of classical themes for jazz trio.  "A serious listen to Impromptu will be a mind-changing experience...sit back and enjoy these wonderfully creative takes on ten compositions from the classical canon that have never sounded so cool." - Elliott Simon, AllAboutJazz

Rosenthal’s solo album, The 3 B's, received 4 stars from DownBeat magazine.  It features music of Bud Powell, Bill Evans and his improvisations on Beethoven themes.  “In Rosenthal's hands all this music sounds as though it sprang from the same muse, and that's the sign of a skilled, imaginative artist.”  - David R. Adler, All Music Guide.  

A recipient of three grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, Rosenthal regularly performs and records his compositions, which include jazz tunes and large-scale works.  Rosenthal’s jazz opera, “Dear Erich,” was commissioned and premiered by New York City Opera in 2019.  “Dear Erich” attracted much press and critical acclaim:  "Compelling...tells a true, wrenching story. Rosenthal's score conveys regret and fragility, with scenes that invite real breakout jazz" – A. Tomassini, New York Times.   "Leaves the listener ready to explode with applause" - D. Salazar, Opera Wire

Rosenthal has also been commissioned by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, The Park Avenue Chamber Symphony, and Dallas Black Dance Theatre.  "The Survivor," his concerto for piano and orchestra, has been performed by the Manhattan Jazz Philharmonic and the Rockland Symphony Orchestra, with Rosenthal at the piano. Rosenthal premiered his second jazz piano concerto, “Jazz Fantasy,” with The Park Avenue Chamber Symphony.

Rosenthal was artistic director of Jazz at the Riverdale Y and Jazz at Dicapo Theatre, both in New York City.  He has also performed with Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, and Jon Faddis and the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band.  In addition, Rosenthal has been the pianist of choice for many top jazz vocalists including Helen Merrill, Ann Hampton Callaway, Kurt Elling and Barbara Cook.  He appeared on Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz on National Public Radio and performed with David Sanborn on NBC's Night Music.

Rosenthal’s orchestral performances include solo and featured appearances with The Detroit Symphony, The Phoenix Symphony The Boston Pops, The Grand Rapids Symphony, The Rochester Philharmonic, The Pittsburgh Symphony and The Fort Worth Symphony.  Rosenthal performed Gershwin's Concerto in F and Rhapsody in Blue for the opening concert of the 92nd Street Y's 2015-16 season. The New York Times called his playing "notable both for its flair and languid, sultry expressive gestures." In 2014 Rosenthal performed Rhapsody in Blue at Town Hall in a concert celebrating the 90th anniversary of its premiere. 

Rosenthal received his Bachelors and Masters degrees from the Manhattan School of Music.
Active in jazz education, he is on the faculties of The Juilliard School, and Manhattan School of Music, where he also served on their Board of Trustees and received the Presidential Medal for Distinguished Faculty Service.  Rosenthal presents jazz clinics throughout the world, often in conjunction with his touring.   He was a contributing editor for Piano and Keyboard magazine and has published piano arrangements and feature articles for Piano Today, The Piano Stylist and The Juilliard Journal.  Ted Rosenthal is a Steinway Artist.  His website is www.tedrosenthal.com

Teaching Lecturer

Professor John Rink of University of Cambridge is a frequent guest of the Academy, having offered us highly popular workshops since 2019. He is one of the world's foremost authorities on the music of Fryderyk Chopin and a prize-winning author. Prof. Rink is an expert on the manuscripts and printed sources for Chopin's works, as well as the performance history of Chopin’s music over the past two centuries. He is Editor in Chief of “The Complete Chopin – A New Critical Edition”, published by Peters Edition London, and has directed three major online projects focused on Chopin (www.chopinonline.ac.uk), in addition to producing acclaimed editions of the two piano concertos. Much of his recent work as a performer focuses on period instruments, including the Pleyel pianos that Chopin himself favored. Prof. Rink served on the jury of the last two International Chopin Competitions in Warsaw. In addition to his post as Professor of Musical Performance Studies at the University of Cambridge, he is also Visiting Professor at prestigious institutions in London, Singapore, and China.

Ben Laude is a concert pianist, music educator, and video/podcast producer whose playing has been described by the New York Times as “superb in pace, tone, and eloquence.” 

Laude had created hundreds of video lessons and interviews with dozens of world class pianists including Marc-André Hamelin, Emanuel Ax, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Yuja Wang, and the late Leon Fleisher, and received a YouTube Silver Creator Award for the Tonebase Piano YouTube channel.  

In 2024 Laude launched his own eponymous YouTube channel for classical piano and music education, which he has grown to over 70,000 subscribers and counting. He is the founder of LaudeArts, dedicated to producing creative video content in partnership with artists and organizations from across the classical music space. Through his new enterprise, Laude has created videos with Daniil Trifonov, Sergei Babayan, Alexander Malofeev, Augustin Hadelich, Yefim Bronfman, and Renée Fleming for the Aspen Music Festival & School YouTube Channel. He has also collaborated with the Glenn Gould Foundation and Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation, and was invited to produce video coverage of the 2025 Cliburn Competition. 

Through his partnership with the Chopin Foundation of the United States Laude created the The Chopin Podcast, a 30-hour, 16-part deep dive into Chopin’s music starring Garrick Ohlsson and featuring interviews with more than two dozen world-class Chopin interpreters and scholars. In 2025 Laude was invited to host the YouTube livestreams for the US National Chopin Competition in Miami as well as the Chopin Talk studio shows at the International Chopin Competition in Warsaw. He also provided coverage of the Chopin Competition for the Chopin Courier, Medici.tv, and China’s “Piano Artistry” magazine. 

Laude has given recitals across three continents and performed in Alice Tully Hall and Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall. He holds a doctorate in piano from the Juilliard School and is currently associate faculty at Utah State University where he has taught piano literature, aural skills, and applied piano, and directed the USU Summer Piano Festival.