The 2025 Heida Hermanns International Music Competition
Finalists
Zhu Wang
1st Prize Winner
Praised by the New York Times as “especially impressive” and “a thoughtful, sensitive performer,” Zhu Wang won First Prize at the 2020 Young Concert Artists Susan Wadsworth International Auditions and the Gold Medal at the 2024 New Orleans International Piano Competition. A native of Hunan Province, China, Zhu was the prizewinner of the 2024 Cleveland and a finalist of the 2019 Clara Haskil Piano Competitions. He has been recognized by world-renowned pianist Fou Ts’ong for his natural sense of harmony and imagination. Recent performances include solo appearances with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, New York Youth Symphony at Carnegie Hall, and symphonies across the U.S. A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and the Juilliard School, Zhu studied with Emanuel Ax, Robert McDonald, and Zhe Tang. He currently resides in New York City.
Ye-Eun Hyun
1st Prize Winner
From South Korea, Ye-Eun Hyun began piano studies at age five and won first prize at the TBC Broadcasting Piano Competition. She debuted with the Daegu Philharmonic Orchestra and trained under Anna Kim at Daegu Arts Gifted Education and the Korea National Institute for the Gifted in Arts. A recipient of a full Samsung Foundation scholarship, she earned both a Bachelor’s and Master of Arts degrees under Minsoo Sohn at the Korea National University of Arts. After moving to the U.S. in 2021, she completed her Master of Music in Piano Performance with Academic Honors at New England Conservatory under Wha Kyung Byun. Winner of the Vienna and Knoxville International Piano Competitions, she will debut at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall and currently pursues her doctorate at Michigan State University, where she holds a full scholarship and serves as a graduate accompanying assistant.
Jiahao Han
2nd Prize Winner &
Best Performance of Commissioned Piece Award
The sole pianist accepted into The Juilliard School’s prestigious Doctor of Musical Arts program in 2024, Jiahao Han studies under Dr. Yoheved Kaplinsky and Mr. Hung-Kuan Chen. Born in China, Jiahao has garnered acclaim on the international stage, earning second prize in the 2022 New York International Piano Competition, third prize in the 2017 “Jinji Lake” International Piano Competition, and third prize in the 2016 “Jenuesses International Music Competition Dinu Lipatti.” In 2021, he received the Audience Prize for the online first round of the International Beethoven Piano Competition Vienna, and in the 2023 International Telekom Beethoven Competition Bonn, Jiahao made the cut to be the top six semifinalists and all three rounds of solo repertoire were hailed by the General-Anzeiger (Germany) for his “solid, fantastic, and full of emotional drama” performances across all three rounds of solo repertoire.