ANNOUNCEMENT: 7th Steinway Youth Piano Competition – Intermediate Audition Results

INTERMEDIATE CLASS: AUDITION RESULTS

Steinway Boutique Manila is proud to present the following young talents who have successfully advanced to the Semi-Finals of the 7th Steinway Youth Piano Competition, scheduled to take place on May 17, 2025. Please stay tuned for your official acceptance email and further instructions, which will be sent to the email address you used during application.

The names of the contestants are as follow:

CATEGORY 1

Ichika Suzuki

Drue Lucien Ely Metillo

Tsz Yau Tam

Avery Liu

Minseo Kim

CATEGORY 2

Shi Jin

Edge Rayleigh Manesca

Farah Haiti

Lashauna Kaitlin Tan

Raphael Johann Chiu

Gabrielle Elyse Peralta

Aiyana Sebastianne Aguilera

Rom Andre’ De Lara

CATEGORY 3

Wendell Adriel Asuncion

Juan Inigo Abanilla

*Results are not in order of merit

We would also like to take this opportunity to extend our sincere gratitude to our esteemed panel of judges for generously sharing their time and expertise. We are confident that the invaluable insights provided by these distinguished pianists and educators will greatly inspire and guide our young participants in their piano-learning journey.

OUR HONORABLE JUDGES

Ms. Geraldine Marie B. Gonzales

Geraldine Marie B. Gonzales obtained her Bachelor of Music degree Major in Piano, Magna cum Laude from the UP College of Music. Her awards include the Dean’s Medal as class valedictorian, Most Outstanding Senior from the Phi Kappa Phi International Honor Society and Finalist in the Search for the Ten Outstanding Students of the Philippines (TOSP). An awardee of the Rosario Lopez Garcia (ROLOGAR) Foundation Scholarship, she won 1st Prizes in 1987 CPMP Piano Competition and the 1990 Mozart Piano Sonata Competition.

Ms. Gonzales completed her bachelor’s degree under Prof Augusto Espino and her master’s degree from UP under Prof. Jovianney Emmanuel Cruz. In 2004, she represented the Philippines in the First ASEAN International Chopin Piano Competition in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She won 1 st Laureate in the historic ULTIMATE PIANIST 2006 in Manila, where she was featured soloist of the Metro Manila Community Orchestra. She was also featured soloist of the FilHarmonika orchestra under Gerard Salonga in the Ultimate Pianist 2006 Winners’ Concert. Ms. Gonzales is at present an Assistant Professor of piano and pursuing her PhD studies at the University of the Philippines College of Music.

Ms. Denise Faith L. See-Young

Denise Faith L. See-Young is a pianist, accompanist, and piano teacher from Manila, Philippines. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Piano Performance from the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Conservatory of Music under the tutelage of esteemed pedagogue Prof. Anthony Say. She graduated Summa cum Laude, and received the Rector’s Award for Academic Excellence, which is given to the batch valedictorian. She then proceeded with her master’s degree in Piano Performance at the National Taiwan Normal University, studying under award- winning concert pianist Prof. Chun-Chieh Yen.

Since returning from her studies abroad, she has started her own studio which provides online and face- to face piano lessons to students of all age groups. Her students range from beginner to advanced levels. Aside from teaching in her studio, she has also been serving as both vocal and instrumental accompanist for various recitals

Mr. Najib Ismail

A much sought after collaborative pianist and chamber musician, Najib Ismail received his Bachelor of Music Degree from the University of Santo Tomas Conservatory of Music under the tutelage of Fr. Manuel Maramba OSB and Leonor Kilayko, where he was on full scholarship from the Music Promotion Foundation of the Philippines and the Reynaldo Reyesk Scholarship Grant. He then took further studies at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts where he obtained a Professional Diploma in Operatic Repetituer and Vocal Accompaniment in 1997, At the HKAPA under the tutelage of Gabriel Kwok and Nancy Loo, he was a recipient of scholarship awards from the Duchess of Kent and the Society of the Academy for Performing Arts. He was featured many times in regular concert series such as: The Government House Concerts, The Cultural Center Foyer Concerts and the RTHK Radio Concerts from 1994 to 1997. Ismail was chosen pianist for the master classes conducted by Dame Joan Sutherland (opera) and Richard Jackson (lieder) during the 1996 Joan Sutherland Vocal Program and Competition held in Brisbane, Australia where he was much admired. He has also performed with British soprano Sarah Leonard and her compatriot baritone Michael Pierce as well as German baritone Robert Meerwald. Aside from these, he has collaborated with almost every major classical artist in the Philippines. He has also performed collaborative, chamber music and solo concerts in Spain, Germany, France, Switzerland, Austria, Australia, Indonesia,Malaysia , China, Hong Kong, Korea and Russia, As a soloist, he has been featured in concerto engagements with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra under conductors Julian Quirit (1993), Jean Sebastian Bereau (1994) and Eugene Castillo (2006). He has also been featured soloist of the UST Orchestra under it’s resident conductor Herminigildo Ranera and guest conductors Richard Pontzious and Aries Caces. He was featured solo artist in the 12th ‘Filipino Artist Series’ at the CCP and has performed at the 28th and 30th ‘International Bamboo Organ Festival. In 2003, Ismail was awarded the ‘Young Achiever Award’ in the University of Santo Tomas ‘Ten Outstanding Alumni Awards’ In 2014 and 2017, he collaborated with Korean opera soprano Sumi jo at the SM Aura Samsung hall and at the Meralco Theatre, and with Romanian soprano Nelly Miriciou in 2015 and 2016 at the Meralco Theatre and The Ayala Museum,. In 2016, he performed Two of Schubert’s major song cycles, ‘Die Schöne mullerin’ with tenor Arthur Espiritu at the Ayala Museum and ‘Winterreise’ with korean baritone Park Byong In. Most recently, he collaborated with Arthur Espiritu in a Vocal and piano recital in UST titled ‘ Music and Memories ‘ in November 2024 and a piano duet recital with pianist Mary Anne Espina in February 2025. Najib is currently an Associate Professor at the University of Santo Tomas Conservatory of Music in the Philippines, where he has produced numerous competition winners here and abroad.

