13/03/2025 RNCM Chopin Prize

Dr Ji Liu combines a distinguished career as a pianist, composer, scholar and educator. As an international soloist, he has performed at venues and festivals including Royal Albert Hall and Royal Festival Hall, Carnegie Hall, Auditorium du Louvre, Royal Concertgebouw, Henley Festival, Petworth Festival, Bristol Proms, Verbier Festival, etc. At Classic FM’s 25th anniversary, Ji Liu performed for His Majesty King Charles III and other distinguished guests at the Dumfries House.

Ji Liu has worked with orchestras including the Philharmonia Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Beijing’s NCPA Orchestra, Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestra, Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra, etc. He gave world premieres of Ludovico Einaudi’s Piano Concerto Domino with RLPO and Boris Bergmann’s The Richter Scale; China premieres of Philip Glass’s Complete Piano Etudes and Frederic Rzewski’s People United Will Never Be Defeated! Variations.

As a published composer, Ji Liu has written for orchestras, chamber ensembles and solo instruments. His 18-hour Sonata Fantasy was certified as “The Longest Ever Released Instrumental Work” by the Guinness World Record. His discography encompasses repertoires from the Baroque period to the 21st century.

His research has been presented at institutions such as the University of Oxford, the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, the Orpheus Institute and the University of California.

Ji Liu studied Piano Performance with Professor Christopher Elton and Composition with Professor Ruth Byrchmore at the Royal Academy of Music. He holds a PhD in Music from King’s College London and is the recipient of the Forrest Creative and Performance Leadership Fellowship. Shanghai FM94.7 appointed him the Inaugural Music Ambassador. Since 2018, Ji Liu has served as the Head of Performance at the Kent International Piano Course. He is also a visiting professor at Shenzhen University and the Head of Keyboard Studies at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance.

Letizia Palmieri, born in 2000 in Cerignola, Italy, began studying piano at age five. She graduated with distinction and an honorable mention from the Conservatorio “Nino Rota” in Monopoli, studying with Paola Bruni and Roberto de Leonardis. Letizia previously studied with Pasquale Iannone at the Conservatorio “Niccolò Piccinni” in Bari and the “Accademia Musicale Pescarese”.

Currently, she is pursuing a Master of Performance in Piano at the RNCM, studying under Graham Scott as a recipient of an ABRSM scholarship.

She has also earned a Graduate Performance Diploma and a Professional Studies Certificate from The Boston Conservatory at Berklee, under Michael Lewin. She has won over 40 first prizes in prestigious international and national competitions, including the ‘International Competition for Young Musicians’ in Barletta and the ‘Formia International Competition’.

Pam Kijoran is a Thai pianist currently studying at the RNCM under the tutelage of Graham Scott, having previously studied with Alexandra Dariescu.

During her time so far at the RNCM, she has won the Mark Ray Piano Recital Prize, the Brodsky Chamber Prize, the Majorie Clementi Memorial Prize, and the Alexander Young Piano Prize. As the winner of the 3rd Steinway Youth Piano Competition Thailand, Pam has earned an opportunity to enter KNS Classical Label in Spain as the youngest artist with her debut album, ‘Bangkok Recital’. Pam has received masterclasses with renowned pianists such as Boris Kraljevic, Vanessa Latarche, Pascal Nemirovski, Christopher Elton and Carles Lama. As an ensemble musician, Pam is part of the Neoelysian Trio, where the group aims to explore a diverse range of genres, particularly focusing on works by recent composers.

Edward Lloyd studied at Chetham’s School of Music and is currently at the RNCM under the tutelage of Graham Scott, where he is supported by the Eric Horner Award.

Following a masterclass with Sir Stephen Hough, Edward made his concerto debut with the Oxford Festival Orchestra in the Church of St Mary the Virgin. Subsequent performances have brought him to the Bridgewater Hall, Steinway Hall, London, Stoller Hall, and most recently the Liszt Academy in Budapest.

Edward’s competition achievements include the Birmingham International Competition, the Beethoven Piano Society of Europe Competition, EPTA UK, and the Marjorie Clementi Memorial Recital Award. Edward is also involved in chamber music and has received the first prize in both the Dorothy Richardson Competition and the Alexander Young Competition for accompaniment.

Edward has been fortunate to work with distinguished artists such as Jean Efflam Bavouzet, Murray Mclachlan and Krzysztof Jabłoński. Edward is an artist in the Davison Young Musicians Foundation. Since 2024, Edward has been an awards advocate for the DYMF.