[NEohioPAL] Support an artist: fund raising for a pianist

[Johnny Wu]

FYI, a talented pianist is in neef of help from our community, if you are
interested to donate and support him, please contact OCAGC (just reply) for
more information.

SUMMARY: An extremely talented pianist, Yunjie Chen, needs your help so he
can study at the Cleveland Institute of Music. His teacher, renowned pianist
Antonio Pompa-Baldi at CIM, contacted us and sought support from the local
community on behalf of Yunjie. We have so far raised $2K but we need to
raise another $18K. 

Yunjie is from a poor family in China and he has been studying in U.S. the
past few years, making ends meet by his winnings from competition,
scholarships, and taking out loans. He will be attending CIM in Fall 2010
for his final degree: Artist Diploma, with a top scholarship from CIM. But
it doesn't cover the entire cost, leaving him about $20K short. He needs our
help to get over this final hump before embarking on his promising career.

Talent wise, Yunjie Chen has been occasionally compared to the famous
pianist Lang Lang. He has garnered praise and top honors for his skill and
musicality ever since he won First Prize in China's National Piano
Competition at the age of twelve. Since then, he has performed to great
acclaim throughout his native China and internationally, including a
performance with the SBS Television and Radio Youth Orchestra at the Sydney
Opera House in Australia. 

As a Young Concert Artists winner, Chen made his Washington DC debut at the
Kennedy Center, his New York debut at the 92nd Street Y, and his Boston
debut at the Isabella Stewart 
Gardner Museum during the 2001-2002 seasons. He has given recitals
throughout China, has performed Beethoven Piano Concerto No.1 with the
Shanghai Opera Symphony Orchestra and No.2 with the China center symphony
Orchestra ,has traveled to Hong Kong to perform, and has appeared as soloist
with the SBS Television and Radio Youth Orchestra at the Sydney Opera House
in Australia. Recent concerts in the U.S. with orchestra include the Liszt
Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Paducah (KY) Symphony and the Mozart Piano
Concerto No. 20 with the Fort Smith Symphony. Chen gave recitals for the JCC
of Greater Washington and at Southwest Missouri State University. He gave a
concert tour in Austria and Germany presented by the KAWAI Company. In 2008
he was invited by the U.S. Ambassador in Beijing, Clark Randt Jr., to give a
recital at the U.S. Embassy. 

Chen won top prizes at the International Piano Competition of China, the
Ettlingen International Competition in Germany and the Maurice M. Clairmont
Piano Prize of Young Concert Artists. He was a finalist in Busoni
competition, one of the top 6 of the Santander competition and he
participated in the Van Cliburn competition. Chen won the third prize in the
world piano competition in Cincinnati, OH and was a also a medalist in the
Hilton Head international piano competition 

Recently, Chen won First Prize at the 2009 International Russian music
Competition in San Jose, California, and 4th Prize at the 2009 Marguerite
Long  International Piano Competition, where he earned the Prix Serge Arend
for the best Interpretation of a work by Mozart, and the Prix Germaine
Mounier for the best Interpretation of a work by Chopin