MY STUdents
Mariya Akhadjanova, DMA Program
Mariya Akhadjanova, a native of Uzbekistan, is a DMA candidate in Piano Performance and Pedagogy at University of Iowa where she studies under the tutelage of Dr. Ksenia Nosikova. She is currently working as a staff collaborative pianist at School of Music, University of Iowa. In October 2021, she performed at Carnegie Hall, New York, as a winner of the 2021 “Golden Classical Music Awards" International Competition and in May 2022 at Merkin Concert Hall, Lincoln Center, in New York City as a finalist and Second prize Winner of the Music International Grand Prix 2022. In the past few years, she participated in various online piano competitions and received the First Prize in the Swiss International Music Competition, Quebec International Music Competition, and Music and Stars Awards. Mariya received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Uzbekistan State Conservatory in Tashkent. She earned her second Master at Music degree in Piano Performance under Dr. Dmitri Vorobiev and Dr. Vakhtang Kodanashvili at the University of Northern Iowa in May 2018.
Paul Casiano, DMA Program
Born and raised in the Philippines, Paul Benjamin Casiano started taking piano lessons at the age of ten. Immediately, he began accompanying choral groups and church congregations. He completed his bachelor’s degree in Piano Performance at the University of the Philippines College of Music in 2018 with Prof. Richelle Rivera. In those years he was awarded two prestigious scholarships for performance and academic excellence, namely the Regalado Jose grant and the Friends for Cultural Concerns of the Philippines. He garnered top prizes in the Piano Teacher’s Guild of the Philippines and the Leonor Kilayko Piano Competitions. In 2021, he obtained his Master of Music in Piano Performance at Western Illinois University with Dr. Jeffrey Brown, where he received a graduate assistantship award. He was a prize winner in the 2019 MTNA Illinois Chapter and the 2022 Thursday Musical Young Artist Scholarship Competition. Paul is currently in his second year of his Doctor of Musical Arts at the University of Iowa, under the tutelage of Dr. Ksenia Nosikova. He is also one of the current Teaching Assistants at the School of Music, where he conducts group piano classes and individual piano lessons, as well as a piano accompanist for student musicians.
Ming Hu, DMA Program
Ming Hu, a native of Hunan, China, is currently serving as an accompanist at the Finger Lakes Community College (Canadaigua, NY) and at the Eastman Community Music School (Rochester, NY). She is pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance and Pedagogy at the University of Iowa studying with Dr. Ksenia Nosikova, where she also received her Master’s degree. Throughout her musical career in the United States, Hu has won a number of prizes, including Honorable Mention in Schubert Club Scholarship Competition in 2017, Bronze Award in The 3rd World Piano Teachers Association of Finland and Second Prize in The 5th International Moscow Music Competition in 2021. In 2016, she was the recipient of The Margaret Gary Daniels Keyboard Performance Award at Lawrence University. During her performance career, Hu has made successful apperances in concerts across Europe, North America, and Asia. Hu has performed in master classes with pianists such as Nelita True, Julian Martin, Tamás Ungár, and Eduardo Delgado. In Summer 2018, Hu attended the Semper International festival in Italy and the Wiener Musikseminar in Austria. In 2021, Hu released her first CD with singer Xingyu Huo (soprano), Song Cycle – Seasons (Twenty-Four Solar Terms) by Cong Liu. They were the first to debut and record this song cycle.
Hu started playing piano at the age of four. She decided to start her professional musical studies in the fourth grade, entering the Elementary School of Music affiliated to Wuhan Conservatory, and finishing her middle school and high school studies in the Middle School of Music affiliated to Shanghai Conservatory, studying with Keng Zhou. Hu has studied with Carmen Wilhite, Luba Poliak, and earned her Bachelor’s degree of Music in Piano Performance with an Accompanying Fellowship at Lawrence University under the guidance of Catherine Kautsky.
Yaqi Huang, DMA Program
Yaqi Huang, a native of Chengdu, China, holds a Bachelor of Music (BM.2019) from the Sichuan Conservatory of Music, where she studied under Professor Tiantian Bao. She later completed her Master of Music (MM. 2021) at the Manhattan School of Music, studying with Dr. Inesa Sinkevych. Currently, she is pursuing her Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) degree in Piano Performance at the University of Iowa as a Simms Fellowship recipient under the tutelage of Dr. Ksenia Nosikova.
Throughout her career, Yaqi has been actively involved in piano competitions and festivals. Notable achievements include the Boya Award at the China International Piano Art Festival in 2015, second place (first place vacancy) at the Grazonov International Music Competition in 2016, first place with an excellence nomination in the Modern category at the 2023 Vivaldi International Music Competition. In the same year, she received an Honorable Mention at the Bradshaw & Buono International Piano Competition. In 2024, she won third place at the 101st Schubert Club Scholarship Competition in Minnesota.