Mr. Elizabeth Susan Vista Suarez, BM, MM, PhD

Elizabeth Susan Vista Suarez is a multifaceted professional known for her significant contributions in education, music, visual arts, and administration. As an esteemed educator, she has dedicated her career to nurturing the talents of young minds, imparting both academic and artistic knowledge. She is a full professor at Silliman University and serves as the current dean of the College of Performing and Visual Arts. Her passion for teaching is complemented by her extensive experience as a choral conductor and trainer, where she has guided numerous choirs, fostering harmony and excellence in choral music. These include, the Silliman University Campus Choristers, who won numerous awards and toured the U.S. in 1999 and 2001, Ating Pamana, Inc. a choir which toured the  U.S. in 2003 and  SUGGA choir which represented Silliman University during an alumni gathering in Fairbanks, Alaska, in 2011. The SU Choristers and the SU Covenant Choir under her directorship continue to serve Silliman University for functions bot sacred and secular.
Elizabeth Susan Vista Suarez is the 2018 recipient of the Gawad Nicanor Abelardo Most Outstanding Music Educator in the Philippines Award and in 2021 she received from the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Kaisa Sa Sining (KSS)  the KISLAP AWARD for exemplary work and service in cultural and artistic endeavor significantly contributing to the propagation, development and promotion of culture in the Visayas and in the Philippines. She has dedicated her career to Silliman University, serving as Director of the School of Music and Fine Arts (1990-2000) and Dean of the College of Performing and Visual Arts (2010-2016). Additionally, she chaired the Cultural Affairs Committee and served as the cultural officer from 1990-2000 and 2008-2016. She is currently the chairman of the Advisory Council of the Silliman University Culture and Arts Council and a member of the Dumaguete City Arts Council.

In 2016 she completed a post-doctoral engagement in Music Therapy at Eastern Michigan University, USA., which has enabled her to spearhead a Bachelor of Music Therapy degree at Silliman University.

She is  an accomplished author, writing insightful pieces that inspire others in both the academic and creative realms. She has authored several books, including Progressive Work-Text Material for elementary children, Born to Make a Difference: If My Hands Can Sing Vol. 1, and Choral Conducting Exercise Techniques. Her research on piano pedagogy, Practice Before Theory, was published in The Silliman Journal (Vol. 53, No. 1, Jan-June 2012). A Paining “Susan’s Symphony”  is published in the Journal of Art and Aesthetics in Nursing and Health Sciences, Florida State University Vol. 1, No.1 Fall 2013 . Her  latest publications include a children’s book on music therapy entitled Julia and the Music of the Light and her research entitled “Why Do I Do What I Do? And For What and For Whom?: An Autoethnography of a Music Educator-Adult Learner” appears in the Philippine Social Science Journal (SSN 2672-3107 (print) ISSN 2704-288X (online) . Elizabeth is also a talented visual artist, with an eye for creativity that extends beyond music and into the world of fine art. Her works reflect her versatility and passion for expression.

As a  pianist, Elizabeth has a profound understanding of music, allowing her to communicate the beauty of melody and harmony in various forms. Her students continue this legacy as they teach and perform  all over the world. Ricardo Abapo, Jr. one of her students is a  Gold Medalist in the Grand Maestro International Piano Competition in Toronto, First Prize in the 21st Century Talents Keyboard Competition in Ottawa, and First Prize in the First Tiziano Rossetti International Piano Competition in Lugano, Switzerland. Elizabeth’s mastery of the piano complements her work as a choral conductor, where the fusion of her piano skills enhances her approach to music direction.

Elizabeth Susan as an administrator for more than thirty years uses her strong organizational and leadership abilities to ensure the success of her projects and initiatives. With a commitment to excellence in all she does, she continues to inspire and positively impact the lives of those around her, leaving an enduring legacy in the fields of education, music, art, and more. Overall, Elizabeth Susan has devoted her life to music in roles as a teacher, administrator, and performer. Her primary focus  on viewing her work is that it is a space where discipline is instilled, harmony is reached, and a sensitivity to others is nurtured. It serves as a place where diverse creative personalities unite through music, creating a collective energy that inspires individuals to explore and share their artistic expression.I