Yesterday, January 18th, Nita Qiu and Bea Grant performed at the Rising Stars Concerto Competition of the La Crosse Symphony Orchestra held at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wisconsin.  The competition is open to high school students from Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois aged 14-18 years.  The competition has two components: piano and orchestral instruments.  Nita was accompanied by our Kerri LeJeune and Bea was accompanied by her mom, Maria Grant.  Both accompanists are beautiful music...

The following is a partial official press release from the YoungArts Foundation:

MIAMI,FL - Nita Qiu of Woodbury , Minnesota from Trinity School at River Ridge, has been named a 2020 National YoungArts Foundation (YoungArts) Merit winner in Classical Music/Piano.  Qiu has been recognized for her caliber of artistic achievement and joins 686 of the nation's most accomplished artists in the visual, literary and performing arts and was selected based on caliber of artistic achievement by an esteemed...

Our thirteen-year-old, Orion Kim, was named the First Place Winner of the Saint Paul Piano Teachers Concerto Competition!!  The event was held this past Saturday, December 7th, at the Recital Hall of Schmitt Music, Brooklyn Center.  In addition to scholarship monies, Orion's amazing performance of the first movement of Saint-Saens Concerto No. 2 in G minor, won him the opportunity to perform with the Mississippi Valley Orchestra on February 9th, 2020 at 3:00 pm.  The concert will be he...

Our seventeen year old Beatrice (Bea) Grant has had a wonderful summer of artistic development.  Since her impressive Peoples' Choice Award and brilliant performance at Minnesota Public Radio's (MPR) Minnesota Varsity 2019 Showcase Concert at Ted Mann Concert Hall in May, Bea was the winner of a Schubert Club Grant  and was selected to attend three very competitive summer academies: Texas State International Piano Festival, San Marcos; Piano Texas International Festival and Academy, Texas Christ...

As many of you know from my past writings, our seventeen year old Nita Qiu has been enrolled for the past three years in the Chopin Foundation of the United States Scholarship Program.  It is a very demanding and comprehensive four year program to help build one's Chopin repertoire in preparation for the International Chopin Competition in Warsaw.  In each of the past three years, Nita has been one of just ten students in the United States to win the full scholarship.  For this, the third y...

As you may recall, last January Beatrice (Bea) Grant was named a 2019 Featured Round Artist of Minnesota Public Radio's (MPR's)

Minnesota Varsity!  As a result, Bea was given the wonderful and rare opportunity of making a professional recording at the famous Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Studio, MPR's St. Paul Headquarters.  We chose Franz Liszt's brilliant and scintillating Hungarian Rhapsody No. 12.  Bea's performance was aired twice on KSJN as well as posted on line, along wi...

It is hard to explain in words what it was like to watch Nita walk onstage of storied and beautiful Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis last Sunday, home of our world-renowned Minnesota Orchestra.  And walk she did with her characteristic strength, determination, and beauty.  It was a watershed moment for me as her performance drew upon and synthesized all elements - spoken and unspoken -  experienced during the eleven plus years we have worked together.  Her appearance on stage was a golden-hued arch...

Honoring a special invitation from the Schubert Club, Beatrice Grant, Nita Qiu, and Austin Frohmader performed in the Master Class of the international pianist, Angela Hewitt.  The class was held last Wednesday, January 30th, in the beautiful Guild Hall of the Plymouth Congregational Church, downtown Minneapolis.  It was a fulfilling afternoon.  Beatrice offered the Finale of Beethoven's Sonata in A Major, Opus 2, No. 2; Nita performed the first movement of Chopin's Sonata No. 3 i...

Jasmine Jiang and Orion Kim continue the torrid pace of awards bestowed on our Premier Class of young artists.  Last Saturday, Jasmine and Orion were among those selected, by audition, to have the honor and opportunity to perform with the Golden Valley Orchestra on March 10th.  This is Jasmine's first big "win" after only her first two outings in local competition.  In December, as earlier noted, Jasmine was a finalist in the St. Paul Piano Teachers Concerto Competition.  She will be perfor...

We are proud and excited to announce that Bea Grant has been named a 2019 Featured Round Artist of Minnesota Public Radio's (MPR) Minnesota Varsity!  As a result of this impressive and prestigious program, Bea will have the opportunity to make a professional recording of Franz Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 12 at the famous Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Studio, MPR's St. Paul Headquarters.  The recording will be made next month, and will be posted in March on MPR's Web-site.  At this juncture, MPR...

We are very happy to announce that Nita Qiu and Orion Kim are the winners of the Dakota Valley Symphony Orchestra's Concerto/Aria Competition!!  This is a very fine regional Orchestra conducted by Stephen J. Ramsey.  Nita and Orion will perform with the Dakota Valley Symphony at the Ames Center (formerly Burnsville Performing Arts Center) on Sunday, April 28, 2019 at 2:00 p.m. and at the Children's concert on Monday, April 29, 2019 at 11:00 a.m.  Both Nita and Orion will be presenting some...

We are so happy to announce that Bea Grant was awarded First Place in the Minnetonka Symphony's Young Artist Concerto Competition.  This is a very tough one to win as it is all instruments - not just piano - and the auditions are held over a period of several weekends.  As a result, Bea has been invited by the symphony to perform the Liszt Concerto No. 1 in E-flat Major in two concerts - Sunday, February 17th, 7:00 pm,

and Sunday, February 24th, at 3:00 pm  Both concerts will in beautiful ve...

Last Saturday, December 1st, The St. Paul Piano Teachers Association (SPPTA) held its annual concerto competition.  This is a very fine and rewarding event with the winner given the opportunity of performing with the Mississippi Valley Orchestra.  All three of our entrants performed beautifully and ranked at the very top of the event.  Beatrice (Bea) Grant,

a high school junior, was awarded Second Place giving a very powerful and beautiful performance of Liszt's Concerto No. 1 in E-flat Majo...

As I have noted before, Nita Qiu is competing in the Chopin Foundation of the United States'  four year scholarship program.  This program challenges the applicant to develop - over a four year period - the repertoire necessary for entering the International Chopin Competition in Warsaw.  For the second year in a row, Nita was just one of nine pianists nationwide to win the full scholarship.  She will receive a second $1,000.00 career development grant and an automatic acceptance into the F...

Our sixteen year old Nita Qiu was just declared the First Place Winner of the Aloha International Piano Competition!!  We are all off our heads with joy over this!  Nita arrived in Honolulu on Thursday night.  The competition in solo literature was the huge opening event in the week-long festival and academy of private lessons, master classes, and performances with top international musicians.  Nita performed an exceedingly demanding program of Bach, Beethoven, Liszt, and Chopin.  For the winner...