Tristan Teo - Distinguished Artist in Residence

"You have magic in your fingers and in your heart." – Dr. Christine Vanderkooy, (DMA, McGill University)

Fourteen year old Tristan Teo started piano lessons at age six with Aline Banno and is now under the direction of Dr. Sasha Starcevich. Over the past couple of years, Tristan has built an international reputation of excellence in performance, with "superb pianism" and a singular ability to communicate with his audience.

A native of Canada, Tristan has been awarded top prizes in several international piano competitions. At the age of 11, he won 1st place in both the Solo and Concerto Pre-college Divisions of the 2009 Kingsville International Isabel Scionti Piano Competitions in Texas and became the youngest contestant ever to achieve that honour. He was also the youngest and only Canadian prizewinner at the 2010 Cooper Piano Competition in Oberlin. In January 2011, he was awarded 1st prize and the Gold Medal at the 5th Bösendorfer and Schimmel USASU International Piano Junior Competition in Arizona as well as the Senderov Award for the most outstanding performance of a composition by a Russian composer. In July 2011, Tristan received 2nd prize at the e-Piano Junior Competition, rising to the top of a field of the 25 most talented young pianists in the world today. A special accomplishment this year: Tristan's 1st prize wins in both the Solo and Concerto Competitions of the 2011 Virginia Waring International Piano Competition in California.

Since his orchestral debut at age 10, Tristan has performed with numerous orchestras including the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra at the Orpheum, the Waring Festival Orchestra under conductor Lucille Carver at the McCallum Theatre in California, and the Minnesota Orchestra at Orchestra Hall under the baton of Mark Russell Smith.

This May, he was invited to perform a solo recital at the prestigious Salle Cortot in Paris and has future engagements to perform in Italy, Germany, and the US. This summer Tristan will be performing his acclaimed solo version of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue at the Amphiteatro Romana in Castiglione del Lago. His next international engagement in December 2011 features a solo recital in Florida as well as a performance with the Gulf Coast Symphony Orchestra with conductor Dr. Andrew Kurtz. Tristan also performs frequently in the Vancouver area, and presents annual benefit concerts for various local charities.

In his spare time, Tristan enjoys reading, building LEGO, and travelling. Currently a Grade 11 student, he will graduate from high school 2 years early and looks forward to continuing his musical education while preparing for a career in piano performance. Tristan is a committed musician and hopes to share his love of classical music with the next generation of audiences.

"You captured my interest as someone who listens and hears – alert, well-balanced, and never thoughtless." - Julian Martin, The Juilliard School "Great stage personality." - Elizabeth Pridonoff, University of Cincinnati College - Conservatory of Music "You are not just talented but you have an incredible musical mind." - Norman Krieger, USC Thornton School of Music

Evgenia A. Rabinovich - Artist in Residence

Eighteen-year-old Evgenia A. Rabinovich is currently studying at the Mannes School of Music in New York City under Julliard graduate Pavlina Dokovska. She is an alumni of the highly esteemed Yale graduate Dr. Sasha Starcevich. Her musical training includes numerous master classes held by renowned artists like Barry Snyder, Natalia Antonova, HaeSun Paik, Logan Skelton, and many others, and her performance career includes concerts and recitals across the United States and in Canada. She is a winner of numerous regional and provincial competitions, a laureate of the 2010 Kiwanis Fraser Valley International Music Festival, and a First Place winner of the 2010 national Canadian Music Competition.

Rabinovich has always held a strong interest in developing an active performing career. In 2009, Rabinovich performed Tchaikovsky's Concerto No. 1 with the Vancouver Metropolitan Orchestra under conductor Ken Hsieh. Most recently, she has been involved in many public and private concerts, as well as charity concerts such as the Joan West Memorial Charity Concert Series, which she opened as a solo Guest Artist in January 2011, and closed with an orchestral performance of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 12 in June that year. She is also a regular performer at private and public Fazioli concerts at various venues across Vancouver. For her many performances across the Lower Mainland, Rabinovich has been featured in multiple local and regional news articles, and in 2011, was interviewed and broadcast by Omni TV and Radio Vera. Rabinovich is also a private teacher to elementary and high school students from preparatory to Grade 8 RCM conservatory level. In the summers, Rabinovich enjoys participating in international music festivals, such as the Beijing International Music Festival and Academy, of which she was a part in the summer of 2010. For the 2011 summer, Rabinovich has been invited to study at Music Fest Perugia, where she is scheduled to perform in several concerts, including the third movement of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 10 with I Solisti di Perugia and fellow pianist Nicholas Rada.

Rabinovich entered university at the age of fifteen after graduating at the top of her class from the University Transition Program for Academically Gifted Children – a program allowing advanced and gifted students to enter university after two years of high school studies rather than five. Rabinovich always maintained an impressive academic record while continuing her musical studies. Following her first year of studies in the program, Rabinovich was nominated Top Scholar for her academic achievements, and simultaneously awarded the NSRMTA Award for the top mark among piano performers upon completing her RCM ARCT Performance at the age of 14. Throughout her high school years, Rabinovich was an active member of the Student Council, a Student Leadership Conference Delegate, a math and chemistry tutor to disadvantaged high school students, and a "Class Act" leader. Since she had an interest in microbiology, she also regularly volunteered at the UBC Michael Smith Laboratory doing histology analyses and various labwork for a Ph.D., and went on to win Silver in the Greater Vancouver Regional Science Fair, following her personal lab studies of the effects of Echinacea on Macrophages Infected with Salmonella Typhimurium.

Following her graduation, Rabinovich received early entrance to the University of British Colombia and a full Major Entrance Scholarship to study there. She went on to study the English Language with an interest in rhetoric and pragmatics, while simultaneously continuing her musical studies with Dr. Sasha Starcevich. She has demonstrated strength and talent in academic studies, public speaking, and performing arts, and she enjoys making positive contributions to improve the learning environment in her community. Placing in the top 15% of her class in the University of British Colombia, Evgenia received and accepted the invitation to become a member of the Golden Key International Honour Society, "the world's premier collegiate honour society, recognizing outstanding academic achievement and connecting high-achieving individuals locally, regionally & globally" . Following her third year at UBC, Rabinovich made the decision to transfer into the Mannes School of Music. She is a dedicated musician who is determined to become a professional concert pianist, and hopes to eventually develop a teaching career.