David D. Dubois Piano Festival and Competition
SAVE THE DATE!!
The 14th Annual David D. Dubois
Piano Festival and Competition:
February 2-4, 2024
Gilles Vonsattel, guest artist & finals judge
Piano Faculty at Bard College Conservatory of Music &
University of Massachusetts-Amherst
Winner of Naumburg and Geneva Piano Competitions
Avery Fisher Career Grant

A "wanderer between worlds" (Lucerne Festival), "immensely talented" and "quietly powerful pianist" (New York Times), Swiss-born American Gilles Vonsattel is an artist of extraordinary versatility and originality. Comfortable with and seeking out an enormous range of repertoire, Vonsattel displays a musical curiosity and sense of adventure that has gained him many admirers. Recipient of an Avery Fisher Career Grant and winner of the Naumburg and Geneva competitions as well as the 2016 Andrew Wolf Chamber Music Award, he has in recent years appeared with the Boston Symphony, Tanglewood, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Munich Philharmonic, Gothenburg Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, and Detroit Symphony Orchestra, while performing recitals and chamber music at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Ravinia, Tokyo’s Musashino Hall, Wigmore Hall, Bravo! Vail, Music@Menlo, the Gilmore festival, the Lucerne festival, and the Munich Gasteig. His 2014 New York solo recital was hailed as “tightly conceived and passionately performed…a study in intensity” by The New York Times.
As a soloist he has also appeared with the Warsaw Philharmonic, Calgary Philharmonic, Edmonton Symphony, l’Orchestre Symphonique du Québec, Boston Pops, Nashville Symphony, Musikkollegium Winterthur, Staatskapelle Halle, and L’orchestre de chambre de Genève. Chamber partners include musicians such as James Ehnes, Frank Huang, Ilya Gringolts, Nicolas Altstaedt, David Shifrin, David Finckel, Stefan Jackiw, Jörg Widmann, Gary Hoffman, Carter Brey, David Requiro, Paul Huang, Anthony Marwood, Paul Neubauer, Paul Watkins, Philip Setzer, Emmanuel Pahud, Karen Gomyo, David Jolley, and Ida Kavafian. He has appeared in concert with the Emerson, Pacifica, Orion, St. Lawrence, Ebène, Danish, Miró, Daedalus, Escher, and Borromeo Quartets. Mr. Vonsattel is Principal Pianist of Camerata Pacifica, a member of the Swiss Chamber Soloists, and plays alongside Ida Kavafian and David Jolley in Trio Valtorna. Deeply committed to the performance of contemporary works, he has premiered numerous works both in the United States and Europe and worked closely with notable composers such as Jörg Widmann, Heinz Holliger, and George Benjamin. His recording for the Honens/Naxos label of music by Debussy, Honegger, Holliger, and Ravel was named one of Time Out New York’s 2011 classical albums of the year, while a 2014 release on GENUIN/Artist Consort received a 5/5 from FonoForum and international critical praise. His latest solo release (2015) for Honens of Scarlatti, Webern, Messiaen, Debussy, and George Benjamin’s Shadowlines received rave reviews in Gramophone, The New York Times, and the American Record Guide. Upcoming recordings include Richard Strauss' Panathenäenzug and Kurt Leimer's Concerto for Left Hand with the Bern Symphony Orchestra and Mario Venzago, for the Schweizer Fonogramm label.
Recent projects include Berg’s Kammerkonzert with the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, a tour with Jörg Widmann and the Irish Chamber Orchestra, Mozart concerti with the Vancouver Symphony and Florida Orchestra, performances at Seoul’s LG Arts Centre and at the Beijing Modern Music Festival, collaborations with Kent Nagano with L’Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal and the Munich Philharmonic (Bernstein’s Symphony No. 2, The Age of Anxiety) as well as numerous appearances internationally and throughout the United States with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Mr. Vonsattel received his bachelor’s degree in political science and economics from Columbia University and his master’s degree from The Juilliard School, where he studied with Jerome Lowenthal. He is Professor of Piano at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and on the faculty of Bard Conservatory. Gilles Vonsattel is a Steinway Artist.
