The 7th NTD International Piano Competition (NIPC) is held at Kaufman Music Center in New York from Oct. 14 to Oct. 19. Pianists from Europe, Asia, and America meet in a united calling to revive the glory of classical music. Ten made it to the semi-finals, and Five advanced as finalists.

from Germany, As a winner of numerous national and international youth competitions, Robert Neumann (born 2001) was awarded with the International Classic Music Discovery Award 2017. He was described as “an exceptional gift”, “one of the most promising piano talents”. Robert was a guest at the Festival “Moscow meets Friends” 2013, Festival of Bad Kissingen (Kissinger Sommer), Schwetzingen Festival, Gstaad Menuhin Festival, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival, Schleswig-Holstein-Festival, Mosel Festival, Lucerne Festival, Interlaken Classics Bern, SOLsberg Hochrhein Musikfestival and Classical Bridge Festival NY.

from Taiwan, from a young age, Shih-Yeh LU actively participated in numerous music competitions, excelling in piano and also mastering the recorder. In 2019, he won the “Outstanding Performance Award” and “Best Interpretation of the Set Piece” at the NTD International Piano Competition in New York. During his time in Vienna, he performed in a variety of musical events, including the “Stars of Tomorrow” concert series organized by the Austrian Performers Association (OESTIG). He also showcased works by local composers such as Leopold Grossmann (2020), Heinrich Strecker, Heinz Neubrand (2021), Felix Albini, and Ernst Arnold (2022) at the Beethoven Museum in Vienna. Lu has extensive experience in vocal collaboration and improvisation.

Young pianist Francis Lien is a remarkable talent in multiple areas of music. Beyond his skill in piano performance, he excels in chamber music, concerto collaboration, and recording engineering. He is also a composer, having performed his original “Piano Suite” at his 2022 bachelor’s graduation concert.

from Taiwan, he currently earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the Peabody Institute as a recipient of the Richard Franko Goldman Prize in Performance under the tutelage of Alexander Shtarkman in 2024.

from Canada, Named one of the “30 hot Canadian classical musicians under 30” by CBC Music in 2020, it was said of pianist Jean-Luc Therrien that he “… was able to stand out through his frank playing, … not hesitating to go off the beaten track to reveal to us his personal reading of certain passages. A very refreshing performance. » (La Scena Musicale)