gene Marcus Piano competition

First-round auditions: Saturday, January 24, and Sunday, January 25, 2026 (or by video submission)

Final round: Sunday, February 8, 2026

Application deadline: Thursday, January 8, 2026

Winners Recital and Awards Ceremony: Sunday, February 8, 2026, 6:30 p.m.

A. Eligibility

• The competition is open to all precollege piano students, ages 18 and under as of February 8, 2026, who reside within 100 miles of Fort Wayne.
• All applicants must have been studying with their current teachers for at least six of the nine consecutive months immediately before February 8, 2026.
• Previous first-prize winners may not reenter at the same division and may enter at a higher division only if age requirements are met.
• Contestants in all divisions must pass the first-round auditions to compete in the final round of the competition.

B. General Rules for All Divisions and Repertoire Requirements

• All performances are to be from memory and must stay within the following time guidelines:
  • Elementary Division (ages 9 and under): 5 minutes
  • Intermediate Division (ages 10–12): 8 minutes
  • Junior Division (ages 13–15): 12 minutes
  • Senior Division (ages 16–18): 15 minutes
  • (Note that minutes indicated are the maximum overall performance time, inclusive of repeats. However, time between pieces will not count. The jury reserves the right to stop a performance if it exceeds the time limit for the respective division. While no minimum performance time is required, the chosen program must be representative for its age division and demonstrate variety of style, tempo, and character.)
• Repertoire previously performed in this competition may not be repeated by the same contestant.
• Only complete, unabridged solo piano works in the original form and key will be accepted; no concertos or arrangements may be used. Individual movements of multimovement works that can be performed as musical units are permitted. Repeats are left to the discretion of the entrant/teacher, but cuts are not permitted.  
• For all divisions, contestants are to perform two or more contrasting works from two or more of the following musical periods:
  • Baroque and earlier
  • Classical
  • Romantic
  • Impressionistic
  • 20th/21st Century
• First-round auditions will take place on Saturday, January 24, or Sunday, January 25, 2026. Contestants may choose to perform their program at that time (individual times will be assigned on one of the two dates) or may submit a video recording of their competition program for review, to be received no later than Wednesday, January 21, 2026. Video recordings must be submitted via YouTube or other online link (see application form for further details). Results of the first-round auditions will be sent via email by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, January 27, 2026. Those selected to compete in the final round will perform on Sunday, February 8, 2026. All live performances will take place at the Purdue University Fort Wayne Music Center.
• Contestants may perform their program in their preferred order; the same program presented at the first-round auditions must be performed in the final round.

C. Application Fees

• Fees for each division:
  • Elementary: $25
  • Intermediate: $30
  • Junior: $35
  • Senior: $40

D. Additional Regulations

• Once an application is submitted, students, teachers, and parents agree to abide by the rules and regulations as stated on this website. Failure to comply will result in disqualification and will make the entrant ineligible to receive any recognition or monetary award.
• Contact us at [email protected] prior to submission of the application with any questions regarding the appropriateness of chosen repertoire. No repertoire changes will be permitted once the application is submitted. Teachers are requested to verify that the repertoire is listed correctly before submission of the application.
• Late applications will not be considered.
• The Competition Committee will determine all schedules. It is the responsibility of the entrant to be available for the published dates of the competition.
• By entering this competition, you agree to abide by all Federal Copyright Laws.  For live rounds, entrants are to provide to the competition jury a single hard copy score (original preferred) for each work to be performed.  Photocopies are strongly discouraged but may be used, if necessary, provided they are legal. Measures are to be numbered at the beginning of each system. If submitting a video for first-round auditions, entrants must submit scanned scores for all pieces. Each piece should be submitted as one file and measures must be numbered at the beginning of each system.
• Applicants may not reveal their names or their teachers’ names to the Final Round Adjudication Panel until winners are announced. Students of final-round judges may not enter the competition.
• The jury reserves the right to declare no winner, or fewer than three winners, in any division as it deems appropriate. The jury’s decision is final and may not be challenged by anyone, including the Competition Committee.
• First, second, and third place winners are required to perform at the winners recital on Sunday, February 8, at 6:30 p.m. in order to receive their prizes and monetary awards.
• Competition performances, including the winners recital, are open to the public.
• Photography is not permitted during performances.
• The final round of the competition may be recorded and videotaped for broadcast, video or audio recording use. It is anticipated that the winners recital will be made available on the internet. In addition, camera crews may photograph all competition events. Neither the Purdue University Fort Wayne Gene Marcus Piano Competition nor its assignees or licensees may be held liable for any payments to pianists arising out of materials derived from competition performances. Applicants are required to sign a release form yielding all rights on such materials.

