CHAIRS OF THE JUDGE TEAM

  Professor of Piano, Boston Conservatory at Berklee & New England Conservatory

Piano, Chamber Music, Piano Literature, and Piano Performance

Max Levinson has been on the faculty of Both Boston Conservatory at Berklee and New England Conservatory. As a pianist, Levinson is known as an intelligent and sensitive artist with a fearless technique. His international career was launched when he won first prize at the Dublin International Piano Competition (1997), becoming the first American to achieve this distinction. Levinson is also a recipient of the Avery Fisher Career Grant (1999) and the Andrew Wolf Award (2005). He has performed as a soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, St. Louis Symphony, Detroit Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Oregon Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Colorado Symphony, New World Symphony, Utah Symphony, Boston Pops, San Antonio Symphony, Louisville Symphony, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, as well as in recital at New York’s Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., London’s Wigmore Hall, Zürich’s Tonhalle, the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, Jordan Hall in Boston, and throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe.

An active chamber musician, Levinson has performed with the Tokyo, Vermeer, Mendelssohn, Borromeo, Parker, and Muir quartets, and he appears at major music festivals, including Santa Fe, Marlboro, Mostly Mozart, Bravo/Vail, La Jolla, Seattle, and Cartagena. His recordings have earned wide acclaim, including his most recent recording with violinist Stefan Jackiw of the Brahms's Three Sonatas (Sony). Levinson is frequently invited to serve on competition juries, including the Dublin International Piano Competition jury (2015), and he has given master classes throughout the United States and in Europe and Japan.

Levinson is a graduate of Harvard and New England Conservatory, where he received the Artist Diploma and the Gunther Schuller Medal. His teachers include Patricia Zander, Aube Tzerko, and Bruce Sutherland. 

Associate Professor at Berklee College of Music and New England Conservatory

Voting Member at The Recording Academy for Grammy Awards

Classical and Jazz Pianist, Composer, Arranger, Percussionist and Conductor

Welcome Statement Video

Utar Artun was born in Ankara, Turkey. He is currently a professor of piano at the Berklee College of Music in the United States. He graduated from the Berklee College of Music with a Master of Music degree with Academic Honors. In 2016, won the 3rd place award of 9th Eczacibasi National Composition Contest with his symphonic lied "Hiclik". Professor Artan has performed, toured and taught masterclasses in Switzerland, France, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and China. He also has had numerous interviews in the US, Europe and Turkey. In 2017, he composed the first Piano & Cajon Concertante in the world and he premiered it at Zorlu PSM in Istanbul with Istanbul Symphony Orchestra. 

Currently, he's writing new ballet music for the Ankara State Opera & Ballet's Modern Dance projects. He is the Honorary Chairman/Judge of Global Outstanding Chinese Artists Association’s 6th International Piano Competition. Professor Artun is working as an Arranger for Ankara Kent Bigband and Musical Director for Classical Oasis Ensemble. Furthermore, He's a voting member at The Recording Academy for Grammy Awards.

Professor, Boston Conservatory at Berklee

Violin

Sharan Leventhal, violin, has toured four continents as a soloist, chamber musician and teacher. She has received grants from the NEA, the Aaron Copland Fund for Music Recording, Chamber Music America, New Music USA, the International Contemporary Music Festival in Darmstadt, Germany and the Fromm and Koussevitzky Foundations, and has premiered well over 160 works. Leventhal has appeared as a soloist with numerous orchestras, is a founding member of Marimolin, the Kepler Quartet and Gramercy Trio, and can be heard on the New World, Northeastern, Newport Classic, Naxos, Parma, Navona, GM and Catalyst labels.

She is a professor at Boston Conservatory at Berklee and Berklee College of Music, and is founder and director of Play On, Inc., a non-profit supporting chamber music programs for children.

Professor at Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Dance de Paris

Former Professor at Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing

Cello, Founder of SuperCello Festival

In 1986 Yi-Bing Chu was prize winner at the 42nd Concours International d’Exécution Musicale in Geneva, after graduating with a Premier Prix from Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Dance de Paris in France where he studied under the tutelage of Maurice Gendron. He was the first Chinese cellist ever to win a prize in a major international Cello competition. He served as principal cellist in Basel Symphony Orchestra, Switzerland between 1989-2004, Chu Yi-Bing was also guest principal cellist of Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in Munich, Germany.

Yi-Bing Chu was appointed as cello professor and head of the cello department at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, where he taught between 2004 and 2018. He founded the Yi-Bing Chu Cello Ensemble with his students, the first Cello Ensemble in China, playing countless concerts in a number of diverse cities and provinces, schools, colleges and universities. Yi-Bing Chu founded the SuperCello festival in Beijing, 2016. SuperCello is the premier cello festival in China and biggest of this kind in Asia. Every year it is attended by hundreds of cellists including a number of world leading performers. 

