20th/21st Century Piano Festival
Saturday, October 31, 2026
at Grand Valley State University
This Festival is a celebration of 20th/21st-century piano music with performances throughout the day!
Saturday, October 31, 2026
Haas Center for the Performing Arts
Grand Valley State University
ELIGIBILITY
- Elementary, Middle, High School students
- Each student performs one piece from the 20th or 21st 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 1, 2026.
- 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].
Guest Judge: Dr. Pei-I Wang
Pei-I Wang
Dr. Pei-I Wang is Coordinator of Keyboard Studies at Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois and an international Steinway Artist. She has performed as a featured soloist with the Illinois Symphony Chamber Orchestra, Millikin-Decatur Symphony Orchestra, Sangamon Valley Civic Orchestra, Taiwan National Symphony Orchestra, and the University of Illinois Symphony Orchestra. She has received awards in various competitions, such as the Liszt-Garrison International Piano Competition, the Mauro Paolo Monopoli Prize Asian Auditions, the Vivaldi International Music Competition, among others. Additionally, she was a Gilmore International Keyboard Festival Fellow and received scholarships from leading music corporations, including Yamaha and Kawai.
As a keen advocate of contemporary music and rare masterworks, Wang has performed new music at the Midwest Composers Symposium, the Electronic Music Festival at the University of Louisville, Illinois Symphony Orchestra concert series, San Antonio Composers Alliance Concert Series, RED NOTE New Music Festival, among others. She regularly performs as the Principal Keyboardist at the Millikin-Decatur Symphony Orchestra and the Illinois Symphony Orchestra. Her recording of Carl Czerny’s four-handed piano fantasies with pianist Sam Gingher was released in September 2020 under the Naxos label.
Wang is a frequent adjudicator, performer, clinician, and presenter. She presented at the state conferences of the Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky State Music Teachers Associations. Currently, she serves as the Competitions Director of the Illinois State Music Teachers Association and President of the Decatur Area Music Teachers Association. Wang teaches and performs at the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Michigan and the Tunghai University International College during the summer.