The application is due Thursday, January 8, 2026. 
All communications will be sent to the email address you use to submit application.

1. Complete the application.
Click here to access application.

2. Pay the application fee* for your competition division
*Fees are non-refundable.

Pay Elementary Fee: $25
Pay Intermediate Fee: $30
Pay Junior Fee: $35
Pay Senior Fee: $40

3. Compete in first-round auditions
If you selected live performance for the first-round auditions and paid the fee, your application is complete. 

If you selected video submission for the first-round auditions, your application will be complete once you pay the fee and submit your video links and scanned music in another online form. The link to that form will be sent to you and can also be found here.

Application Deadline
Thursday, January 8, 2026

First-Round Auditions
Saturday, January 24, and Sunday, January 25, 2026 (times to be assigned in one of those days; contestants will be able to indicate conflicts they may have on these days in the application form) or by video submission. See application for more details on either option.

Final Round
Sunday, February 8, 2026
The competition final round typically runs approximately from 9:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. The schedule will be determined according to the number of finalists in each division.

Winners Recital
Sunday, February 8, 2026, 6:30 p.m.

First Round Judges

The competition first round is adjudicated by Purdue University Fort Wayne piano faculty. All contestants will receive written feedback from each adjudicator, to be sent by email following the first round auditions.

Since his debut with the São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra (OSESP), pianist Hamilton Tescarollo has performed as both soloist and collaborative artist in the United States, Canada, Europe, and South America. Recent performances have taken him to concert venues in Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Croatia, France, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and multiple US states. He has appeared in international music festivals such as Orford (Canada), Eleazar de Carvalho (Fortaleza, Brazil), Cascais (Portugal), Saarburg (Germany), Bratislava (Slovakia), and Ljubljana Old Town (Slovenia). In March 2016, he performed George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue at Carnegie Hall’s Isaac Stern Auditorium. A versatile musician who performs both the mainstream and the avant-garde repertory, he frequently includes the music of Brazil and other Latin-American countries in his programs.

Also an active recording artist, he is featured in three published CD’s. With clarinetist Jorge Montilla (Professor of Clarinet at The University of Iowa and former Principal Clarinet of the Simon Bolivar Orchestra in Venezuela), he recorded the CD “La Revoltosa,” featuring contemporary works by composers of both North and South America for clarinet and piano (Clarinet Classics). He also appears in two CDs with Purdue Fort Wayne colleague Farrell Vernon (Centaur Records), containing works for sopranino saxophone and piano as well as larger ensembles involving these two instruments.

