The 8th NTD International Piano Competition (NIPC) was held in New York City from Sept. 2 to Sept. 5. Pianists from Europe, Asia, and America came together with a shared calling to revive the glory of classical music.

Russian pianist Vitalii Khairutdinov studied at the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory and is currently pursuing a doctoral degree at Temple University under Dr. Sara Davis Buechner. His honors include two gold medals at the Youth Delphic Games of Russia and First Prize in the 2026 MTNA National Piano Competition’s Young Artist Division.

Polish pianist Elżbieta Bilicka is pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the CUNY Graduate Center. She previously studied with Olga Kern at the Manhattan School of Music and Nelson Goerner in Geneva. Her honors include first prizes at international competitions in Northern Ireland, Malaysia, and South Korea.

Taiwanese pianist Francis Lien studied at Tainan National University of the Arts and the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music, where he received the Newman Fellowship. His honors include Second Place in the 2026 MTNA Young Artist Piano Competition and First Prize at the Singapore International Classical Piano Competition. He also received the Bronze Award at the 2024 NTD International Piano Competition.

Vietnamese pianist Khoi Luu graduated summa cum laude from Boston Conservatory at Berklee, where he is pursuing a Master of Music degree. His honors include First Prize at the 2026 H. Wilfred Churchill Scholarship Competition and Second Prize at the 2019 Chopin International Competition in Bangkok. He has also performed as a soloist with the Hanoi Philharmonic Orchestra.

Taiwanese pianist Ching-Yi Lin earned his master’s and doctoral degrees from the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University. His honors include first prizes at the Beethoven International Piano Competition in Singapore and the Taipei Taiwan International Piano Competition. He also received the Outstanding Performance Award at the 2024 NTD International Piano Competition.

American pianist Joseph Gallwas studies at Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music. His honors include First Prize in the 2025 DuPage Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Auditions and winning the Senior Division of the 2025 O’Malley Foundation National Concerto Competition. He was also a finalist in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s 2025 Crain-Maling Foundation Young Artists Competition.

Chinese pianist Pusheng Wang graduated from the Eastman School of Music and is pursuing a master’s degree at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. A Juilliard Pre-College alumnus, he won the 2019 Juilliard Concerto Competition and performed Liszt’s Totentanz with the Juilliard Orchestra.