Edward Auer, an internationally acclaimed pianist, is celebrated for his profound artistry and an expansive career spanning decades. Born in New York City and raised in Los Angeles, he received his early musical training from Aube Tzerko, a disciple of the legendary Artur Schnabel. He later studied at the Juilliard School under Rosina Lhévinne and in Paris with the esteemed Julius Katchen, supported by a prestigious Fulbright Grant.

Auer’s career gained momentum with his New York début under the auspices of Young Concert Artists (YCA), alongside successes in some of the world’s most prestigious piano competitions. In 1965, he became the first American to win a prize at the International Chopin Competition in Warsaw, a historic achievement that solidified his international reputation. He later earned top prizes at the Beethoven Competition in Vienna, the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels, and First Prize at the Concours Marguerite Long in Paris.

Performing in over 30 countries across five continents, Auer has collaborated with many of the world’s most distinguished conductors, including Zubin Mehta, Herbert Blomstedt, Sergiu Comissiona, and Robert Shaw. He has appeared with major orchestras such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Berlin Radio Orchestra, and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Paris, among many others. His deep connection to Chopin’s homeland has led him to Poland over 20 times, performing with every major Polish orchestra and further strengthening his ties to Chopin’s legacy.

Even in recent years, Auer continues to captivate audiences with his artistry. In 2024, he gave a deeply moving and widely praised all-Schubert recital at Carnegie Hall, described by many as a masterclass in poetic nuance and expressive depth—an unforgettable highlight of his later career.

Beyond the concert stage, Auer has dedicated over 40 years to teaching as professor of piano at Indiana University and now at Roosevelt University in Chicago, mentoring generations of pianists. His devotion to Chopin is further reflected in his ongoing project to record a comprehensive series of Chopin’s works, which has been met with critical acclaim. Harris Goldsmith lauded his performances as "wonderfully poetic and inspirational recreations." He noted that Auer's "eloquence and technical powers have deepened," placing this anthology "alongside the greatest extant editions" of these masterpieces, such as Rubinstein’s.

Auer’s influence extends beyond performance and education. As the founder of the Auer Foundation, he is dedicated to mentoring and supporting young pianists, ensuring that his legacy continues through the next generation.

 www.EdwardAuer.com

Pianist, Educator, and Visionary Festival Director 

Renowned for her expressive storytelling and emotional depth, Junghwa Moon Auer brings a uniquely poetic voice to the piano. Her performances captivate with their focused intensity, deeply felt conviction, and luminous, singing tone, embodying an artistry that resonates beyond the notes.

Born in Korea, she trained at the country’s most prestigious institutions—Yewon Middle School, Seoul Music and Arts High School, and Yonsei University—before continuing her studies in the United States at the New England Conservatory (MM) and Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (DMA). During her doctoral years, she won the CCM Concerto Competition, performing Schumann’s Concerto in A Minor in a broadcast lauded for its imaginative interpretation and musical sincerity.

Her career has taken her to major international stages, performing concertos with orchestras across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. She and her husband, Edward Auer, share a long-standing musical partnership, presenting four-hands performances worldwide. In 2024, the duo gave a deeply moving all-Schubert four-hands recital at Carnegie Hall, which was widely praised for its nuance and lyrical depth. Their first duo album is set for release in winter 2025, following their acclaimed 2018 Schumann recording, which featured her Fantasiestücke Op. 12 alongside Auer’s Schumann Fantasy Op. 17.

Beyond the stage, Moon Auer is a devoted mentor and artistic leader. Since 2017, she has served as artist faculty at Roosevelt University, where she inspires the next generation of pianists. Her passion for guiding young artists led her to transform the Edward Auer Piano Workshop at Indiana University, elevating it into an internationally recognized festival. In 2024, she and Edward Auer founded the Auer International Piano Academy in Seoul (AIPAS), a program designed to bridge Western music traditions with Asian students, fostering artistic exchange at the highest level. Through the Auer Foundation, she continues to nurture promising young pianists, providing them with meaningful mentorship and performance opportunities.

At the heart of her artistry lies an unwavering belief in music as a profound form of human connection. She encourages young musicians to see their craft not as a pursuit of success, but as a lifelong journey toward deeper understanding and emotional expression. Through her performances, teaching, and artistic vision, Junghwa Moon Auer continues to shape the future of classical music with elegance, depth, and an enduring passion for the art.

Waldemar Wojtal graduated with distinction from the class of Zbigniew Śliwiński at the Stanisław Moniuszko Academy of Music in Gdańsk. He completed post-graduate studies in Paris with Vlado Perlemuter and Suzanne Roche. He honed his skills in masterclasses given by György Sebők and Dieter Zechlin. He is a former grant-holder of the Fryderyk Chopin Society in Warsaw and a prize-winner of the Youth Stage in the Polish Piano Festival in Słupsk, the Young Musicians’ Festival in Gdańsk and the 2nd All-Poland Piano Competition in Warsaw.

He has performed in concert in Poland and abroad, including in France, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Bulgaria, the USA and Ukraine.

The principal strand of his professional work is teaching. Since 1979, he has given a piano class at Gdańsk Music Academy. He also works with gifted pupils of secondary schools of music. His pupils have included many prize-winners of piano competitions. 

