Changchun Du - University Doctoral Level
Chinese pianist Changchun Du is currently pursuing his doctoral degree of Piano Performance in McGill University Schulich School of Music under Prof. Hashimoto’s instruction. He received his master’s degree in Piano Performance at Manhattan School of Music in the NYC before he came to Canada. At the age of eight, Changchun Du embarked on the journey of pursuing piano as his profession, attending the Affiliated Primary School of Wuhan Conservatory of Music. He later was one of the first generation of attendees of the Zhejiang Conservatory of Music, where, under the guidance of Mr. Jun Sun, he received his Bachelor of Music degree. The awards he achieved include first prize in the Shanghai International Piano Competition and in the Zhejiang Province Piano Competition. He has taken master classes with Robert Levin, Boris Slutsky, Marian Hahn, HaeSun Paik. Besides solo repertoire, he also frequently played in large ensembles and chamber concerts at McGill University.
Charmaine Iormetti - Co Winner University Graduate Level
Soprano Charmaine Iormetti is currently completing her MMus in Literature and Performance (Voice). In addition to her Master’s course load, Charmaine took the Doctoral (DMA) course in Vocal Pedagogy from 2023-2024 as a “Special Topics” course. She also served as Performance Representative at Western University’s Society of Graduate Students in Music. In 2023, her short article was published at Scholarship at Western’s “Inspiring Minds” Digital Collection. Outside of Western, Charmaine serves as choral scholar at St. Paul’s Cathedral. She was a featured recitalist in St. Paul’s Music at Midday Series in March 2020 & 2023 and October 2023; she is excited to perform again in May 2024. Charmaine was a guest soloist in WordsFest’s James Reaney Memorial Lecture Recital at Museum London in November 2023; both Reaney and Beckwith families were present. She performed the role of Mrs. Herring in Western University Opera’s production of Albert Herring in March 2024.
Julia Perry - Co - Winner University Graduate Level
Julia Perry (she/her) is an avid flutist and educator currently located in St. John’s, Newfoundland. She is a dedicated performer and academic; recently, her research into the connections of timbre, texture, and form in Ian Clarke’s The Great Train Race was featured at the 2024 Newfound Music Festival. Having just completed her first year in the Master of Music (Performance/Pedagogy) program at Memorial University of Newfoundland, Julia hopes to continue fostering a community of inclusion and openness amongst her peers and students. She aims to continue her studies at the doctoral level in the future. In her free time, she enjoys building an online community of flutists and musicians through her Instagram account (@julia.p.flute).
Sophia Kagolovskaya - Undergraduate Level
Sophia (Sonia) Kagolovskaya is a first-year piano student in the Bachelor of Music program at Wilfrid Laurier University. In May 2023, she was awarded the Laurier Scholars Award, which is awarded to only one student in the music faculty each year, for demonstrating excellence in academics and leadership in extra-curricular activities and accomplishments. In high school, Sophia was the accompanist for three choirs, as well as a co-writer and co-director of a play that was performed in her final year of high school. She has also competed on the junior national figure skating team, and medaled in numerous international competitions. Sophia is particularly interested in finding answers to questions about what makes music beautiful and why every culture has created music. Throughout and beyond her degrees, she hopes to learn more about the intersections of physics, biology, aesthetics, psychology, and sociology, which make the connection between sound and meaning.