In 2022, Yaqi attended the “University of Florida International Piano Festival” on a full scholarship. Most recently, in July 2024, she participated in the “Wiener MusikSeminar International Master Classes” in Vienna, Austria, and performed during the event. Yaqi is now completing her DMA final recording project in collaboration with contemporary Chinese composer Gao Ping. Her performances have taken her to the United States, Austria, Russia, China, Singapore, and Thailand.
Neil Krzeski, DMA Program
Neil Krzeski is a versatile pianist and collaborator based in Iowa City. He is currently completing his doctoral coursework at the University of Iowa under the guidance of Ksenia Nosikova, where he also contributes to the Center for New Music Ensemble. Krzeski has had success in several competitions including first place in the National Federation of Music Clubs Student/Collegiate Biennial Competition, second place and Glenn Gould Memorial Award in the “Bach with a View” International Young Artists Competition, and first place in the Wisconsin Music Teachers Association Badger Collegiate Performance Competition.
Krzeski’s recent performance highlights include a recital with CSO cellist Richard Hirschl, improvisational piano accompaniment to the silent film The Passion of Joan of Arc, a concert alongside jazz vocalist Michele Weir at the Solon Vocal Jazz Festival, and performances in Brazil as part of the Festival de Piano de Natal. He received his master’s degree from Northwestern University, studying with José Ramón Mendez, and graduated magna cum laude from Lawrence University under the tutelage of Michael Mizrahi. Krzeski serves as the principal keyboardist of the Peoria Symphony Orchestra.
Hyewon Lee, DMA Program
Hyewon Lee is a Korean pianist, born in Seoul. Currently, she is pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Iowa studying with Dr. Ksenia Nosikova. She has performed in Vienna, Seoul, Flaine, and New York City, and has participated in festivals in the Vienna International Pianists Festival, Asia International Piano Academy and Festival in Seoul, Opus 74 in Flaine (France), Mannes Sounds Festival, and Amalfi Music and Arts Festival. Hyewon earned a BM from Sangmyung University Seoul under the guidance of Professor Heejin Kim. She graduated with a Master of Music degree and Professional Studies Diploma(PDPL) from Mannes School of Music in New York, studying with Dr. Blair McMillen. She was the recipient of the President’s Scholarship and Supplemental Scholarship from Mannes School of music, The New School. She also studied at the University of Connecticut for Performer’s Certificate under the tutelage of Dr. Angelina Gadeliya. Recently, she joined University of Iowa School of Music’s Community Music Lesson Program as an instructor. In her free time, she enjoys jogging, playing badminton, and hiking.
Feiyang Li, DMA Program
Feiyang Li, from Henan Province, China, is currently a D.M.A student at the University of Iowa studying with Dr. Ksenia Nosikova. Ms. Li received her B.M. degree in Piano Performance at Roosevelt University in Chicago, IL under Prof. Adam Neiman’s instruction. She was also selected as one of the students as the winner of the piano showcase competition held at Roosevelt University in 2015. She received her M.M in piano performance in 2020 at Indiana University Bloomington (Jacobs School of Music) under Prof. Arnaldo Cohen and worked as a TA in the Piano Academy Summer Program at IU Jacobs School of Music in 2019. She participated in many music festivals during her piano study; she joined several summer music festivals held by ETSU in 2013. She took part in the St. Andrews Music Festival in 2016 and won the second prize in the St. Andrews International Concerto Competition in Canada that year. In 2017, she participated in the MMF (Manchester Music Festival) in Vermont. She also joined the ACIMA (Ameri-China International Music Association) New York Winter Festival in 2018. She won the third prize in the 2023 Wiener Musikseminar competition in Vienna. During the years of performing piano, she had some chances to have master classes with several famous professors from different Conservatories. For instance, Professor Mengjie Liu from Curtis Institute, Professor Matti Raekallio, and Ernest Barretta from Julliard School.
Bowen (Peter) Liu, DMA Program
Bowen (Peter) Liu is a current graduate student studying at University of Iowa with Dr.Ksenia Nosikova. He is from Beijing, China and has been studying in the U.S since third years of high school. Peter has been playing piano for 15 years, and throughout those years has studied under many different teachers who have helped him grow in his piano career. In his piano career, he has gotten to perform in various venues and settings. Peter has participated in various piano competitions. His most recent awards include, first place, MTNA State competition, 2017; winner of concerto and aria in University of Northwestern, St. Paul. First place, MMTA competition, 2019; Second place in Schubert Club competition, 2019; and first place in Thursday young artist college division, 2019. Recently, Peter had won the concerto and aria competition in University of Iowa.
