2025 Metropolitan Festival Judge Bio
Dr. Mayron Tsong (Live Piano Solo and Piano Chamber)
A Steinway Artist, Mayron Tsong gave her solo recital debut at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall, Harris Goldsmith of The New York Concert Review praised it as "an enlivening, truly outstanding recital.” Fanfare Magazine called her “a genius, pure and simple… perhaps, a wizard.”
She has appeared as soloist with orchestras around the world, including the St. Petersburg Chamber Philharmonic (Russia), Symphony North (Houston), Longview Symphony Orchestra (Texas), North Carolina Symphony, Red Deer Symphony Orchestra (Canada) and Lethbridge Symphony Orchestra (Canada). Her summers have taken her to festivals across the United States, Prague, Germany and Italy, including The Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival, The Art of Piano at Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, Eastern Music Festival, Prague International Piano Masterclasses, Texas Music Institute and the Amalfi Coast, Schlern and Orfeo Music Festivals in Italy. Holding graduate degrees in both piano performance and music theory from Rice University, her impressive pedigree boasts distinguished teachers like John Perry, György Sebök, Robert Levin, Anton Kuerti and Marilyn Engle.
A distinguished pedagogue herself, her students have pursued studies at The Curtis Institute of Music, Indiana University, Northwestern University, Stony Brook University, University of South Carolina and the University of Houston and won teaching positions at the University of North Carolina. She was also Artistic Director of the first William Kapell Young Artist Piano Competition at the University of Maryland in 2012.
Tsong is currently Associate Professor of Piano at the University of Maryland School of Music where she serves as the Co-ordinator of the Piano Division.
Dr. Ivo Kaltchev (Live Piano Solo)
Prizewinner of international piano competitions and a Bösendorfer Concert Artist, Ivo Kaltchev has enjoyed a successful performing career as recitalist, soloist with orchestras, chamber musician and recording artist. “Formidable technique” (England), “possesses the genius of rubato” (France), “distinctive and original” (Russia), "glittering” (The Washington Post) - these are some of the words which music critics have used to describe Mr. Kaltchev’s artistry. He has performed in musical centers throughout the world, including Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie Weill Recital Hall, the Kennedy Center, China Conservatory (Beijing, China) and the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory. Dr. Kaltchev is recipient of numerous piano pedagogy awards for teaching excellence and has presented lectures, workshops and master classes in Europe, Asia and the U. S. Dr. Kaltchev’s students have won more than 90 prizes at international and national piano competitions and have been accepted for graduate and undergraduate piano studies at Juilliard, Peabody, Eastman, Manhattan, San Francisco, Indiana, Northwestern, Mannes, and other leading universities and schools of music in the U.S.
Dr. Kaltchev is Professor of Piano, Chair of Music Department, and Head of the Piano Area at the Catholic University of America in Washington D.C. He is Artistic Co-Director of the Lancaster International Piano Festival (www.lancasterpianofest.com) as well as Artistic Director of the Bulgarian Music Society Concert Series at the Bulgarian Embassy in Washington DC (www.bulgarianmusicsociety.org).
Dr. Kevin Jang (Live & Online String)
Violinist Kevin Jang has appeared as soloist at the Aspen and Cascade Music Festivals. Dr. Jang has been featured as soloist in DC region with the Catholic University Symphony, The Trinity Chamber Orchestra and The Washington Conservatory Orchestra. He has given recitals all over the DC area including the US State Department and The Ratner Museum. Dr. Jang has performed chamber music all over the country including the Blossom and Deer Valley Music Festivals and has been featured performing chamber music throughout the DC area including the Mansion at Strathmore Music Center. As an orchestral musician Dr. Jang has appeared all over the country at Alice Tully Hall, the Kennedy Center, Strathmore Hall, Blossom Music Center and the Aspen Music Festival.
Dr. Jang received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the Peabody Institute studying with Herbert Greenberg. While at Peabody he often served as Concertmaster and was awarded the JC Hulstyen award twice for excellence in string performance. Dr. Jang completed his Doctorate of Music at the Catholic University of America where he worked as graduate assistant with the university symphony.
Dr. Jang is currently serving as Adjunct Professorial Lecturer at American University, is on the violin faculty at The Washington Conservatory of Music and also maintains a private studio.
Dr. Jihoon Chang (Live Woodwinds/Brass)
JIHOON CHANG had an illustrious 26-year career with “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band. With the band, he has performed a transcription of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto on their 7-week national concert tour, and also performed John Williams’ “The Tale of Viktor Navorski” from The Terminal, with the composer conducting at a gala 210th anniversary concert at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Before retiring from the band in 2016, he gave a world premiere performance of Eric P. Mandat’s “Parallel Histories” at the Capitol grounds. Doctor Chang has taught Clarinet at Howard University in Washington, DC. He is currently Professor of Clarinet and Saxophone at Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA.
