5th International Westfjords Piano Festival

Concert dates:
Patreksfjörður (FHP Patreksfjarðar): Saturday, August 15th at 20:00 - Special Chopin Salon Concert 
Tálknafjörður (Tálknafjarðarkirkja): Sunday, August 16th at 17:00
Ísafjörður (Hamrar): Wednesday, August 19th at 20:00
Hólmavík (Hólmavikurkirkja): Thursday, August 20th at 19:30

 

Pianists:
Andrew J. Yang (USA/Iceland)
Carl Zhang (Canada/Austria)
Jakub Urgoł (Poland)

Darian Liu (USA) 
Matthías Tumi Ragnarsson (Iceland)
Tómas Bogi Bjarnason (Iceland)

 

Andrew J. Yang (Iceland/USA), artistic director, has an active performance career across the Europe, North America, and Asia. Deemed by The San Francisco Examiner as "a prodigy, [running] the emotional gamut from brooding introspection to manic exuberance” and by Ruth Slenczynska, legendary pianist and student of Rachmaninoff, as “a gifted musician and serious artist”, Yang has performed at venues such as Mozarthaus in Vienna, Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavík, Musiikkitalo in Helsinki, Judaica Foundation in Krakow, and the Hoheikan in Sapporo. Yang was awarded the top prize at the 30th International FLAME Piano Competition in Paris, France, and has also received awards from numerous competitions including the International Heida Hermanns Piano Competition and the Metropolitan International Piano Competition in New York City. He was awarded a "White Rose" Medal of Honor for musical excellence from President of Finland, Sauli Niinistö. www.andrewyangpiano.com

 

Carl Zhang (Canada/Austria) has garnered top prizes in various esteemed competitions, including the Concours de Musique du Canada, Concours de musique Sorel-Tracy, Concours de musique de Sherbrooke, Concours Clermont-Pépin, and the Concours Gustav Mahler. Zhang received two Master’s degrees in piano performance at two prestigious institutions: University of Montreal and the Geneva Haute École de Musique. In 2018, he was accepted into the PhD program at the University of Montreal, with a dedicated focus on exploring the music of the revered Viennese composer, Franz Schubert. However, the world had unexpected plans in store. During an exchange year at the University of Performing Arts in Vienna, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted Carl's plans to return to Canada. Faced with uncertainties and unable to return home, he made the decision to stay in the vibrant Austrian capital, Vienna. Since then, Vienna has become the artistic hub of Carl Zhang's multifaceted career and life, where he performs in concerts, collaborates with various singers, teaches piano, coaches aspiring vocalists, and accompanies instrumentalists.

 

Jakub Urgoł (Poland) was born on December 6, 2005, in Rybnik. He began his school education at the age of 5 in 2010. At the same time, he began studying piano at the Józef Świder Primary and Secondary Music School in Jastrzębie-Zdrój under the supervision of Dr. Hab. Anna Miech. In 2020, he participated in the "1st MusicAlive international online piano competition," where he won second prize. In 2023, he graduated from the music school, simultaneously completing the Stanisław Staszic High School with bilingual classes in Jastrzębie Zdrój, majoring in mathematics and physics. After these events, he participated in the "Kraków Piano Summer" music course, taught by Adam Wibrowski, Gloria Campaner, Andrew Yang, Brenda Bruce, and Lesław Możdżer. He is currently continuing his piano studies at the Józef Staszic Academy of Music in Jastrzębie-Zdrój. Karol Lipiński in Wrocław in the piano class of Prof. Jan Kubica.

 

Darian Liu (USA) is a rising senior at University of California, Berkeley, studying Data Science and Music under Dr. Betty Woo. His passion for music began at the age of five, and he graduated from the precollege program at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music under the tutelage of Dr. William Wellborn. Darian has earned numerous accolades, including achieving Panel level with state honors in the California Certificate of Merit and receiving an invitation to perform at the Convention recitals. He has won 1st Prize in the Romantic division in the Online International Vivaldi Music Competition, 1st Prize with Best Performance Award in Solo Open Category and 1st Prize in Romantic Category in the Vienna Virtuoso Music Competition. He has won awards at the US Open Music Competition and at the Junior Bach Music Festival.

 

Tómas Bogi Bjarnason (Iceland) is a Framhaldsnám student at Tónskóli Sigursveins in Reykjavík, where he studied extensively with Laufey Kristinsdóttir and currently studies with Andrew J. Yang. He is also studying engineering at Háskóli Íslands.