Tescarollo was awarded the top prizes at the OSESP Young Soloists’ National Competition and the Escola Municipal de Música de São Paulo’s piano competition and was one of three finalists at the 1991 National Mozart Competition in Brazil. Other distinctions include sponsorships by the Secretary of Culture of the State of São Paulo, the Vitae Foundation, the Arizona Community Foundation, and Arizona State University. A dedicated teacher, he received “Teacher of the Year” awards from the Indiana Music Teachers Association (2015) and the Schimmel-AZ Piano Young Artist Piano Competition (2001), as well as the “Top Music Teacher” award from Steinway & Sons (2016 and 2017). His own students have been prizewinners of many piano contests, including the Phoenix Symphony Guild Concerto Competition, Indianapolis Symphony Young Musicians Competition, Sewannee Summer Music Center Concerto Competition, Indiana Hoosier Auditions, and MTNA Competitions, among others. They also have been awarded numerous scholarships and grants to attend summer programs, such as Interlochen, Brevard, Idylwild, Adamant, Sewannee, and Saarburg (Germany), and have been accepted for graduate study at prestigious institutions such as the Manhattan School of Music, Peabody Institute, and the University of Michigan.
Tescarollo serves as Professor of Music and Director of Keyboard Studies at Purdue University Fort Wayne. In this capacity, he teaches applied piano and piano-related courses and coordinates the keyboard area. He also teaches both young and professional pianists through the PFW Community Arts Academy and serves as piano faculty at the Interlochen Arts Camp in the summer. He has previously held teaching positions at Faculdade Santa Marcelina, The Municipal School of Music of São Paulo, and Arizona State University, and has also taught at the Saarburg Serenaden International Music Festival in Germany. In addition, he directs the Gene Marcus Piano Competition and Gene Marcus Piano Camp and Festival, presents piano master classes both nationally and internationally, and is a frequent lecturer and competition adjudicator.
Dr. Tescarollo holds Piano Performance degrees from Arizona State University (D.M.A. and M.M.), Faculdade Santa Marcelina (B.M.), and Escola Municipal de Música de São Paulo (Diploma). His main teachers were Gilberto Tinetti (a pupil of Tagliaferro, Cortot, and Wuehrer) and Caio Pagano (also a pupil of Tagliaferro, as well as of Conrad Hansen and Carl Engel). He has also studied with Robert Hamilton, Sandra Abrão and Paulo Bergamo, and has coached with Menahem Pressler, Paul Badura-Skoda, Lazar Berman, Barbara Hesse-Bukowska, and Maria João Pires, among others.

Education
D.M.A. Arizona State University
M.M. Arizona State University
B.M. Faculdade Santa Marcelina

Dr. Jonathan Young is an active pianist, composer, teacher, conductor, and accompanist. He earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in piano performance at the University of Kansas, studying with Dr. Steven Spooner. Career highlights include advancing to the final round of the American Prize for Solo Piano - Professional Division in 2021, the establishment of the American Liszt Society's Northern Indiana Chapter, working as coach/accompanist at Opera in the Ozarks in Summer 2018, attending the Bel Canto Summer Academy in Germany as a collaborative pianist in 2016, and performing solo piano at Haydn’s Esterhazy Palace in Austria through the Classical Music Festival in 2013. In concerto performances, Dr. Young has performed Mozart's Piano Concerto in C Minor with the Wheaton College Symphony Orchestra and Mozart's Piano Concerto in D Minor with the Inspiration Point Fine Arts Colony Orchestra. He is an avid performer of chamber music, vocal, instrumental, and choral music. Dr. Young received his master’s degree from University of Missouri Kansas City with Dr. Robert Weirich and bachelor’s degree from Wheaton College with Dr. Karin Redekopp Edwards. He also served as vice president of KU’s Collegiate Chapter of MTNA, and reviews books for the American Music Teacher magazine. Jonathan currently serves as Lecturer of Piano at Purdue University - Fort Wayne and maintains an active piano studio at the Community Arts Academy.

Education
B.M. Wheaton College
M.M. University of Missouri
D.M.A. University of Kansas

Final Round Judges

The competition final round is adjudicated by a panel of nationally and internationally renowned pianists and teachers. All finalists will receive written feedback from each adjudicator immediately following the conclusion of their respective division. Visit the competition archives page for listings of previous years’ judges.

A native of Belgium, Evelyne Brancart is recognized as one of the preeminent pianists of her generation, having been awarded prizes in four international piano competitions: Gina Bachauer-United States, Montreal-Canada, Viotti-Italy and the Queen Elisabeth in Belgium. She has additionally received international critical acclaim, and broad peer and public recognition from solo engagements with orchestra (including the National Orchestra of Belgium and the BBC Symphony Orchestra) and recitals in New York and London; and throughout Europe and the United States.

With artistry rooted in 19th century practices, Ms. Brancart background includes 10 years of work with Spanish master, Eduardo del Pueyo, a student of Liszt disciple of Marie Jaëll, as well as later studies with Maria Curcio, Leon Fleisher and Menahem Pressler. Ms. Brancart was the youngest musician ever to be invited to study in the Chapelle Musicale de la Reine Elisabeth and was later awarded the gold medal from the Belgian Government.

