This Festival is a celebration of 20^th/21^st-century piano music with performances throughout the day!

Saturday, October 25, 2025
Haas Center for the Performing Arts
Grand Valley State University

Program for the 2025 20th/21st-Century Piano Festival

ELIGIBILITY

• Elementary, Middle, High School students 
• Each student performs one piece from the 20^th or 21^st century.

REGISTRATION PROCEDURE

• No paper registration will be accepted. The registration fee is $15 (payable by card or check). Registration forms are due by Thursday, October 2, 2025.
• All pieces must be memorized. An exception may be made in case of playing a work that uses experimental contemporary techniques. Your selection should not exceed 6 minutes.  
• All teachers of participants will receive an evaluation of the student’s performance by GVSU faculty.
• All participants will receive a certificate; those who have participated for three or more years will receive a trophy. 
• Questions? Please contact Dr. Sookkyung Cho at [email protected].

Registration for 20th/21st Century Piano Festival

Join us for a unique opportunity to hear from Hansol Choi, a doctoral student in composition at the University of Michigan, as he shares his personal journey as a musician and composer. Earlier in the day, his solo piano piece, written for GVSU student Sam Bergman, will receive its world premiere at the GVSU 20th/21st-Century Piano Festival. In this special session, Mr. Choi will offer insights into his creative process and artistic influences—both in general and in the context of this new work. Festival participants will be invited to submit questions throughout the morning, which will be addressed during the conversation. 

To learn more about Mr. Choi and explore his works, please visit www.hansolchoi.com. We look forward to seeing you there! 

Hansol Choi is a Korean American composer and percussionist from Queens, NY. Inspired by singing hymns and performing Samulnori, he explores integrating elements of Traditional Korean Folk music (Gu-Gak), psychological phenomena, and theology. His works have been performed by the Great Falls Symphony Orchestra, the University of Michigan’s University Symphony Orchestra, Classical Tahoe, and American Composer’s Orchestra Earshot readings with the Jacobs School of Music’s Chamber Orchestra, among others. Choi holds a master’s degree in composition from The Manhattan School of Music and a bachelor’s in percussion from the Aaron Copland School of Music. He currently resides in Ann Arbor, MI, pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Michigan under the tutelage of Roshanne Etezady and Kristin Kuster.

Registration for 20th/21st Century Piano Festival