Performances + Events
New England Conservatory’s singular legacy of artistic and pedagogical excellence was showcased anew at the 19th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw. Eric Lu ’13 Prep, Zitong Wang ’24 MM ’26 GD, and William Yang ’19 Prep won first, third, and sixth prize, respectively. Wang also won the Krystian Zimerman Award for the best performance of a sonata.
Lu, a former NEC Preparatory School student, has studied with NEC faculty members Alexander Korsantia, A. Ramón Rivera, and Dang Thai Son. Wang earned her master’s degree from NEC in 2024 under Dang’s tutelage and is currently pursuing a graduate diploma at the Conservatory. Previous teachers include NEC faculty member Meng-Chieh Liu. Yang, who has studied with Korsantia, is an NEC Prep alumnus and graduated in 2019 from the Walnut Hill School for the Arts, with which NEC is a collaborator.
Dang, who won the competition in 1980, was one of 17 jurors. The jury was chaired by Garrick Ohlsson, who won the competition in 1970.
Lu, Wang, and Yang will perform at a livestreamed awards ceremony on October 21 in Warsaw.