Noted as a musical collaborator and pedagogue as well as soloist, Ms. Brancart was Professor of Piano at the Jacobs School of Music (Indiana University) for 32 years where she served as piano department chair for ten years. Along with seminars “The Hand as a Source of Inspiration" (On the Chopin Etudes) and "Deconstruction for Reconstruction" (Reflections on J.S. Bach), Ms. Brancart has given Master Classes worldwide (more recently in Argentina and Chile). She is a regular guest at the Orford Music Academy and Festival in Canada where in the summer of 2026 she will be presenting a weeklong workshop “Art of piano: Chopin Etudes”. She has impacted many emerging pianists, many of whom have achieved significant careers as performers (including Jeremy Denk and Jonathan Biss) and university/conservatory level teachers.

Performances as a collaborative artist have taken Ms. Brancart across North America and internationally. Ensemble partners include the Cleveland, Pacifica and Orion String Quartets and many prominent instrumental artists. She has been invited as a judge for competitions including the Queen Elisabeth Piano Competition and International Piano Competition André Dumortier (Belgium), International Piano Competition Maria Clara Cullell (Costa Rica) and Fischoff Chamber Music Competition (United States).

Along with her live recording of Chopin 24 Etudes, accompanied by 24 original cooking recipes (released by Delos), Ms. Brancart’s discography includes the Brahms-Paganini Variations and Liszt-Paganini Etudes (Koch Discover), a live Mozart concerto release by Deutsche Grammophon, and recordings on the Decca, Teldec and Telefuncken labels. Indiana MTA honored Miss Brancart as 2024 Teacher of the Year.

Diplome Superieur, Brussels Conservatory, 1978
Premier Prix, Brussels Conservatory, 1968

Pianist Christopher Harding maintains an international presence as a noted teacher and performer. He has given solo, concerto, and chamber music performances in venues as far flung as the Kennedy Center and Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., the IBK and Recital Halls of the Seoul Art Center, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, the National Theater Concert Hall in Taipei, the Jack Singer Concert Hall in Calgary, and halls and festival appearances in Newfoundland, Israel, Italy, Romania, Russia, and China. His concerto performances have included concerts with the National Symphony and the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestras, the San Angelo and Santa Barbara Symphonies, and the Tokyo City Philharmonic, working with such conductors as Andrew Sewell, Eric Zhou, Taijiro Iimori, Gisele Ben-Dor, Fabio Machetti, Randall Craig Fleisher, John DeMain, Ron Spiegelman, Daniel Alcott, and Darryl One, among others.
 
Mr. Harding’s chamber music and duo collaborations have included internationally renowned artists such as clarinetist Karl Leister, flautist Andras Adorjan, and members of the St. Lawrence and Ying String Quartets, in addition to frequent projects with his distinguished faculty colleagues at the University of Michigan. He has recorded solo and chamber music CDs for the Equilibrium and Brevard Classics labels. He has additionally edited and published critical editions and recordings of works by Claude Debussy (Children's Corner, Suite Bergamasque, the Arabesques and shorter works) and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Viennese Sonatinas) for the Schirmer Performance Editions published by Hal Leonard.
 
Professor Harding has presented master classes and lecture recitals in universities across the United States and Asia, as well as in Israel and Canada. He is a Permanent Guest Professor at the Sichuan Conservatory in Chengdu, China, where he holds the privilege of presenting yearly masterclasses; he has additionally served as a Fulbright Senior Specialist at the both the Sichuan Conservatory (2008) and Seoul National University (2011). While teaching at SNU, he simultaneously held a Special Chair in Piano at Ewha Womans' University. He has taught masterclasses and performed lecture recitals at all the major universities and schools of music in South Korea.
 
In addition to serving as Chair of Piano and teaching undergraduate and graduate piano performance and chamber music at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance, Mr. Harding also serves on the faculty of the Sicily International Piano Festival and is a frequent guest artist and teacher at the Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival in Tampa, Florida. 
 
Harding was born of American parents in Munich, Germany and raised in Northern Virginia. His collegiate studies were with Menahem Pressler and Nelita True. Prior to college, he worked for 10 years with Milton Kidd at the American University Department of Performing Arts Preparatory Division, where he was trained in the traditions of Tobias Matthay. He has taken 25 first prizes in national and international competitions and in 1999 was awarded the special "Mozart Prize" at the Cleveland International Piano Competition, given for the best performance of a composition by Mozart. 

