Fabiana Gruer

Two giants of the piano world are joining us next year. We feel fortunate and happy in these difficult days of wars in the Middle East and the Russia and Ukraine conflict. Many of our young musicians will want to have lessons with them, we suggest early registration on their teaching list.

Our young prodigy Katherine Hibbs (10 years old) continues to capture top prizes in piano competitions. She won 3rd Prize in Nashville International Chopin Piano competition in Nashville, USA last weekend! So young and already a concert pianist! You can listen to her next year, at Music Fest Perugia, when she will perform with the orchestra.

Max Lando, who just won the Vandom prize, has been with Music Fest Perugia festival for many years. Ilana Vered, who worked with him, said: “He is a fabulous pianist”, and Max is proving it again and again. The many students, friends and faculty of MFP are sending him a great bravo and wait for his return to Perugia!

We are happy to announce we have a new cool church (pun intended), 5 minutes from Hotel Sangallo, added to our beautiful locations – Chiesa di Santo Spirito. This beautiful church will host the opening days of our MFP 2019!

Sasha Starcevich, has done it again! From his studio in Seattle, the above 3 talented young pianist have won prizes to play with the orchestra in Seattle. Congratulations to Sasha and to the prize winner whom we are going to see in Music Fest Perugia this summer! (2019)

Our Nathan Lee, student of Sasha and Ilana, goes again! As Peter Frankel has said “Little Mozart”. Here is what music critics say of his playing, last week in New York: […] “On Friday, at Alice Tully Hall, Susan Wadsworth presided over her final gala program at the helm of Young Concert Artists, the organization she founded 58 years ago to foster the careers of gifted new musicians. [… ] […] The prodigiously talented 17-year-old pianist Nathan Lee, who first heard last year in an impressive Young Concert Artists recital at Zankel Hall, gave a brilliant account of Mendelssohn’s youthful Piano Concerto No. 1 in G minor. Not only did Mr. Lee effortlessly dispatch streams of passagework, spiraling runs, leaping chords and bursts of octaves, he also played with nuance, delicacy and rich variety of touch. Even a few years ago he had musical insight and sensitivity, as this video of him performing the Overture of Bach’s Partita No. 4 makes clear. ” By ANTHONY TOMMASINI, NEW YORK TIMES. […] “To conclude the program, Nathan Lee (above, photo by Paul Shim) performed Mendelssohn’s Piano Concerto # 1. This young virtuoso, who hails from the state of Washington, began playing the piano at the age of six, and made his orchestral debut at the age of nine. “” He is now 17, and has already built an impressive resume. Displaying the assured artistry we would expect from musicians much further along in their careers, Mr. Lee’s depth of feeling in the Andante (often playing with his eyes closed) and his nimble and dynamically balanced, his work captivated the audience. From its opening orchestral agitated of rising chromatics, the pianist serves up his splendid opening statement; the music then slows for a lyrical piano only. Horn calls precedes cadence, during which a double-barreled cellphone intrusion […]

Maxim Lando, has become famous since he has been playing with Lang Lang. This November he became famous on his own, being one of the winners at the finals of YCA competition. Congratulations!

Nathan Lee, one of our own prodigy, is now an international pianist, and currently under the attentive care of Susan Wadsworth, president of YCA. Here, after the Maryland recital, Nathan got a standing ovation, as he usually does everywhere.

Music Fest Perugia is delighted to have professor He-Ion Seo join our Voice Faculty. Professor He-Ion Seo has completed her education in Italy and has Italian and international career. She is one of the few Asian singers to sit on Italian voice jury. In Seoul she is professor at the Seoul National University, which is the equivalent of the Juilliard School. The entire Faculty and Staff of Music Fest Perugia is welcoming her.