Archives
Archives from previous seasons.
1st.
International
Westfjords
Piano Festival
16th - 21st august 2022
The first International Westfjords Piano Festival took place in August 2022. Founded by pianist, Andrew J. Yang, the festival held four concerts across the Westfjords region. Guest artists included Peter Toth, Myung Hwang Park, and Yang.
2022 International Westfjords Piano Festival Artists
Andrew J. Yang
(USA/Iceland)
Artistic Director
Peter Toth
(Hungary/USA)
Guest Artist
Myung Hwang Park
(South Korea/France)
Composer in Residence
A mini-concert series took place at Harpa in Reykjavík, Patreksfjörður and Tálknafjörður, featuring pianist Andrew J. Yang, Nína Margrét Grímsdóttir and composer Myung Hwang Park in Kaldalón haul in Harpa concert haul, Reykjavík. During the dark month of November, the beautiful northern lights could be seen after the concert. Andrew and Myung Hwang headed to the Westfjords to finish off the concert series with two candlelight concerts in the small fishing comunities: Patreksfjörður and Tálknafjörður.
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13th - 19th august 2023
18th - 24th august 2024
2025 International Westfjords Piano Festival Artists
Andrew J. Yang
(USA/Iceland)
Artistic Director
Andrew J. Yang has an active performance career across the Europe, North America, and Asia. Deemed by The San Francisco Examiner as "a prodigy, [running] the emotional gamut from brooding introspection to manic exuberance” and by Ruth Slenczynska, legendary pianist and student of Rachmaninoff, as “a gifted musician and serious artist”, Yang has performed at venues such as Mozarthaus in Vienna, Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavík, Musiikkitalo in Helsinki, Judaica Foundation in Krakow, and the Hoheikan in Sapporo. Yang was awarded the top prize at the 30th International FLAME Piano Competition in Paris, France, and has also received awards from numerous competitions including the International Heida Hermanns Piano Competition and the Metropolitan International Piano Competition in New York City. In 2018, Yang was awarded a "White Rose" Medal of Honor for musical excellence from President of Finland, Sauli Niinistö. Since 2020, Yang has resided in Iceland. He spent three years teaching at Tónlistarskóli Vesturbyggðar and is currently based in the Reykjavík area where he is on the piano faculty at Tónlistarskólinn í Reykjavík and Tónskóli Sigursveins. Yang also creates rock, R&B, and indie music where he sings and also plays guitar and violin.
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Jacob Nydegger
(USA/Germany)
Guest Artist
American pianist, Jacob Nydegger, began his musical journey in his hometown of San Antonio, Texas, and has since garnered acclaim from numerous sources. As Theater Jones Journal observes, he is a "gifted performer with formidable technical skill," while Fanfare Magazine compares his "smooth, elegant power" to that of the legendary Van Cliburn. Nydegger's debut album with Toccata Classics garnered widespread acclaim, appearing on the Classical New Releases: Spotify Picks Playlist in 2018. Nydegger claimed 1st prize at the 2022 Petroff Piano Competition and the 2021 Grand Prize Virtuoso Competition. He has also been recognized with top prizes at the 2021 William Knabe International Piano Competition, the Richardson Symphony Orchestra Young Artists Competition, and the Weatherford International Piano Competition. Nydegger has performed on prestigious stages in the US, Europe and Asia and as a soloist with orchestras such as the Lüneburg Symphony Orchestra, the Colorado College Festival Orchestra and the University of North Texas Symphony Orchestra. He currently lives in Dresden, Germany, where he studied with Hinrich Alpers as a Deutschlandstipendium holder in the Meisterklasse at the Hochschule für Musik Carl Maria von Weber.
Carl Zhang
(Canada/Austria)
Guest Artist
Canadian pianist, Carl Zhang, has garnered top prizes in various esteemed competitions, including the Concours de Musique du Canada, Concours de musique Sorel-Tracy, Concours de musique de Sherbrooke, Concours Clermont-Pépin, and the Concours Gustav Mahler. Zhang received two Master’s degrees in piano performance at two prestigious institutions: University of Montreal and the Geneva Haute École de Musique. In 2018, he was accepted into the PhD program at the University of Montreal, with a dedicated focus on exploring the music of the revered Viennese composer, Franz Schubert. However, the world had unexpected plans in store. During an exchange year at the University of Performing Arts in Vienna, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted Carl's plans to return to Canada. Faced with uncertainties and unable to return home, he made the decision to stay in the vibrant Austrian capital, Vienna. Since then, Vienna has become the artistic hub of Carl Zhang's multifaceted career and life, where he performs in concerts, collaborates with various singers, teaches piano, coaches aspiring vocalists, and accompanies instrumentalists.