Art of Piano: Participant Concert 3

First prize winner of the 2023 edition of the Auguste-Descarries competition, Antoine Rivard-Landry is a pianist from Montreal known for his expressivity, on-stage charisma and confidence. He made his international debut in 2018 with the Lebanese National Symphony Orchestra. Antoine was recently a finalist at the Orford Music Award, at the Université de Montréal concerto competition and at the 2022 edition of the Stepping Stone. He has studied with Robert McDonald at the Juilliard School of Music and in Montreal with Jean Saulnier and Richard Raymond.

At 12 years old, Antoine headlines his first concert with the Orchestre Métropolitain. He also performed with the Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières and the Orchestre de l’Université de Montréal. He performed at the Chapelle Historique du Bon-Pasteur, the Espace Kin and the Orford on the Road concert series. He recently made his Place des Arts debuts as a Promusica guest artist. He also takes part in many chamber music ensembles alongside artists such as countertenor and flautist Hugo Perina, mezzo soprano Mélissa Zerbib and drag queen Miss Badessa.

Antoine Rivard-Landry was generously supported by the Heather Edwards Artist Award.

BoKun Liu is a pianist from Vancouver, Canada. He is currently studying under Jerome Lowenthal and Soyeon Kate Lee at the Juilliard School in New York.

BoKun Liu debuted at Carnegie Hall in New York at 11 years old. He has since won various international competitions and festivals in North America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania. He has
been awarded more than 17 first international prizes including the D - Competition (Russia), Frederic Chopin (Romania), Great Masters (Spain) and Oakridge Park (Canada) International
piano competitions. In 2022, BoKun was named one of “30 Hot Canadian Classical Musicians Under 30” by CBC Music. He has been awarded the “Canadian Young Artist Standard of Excellence” Award by Steinway and Sons.

BoKun Liu has participated in masterclasses with distinguished artists such as Gary Graffman, Jonathan Biss, Antonio Pompa - Baldi, Alexander Kobrin, and others.

BoKun is an active member of the community. He co-founded a Vancouver based non-profit that helps the homeless. BoKun is a Gluck performance fellow at Juilliard, and performs in hospitals, senior centers, and schools.

BoKun (Brayden) Liu was generously supported by the Michael Davies Scholarship Endowment Fund.

Alona Milner is an Israeli born pianist, an alumnus of the McGill-UdeM piano Vocal residency program supported by the Azrieli Foundation in Montreal, Canada. In September 2024, she will start a Doctor of Music degree at the University of Montreal. Graduated (M.Mus) Cum Laude and Dean’s list from the Buchmann Mehta School of Music, Tel Aviv University under the guidance of Prof. Tomer Lev. She was an “Excellent Musician” at the IDF.

Working intensively with singers, Alona played the piano at the performance of La Cenerentola by Rossini in a live performance of opera McGill under Giovanni Reggioli. Alona played her recent recital called "La Valse" in Villecroze and Draguignan, (France), and in Tel Aviv in 2023. She played a recital at the Israeli embassy in Paris in 2022.

Alona is a recipient of the Polonsky foundation scholarship to the Aspen Music Festival and school in 2022, studied with Prof. Hung-Kuan Chen (Julliard). She received the Sir Jack Lyons Scholarship for the Arts to study in Banff the art of piano program. She was invited to the Edwin Fischer Summer Academy in Potsdam with Prof. Klaus Hellwig (UdK).

She has been supported by the American Israel Cultural Foundation since 2014 and is a top excelling grant recipient in 2022-2024. She is supported by the Ronen Foundation since 2019.

Alona recently received a generous grant from Villecroze music academy for her project "Dance the Waltz".

Alona Milner was generously supported by the Sir Jack Lyons Scholarship for the Arts.

Ido Akov (1993) completed his bachelor's degree in piano performance at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance under Ron Regev and Allan Sternfeld.

Akov has won awards at the "Piano Forever", "Haim Kalmi" and "Young Artist" competitions in Israel, and has subsequently performed with the Ashdod Symphony Orchestra, Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, Israel Chamber Orchestra, Kfar Saba Soloists, and more.

Akov is a America-Israel Cultural Foundation scholarship recipient for 4 consecutive years, as well as an alumni of the Jerusalem Music Center's David Goldman program for outstanding young musicians. Through this program he was invited to play in master classes with Murray Perahia, Andras Schiff, Richard Goode, Steven Kovacevich, and others.

Akov is especially active as a composer and performer of contemporary music: he is an alumni of the Meitar Ensemble’s Tedarim program, and plays regularly with the Israel Contemporary Players. As a composer, Akov’s works have been performed by the Musica Nova, Modalius, Meitar and Moran Singers ensembles, as well as the Great Gehenna Choir.

Akov released a debut album of original piano works: “The triangle becomes a line”, through Kame’a music in 2020.

Ido Akov was generously supported by the Sir Jack Lyons Scholarship for the Arts.

Winner of the 2023 inaugural Bader & Overton Canadian Piano Competition, pianist Jonathan Mak first made his orchestra debut at the age of four. Since then, he has been a guest soloist with numerous orchestras, most notably the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal. Jonathan’s recent accomplishments include the First Prize at the 2024 San Antonio Tuesday Musical Club Young Artists Competition, the Grand Prize at the 2023 Plowman Chamber Music Competition with Trio Menil, and the Third Prize in the 2022 OSM Competition. Named as one of CBC’s 30 hot Canadian classical musicians under 30, Jonathan is a recipient of the Canada Council for the Arts-Michael Measures award and the Sylva Gelber Music Foundation Award, along with the 2023 Walter Prystawski Prize. He has been invited to perform at various festivals including the Bravo! Vail Festival in Colorado, the Festival of the Sound in Ontario, Ottawa Chamberfest, and the Edinburgh International Festival. 

Currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts at Rice University with Jon Kimura Parker, Mr. Jonathan also holds degrees from the Yale School of Music and the Cleveland Institute of Music.

Jonathan Mak was generously supported by the Heather Edwards Artist Award.

An enquiring and innovative artist, pianist Élisabeth Pion leads an imaginative career as a soloist and artistic collaborator. Recent highlights: the release of her first recording with ATMA Classique, her debut with the Orchestre Métropolitain & Kensho Watanabe, as well as obtaining the Bita Cattelan Award at the Concours musical international de Montréal 2024 & the 3rd prize of the 2023 Rio Piano Festival, playing with the Orquestra Sinfônica Brasileira & Roberto Tibiriçá. Her second recording, a collaboration with Arion Orchestre Baroque, will be released in June 2024.

Élisabeth is a regular guest artist of many orchestras, such as the Toledo Symphony, the Victoria Symphony, and the Orchestre Classique de Montréal.

Élisabeth has appeared as a recitalist in several major venues, including Wigmore Hall, as well as Weill Recital Hall. She can often be heard on CBC/Radio-Classique and BBC Radio 3.

Élisabeth is an alumna of the Imogen Cooper Trust and the Guildhall School of Music & Drama. She is the 2022 recipient of the Choquette-Symcox Prize from the Fondation Jeunesses Musicales Canada. 

Élisabeth continues her artistic development with Benedetto Lupo, and benefits from the mentorship of Gabriela Montero.

Her strong interests in literature, writing, composition, repertoire research and Tai Chi nurture her musical practice.

Élisabeth Pion was generously supported by the Repsol Emerging Artists Award.