Yi-Bing Chu was professor at Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Dance de Paris. The first professor of chinese nationality since 227 years in this world famous institution.

Yi-Bing Chu was born in Beijing, China in 1966. His father Yong-Ning Chu, Cellist, and mother Yao-Ling Wang, pianist, were both professors at the Central Conservatory of Music (CCOM) in Beijing, China.

Performing Artist, Grammy®️ nominee

Assist. Professor at Berklee College of Music

Violin, Singer

Turkish born and raised, Bengisu Gokce is a multi-genre Violinist and Singer, known for combining in her music the Turkish roots with Eastern-European and Middle-Eastern traditions.

As a professionally renowned performer, Gokce's versatile playing has led her to share the stage with several music icons including Mark O’Connor, Tigran Hamasyan, Aynur Dogan, Shreya Ghoshal, Toninho Horta, Shankar Mahadevan, Simon Shaheen, Amal Murkus, and Pablo Ziegler to name a few.Throughout her career she has performed in various distinguished venues such as Carnegie Hall (NY), Lincoln Center (NY), Boston Symphony Hall, American Repertory Theater, MFA Boston, Roulette Intermedium (NY), Shapeshifter Lab (NY), Ithra Theatre (Saudi Arabia) and Monte Carlo Salle Garnier(Monaco). She has also been featured in albums and recording projects with Indian tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain, sitar virtuoso Purbayan Chatterjee, drummer Antonio Sanchez (Pat Metheny Group) and many more.

A multi-award winning and Grammy®️ nominee, Gokce is a classically trained violinist and a performance alumna of Mersin University State Conservatory in Turkey, ‘Hanns Eisler’ School of Music in Berlin, Germany and Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. She is currently Assistant Professor at Berklee College of Music. 

Associate Professor, Boston Conservatory at Berklee

Flute, Classical Contemporary Music

Contemporary flutist Sarah Brady hailed as  “intensely expressive” (New Music Box)  and “colorfully agile” (The Arts Fuse), is principal flute with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP) and a member of the Radius Ensemble. Equally comfortable in the world of traditional orchestral playing, Sarah often performs with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Pops and is Principal Flute of Odyssey Opera. A prizewinner in the Pappoutsakis Flute Competition and the National Flute Association’s Young Artist Competition, Sarah now serves as the Commissions Coordinator for the National Flute Association which commissions two solo flute works each year for the annual convention as well as many special project commissions for larger chamber works.

An extensive recording soloist, Sarah has recorded over 70 albums of contemporary solo, chamber, and orchestral music. As principal flute with BMOP,  Sarah has performed on eight Grammy nominated albums, including the 2020 Grammy award in the category of Best Opera Recording.

Sarah attended the University of Connecticut on a full tuition music scholarship and went on to receive a Masters of Music as well as an Artist Diploma from the Longy school of Music, where she studied under Robert Willoughby. A devoted teacher, Sarah is Associate Professor of Flute and Head of the Classical Contemporary Music Program at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee.

Professor, Berklee College of Music

Associate Dean (retired), Boston Conservatory at Berklee

Tuba, Euphonium, Instrumental Music Education, Conductor

Welcome Statement Video

James O’Dell has been professionally active in instrumental music and music education since 1979. Mr. O'Dell holds a Bachelor of Science in Music Education from Southern Oregon University (1978), a Master of Music in Tuba, Euphonium, and Bass Trombone Performance from the University of Oregon (1983), and doctoral studies at Arizona State University (1983-84). Mr. O'Dell recently retired as Associate Dean from Boston Conservatory at Berklee after serving 26 years, including twice as Dean and Chief Academic Officer at interim, and Director of the Conservatory's Music Division.

Mr. O'Dell's previous full-time faculty appointments include Director of Bands at Boston University (MA), Mansfield University (PA), and Phoenix College (AZ). His adjunct appointments include Lecturing Professor and Director of the Festival Jazz Ensemble at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MA), jazz and applied faculty at the Rivers Music School (MA), graduate teaching fellow at the University of Oregon. 

A distinguished and versatile educator, conductor, and musician, Mr. O'Dell is the Music Director and Conductor of the Concord Band. His collegiate conducting tenures have included all athletic bands, concert and jazz bands, wind and brass ensembles. He is founder of the New England Collegiate Jazz Festival, Boston Tuba Christmas, and cofounder of the Boston Tuba Quartet and The Brass Consortium.

