Pianofest in the Hamptons: Meet 4 Pianists — and a Pianofest Lineage / Mentors & Teachers | Begins 6.29th @ SCC

Four More Pianists — and a Pianofest Lineage 

The mentors and teachers who connect this year’s class to Pianofest’s history.

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Only eleven more days until opening night. We’re introducing you to more pianists in the 2026 Pianofest class — and to how their mentors are part of Pianofest.

One of them studies with a longtime Pianofest faculty member. Another studies with Michelle Cann — beloved Pianofest alumna and faculty, and winner of Grammy Awards in 2023 and 2025.

The 2026 Season at a Glance

An opportunity to hear our artists on Mondays at the Southampton Cultural Center. After the performance, enjoy light refreshments with the artists and the rest of the Pianofest community.

Single tickets:
At the door: $35 (cash, credit, or check)
Online: $35 plus a $5 convenience fee.

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Don’t Miss Our East Hampton Wednesday Series

Wednesdays · 5:30 PM St. Luke’s Episcopal Church 18 James Lane, East Hampton

July 1  |  July 8  |  July 15 Three mid-week concerts at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. Afterwards, join us for a reception where you can chat with the performers and fellow music lovers over a glass of wine. ————————-

And one night in Westhampton:

Wednesday, July 22 · 6:00 PM Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center 76 Main Street, Westhampton Beach

A single, larger-stage outing for those who’d like to hear our artists in a different kind of room. Tickets and information through whbpac.org.

Four More Pianists from the 2026 Class

Pianofest Debut Huiping Cai Eastman School of Music

Huiping recently made her Carnegie Hall debut at Stern Auditorium, performing Liszt’s First Piano Concerto with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s. The Third Coast Review described her playing as carrying “a dignified and mature approach.” She is finishing her Doctor of Musical Arts at Eastman, where she has served as a teaching assistant to Alan Chow, and in fall 2024 she joined the piano faculty of the Hochstein School of Music and Dance in Rochester.

Pianofest Debut Curtis Li Cleveland Institute of Music

Curtis just completed his bachelor’s at the Cleveland Institute of Music studying with Kathryn Brown, enriched by summers at Aspen, Bowdoin, and the Brevard Piano Institute. His list of mentors along the way is a who’s who of the world’s great piano professors: Alexander Korsantia, Antonio Pompa-Baldi, Daniel Shapiro, Matti Raekallio, Wu Han, Norman Krieger, Arie Vardi, and Julian Martin. This fall, he will begin his master’s degree at The Juilliard School.

Studies with Pavel Nersessian Haolun Sun New England Conservatory

Haolun came up through the Music Middle School affiliated to the Shanghai Conservatory with Zhe Tang, then crossed an ocean to study at New England Conservatory with Alexander Korsantia and Pavel Nersessian — a longtime Pianofest faculty member who is joining us for our concert on July 6.

He took second prize at the 2025 Hartford Chopin International Piano Competition, first prize at the 2023 Jinjiang International Piano Competition for Youth, and second prize at the XI International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians, where he also received special prizes for Best Sonata Performance and Best Etude Performance. He has appeared as soloist with the Shanghai Philharmonic, the Moscow State Academic Symphony, and the Central Conservatory of Music Symphony.

Studies with Michelle Cann Richard Francis Martin La Salle College High School

Richard Francis Martin — who goes by Francis — is eighteen, a senior at La Salle College High School outside Philadelphia. He studies with Michelle Cann, Pianofest alumna and faculty member, and the subject of this letter’s alumni note below. Francis is a 2026 YoungArts Jazz winner, took first prize at the West Chester University Pre-Collegiate Piano Competition, and won the 2025 Texas State International Piano Festival Concerto Competition. He also composes — his original work Landscapes has earned recognition in multiple competitions.