Steinway Jr. Artist Winners' Concert & Award Ceremony
with first-place pianists
Reina Kitsuda, Division 1, Ethan Mihaescu, Division 2 & Aaron Wang, Division 3
Saturday, May 13, 2023
2:00 PM
Free Admission
No reservations necessary
Steinway Piano Gallery of Detroit is proud to announce the winners of the 2023 Steinway Jr. Artist Competition. Earlier this year, pianists ages 18 and under competed for up to $750 in prize money and official recognition from an iconic world-class piano brand. We invite you to join us as we listen to exclusive performances by the first-place winners and award all the winners with their prizes.
Division 1:
First Place: Reina Kitsuda
Second Place: Kleo Zhao
Third Place: Vivian Ling
Division 2:
First Place: Ethan Mihaescu
Second Place: Angela Liu
Third Place: Angela Morgan
Division 3:
First Place: Aaron Wang
Second Place: Ryan Li
Third Place: Daniel Zhang
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Reina Kitsuda, 1st Place, Division 1
Reina Kitsuda, age 9, started learning piano from Tomoko Mack when she was 5 years old. She also takes lessons from Dr. Kazimierz Brzozowski. Reina won second place in Division I of the Steinway Jr. Artist Competition in Detroit 2022. She has been awarded the first prizes in AGM and MMA. In the summer 2021 and 2022, Reina participated in the Poland International Piano Festival in Naleczow, Poland and performed the Haydn Concerto with the Festival Orchestra. Reina enjoys ballet, reading, and playing with her brother and friends. She is a fourth grader in Deerfield Elementary School. Reina’s family is from Japan and reside in Novi.
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Ethan Mihaescu, 1st Place, Division 2
Ethan Mihaescu is in 6th grade and attends The Roeper School. He has been studying piano since age 4, working with Catherine Rollin for the past five years. In between lessons, his father, who is a classically trained vocalist, provides additional guidance. Most recently, from a national pool of over 2,000 pianists, Ethan won the Chopin Award at MTNA National finals in Nevada and was awarded 2nd place overall. He currently plays with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra Youth Ensemble as the Bea and Harry Shapiro Scholar. The Tuesday Musicale of Detroit and Royal Oak Musicale have also showcased Mihaescu as a soloist and collaborative performer.
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Aaron Wang, 1st Place, Division 3
Aaron Wang is a 16 years old pianist who studies with Catherine Rollin. In 2021, he was an MTNA national finalist and won first place prizes in both the solo and concerto MMTA competitions. Additionally, he was a finalist in the International Kaufman Piano Competition in 2017. As a composer, Aaron was a three-time national finalist in the MTNA composition competition, placing 2nd nationally in 2018. Aaron also received the prestigious Slotkin Music Scholarship for Cranbrook Schools in 2021.