As a tubist he has toured, recorded, and performed with the Ken Shaphorst Big Band, True Colors Big Band, Jazz Composers Alliance Orchestra, Darrel Katz Jazz Orchestra, Greg Hopkins Nonet, the Boston Globe Repertory Jazz Orchestra (Gunther Schuller, conductor), Orange Then Blue, and as soloist with the Harvard Summer Band.

 Marimba Faculty at Boston University

  Assistant Professor, National Chia-Yi University  

Percussion / Marimba

Weichen is a celebrated marimba performer and percussionist known for his versatility across solo, chamber, contemporary, and orchestral music. Based in Taiwan, he is currently an assistant professor at National Chiayi University in Taiwan and formerly taught at Yulin Normal University in China. He performs internationally with Duo Lin-Lynn, alongside Dr. Lynn Vartan, releasing their debut album Stars Above in June 2024, and as a core member of ToolBox Percussion in Hong Kong. Stars Above awarded Golden Medal at Global Music Awards in October 2024. 

Weichen has performed as a concerto soloist with prestigious ensembles like the Helena Symphony, Houston Symphony, Taipei Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, The Concord Band, Hsin-Chi Recorder Orchestra, and the Singapore Wind Symphony Percussion Ensemble. His career has taken him worldwide, performing and leading masterclasses in Australia, Japan, Italy, Russia, Peru, the United States, and more. Weichen has served on juries for major competitions, including the Taiwan Music Competition and Taipei World Percussion Championship, and has premiered works by composers such as Yao Chen and Julie Spencer. His 2017 premiere of the “Zalan-Zalan” Concerto for Percussion by Julie Spencer received critical praise.

Weichen’s accolades include first prize at the 2008 Classical Marimba League International Marimba Artist Competition and the 2007 Italy PAS International Percussion Competition. He also earned the Silver Medal at the 2012 Houston Symphony Ima Hogg Concerto Competition and the Outstanding Alumni Award from Taipei National University of the Arts.

A former timpanist with the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra and percussionist with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, Weichen has performed at renowned festivals such as Ravinia and the BBC Proms. He studied at Taipei National University of the Arts, Boston University, and The Boston Conservatory. As a Premier Artist of Marimba One and a signature artist for Innovative Percussion, he has his own signature mallet line, reflecting his impact on the art of percussion. 

Piano and Harp Faculty

University of Massachusetts Boston

Associate of the Royal Academy of Music in London

Harp, Piano, Violin

Videos for Chaerin Kim Conducting

A multi-instrumentalist and one of the few people to perform as a soloist with two instruments on the same stage as an orchestra, internationally-acclaimed harpist, pianist, composer, and professor Dr. Chaerin Kim is the winner of 13 national and international competitions in America, England, Russia, and Korea, including Best Performance of Russian Music at the International Harp Competition in Russia and the Future Classic Women Award from London Radio Station. Most recently, she was elected as an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music in 2024. Associateship is awarded to alumni of the Academy who have distinguished themselves in the music profession and made a significant contribution in their field. 

As a judge and jurist, Dr. Kim was the artistic director of the USA International Music Competition in 2010, and between 2021 and 2028, she is scheduled to judge 100 times at 39 international competitions for a multitude of categories, including harp, piano, all instruments, composition, and singers.

Her harp performance was used for the movie Kaleidoscope, winner of Best Performance at the 2017 Edinburgh International Film Festival. Her composition, Rendezvous, has 100 versions, including versions for orchestra, harp, piano, and voice (in 80 different languages!) The orchestral version of Rendezvous had its World Premiere in Boston, and its South American Premiere by National Philharmonic Orchestra of Venezuela. To date, she has released 7 Albums and 91 Singles, and her music has aired on many radio stations in the US and UK.

She plays 10 instruments: piano, harp, violin, viola, cello, harpsichord, accordion, guitar, ukulele, and drums. Dr. Kim’s musical studies began when she was six. She majored in piano at Yewon Music Middle School, and again at Kaywon High School of Arts. In her last year, at the age of eighteen, she started harp lessons, and six months later won the Soloist Audition for Harp. She received her BA with Highest Honors from Ewha University and her Professional Diploma at the Royal Academy of Music, where she graduated with distinction. She received her MM from Yale University, and her doctorate at Boston University, where she was the “quickest recipient of a Doctorate” in BU Music School’s history, completing it in three and a half years and receiving summa cum laude.