B.M. and Performer’s Certificate, Eastman School of Music
M.M. Performer’s Certificate, and Artist Diploma, Indiana University
 
Pianist Hyeseon Jin (D.M.) was born in Seoul, South Korea, and graduated from Seoul National University with honors on a full scholarship supported by the Ilju Academy and Culture Foundation. She earned her Master’s Degree and Performer Diploma in Piano Performance from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, where she also completed a Doctor of Music degree in Music Literature and Piano Performance, with two minors in Music Theory and Arts Administration. During her studies, she received full scholarships with a stipend.

Jin is actively performing as a soloist and collaborative pianist, maintaining a regular concert schedule. She has given numerous recitals domestically and internationally at venues such as Anderson University, DePauw University, Northern Virginia Community College, Murray State University, Porto Pianofest, Gijon International Piano Festival, the Kennedy Center, Ruthmere Museum, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Seoul Arts Center, Sejong Performing Arts Center, Kumho Arts Hall, Yongsan Art Hall, Seongnam Art Center Concert Hall, and Ilshin Arts Hall. She is scheduled to perform at the Liszt Academy in Budapest, Hungary. She has performed with the Jacobs School of Music Student Orchestra, the Seoul Sejong Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Ukraine Radio Symphony Orchestra.
Jin has won over a dozen top prizes in national and international music competitions, including the Franz Liszt International Piano Competition, the LA International Liszt Competition, the Indianapolis Matinee Musicale Competition, the Robert B. Beardsley Piano Prize Competition, the Southern Illinois Young Artist Organization Competition, the Kirov International Music Festival Competition, the Manhattan International Music Competition, the Millersville Keyboard International Piano Competition, the Segye Times Piano Competition (South Korea), the Asia International Chopin Competition (Japan), the Kurume International J.S. Bach Music Competition (Japan), and the Moscow International Chopin Competition (Russia). She is also a recipient of the Alan Walker Budapest Award, the American Liszt Society Award, and the Réka Darida Foundation Education Prize.

Jin has extensive teaching experience with students of all ages. Previously, she served as an Associate Instructor in the Secondary Piano Department at Indiana University, teaching both non-music majors and music students at the undergraduate and graduate levels. She also worked as a Piano Instructor in the Pre-College and Adult Music Program at the University of Indianapolis, where she taught adult students, including those over the age of 70.

Currently, Jin serves as Adjunct Professor at Anderson University, Founder and Director of Indiana University’s Blossom Piano Camp, Faculty at IU’s Young Pianists Program, Chair of Hoosier Auditions (IMTA), and Chair of the National Society of Arts and Letters Instrumental Competition. In addition, she teaches at the Palmetto International Piano Festival and the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp.

B.M. Seoul National University

M.M. Indiana University

D.M. Indiana University

Solungga Liu has earned acclaim as a pianist of remarkable breadth, celebrated for her advocacy of early twentieth-Century American music, underrepresented works in the classical repertoire, and her interpretation of contemporary compositions. Her discography is both wide-ranging and extensive. Liu’s 2017 debut at the Library of Congress was praised for its “rhythmic precision, expression and a finely calibrated sense of balance between all of the moving parts.” There she performed a solo recital of works by Charles Griffes, Amy Beach and César Franck, a concert tailored to her strengths and uniquely composed of music from the Library’s manuscript collection. 

Hailed as “the best interpreter of Charles Griffes”, the American Record Guide described her recording “The Pleasure-Dome of Kubla Khan: Piano Works of Charles Tomlinson Griffes” for Centaur Records, as having, “excellent sound, sensitivity and beguiling color”. This recording led to the special request by the Library of Congress that she premiere Griffes’s 1915 piano transcription of Debussy’s Les parfums de la nuit from his orchestral work Iberia, once thought lost by Griffes’s biographers. About this world premiere, the Washington Classical Review wrote, “The piece retained an orchestral spectrum of colors in Liu’s hands. She served as the knowing conductor—the glue that held it all together while still allowing the transcription to shine through on its own merits”. 

