2025 Judges
Tatiana Shustova
D.M.A. in Piano Performance and Literature – University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Minor in Piano Pedagogy
M.A. in Piano Performance and Artist Certificate – Bowling Green State University
B.A. in Piano Performance – The Rimsky-Korsakov St. Petersburg State Conservatory
Professional Affiliations/Organizations: American Liszt Society, Music Teachers National Association
Dr. Tatiana Shustova is originally from Saint Petersburg, Russia, where she studied at the Rimsky-Korsakov State Conservatory with Yaroslav Pugach. After coming to the United States in 2005, Tatiana completed the Artist’s Certificate Program and a Master’s degree in piano performance at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. There she studied with Maxim Mogilevsky and Dr. Robert Satterlee and won first prize in the 40th annual Concerto Competition. In 2008 she was awarded a fellowship to enter the doctoral program in piano performance at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, in the studio of Dr. Ian Hobson, and received her DMA in Spring 2013.
Tatiana has appeared at several festivals in the United States and in Europe such as the Interlochen Summer Arts Camp, Illinois Summer Youth Music, Bowling Green Music Institute, Toradze Piano Institute in Indiana, Ionian Summer Music Academy in Greece, Les Orres International summer academy in France; Suomussalmi Music Festival in Finland, Musica Atri and Scuola Italia ,Russian Music Festival in Perugia, and Orfeo Music Festival in Italy, and has received numerous awards in solo and chamber music competitions. As a collaborative pianist, she has worked at Mussorgsky State College in St. Petersburg, Russia, at Bowling Green State University, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Bradley University.
Tatiana is currently an adjunct music faculty member at Millikin University School of Music, and she is an accompanist for School of Music at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In addition, she is a president of World Piano Teachers Association Illinois Chapter. Tatiana mentors an independent piano studio in Savoy, Illinois where she resides with her husband and two sons, and is Artistic Director of the Chambana International Music Competition, which will be happening 8th time this year. In 2023 , Tatiana was invited to present and perform for her research on Rachmaninoff’s Compositional Styles for the International Russian Music Institute Conference at the Orfeo Festival in Vipiteno, Italy as well as for Illinois State Music Teachers Association Conference in Chicago , Illinois . In January 2024 Tatiana released her debut CD with Centaur Records of piano pieces by Prokofiev, Op. 75 “ Romeo and Juliette” and Sibelius, Op. 75 “ The Trees”.
For more information here is the website: www.tatianashustova.com
Dr. Jiafeng Yan is active as a solo and collaborative pianist and has performed in piano and chamber music festivals in Illinois, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Oregon, California, and major cities in China. He has been the recipient of many performance awards, including the Hebei Youth Piano Competition (1st prize), the Pearl River National Young Pianists Competition (outstanding performer), the First National Duo-Piano Competition (top prize winner), and winner of the Concerto Competition at the University of Illinois. As a piano soloist, Jiafeng Yan has appeared with the University of Illinois Symphony Orchestra, Joliet Symphony Orchestra, Northern Illinois Symphony Orchestra, Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra and East Central Illinois Youth Orchestra.
Dr. Yan is a faculty member at the University of St. Francis. His students have won numerous competitions at the regional, state, national, and international levels. Active as a competition adjudicator, he served on the jury of the Illinois State MTNA Young Artist / Junior Piano Competitions, the Mid-America Chinese Music Festival, the Chandler Starr Miller Scholarship Competition, and the National Federation of Music Clubs Festival (Bloomington District), and the Chambana International Music Competition. Dr. Yan currently serves as Vice President of the Illinois State Music Teacher Association Conference (ISMTA) and President of the Champaign-Urbana Music Teacher Association (CUMTA). He is the Co-Chair of the Chambana International Music Competition and also the Artistic Director of the Illinois chapter of the World Piano Teachers Association (WPTA).
Dr. Yan is a recording artist for the Pacific Media label and his most recently released CD titled Fantasia (2020) includes performances of Schubert’s Wanderer Fantasy Op. 15, Beethoven’s Sonatas Op. 27, Medtner’s Sonata Reminiscenza, Op. 38 No. 1, and Scriabin’s Étude Op. 2, No. 1. His performance can be heard frequently on WILL (90.9 FM) and WCSF (88.7 FM). Dr. Yan completed his DMA degree in piano performance at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and his MM and Performer’s Certificate at Northern Illinois University, under the tutelage of Drs. Timothy Ehlen, Christos Tsitsaros, Kenneth Drake, and William Goldenberg. He lives in Champaign, IL with his wife, Jing Hao, and their two sons: Jason and James.
Pianist Chia-Ying Chan, originally from Taiwan, brings passion, vibrancy, sensitivity, and creativity to her interpretations of classical music. She is an active soloist and chamber pianist, having performed across Taiwan, America, and Europe.
Chan has won top prizes in national and international competitions, with her playing featured on radio stations such as The Grand FM 101 (Canada), WILL FM 90.9 (USA), and Radio Taiwan International AM 1557 (Taiwan). Recent notable performances include appearances with the Sinfonia da Camera, conducted by Ian Hobson, the 21st Century Piano Commission Recital at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, and a solo recital at the Piano Technicians Guild conference in summer 2024. Her debut solo album on the Centaur Records label has received praise from the Classical Music Sentinel, describing her as “…a highly sensitive artist… a musician to watch and follow…”.
As an active chamber and collaborative pianist, Chan performs nationally and internationally at conferences, festivals, and prestigious venues. She is a co-founder of the Amosa Duo with clarinetist Dr. Gary June, and they have performed at various universities in the U.S., the PianoForte Foundation in Chicago, and the National Recital Hall in Taipei, Taiwan. In 2023, she performed with pianist Dr. David Brickle as part of the Brickle & Chan Piano Duo, touring the Midwest. Their engagements included piano duet recitals at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in summer 2023, Indiana University Bloomington in fall 2023, Oakland University in fall 2024, and Saint Meinrad Archabbey in spring 2025.
Chan currently serves on the faculty at Saginaw Valley State Universit. She has been invited to give masterclasses in the United States and Taiwan and to provide a webinar series in China. Additionally, she serves as vice-president of the World Piano Teacher Association USA-Illinois and co-chair of the Chambana International Music Competition. Active as a competition adjudicator, she has served on the jury for the Sinfonia da Camera Concerto Competition (Youth Category), the Vivace International Piano Competition, the National Federation of Music Clubs Festival (Bloomington District), and others. During the summer, she serves on the faculty of Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Twin Lake, Michigan. Her students, both at the college and pre-college levels, have won numerous national and international competitions, including the Clara Rolland Piano Competition and the Steinway International Junior Piano Competition. Additionally, her students have been admitted to competitive universities and institutions, including the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Beijing Normal University, Western Illinois University, and Interlochen Arts Academy.
Chan received both her Artist Diploma and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in Piano Performance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign under the guidance of Timothy Ehlen, where she also served as the piano teaching assistant. Her other principal mentors include Paul Schenly and Kathryn Brown at the Cleveland Institute of Music for her Master of Music, and Ching-Jen Wu at the National University of Tainan, Taiwan for her Bachelor of Music. She has also worked with many world-renowned masters such as Robert McDonald, John Perry, Julian Martin, Vladimir Feltsman, Vladimir Ovchinnikov, John O’Connor, and others.
More about Chia-Ying Chan please visit www.chiayingchan.com