He is a long-serving member of the Polish Children’s Fund, where he trains outstandingly talented young pianists selected from Polish music schools for their significant achievements in competition.

He works with the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and the Centre for Artistic Education, including as a member of the Committee for Artistic Education, a juror of nationwide auditions run by those institutions and a leader of seminars for piano teachers.

He gives masterclasses at home and abroad. He has sat on the jury of national and international piano competitions and is also the initiator and organiser of the 1st Baltic International Piano Competition.

Since 1999, he has been head of the piano department at Gdańsk Academy of Music, and he has also served two stints as the academy’s vice-chancellor (1993–1999 and 2004–2005). It was under his tenure that the Music Academy moved into its new premises and construction work began on the new concert hall building.

He has been honoured with awards by the Minister of Culture, as well as receiving the Gold Cross of Merit, the Gloria Artis Medal for services to culture and the National Education Medal.

Since his triumphant success at the Concours Géza Anda in Zurich in 2009, Jinsang Lee has established himself as one of the most promising pianists of his generation. At that time, he not only won the first prize, but also became the first participant in the history of the competition winning all the special prizes: the Audience Prize, the Mozart Prize, and the Schumann Prize.

Lee's artistic talent had already been honored in several prior prestigious piano competitions: first prizes at the Hong Kong International Piano Competition (2008, chaired by Vladimir Ashkenazy) and at the International Pianoforte Competition Cologne, Germany (2005) following several top prizes in Korea and Japan.

Lee’s collaboration includes concerts with Vladimir Ashkenazy, David Effron, Eivind Gullberg-Jensen, Peter Gülke, Mikhail Jurowski, Roman Kofman, Jonathan Nott, Ola Rudner, Muhai Tang, Umeda Toshiaki, Mario Venzago, Christopher Warren-Green, and Nikolaj Znaider.

His orchestral collaboration includes Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, Berner Symphonieorchester, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Neue Philharmonie Westfalen, Nürnberger Symphonieorchester, Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, Sendai Philharmonic Orchestra, Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra, Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, Wiener Kammerorchester, WDR Radio Orchestra Cologne, Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen, and Zurich Chamber Orchestra.

Lee has performed at music festivals including Busoni Festival, Lucerne Festival, Menton Festival, Gstaad Menuhin Festival, Montreux Festival, Murten Classics, Ruhr Piano Festival, and Seoul Art Center Orchestra Festival.

In search of the perfect sound, Lee took a bit of unusual path by spending time at Steinway Austria under the direction of Stefan Knüpfer (piano technique master and protagonist of the documentary "Pianomania"). He continued to educate himself the craft of piano making at Steinway Hamburg.

A passionate chamber musician, he is a member of the Beethoven Trio Bonn. Also a highly regarded writer, he regularly writes articles for magazines and newspapers in Korea. Lee is currently a faculty member at the Korea National University of Arts.

Reknown Japanese pianist Susumu Aoyagi has started piano lessons at the age of five in Dallas Texas, and held his first solo recital in the same year. His teacher was Jo Boatright, assistant of the legendary pianist Lili Kraus. Susumu had opportunities to play for the Maestra and received lessons from her until the age of fifteen. At the age of nine he made his orchestral debut with the Fort Worth Symphony, and continued lessons in Japan after his family moved back to Japan. After winning the Japan National Competition for Students, he studied in Toho Gakuen School of music and Hochschule der Kunste Berlin. First Prizes in Jaen Piano Competition of Spain, Alfredo Casella Competition on Italy, Prizewinner of Marguerite Long = Jacques Thibauld Crespin Competition of France. Numerous orchestral appearances, Solo Recitals, Chamber music concerts in Japan and many other countries, His CD recordings are highly acclaimed. Professor of Piano at Tokyo University of the Arts (GEIDAI), Vice president of the jury, producer of the Takamatsu International Piano Competition, Music Director of the Nagasaki Ojika Music Festival. 

Russian born American pianist Misha Namirovsky has been called a “master of his art” (The Norderstedter Zeitung – Hamburg) and a “lyrical poet” (Die Rheinpfalz – Frankfurt). His playing was characterized as “incredibly musical and sensitive, yet at the same time transparent and precise” (Klassik.TV). Professor Namirovsky is a winner of several international competitions including the prestigious German Piano Award in Frankfurt and Chopin Koscuiszco Foundation Competition in New York. Further prizes include the Promusicis award in Paris, the Gran Prix at the Cantu competition in Italy and first prize at the Louisiana International Piano Competition, among others.

Misha Namirovsky has received a deep and versatile education, spanning four countries and three continents. He began his studies in his native city of Moscow and continued his musical development in Israel, Germany, and the USA. Throughout his growth as a musician, he was accompanied and guided by wonderful musicians and renowned pedagogues such as Solomon Mikowsky, Eliso Verssaladze, and Hung-Kuan Chen. Further important influences include Mitsuko Uchida, Alfred Brendel, and Peter Weiley.

Namirovsky holds degrees from the Manhattan School of Music, Yale University, and the Munich Musikhochschule, and completed his D.M.A at the New England Conservatory in Boston. Misha Namirovsky is currently an associate professor of piano at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing.