Lauded for his “impassioned and vigorous” playing (Pianomania), pianist Evan Mitchell has established himself as a bold and versatile artist. Dr. Mitchell’s performances have been deemed “incredibly beautiful” (Fanfare), “amazing” (Fort Worth Weekly), and “no less than stunning” (Lima News). His recording of world premieres with bassist Szymon Marciniak earned rave reviews; Bass World called their performances “intoxicating,” deeming this “a seminal recording.” Dr. Mitchell's solo debut album American Century was released in early 2025 on the Centaur label. He is also featured on the 2012 release “Piano de Pampa y Jungla: A Collection of Latin American Piano Music.”

Evan Mitchell’s performance highlights include debuts for the prestigious Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts (Chicago), at Merkin Concert Hall (NYC), and at several major venues in Shanghai. Dr. Mitchell has soloed in concerti with such ensembles as the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Lima Symphony Orchestra, and Victoria Symphony; worked with conductors including Jaap van Zweden, Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Case Scaglione, Darryl One, Crafton Beck, and David Effron; and collaborated in recital with major artists including clarinetists Corrado Giuffredi and Michael Webster, flutists Leone Buyse and Jim Walker, double bassist Gary Karr, plus members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the symphony orchestras of Cleveland and Rio de Janeiro (OSB).

Dr. Mitchell performed more than 300 concerts over ten years for Cliburn in the Classroom, the signature educational outreach program of the Cliburn, which exposes more than 30,000 public school students annually to live music. He serves as a trustee on the Board of – and performs frequently with – Mount Vernon Music, a nonprofit that not only brings first-rate chamber concerts to rural east Texas but also awards generous scholarships to music students in those communities each year. Dr. Mitchell’s enthusiasm for the music of our time is reflected in recent world premieres of works by Ellen TaaffeZwilich, Frank Proto, Shang Lu, and Stacy Garrop, several of which have been recorded and released commercially.

Evan Mitchell currently serves as Assistant Professor of Piano at the University of Florida School of Music. He has given masterclasses and guest artist recitals at Baylor University, the University of Memphis, The University of Oregon, Virginia Tech, Washington State University, and many other institutions. Dr. Mitchell has been a featured presenter at the MTNA and College Music Society National Conferences, and for various local teachers’ associations. He has been a juror for the Dallas International Piano Competition, International New Star Piano Competition, Texas Music Teachers Association Solo Competition, and other local and regional contests. During the summer of 2023, Dr. Mitchell spent six weeks adjudicating performances by more than 2,500 students in cities throughout Taiwan as an examiner for IPPEC. In 2021 he was inducted into the Steinway & Sons Teacher Hall of Fame.

In his role as an author for Tom Gerou Music, Dr. Mitchell has edited volumes of repertoire by Amy Beach, Friedrich Burgmüller, Scott Joplin, and two separate publications of works by Charles Griffes. 

Evan Mitchell has captured first prize in the Kingsville International Young Performers Competition, Five Towns Competition, PianoTexas International Festival Concerto Competition, and the Twelfth Annual Competition in the Performance of Music from Spain and Latin America, in which he was also awarded the Jacques Klein Prize for Best Performance of a Brazilian Solo Piano Work. He won Fifth Prize at the 2012 World Piano Competition in Cincinnati, and gave a recital at Merkin Concert Hall in New York City as a quarterfinalist in the Honens International Piano Competition.

Mitchell holds degrees from the Indiana University-Bloomington Jacobs School of Music (BM, MM) and Texas Christian University (DMA). His principal teachers have included John Owings, Arnaldo Cohen and the late José Feghali, and he has worked with renowned artist-teachers including Dr. Yoheved Kaplinsky, Barry Douglas, and Ann Schein.

Evan Mitchell is a Steinway Artist. 

Dr. Yang Ding is an internationally acclaimed pianist and pedagogue, renowned for his dynamic performances, exceptional teaching, and significant contributions to the field of music. A native of China, Dr. Ding has achieved top honors in prestigious international piano competitions, including the Los Angeles Liszt International Piano Competition, Cincinnati World Piano Competition, Jacob Flier International Piano Competition, and the New York Bradshaw & Buono International Piano Competition. His artistry has also been recognized in competitions such as the New York Five Towns Young Musician Competition, Kansas City Musical Club Competition, Isabel Scionti Piano Scholarship Competition, Hong Kong Chinese Piano Works Competition, and the Dallas International Piano Competition.