A dedicated performer of new music, Liu has had numerous premieres and recordings of contemporary works to her credit and has collaborated with many composers of our time, among them Stephen Hartke, Steve Reich, Paola Prestini, Jeffrey Mumford, Eric Moe, and Aaron Jay Kernis. Highlights of her performances include Lutosławski’s Piano Concerto with OSSIA, Steve Reich’s The Desert Music and Tehillim with Alarm Will Sound, Aaron Travers’s Concierto de Milonga, written for her and the Indiana University New Music Ensemble, and Gregory Mertl’s Piano Concerto, commissioned by the Barlow Endowment for her, conductor Craig Kirchhoff and the University of Minnesota Wind Ensemble. Liu enjoys an active career across five continents and has collaborated with the National Theater Symphony Orchestra of Brazil, the National Institute of Health’s Philharmonia in Washington D.C., the Taipei Metropolitan Orchestra, and the Toledo Symphony Orchestra/Choral Society. She has performed solo and chamber concerts at venues such as Carnegie Hall, The National Concert Hall in Taiwan, the Goethe Center in Bangkok, the Brazilian National Museum of Sculpture (MUBE) in São Paulo, and the Cultural Center of Braśilia, where she presented a series of solo recitals for the public as well as for members of the Cabinet and the Supreme Labor Court of Brazil. In addition to her dedication to students at BGSU, Liu is a sought-after Artist Teacher at major international festivals and competitions, among them the Sicily International Piano Festival and Competition, the Lied Center for Performing Arts Summer Piano Academy, the Eastman School of Music Summer Piano Festival, the Atlantic Music Festival, Thailand International Mozart Competition, the Piano Plus International Piano Festival in Greece, and the Global Summer Institute of Music in Bad Vöslau, Austria. 

Liu holds a doctoral degree in piano performance from the Eastman School of Music where she studied with Alan Feinberg, Douglas Humpherys and Elizabeth DiFelice. 

BM: National Taiwan Normal University 
MM: Eastman School of Music 
DMA: Eastman School of Music

A native of Minnesota, pianist Dr. Luke Norell has concertized internationally as soloist and chamber musician, and frequently performs with his wife Mary Rose as the Norell Piano Duo. They recently performed Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite for two pianos on the Ruthmere Two-Piano Concert Series as well as Poulenc's Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra with the Maple City Community Orchestra. Luke has frequently soloed with the MCCO, as well as the Southwest Minnesota Orchestra. Other notable performances have been at Edvard Grieg’s historic home at Troldhaugen, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the University of Indianapolis, and Ohio University.

Norell has also collaborated with the Artaria String Quartet, and has performed at the Universität für Musik in Vienna as part of the Chamber Music Vienna festival. His honors include first prize in the Schubert Club Competition, the University of Northwestern Concerto Competition, the Minnesota MTNA Competition, and the Third Biennial Lee Piano Competition.

Norell serves as the Lead Piano Instructor for the Goshen College Community School of the Arts, as collaborative pianist for the Goshen College Music Department, and as vice president for the Edvard Grieg Society of the Great Lakes. Norell's students have received first prizes in the Muncie Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition, the Indiana MTNA Competition, the IMTA Hoosier Auditions, and the Society of American Musicians Competition.

Norell received his B.M. degree from the University of Northwestern (St. Paul), where he was recently honored with the 2024 "Music and Theatre Hall of Recognition" award, one of the school's top alumni honors. He completed his M.M. and D.M. degrees in Piano Performance at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music with André Watts. Other principal teachers include André De Groote, Paul Wirth, Richard Lange, Daniel Rieppel, and Myrna Eppeland. Luke has also studied early keyboard instruments with Elisabeth Wright and Julieta Alvarado.

B.M. University of Northwestern, St. Paul
M.M. Indiana University
D.M. Indiana University

Tian Tian
Biography

Pianist Tian Tian began her piano training at the age of four in her native China. Upon arriving in the United States, she studied with Logan Skelton and quickly began amassing top prizes at national and international competitions. These included 2nd prize at the MTNA Baldwin Junior High school Piano Competition, 2nd prize at the Cooper International Piano Competition (Oberlin), 1st prize at the Idyllwild Arts Academy Young Artist Competition, 2nd prize at the Missouri Southern International Competition, and 3rd place at the Eastman Young Artists International Piano Competition.

