Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival Presents International Award-Winning Pianists in Concert
Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival (RPPF) is pleased to present 40 exceptional collegiate piano talents from around the world in concert throughout the Tampa Bay area. These stellar young artists were chosen from an astounding 245 applications from 25 countries and 93 schools.
Each concert features a few carefully selected students performing a variety of pieces that represent treasures of the classical piano repertoire.
NTPAC invites the community to hear the following featured RPPF artists perform:
Jiahao Xu, 20, was born in Zhejiang, China. He was admitted to the Music Middle School affiliated with the Shanghai Conservatory of Music at the age of 13, where he held solo recitals and received multiple scholarships. Currently, Jiahao is studying at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. He has won awards in competitions such as the Rachmaninoff International Youth Competition in Moscow, the International Youth Competition in St. Petersburg, Russa, and the National Youth Competition at Zhejiang Conservatory of Music.
Yixuan (Fafa) Han, 29, is an award-winning concert pianist from Anshan, China. He is currently completing his Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance at the University of Michigan, having previously earned a Master of Music at the New England Conservatory and a Bachelor of Music at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. He has appeared in solo and chamber concerts and led masterclasses across Asia, Europe, and North America.
Chi Ieng (Melody) Ho, 21, is currently studying at The Juilliard School in New York. She has performed for the former Prime Minister of Japan, as well as in venues such as Rachmaninov Hall at the Moscow Conservatory of Music, Act City Concert Hall in Japan, Music Hall at the Martin Luther University in Germany, and Carnegie Hall in New York. She has also received top prizes in international competitions and was featured in CHOPIN magazine.
About RPPF
Celebrated worldwide, the Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival is tuition-free and held annually from June 27-July 17 at the University of South Florida (USF) School of Music. RPPF participants are prize-winning collegiate pianists who are mentored and taught by 25 internationally renowned faculty. Program events include about a semester’s worth of private lessons, nightly masterclasses, special topic classes, faculty presentations, performance opportunities, and abundant practice time on Steinway pianos. The festival’s goal is to offer each aspiring concert pianist, and the world of piano, a unique view of many different philosophies in teaching and performing styles. It is supported entirely by wonderful volunteers and private donors. To join the RPPF family is to become part of a legacy of excellence that shapes careers and opens doors to a world of possibilities.
About Rebecca Penneys
Rebecca Penneys is a recitalist, chamber musician, orchestral soloist, educator, and adjudicator. For over six decades she has been hailed as a pianist of prodigious talent, concertizing worldwide and representing the USA in Information Service State Department Cultural Tours over a 10-year period. Learn more at rebeccapenneys.com.
$10 General Admission Tickets
Please be advised that theater seating is comprised of elevated rows. All seats in rows B through S require stairs to access. For questions about ADA-accessible seating, please email ticketsNTPAC@HCFL.gov or call (813) 829-2760.