Dr. Kim was a full-time music faculty member at Eastern Nazarene College, where she taught piano, harp, music theory, and music history classes. She was also the former Head of the Harp Department at Adagio Music Academy, Harp Department Chair at South Shore Conservatory, an artistic director of the USA International Music Competition, and piano faculty at Shepherd’s Heart School of Music. In 2009, she was an Artist Collaborator with project STEP – a program created by the Boston Symphony Orchestra to provide opportunities to underrepresented students in the classical music profession. 

Currently, she is an artist and masterclass leader with the TTF Entertainment Company in China, and music faculty for piano and harp at University of Massachusetts Boston and Schloss akademie in Germany. She is also an instructor for both instruments through the Office of Arts at Harvard University. For summer 2024, she is invited to conduct the festival orchestra at the International Music Festival in Tallinn, Estonia, in addition to holding a piano and harp faculty position. 

World Digital Accordion Champion

World Acoustic Accordion Champion

World Jazz Accordion Champion

Guinness World Record Holder

Video for Cory Performing Espana Cani

 “Anytime I've heard you perform, I've been inspired by your ability, talent, and heart.”

- PRESIDENT Bill Clinton

“No one is doing more for the image of the Accordion than Cory Pesaturo is.”

-NBC/FOX's Maria Bartiromo

  Cory Pesaturo (“C Pez”) is revolutionizing the much maligned Accordion. The only person to ever win the trio of World Championships on Acoustic, Digital & Jazz Accordion, a Guinness World Record Holder, and the only Accordion graduate of the prestigious New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. His performances at all 3 of his World Championships were played on accordions that were not his, and were almost completely improvised; both aspects being unheard of in the accordion world. Cory has performed on 6 continents, and given 5 TED Talk’s, an EG Talk, and 2 Google Talk’s about the accordion, its history, and place in music.

 Pesaturo's extensive resumé includes appearances at the White House for President and Mrs. Clinton on 4 different occasions, starting at age 12, and 8 other appearances for the Clintons. On one of those occasions, he became the youngest person to ever perform at a State Dinner, that for the President of Hungary. Pesaturo became a Guinness World Record Holder for the Marathon Accordion Record, as RedBull® flew him to Austria, in which Cory played for over 32 hours. Some National TV appearances include the Late Show with David Letterman, performing with Johnny Depp, CBS’s Let’s Make a Deal, Fox News’s Fox and Friends (where he also did the weather), and NBC’ That’s My Jam with Jimmy Fallon.

Pesaturo has also appeared on nationally televised programs in New Zealand, England, Canada, Italy, Tunisia, France, Saudi Arabia and Finland. He has judged accordion competitions across 5 continents, in addition to other music competitions, and currently gives masterclasses at various universities throughout the US & Europe on Accordion & Improvisation. His iconic flamed & lighted accordion was even used as the logo for the 2018 Cotati Festival, the biggest in the continent. In 2022, Cory was chosen as the featured accordionist in the Weird Al BIOPIC Movie “Weird”, and in 2023 he was chosen to create a band and perform on the NAMM Show’s prestigious Main Grand Plaza Stage. He is a friend of multiple Presidents around the world, and with Racing Legend Mario Andretti, whom he completed another World Record at Indianapolis Speedway in 2022, playing while Mario drove 180mph in a 2-seater IndyCar.

   Along with improvisation, Pesaturo is known for his extensive versatility, playing 15 different genres from Klezmer to French, Balkan to Funk, Tango to Rock, Italian to Bazilian, Classical Music to Electronic. More known as a Jazz Artist, he has earned the respect of those such as Quincy Jones, Herbie Hancock and Wynton Marsalis, and recorded & performed with jazz figures such as John Patitucci and George Garzone. For his Classical side which is lesser known, a win in a concerto competition at 16 years old gave Pesaturo the rare opportunity to perform with the Brockton Symphony Orchestra as a featured soloist, where he became the youngest accordionist to ever solo with a symphony orchestra in the USA. He has since performed with the Boston Symphony multiple times including at Symphony Hall, and the Boston Pops under John Williams. The instruments most famous legend in the US, Dick Contino, said of Cory when he was only 15, “Of all the accordionists I’ve seen over the years, Cory is the one to pass the torch to, the only one who has all the tools to bring the accordion back to its former glory.”  Guido Deiro’s son, the “Father of Piano Accordion”, has stated “I’ve worried greatly about the future of the accordion since my father died, but not anymore since seeing & hearing Cory.” 

Pesaturo is also heavily involved and respected with the weather and motor sports worlds as well.  He composed the Official list of records set by the record-breaking 2005 Atlantic hurricane season, and has done reports on Winter Seasons for the US which have been featured on Accuweather.com and others. In sports, he has written columns for car magazines such as MESH, sports blogs for sites like Bleacher Report, and has collaborated with members of the Red Sox. His music has been played on Formula 1 broadcasts on NBC, FOX, Velocity, and additionally has an ongoing musical relationship with 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston.  