Tian continued her training at the Juilliard School, where she received B.M. and M.M. degrees under the tutelage of Robert McDonald. In Fall 2011, Tian completed a D.M.A. in Piano Performance and Literature with a minor in Chamber Music and Accompanying at the Eastman School of Music where she was a student of (and served as teaching assistant to) Nelita True. Tian maintains a busy performance schedule in the U.S and abroad. She has been a guest artist at music festivals such as the 2024 Sicily Orbifold Musica Festival, Brancaleoni International Music Festival and Garth Newel Music Center. She has also appeared as a soloist with the Oakland Symphony Orchestra, Windsor Symphony and the Idyllwild Chamber Orchestra and performed with the Studzinsky Trio in the US, China and Korea. Recently, Tian has been invited to read, edit and test perform Gershwin Song arrangements by Logan Skelton.

Tian is an Associate Professor of Piano and the area coordinator at Oakland University. Prior to that, she was on the faculty of the University of Central Missouri. Her students have repeatedly performed well in competitions and festivals. Since 2008, she has returned to China annually to present concerts, lectures and masterclasses, which have earned her the title of Honorary Professor at Shandong Normal University and Yunnan Institute for the Arts (in 2008), Shaoxing Academy of the Arts (2009), Weifang Academy, Mudanjiang Teacher’s University, Ludong University, Qufu University (2010), Qingdao University (2012), and Shandong University of Technology (2015).

B.M. Julliard School
M.M. Julliard School
D.M.A. Eastman School of Music
 

ELEMENTARY DIVISION (AGES 9 AND UNDER)

First Prize: $100 award and trophy

Second Prize: $75 award and trophy

Third Prize: $50 award and trophy

INTERMEDIATE DIVISION (AGES 10–12)*

First Prize: $125 award and trophy

Second Prize: $100 award and trophy

Third Prize: $75 award and trophy

JUNIOR DIVISION (AGES 13–15)*

First Prize: $150 award and trophy

Second Prize: $125 award and trophy

Third Prize: $100 award and trophy

SENIOR DIVISION (AGES 16–18)*

First Prize: $200 award and trophy

Second Prize: $175 award and trophy

Third Prize: $150 award and trophy

*In addition, all competition finalists in grades 8 through 12 as of spring of 2026 will be offered a partial scholarship to the 2026 Gene Marcus Piano Camp and Festival.

SPECIAL AWARDS FOR THE SENIOR DIVISION

Winners in the senior division may be offered a scholarship to pursue a music degree at Purdue University Fort Wayne, contingent upon acceptance at the university.

ELIGIBILITY

Winners who are not US citizens must have a visa or immigration status that allows them to receive lawful pay in Indiana in order to receive monetary awards. See more details about eligibility. 

The Gene Marcus Piano Competition is funded in part by the Gene Marcus Endowment, which was created specifically for that purpose. The competition is also sponsored by the Purdue Fort Wayne School of Music and relies on additional contributions to make its awards possible. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, please contact us at [email protected] or 260-481-6059. Opportunities include naming one or more prizes, establishing a special prize, or contributing to the general operating budget of the competition. All donations are tax-deductible and will be recognized in the competition winners recital program (unless specified otherwise by the donor).

Wilda “Gene” Marcus (1927–2005) was a lifelong piano teacher and enthusiastic supporter of all the arts. She held several degrees, including bachelor of music in piano with honors from Indiana University, 1950; and a masters of music in piano with distinction, Indiana University, 1951. She was a public-school music teacher and later was associate faculty of piano at Indiana University Purdue University (which is now Purdue University Fort Wayne) from 1968 to 1986. She taught hundreds of piano students of all ages privately, accompanied many soloists, and was pianist in numerous ensembles throughout her 60-year career. Her extensive involvement at the Fort Wayne Civic Theater included rehearsal pianist and music director for numerous musicals. She was a former member of Morning Musical Society and patron of Fort Wayne Civic Theater. She was president of Northeast Indiana Music Teachers Association, a member of Sigma Alpha Iota (Music Honorary Society), and Patron of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic. She was given the 1994 Teacher of the Year Award by the Indiana Music Teachers Association.

Check out the archive to see past winners and judges.

VIEW ARCHIVE