The 18th Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition
Opening Gala
Kevin Chen and Yukine Kuroki
Photos by Yoel Levy
In Search of Lost Time – Arthur Rubinstein’s Last Concerts
Program
Kevin Chen & Yukine Kuroki
Chopin
Rondo for Two Pianos in C Major, Op. posth. 73
Yukine Kuroki
Mozart
Rondo K.511
Debussy
Prélude (from “Pour le piano”, No. 1)
Chopin
- Nocturne Op. 9, No. 3 in B Major
- Nocturne, Op. 15, No.2 in F-sharp Major
- Scherzo No. 3, Op. 39 in C-sharp Minor
Intermission
Kevin Chen
Debussy
La plus que lente – Valse
Mendelssohn
Spinnerlied (from Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 67)
Chopin
- Étude, Op. 25, No. 5 in E Minor
- Étude, Op. 10, No. 4 in C-sharp Minor
- Waltz, Op. 64, No. 2 in C-sharp Minor
- Polonaise in A-flat Major ‘Heroique’, Op. 53
- Ballade No. 4 in F Minor, Op. 52
Kevin Chen & Yukine Kuroki
Rachmaninov
Suite for two pianos, Op. 5
Kevin Chen
Canadian pianist Kevin Chen began his musical studies at age five and quickly attracted national attention, winning the Canadian Music Competition at eight. Before turning ten, he was recognized by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation as one of its “Top 30 Hot Canadian Classical Musicians Under 30”. He was featured in Maclean’s magazine as one of “100 Remarkable Canadians.”
Chen has since established an impressive international profile, winning first prize in several major competitions, including the Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition (2023), Concours de Genève (2022), the Franz Liszt International Piano Competition in Budapest (2021), the Hilton Head International Piano Competition (2020), and the International Piano-e-Competition in Minneapolis (2019).
He has performed at leading venues including Carnegie Hall in New York, St. John’s Smith Square in London, and the National Concert Hall in Taipei. He has appeared at festivals such as La Roque d’Anthéron, the Duszniki-Zdrój International Chopin Festival, Chopin and His Europe in Warsaw, and the Oxford Piano Festival.
Since his orchestral debut at age seven, Chen has collaborated with numerous ensembles, including the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, National Arts Center Orchestra, Taipei Symphony Orchestra, Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, and the Hungarian National Orchestra.
As of October 2023, he studies at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover with Professor Arie Vardi.
Yukine Kuroki
Japanese pianist Yukine Kuroki has quickly gained international recognition through a series of major competition wins. She took first place at the Liszt Utrecht Competition (2022), the Dublin International Piano Competition (2022), and earned third prize at the Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition in Tel Aviv (2023).
Between 2015 and 2020, she earned numerous additional awards and has since built an active international performance career. Her recent and upcoming engagements include appearances at Carnegie Hall and the Concertgebouw, as well as performances across Europe, North America, and Asia.
Kuroki has worked with leading orchestras, including the Holland Radio Philharmonic, the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, the Israel Philharmonic, the Lithuanian National Symphony, the Polish Silesian Philharmonic, and several major orchestras in Japan and Asia.
She recently completed her master’s degree at the Showa Graduate School of Music under Fumiko Eguchi.
Her recordings, ‘Christmas with Yukine’ and ‘Live at Liszt Utrecht,’ are available on all major streaming platforms, and her performances from the Rubinstein Competition can be viewed on YouTube.
Critics have praised her for her polished artistry and outstanding technical mastery.
“A true poet at the piano, capable of moving listeners with a single note” – Janina Fialkowska