Canlin Qiu, DMA Program
Canlin Qiu is currently pursuing her Doctorate in Piano Performance at the University of Iowa. Under the guidance of the Ksenia Nosikova, Canlin is a recipient of the Doctoral Fellowship and Teaching Assistantship. She completed her Master's Degree from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, where she studied with Evelyne Brancart. She studied in China Conservatory for her bachelor degree in piano performance.
Canlin has achieved first place in various competitions, including the Austria Mozart Internationaler Klavierwettbewerg, the Third KAWAI Cup Youth Piano, the Second JINGZHU Cup Piano Competition, and the CEKK Piano Competition. With a sincere passion for her craft, Canlin Qiu has recently performed in the V Festival de Piano de Natal in Brazil, the Key Change Concert Series in Iowa, USA, and the Wiener Musikseminar in Vienna, Austria. As a chamber/collaborative musician, she has worked and performed with faculties and musicians from UNT, Central Conservatory of Music (China), China Conservatory of Music, Indiana University, China Philharmonic Orchestra, Houston Ballet Orchestra, Orchestra Iowa, and Des Moines Symphony. Canlin has given presentation about Ethlomusic in conferences like MGMC, IMTA. Recently, she has given performances, masterclasses, and presentations in Medellín, Colombia, and Quebec, Canada.
Henrique Rabelo, DMA Program
Henrique Rabelo is a pianist, composer, and arranger original from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Henrique currently lives in Iowa City, IA, pursuing his doctoral degree in Piano Performance under Dr. Ksenia Nosikova at the University of Iowa. Henrique got his Master’s degree in Piano Performance at the University of Wyoming with Dr. Theresa Bogard, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Rio de Janeiro at UniRio with Dr. Erika Ribeiro. As a pianist, Henrique Rabelo has participated in various music festivals and competitions. He has been a soloist performing with the University of Wyoming Symphony Orchestra, after winning the 2022-2023 Jacoby concerto competition at the University of Wyoming, the Orquestra Jovem de Guarulhos and the Orquestra Sinfônica da UniRio. Henrique has worked closely with the international pianist Maria João Pires during an artistic residency in São Paulo, Brazil, in 2019. He also has participated in masterclasses with many illustrious pianists from around the globe such Andrew Harley, Eduardo Monteiro, Jean-Louis Steuerman, Guigla Katsarava, David Korevaar, Tim Ovens, Cristian Budu, Flávio Augusto, Roberto Domingos, Débora Halász, Markus Stange, Ney Fialkow, Paulo Álvarez and Pedro Burmester. He has been working intensely in chamber music groups and as a collaborative pianist in duos and ensembles. As a composer, Henrique’s recently premiered works include his Sonata for Clarinet Solo, Collectives, for mixed ensemble, and Variations on a Theme by Ravel, for piano 4-hands, as a result of his collaborations with wonderful artists such as Theresa Bogard, Blake McGee, and The Playground Ensemble (Colorado), besides studying with the composer Anne Guzzo. His piece The Lodgepole Pine, for string quartet, was recently premiered in the 2023 Wyoming Festival.
YYimu Wang, DMA Program
Yimu Wang started piano lessons in elementary school. From 2008 to 2014, she studied with Professor Mai Wang at the Sichuan Conservatory of Music, one of the most prestigious conservatories in China. She has participated in master classes with outstanding international teachers such as Theresa Bogard, Tianshu Wang, Robert Garcia, Boaz Sharon, and Boris Berman. She participated in various piano competitions held in China with various honors, from participation awards to grand prizes.
She won the first prize and “Excellent Art Talent Prize” in the 3rd Excellent Art Talent Contest of Sichuan Province, in the year of 2007, the first prize of the YAMAHA Piano Competition in Chengdu in 2010, and the grand prize of the 4th ChangJiang Piano Competition in Chongqing in 2010. For her undergraduate degree, she attended the prestigious Oberlin College starting in 2014 where she studied with Professor Robert Shannon.
In 2017, Wang participated in the Jiulong Music Festival held in Chongqing, China, and had lessons with Professor Bruce Brubaker and Miss Chufang Huang. In fall 2018, she won the “Oberlin 2018 Senior Concerto Competition” and was a featured performer with the Oberlin Symphony the following spring performing the Shostakovich Concerto No. 1. She graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree from Oberlin College in 2018.
