Hong Kong Preliminary Round

Robin Zebaida is an internationally acclaimed concert pianist, educator, broadcaster, and Steinway Artist with a distinguished performing career spanning more than three decades. Educated in England, he studied Music at the University of Oxford and the Royal College of Music. His concert career has taken him to over 100 countries across Europe, North America, Asia, and Australia, with regular performances and educational engagements in China since his 2014 debut at Shenzhen Concert Hall. Renowned for his extensive repertoire from Bach to Gershwin, Robin is also recognised for his interest in Russian music, vocal and orchestral transcriptions, and music for the left hand. Beyond the concert platform, he is an experienced lecturer, masterclass presenter, and competition adjudicator, having served for 15 years as an ABRSM graded and diploma examiner. He is also an accomplished broadcaster and voice artist with extensive work for the BBC World Service and other international networks.

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​Kentaro Nagai is an accomplished Japanese pianist, chamber musician, and educator who graduated from the Royal College of Music with Artist Diploma, Master’s, and Bachelor’s degrees with Distinction under Professors Gordon Fergus-Thompson and John Blakely. Supported by the Irene Hanson Memorial Award, he also pursued further studies with Josep Colom at the Liceu Conservatorio in Barcelona. Kentaro began piano studies at the age of four under the influence of his mother, a professional opera and Lieder singer, and made his concerto debut at the age of eight in Japan. He has performed internationally at prestigious venues including Royal Albert Hall, St Martin-in-the-Fields, Cadogan Hall, and the National Gallery in London, and has appeared as concerto soloist with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra. A passionate chamber musician and vocal accompanist, he received the Geoffrey Parsons Memorial Trust Award for Piano Accompaniment. Kentaro is also an active pedagogue, masterclass lecturer, and jury member for international music competitions worldwide.

Ruda Lee is an internationally acclaimed violinist who made her concerto debut at the age of six as the youngest winner of the World Symphony Orchestra Competition. Born in Seoul, South Korea, she has received top honours in numerous prestigious competitions, including the Seoul President Award, Strad Magazine Award, and the Korea Mozart and Young Soloist Competitions. Her international career includes performances at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall and the J.F. Kennedy Center Honors Gala alongside Yo-Yo Ma, attended by President Obama. A full scholarship recipient at the Yale University School of Music, she served as Co-Concertmaster of the Yale Philharmonia and has performed under renowned conductors including Valery Gergiev and Andris Nelsons. Active worldwide as a soloist, chamber musician, artistic director, and producer, Ruda Lee continues to inspire audiences globally through innovative performances and mentorship of emerging young musicians as Artistic Director of Young Virtuosi and HKDAF.

​Evan Robinson is an award-winning violinist, violist, chamber musician, and educator with an international performing career spanning North America and Asia. He has appeared multiple times at Carnegie Hall with the New York String Orchestra Seminar and has performed at major venues and festivals including Tokyo’s City Opera Concert Hall, the Hong Kong Arts Festival, and as former assistant principal violist of the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong. Evan earned his Bachelor’s degree from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music and his Master’s degree from McGill University’s Schulich School of Music. As a member of the Milton String Quartet, he won the Grand Prize and Senior String Division Gold Medal at the 2017 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. An experienced educator, he has taught at Indiana University, McGill University, the Noel Pointer Foundation in Brooklyn, and leading music institutions in Hong Kong. In addition to music, Evan also holds law degrees from the University of Hong Kong and the University of Pennsylvania. 

Dr. Sun Jiayao is an internationally active mezzo-soprano specialising in opera, chamber music, and musical theatre, performing more than 50 concerts annually across a wide range of baroque, romantic, and contemporary repertoire. She has appeared in productions including Così fan tutte, The Fairy Queen, La Calisto, and Dido and Aeneas with leading orchestras and arts institutions in Australia. In 2022, she also performed with the Selangor Symphony Orchestra in a landmark Malaysian project supported by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia. Dr. Sun holds a Bachelor of Music from the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, National University of Singapore, and a Master of Music in Opera Performance from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, University of Sydney, where she received several prestigious scholarships. Having recently completed her doctorate, she currently serves as vocal faculty at Dominus Arts and continues to mentor and inspire the next generation of singers.  

Mario Choo is a distinguished percussionist, timpanist, educator, and arts leader, widely recognised for his contributions to Singapore’s percussion scene and international music community. He is the Founder and President of the Singapore International Percussion Association and currently serves as both percussionist and timpanist with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. Passionate about nurturing the next generation of musicians, he also teaches at leading institutions including the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, LASALLE College of the Arts, and the National University of Singapore. Awarded a scholarship to study at the Royal Danish Academy of Music, Mario completed his Master’s degree with the institution’s highest distinction. Internationally active, he has collaborated with renowned orchestras worldwide and was invited to perform with the Berlin Philharmonic. As a respected adjudicator and clinician, he regularly serves on international competition juries and conducts masterclasses and lectures across the globe.  

To be updated