Application deadline: Wednesday, January 11, 2024
(application, $25 fee, link to screening video of one piece, supporting documents)
Eligibility: Classically-trained pianists in grades 8-12
(age 18 & under at the time of the competition)
Prizes: $3,000; $2,000; $1,000
Scholarships may be awarded to seniors successfully completing the application process for undergraduate study in BGSU’s piano program. Judges’ decisions on all prizes and scholarships
are final.
Scholarships to BGSU Summer Music Institute (Piano Camp) are also available to all competitors.
If you have any questions about the application or repertoire requirements, please contact Dr. Laura Melton at meltonl@bgsu.edu.
All entrants will be notified of acceptance via email by TBA.
2023 Winners:
1st Prize ($3,000) – Aurora Wang (Student of Alexandre Braginsky) – Shoreview, MN
2nd Prize ($2,000) – Cory Wu (Student of Kathleen Sadoff/Nina Polonsky) – Powell, OH
3rd Prize ($1,000) – Erik Jacoby (Student of Kathleen Sadoff/Nina Polonsky) – New Albany, OH
Honorable Mention – Sophia Lin (Student of Marjorie Lee) – Falls Church, VA
Finalists:
Levi Li – (Student of Nina Polonsky) – Powell, OH
Jean Yu (Student of Logan Skelton) – Rochester Hills, MI
Katia Jacoby (Student of Kathleen Sadoff/Nina Polonsky) – New Albany, OH
Finals Judges:
Julia Siciliano – Chicacgo, IL
Yu-Lien The – Western Michigan University
Anton Nel – University of Texas at Austin, Butler School of Music

2022 Winners:
1st Prize ($3,000) – Sophia Kim, Juilliard Prep, Wayne, NJ
2nd Prize ($2,000) – Noah Kim, Chicago, IL
3rd Prize ($1,000) – Munan Cheng, San Jose, CA
Honorable Mention – Gabriella Wei, Westlake, OH
Judges included Robert Shannon (Oberlin), Haewon Song (Oberlin), Frank Huang (Miami U), Matthew Hill (Goshen), Tian Tian (Oakland U), and Robert McDonald (Juilliard/Curtis).




All photos credit of David Dupont / BG Independent News
2021 WINNERS:
1st Prize - $3,000 – Shiv Yajnik (Dallas, TX)
2nd Prize - $2,000 – Katherine Liu (Wellesley Hills, MA)
3rd Prize - $1,000 – Natalie Chow (Livingston, NJ)
Winner's Concert- https://youtu.be/uVlyCdiIsIA
2021 Dubois Piano Festival & Competition Winners

Shiv Yajnik studies piano with Marcy McDonald and Alex McDonald. He received first-place awards and grand prizes from the Dallas Symphonic Festival, the Texas Music Teachers Association, and the Collin County Young Artists Competition. Shiv performed with the Baylor Symphony and the Plano Symphony. He was a national finalist and won the Chopin Award in the 2020 MTNA competition; Shiv also won a discretionary award and the Best Performance of a Solo Work Since 1990 award at the 2019 Arthur Fraser International Piano Competition. Additionally, Shiv studies composition with David Karp. His compositions have placed at state and national level. Shiv was featured as a rising star in the 2018 Basically Beethoven Festival; the program featured his composition Ondine. In his school, Shiv is the founder of a club called Musicare; he and fellow musicians enjoy performing around the Dallas area to spread the joy of music in their community.
Beethoven: Sonata in E-flat Major, Op. 7 (IV. Rondo, allegretto e grazioso)
Liszt: Deux légendes, S. 175
I. St. François d’Assise, La prédication aux oiseaux
Natalie Chow of Livingston, New Jersey, began studying piano at age five. She has been under the tutelage of concert pianist Beatrice Long. Natalie's recent accolades in 2020 include First Prizes at the Pittsburgh International Piano Competition, First Prize in the Canadian International Music Competition, and two times National YoungArts Winner in Classical Music. Since her solo debut at Carnegie Hall at age 7, she has performed at major venues such as Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, New York Merkin Hall, and the Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
As a complement to her musical ventures, Natalie enjoys being an active volunteer in the local community. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she participated in online fundraising concerts in support of Key2Sucess, a non-profit organization that provides music lessons and instruments to inner-city students in Newark.