She completed her Master’s degree in Piano Performance at the University of Wyoming in 2021 studying with Dr. Theresa Bogard. She held a Graduate Assistantship in both teaching and collaborative piano and was highly sought after as a collaborator. She got the Music Performer’s Certificate at the University of Wyoming in 2023. Wang is currently a doctoral student studying with Dr. Ksenia Nosikova at the University of Iowa.
Her future plans include pursuing a doctoral degree, focusing on piano performance and collaborative piano. She hopes to teach at the university level and continue her performing career. She helped her middle school professor Mai Wang and her mother, Jie Zheng, a piano professor and collaborative coaching in Sichuan Conservatory, with their collaborative piano projects since middle school. She was a Graduate Assistant in University of Wyoming who worked as a main collaborative pianist and chamber music pianist, and was known as a fast learner with sensitivity to musical emotion and balance.
Yifan Zhang, DMA Program
Yifan Zhang, a gifted pianist hailing from China, obtained her Bachelor's degree at Renmin University under the guidance of Prof. Yuchun Kang. She further refined her skills by earning a Master's degree from the Manhattan School of Music, where she studied under the mentorship of Prof. Alexandre Moutouzkine. Currently in her fourth year as a DMA student at the University, Yifan is under the guidance of Dr. Nosikova.
Over the course of her career, Yifan has garnered extensive experience in stage performance. Her accomplishments include securing first place in the InternationalChinese Piano Competition in 2017 and emerging as the victor in the prestigious Hope Cup Piano Competition. Notably, in 2022 and 2023, she demonstrated her musical prowess with successful solo concerto performances at the University of Iowa. Additionally, in 2023, she also performed in a Concerto with a Key Change. At the same time, she participated in a studio recital organized by Dr. Nosikova in the Old Capital in 2023.
Tim Berry, MM Program
Timothy Berry is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Piano Performance degree under the instruction of Ksenia Nosikova. He obtained his Bachelors of Music in Piano Performance under the instruction of Kevin Chance, and previously studied with Susan Hoop in Madison Alabama through high school. He has won awards in numerous competitions such as the Music Teachers National Association Auditions; the Huxford Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition; National Society of Arts and Letters; Gulf Coast Steinway Society; Birmingham Music Club Guild Scholarship Competition; and Alabama Music Teachers Association Solo, Chamber Music, and Concerto divisions. Recently, he was featured as a performer in the Key Change Piano Revolutionaries Festival in Iowa where he performed selections of Rachmaninoff’s Etudes Tableaux, Op. 39 as well as the orchestral reduction for Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Minor, Op. 40. In the 2024-2025 season, he will appear on the Key Change series to perform selections from Messiaen’s Vingt Regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus. Timothy loves music outreach and plans to perform extensively at Oaknoll Retirement Home locations as well as around Iowa through the Arts Share program at the University of Iowa. In the summer of 2024, He attended the Texas Music Festival, where he performed in masterclasses for Vadym Kholodenko and Kenny Broberg while studying with Tali Morgulis, Andrew Staupe, and Timothy Hester. He also has attended the Bowdoin International Music Festival where he studied with Douglas Humphreys; and the New Orleans Piano Institute where he studied with Alan Chow, Igor Resnianski, Frank Heneghan, and Kevin Chance. He enjoys collaborating with others and has participated in the chamber music residency program at the University of Iowa, the University of Alabama Percussion Ensemble, and Huxford Symphony Orchestra. In fall of 2024, Timothy will be working on the Brahms Piano Quartet No. 3 in C Minor Op. 60 with the newly formed Morendo Quartet at the University of Iowa. In addition to collaborative work, he is passionate about teaching and holds an assistantship at the University of Iowa where he teaches group piano classes and private students. Timothy is an avid listener of music and loves to experience and discuss music from William Byrd and Sergei Prokofiev to Thundercat and Rush. In addition to music, he thoroughly enjoys his academic studies; tennis and bowling; playing video games such as Animal Crossing New Horizons and Mario Kart; and attending live theatre, Broadway shows, and concerts.
Henry Giles, MM Program
Henry Giles is a first year graduate student at the University of Iowa, studying with Ksenia Nosikova. He completed his bachelors degree at Lawrence University under Michael Mizrahi.
He had been studying the piano since the age of four. Prior to college, he studied under Amanda Kirkpatrick, Head of Piano at Washington University in St. Louis. His summer festival studies include the Decoda Chamber Music Festival, Bowdoin International Music Festival, Gijon International Piano Festival, and PianoSummer at New Paltz.
