2024 San Francisco International Piano Competition Prize Winners

Congratulations on this remarkable achievement!

Professional Artist (Age 19-32)

Pianist Yi-Chen Feng is the recipient of numerous prizes from competitions such as the New York Liszt International Piano Competition, the Grand Canal International Piano Art Festival, the San Jose International Piano Competition, and the Virginia Waring International Piano Competition. Feng made his Carnegie debut in 2022, performing Liszt Piano Concerto No. 1 with Orchestra of St. Luke’s at the Stern Auditorium. He is the top prize winner of the first International Maestro Piano Competition in Taiwan, earning concert engagements and a record deal with the Universal Music Group label for the 2021-2022 season. Originally from Taiwan, Feng began his piano studies at the age of seven. He earned his Bachelor’s degree at the Peabody Conservatory, Master of Music and Artist Diploma degree at the Yale School of Music where he studied with Boris Slutsky. Feng is currently pursuing his Artist Diploma at the San Francisco Conservatory under the tutelage of Yoshikazu Nagai.

Yi-Chen Feng

Pianist Che Li has been an active performer in both the United States and China. In 2016, he performed the Grieg Piano Concerto with the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra in Shanghai (China). In 2019, he performed Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Santa Monica Symphony Orchestra at the Colburn Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles, California. In 2023, Che Li performed the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No.1 with the Mercury Orchestra at the New England Conservatory (Boston, Massachusetts). Che Li is recently declared winner of the 2023 Fou Ts’ong International Concerto Competition. He won first place in the National Youth Piano Open Competition at Shanghai Conservatory of Music and second place in the German Grotrian Competition in China. He is also a prize winner of Irmler International Piano Competition in Qingdao, China, the Xinghai National Piano Competition, and the Shenzhen Piano Competition. At age 12, he was accepted into the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Professor Yunlin Yang. He is a recent (2023) graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music where he studied with HaeSun Paik. He is now pursuing a master’s degree with Alexander Korsantia at the New England Conservatory.

Che Li

Charismatic and popular with audiences in recital and concerto settings, Huiping Cai is an engaging pianist renowned for her lyricism, musicality, and formidable technique. After winning First Prize, Best Concerto Award, and Best Recital Award at the 2017 Philadelphia International Piano Competition, she also won first prizes at the 2018 Miami Music Festival Piano Concerto Competition, the 2019 Chopin International Piano Competition in Hartford, CT, the 2022 Los Angeles International Liszt Competition, and the 2023 New York Franz Liszt International Piano Competition. Ms. Cai made her Carnegie Hall debut at Weill Recital Hall and Stern Auditorium Perelman Stage with Orchestra of St. Luke’s in 2023. As a soloist, Huiping has performed across the United States and worldwide including Mexico, Russia, Kazakhstan, and her home country, China. She performed piano concertos with Evergreen Symphony Orchestra, Hong Kong VTC Symphony Orchestra, Jalisco Philharmonic Orchestra, Kazakhstan National Symphony Orchestra, Miami Music Festival Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra, and Temple University Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Cai received her MM in Piano Performance from New England Conservatory where she studied with Dang Thai Son and held a Teaching Assistantship. Huiping is currently pursuing her DMA in Piano Performance & Literature under the tutelage of Alan Chow at the Eastman School of Music, alongside with a MM in Piano Accompanying & Chamber Music.