Vocalist, Tenor

Mingjie Zhang, a famous tenor vocalist, the National First-Class performer of China, has dedicated 50 years to the Chinese Folk Singing. He is a member of the Shanghai Musician Association, a national vocational skill assessment examiner and an entrance examination judge for both the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and the National Youth Singer Competition in the Shanghai division. 

Formerly, he was the head of the vocal department in the Shanghai National Orchestra. Mr. Zhang has been honored with the gold prize at the 2nd Chinese Fold Song Competition, as well as the gold prize at the 3rd and 4th National Opera Song Competitions. He has also received multiple MTV music video awards. He has performed and participated in many international music festivals in Switzerland, Canada, Australia, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore and other countries, receiving high praise from international peers. He has participated in the Spring Festival Gala and Lantern Festival Gala organized by the Chinese Ministry of Culture. Additionally, he has held numerous solo concerts around the world. 

During his stay in Shanghai, he has participated as a soloist in numerous large-scale performances, including the sole lead singer at the Hong Kong handover mass chorus in 1997. In 2005, he released his personal album "Nong Li Qing", which was sold in major bookstore chains.

张鸣杰，中国著名民歌演唱家，国家一级演员，上海音乐家协会会员，国家职业技能鉴定考评员，上海音乐学院入学考试评委，全国青年歌手大赛上海赛区评委。从事民歌演唱事业近50年。

原上海民族乐团声乐部长。曾荣获第二届中国民歌大赛金奖，第三届第四届全国戏歌大赛金奖，以及多次MTV音乐片大奖。曾赴瑞士、加拿大、澳大利亚、韩国、香港、新加坡等地演出及赴邀参加国际音乐节，深受国际同行好评。曾参加中国文化部举办的春节晚会及元宵晚会，多次在世界各地举办独唱音乐会。 

在上海期间，参与了无数大型演出担任独唱演员。在97年香港回归大型活动万人合唱中担任领唱。2005年发布个人专辑”弄里情“，在各大书房均有销售。

Opera Soprano, Director and Music Teacher at Boston Symphony Orchestra

Native of Kyiv, Ukraine, Olga Lisovska holds degrees from Middlebury College, École Normale de Musique d'A. Cortot in Paris, France and L'Institut des Sciences Politiques in Paris, France.  A critically acclaimed classical soprano, Olga's career involves both singing on prestigious concert stages, including Carnegie Hall, and producing events and performances. Olga produced award-winning opera productions at Commonwealth Lyric Theater, a Boston-based opera company, and Talents of the World's Annual Music Festival at Carnegie Hall. As a performer, Ms. Lisovskaya’s concerts have been featured on Ukrainian, Italian and American TV, including on the Today Show.  

Ms. Lisovska is a sought-after voice teacher and diction coach. As diction coach she works with Tanglewood Festival Chorus at Boston Symphony, Odyssey Opera, and New England Conservatory. Ms. Lisovska has been giving performance lectures about Ukrainian music and song literature to audiences ranging from children to students in universities, to adults and seniors.  

Olga is a founder of a nonprofit organization, Music, Arts and Fashion Productions.  Being a passionate connector, Olga serves as Managing Partner at Sky International Center, the largest international social, cultural, and business network of 25,000 members in New England. Olga’s life purpose is to inspire positive change through connections for life, coaching and art performances.  

Professor at Berklee College of Music

Voice, Broadway, Soul, Blues, Jazz

Welcome Statement Video

"The most vulnerable and sustaining part of expression is when we put the depth of understanding into our voice, seeking communion with the music and the moment we’re living." 

Labek has been performing since the age of nine. After winning a full scholarship to Cornell University, where she received an MFA, she moved to NYC. There, she pursued a performance career, starring in a number of repertory plays, working on parts in TV and on Broadway. Labek (AKA Rebecca Malka Perricone) moved to Boston where she has been a professor at Berklee College of Music for the past 14 years. "In my classes I emphasize that performing is an offering of the heart. Most importantly, how do we remind the community of our humanity through the expression and interpretation of the interplay of music, lyrics, and ideas? And, since it is such a physical effort, how do we keep our health and well-being as part of our practice?  She is presently working on her fifth CD release.  © labekmusic.com.

One review from her last CD: Some artists are great in one single genre, others can master every kind of music thanks to their flexibility and artistry, but very few can turn into gold everything they sing. La Bek is one of the few, and today we had the big pleasure to listen to her latest release, “With You/For You”, an authentic piece of art, full of surprises, passion, and class.