John Thomas Morris, MM Program
John Thomas Morris has just begun his graduate studies at the University of Iowa, where he studies with Ksenia Nosikova. Morris’s musical passions include teaching, performing works by composers that do not receive enough recognition, and composition. He was born in Alabama, and he graduated from the Alabama School of Fine Arts in 2020, where he studied piano with Lucy DeSa. At the Alabama School of Fine Arts, he also composed and performed his string trio on his senior recital. Morris has placed highly in various piano competitions such as placing first in the 2023 New Orleans Piano Institute Solo Competition and then placing second in the 2023 New Orleans Piano Institute Concerto Competition. He also placed second at the Lois Pickard Concerto Competition in 2020. Since his upbringing in Alabama, Morris has graduated from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where he studied piano with Alvin Chow and composition with Michael Frazier. Morris premiered his piano quintet, “Contemplation,” on his junior recital at Oberlin in 2023. Other than music, Morris is interested in studying languages, currently focusing on Russian, and astronomy.
Jun Lee, BM Program
Duong T Le is a piano major under the tutelage of Dr. Nosikova at the University of Iowa. She came to the US for her bachelor degree after 9 years studying at the Vietnam National Academy of Music. She earned a Silver medal in 2018 - Asia International Piano Academy & Festival with Competition in Korea and participated in Chopin International Piano Competition in Thailand 2019.
Eric Newton, BM Program
Eric Newton is a second-year undergraduate student pursuing a dual-degree in Computer Science and Music at the University of Iowa. He began learning piano at age 4, and he remained primarily self-taught until age 17 when he joined the studio of Dr. Marian Lee, following a successful recommendation by Dr. Robert Satterlee from Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan. He now studies under the tutelage of Dr. Ksenia Nosikova. Eric has received numerous awards in both the arts and sciences, such as U Iowa Hackathon Special Prize, IMTA Level F Winner, Best in Center (Solo/Ensemble and Jazz), National History Day Special Prize & National Qualifier, Science Olympiad State Medalist, and multiple Division 1 solo ratings. His ensemble experience includes Iowa All-State, Quad Cities Chamber Institute, Hawkeye Marching Band, and Bettendorf Varsity Band (Drum Major) He has also worked many related jobs, such as Water Resources Engineering intern in San Francisco, CA, John Deere Computer Science Academy in Bettendorf, IA, Countryside Community Theater in Eldridge, IA, and as an accompanist/organist for several Catholic churches. Currently, Eric is the President of U Iowa chapter of League of United Latin American Citizens, a Research Assistant for the department of Political Science, Director of Sonidos Encendidos (Latin Ensemble), and a member of University Honors, the Association of Computing Machinery, and Music Teachers National Association.
Henry Wolf, BM Program
Henry Wolf is a sophomore at the University of Iowa majoring in Piano Performance and Music Education. He is originally from Geneva, Illinois where he began piano lessons at age 7, and has performed with ensembles such as the Elgin Youth Symphony in Illinois. In 2024, he made his international debut, participating in masterclasses and performing at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, Austria. He joined Ksenia Nosikova's studio in the fall of 2023.
Ana Yam, BM Program
Ana Yam, a San Francisco, California native, is currently an undergraduate pursuing a dual major in Piano Performance and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Iowa, where she studies under Dr. Ksenia Nosikova. She began her studies at the age of nine and has won numerous state, regional, and international piano competitions. For consecutive years, Ana was named winner of IMTA, MTNA, and Terrace Hill competitions along with first prize at the 2017 Lee University International Piano competition. She was granted the title of “Steinway’s Young Artist” at the 2018 Steinway Young Artist Competition and was named Grand Champion of the Bill Riley Competition at the Iowa State Fair that same year. Ana has won several concerto competitions and received the opportunity to perform with the Fort Dodge Symphony, Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony, and the Central Iowa Symphony. In addition to solo work, Ana has worked collaboratively as a four-year ‘all-stater’ for the piano department and has performed works of Beethoven, Shostakovich, and Dvorak with her previous trio ensembles.
Sarah Zhang, BM Program
Sarah Zhang is an undergraduate student from Northbrook, Illinois. She is studying piano performance and music education. She began learning piano with Debbie Gillette, and then studied in Dr. Vivian Zhao’s studio for eight years. Starting at age 7, Sarah has competed in multiple piano competitions in the Chicago area. She was awarded fourth place in the ISMTA competition, second in the NSMTA Piano Competition and third in the Chicago-wide Roberta Savler competition. For consecutive years, Sarah received gold and silver medals from NSMTA and CAMTA sonata festivals. She also performed in the 2023-2024 school year’s Key Change Concert Series, featuring works by Rachmaninoff and his contemporaries.