Beethoven: Sonata in E-flat Major, Op. 81a (I. Adagio – Allegro)
Chopin: Barcarolle in F-sharp Major, Op. 60
Scriabin: Sonata No. 2 in G-sharp Minor, Op. 19
Katherine Liu, 16, is a prize winner of numerous regional and international piano competitions such as the Chopin International Piano Competition in Hartford, the Yamaha USASU International Piano Competition, the Steinway Piano Competition, and the 2020 YoungArts National Competition. A student of HaeSun Paik at New England Conservatory, Katherine participated in the Cliburn Junior Festival and the “Lato z chopinem” festival in Poland and was accepted with full scholarship into Morningside Music Bridge. A two year recipient of the Chopin Foundation Scholarship, Katherine has also been featured on NPR's From the Top. Katherine has worked with artists such as Alexander Ghindin, Valery Kuleshov, Sean Chen, and Ruth Reinhardt.Most recently, Katherine won first prize in the 2020 Kosciuszko Foundation Chopin Competition for Young Pianists and was awarded the Special Prize for Best Performance of a Contemporary Piece in the 2020 Claudette Sorel International Piano Competition.
Haydn: Sonata in D Major, Hob. XVI: 24 (I. Allegro)
Chopin: Ballade No. 2 in F Major, Op. 38
Eligibility
Classically-trained pianists in grades 8-12 (age 18 or under at the time of the competition)
Prizes
- 1st Prize: $3,000
- 2nd Prize: $2,000
- 3rd Prize: $1,000
Additional scholarships may be awarded to seniors successfully completing the application process for undergraduate study in BGSU’s piano program. Judges’ decisions on all prizes and scholarships are final.
Scholarships to BGSU Summer Music Institute (Piano Camp) are also available to all competitors.
Application Steps
Fill the Application
Email the following to meltonL@bgsu.edu by January 4, 2023:
- Proof of date of birth (driver's license, passport, birth certificate, etc.)
- Photo (hi-res jpg)
- Bio (100-150 words in paragraph form)
- Link to pre-screening video recording of one piece from competition repertoire
- Release Form
Repertoire
Repertoire should include selections from at least three of the following style periods: Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Contemporary. One movement from a Classical sonata must be included. All works must be memorized with the exception of those written after 1945. Students should aim for a program 20-30 minutes in length.
Pre-screening Video
Upload one piece from competition repertoire to YouTube or Vimeo for pre-screening. Send the link to meltonL@bgsu.edu by January 4, 2023.
Lessons with BGSU Piano Faculty are available via Zoom between January 9-25, 2023 or in-person at BGSU on January 26-27, 2023. Indicate on your application if you would like a lesson.
Notification
Wednesday, January 4, 2023 – Deadline for application, fee, supporting documents
Friday, January 6, 2023 – Notification of semi-finalists
Contact
If you have any questions about the application or repertoire requirements, please contact Dr. Laura Melton at meltonL@bgsu.edu.
Apply Here
- The application process and fee are done in one form.
- Fill out the application form.
- Once finished filling in the information, be sure to go to check out by clicking "Add to Cart" at the end of the application page.
- Click "Check Out" and add payment form to pay for application fee.
Release Form
Dr. David D Dubois, an internationally recognized consultant, author and speaker had a love of music and a special passion for piano and organ performance. In 2008, after reviewing proposals from major music schools from around the nation, the David D. Dubois Trust established the David D. Dubois Piano Competition at Bowling Green State University to enhance the piano program in the College of Musical Arts.
The David D. Dubois Piano Competition supports student pianists at several levels. It provides a number of scholarship opportunities for high school students to attend BGSU, it encourages undergraduate piano students to develop innovative programming ideas for outreach projects and it supports current piano students to participate in music festivals around the world.
In his memory, the College of Musical Arts celebrates the life of Dr. David D. Dubois and his passion for music and gratefully acknowledges the David D. Dubois Foundation for making this exciting program possible.
David D. Dubois Piano Competition and Festival 2024 Schedule
TBA
COVID-19 Protocols
Covid-19 Protocols: BGSU will follow guidance from the Wood County Health Department. Individuals may choose to wear face coverings at any time.
Updated: 04/25/2023 12:28PM