2026 Young Artist Competition Winners
Yutong Wang
1st Prize
Yutong Wang, born in 2001, began learning the piano at an early age. In 2016, she was admitted to the Affiliated Secondary School of Xinghai Conservatoire of Music, where she studied under Professor Zhu Xiaobei and the Russian pianist Professor Karina Popova.
In 2019, she was awarded a scholarship to pursue further studies at the Royal College of Music in the UK, where she studied under the renowned piano educators Professor Gordon Fergus-Thompson and Professor Mengyang Pan.
In 2023, she was admitted to the Royal Northern College of Music to pursue a Master’s degree, studying under Professor Li Bingbing.
She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) in Piano Performance at the University of Kansas, where she continues to deepen her academic and performance skills.
She won First Prize in the Professional Category at the 7th Macau Piano Invitational Competition, Third Prize at the 11th Guangzhou Open Piano Competition, Third Prize in the Professional Category at the 13th Piano Duet and Four-Handed Piano Invitational Competition, and third place at both the 4th Lonish International Piano Competition and the Loml International Piano Competition.
In 2024 and 2025, she collaborated with the City of London Symphony Orchestra, successfully performing Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor and Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major.
During her doctoral studies, she was awarded the title of ‘Honours Student’ by the university, performed at the university and received recognition. In 2025, she was awarded the Mu Phi Epsilon Scholarship.
Kayla Hart
2nd Prize
Kayla Hart is a young lyric soprano from the Metro Atlanta area. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Clayton State University, where she studied under the guidance of Dr. Francisca Maxwell and Dr. Kurt-Alexander Zeller. She has performed a wide range of lead roles in both opera and musical theater, including Flaminia in Joseph Haydn’s The World on the Moon, Patience in Gilbert and Sullivan’s Patience, or Bunthorne’s Bride, Lizzie in the musical 110 in the Shade, Eve in Bruce Trinkley’s Eve’s Odds, and Fanchette in Offenbach’s Le mariage aux lanternes. She also had the opportunity to cover the role of Aninna in Verdi’s La Traviata and the Dew Fairy in Humperdinks Hansel and Gretel with Peach State Opera. In addition to her stage work, Kayla has appeared as a soloist with distinguished ensembles such as the Choral Guild of Atlanta in 2023 and Harmonia, based in Tucker, GA in 2026. She is currently auditioning for graduate programs with the goal of pursuing a master's degree in vocal performance, with a possible emphasis in vocal pedagogy.
Ting-An Chiu
3rd Prize
Ting-An Chiu is an award-winning pianist currently pursuing a Master of Music in Piano Performance and Pedagogy at the University of Kansas, where he studies with Dr. Yi-Yang Chen and serves as a Graduate Teaching Assistant. Recent accolades include First Place at the 2025 Orbifold Global Music Competition (Kansas) and the 2024 MTNA Young Artist Piano Solo Competition (Kansas). An active solo and collaborative artist, he previously performed Saint-Saëns' Piano Concerto No. 5 with the WSU Orchestra. Deeply committed to music community engagement, Chiu serves as Co-Coordinator for KU Pianos without Borders and Secretary for the KU College Music Society. Chiu holds a Bachelor of Music from Weber State University, and has received further guidance in masterclasses from esteemed artists such as Dr. James Giles and Awadagin Pratt.