As a soloist, Dr. Ding has captivated audiences across the United States, Korea, Singapore, and China. His performances have graced world-class venues, including Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, Benaroya Hall in Seattle, Le Petit Trianon Theatre in San Jose, and the Seoul Arts Center in Korea. He has also performed at the Cincinnati Art Museum, Thayer Hall in Los Angeles, and Tsuen Wan Town Hall in Hong Kong, among others. Dr. Ding has been invited to numerous festivals in Austria, the United States, Singapore, Korea, and China. Notably, he received two invitations from the esteemed Maestro Vladimir Feltsman to perform at the PianoSummer International Piano Festival.

As a chamber musician, Dr. Ding has collaborated with leading artists, including Han Guoliang (Principal Flute, China Symphony Orchestra), Xu Wenbo (Principal Viola, NDR Symphony Orchestra), Massimo Mazzone (Former Principal Clarinet, Teatro alla Scala), and Wolfgang Siggemann (Former Flutist, Berliner Philharmoniker).

Dr. Ding has been invited as a visiting artist to deliver recitals and masterclasses at prominent institutions worldwide, including the University of Cincinnati, University of Missouri at Kansas City, Northern Illinois University, Indiana State University, Capital University, Wright State University, Pittsburg State University, Texas Woman’s University, SUNY New Paltz, Shanghai Conservatory of Music, Wuhan Conservatory of Music, Tianjin Conservatory of Music, Shenyang Conservatory of Music, China Conservatory of Music, Xinghai Conservatory of Music, Xi’an Conservatory of Music, and Harbin Conservatory of Music.

Dr. Ding is frequently invited to adjudicate international piano competitions, including the China Finals of the SFIPC San Francisco International Piano Competition, the Hamamatsu PIARA Piano Competition, Steinway International Piano Competition, Conero International Piano Competition, US Open Piano Competition, and the Brandenburg International Piano Competition. His achievements have been featured in major media outlets such as the Cincinnati Enquirer, Dallas Morning News, Tribune Star, and China Central Television (CCTV). In recognition of his contributions to music, Dr. Ding was honored as an Honorary Citizen by Texas Councilman Tom Hayden in 2013.

Dr. Ding holds a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) from the University of North Texas, a Master of Music (MM) from the University of Missouri at Kansas City, and a Bachelor of Music (BM) from the Shenyang Conservatory of Music. His principal mentors include Pamela Mia Paul, Robert Weirich, Eugene Pridonoff, Rosemary Platt, and Yuanji Fan. Dr. Ding serves as Associate Professor at the Zhejiang Conservatory of Music in Hangzhou, China, where he continues to inspire the next generation of musicians through his teaching and artistry.

Vasco Dantas, a Portuguese pianist born in Porto, is the artistic director of the Music Series Festivals, Algarve Music Series, and The Piano Concerto Festival. He has been awarded over 50 prizes and distinctions in international competitions, including: Grand Prix at Valletta International Piano Competition (Malta), Prix Spécial at Concours International de Piano SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem (Morroco), GianClaudio Chiais International Prize (Rome), Münster Steinway & Sons Piano Competition, Cidade de Vigo International Piano Competition (Spain), Porto International Competition Santa Cecília and Estoril Lisbon Competition.

His performances have taken him to renowned concert halls across five continents. Following his successful appearances at Hong Kong City Hall and the Grand Hall of the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory, Vasco recently made his debuts at Carnegie Hall (New York), the Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), and the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées (Paris). He has also performed as a soloist with several orchestras, including the Kremlin Chamber Orchestra (Moscow), Hong Kong Symphonia, Südwestdeutsches Kammerorchester Pforzheim (Germany), Gulbenkian Orchestra (Lisbon), Porto Symphony Orchestra, Filarmónica Portuguesa, and Orquestra Sinfônica Espírito Santo (Brazil). These performances have given him the opportunity to collaborate with renowned conductors such as Baldur Brönnimann, Choi Sown Le, Daniel Cohen, Dinis Sousa, Douglas Bostock, Günter Neuhold, Jan Wierzba, Joshua dos Santos, Martim Sousa Tavares, Martin André, Misha Rachlevsky, Nicholas Kok, Nikolay Lalov, Nuno Coelho, Osvaldo Ferreira, Pedro Carneiro, Pedro Neves, Peter Sauerwein, Rui Pinheiro, Vassily Sinaisky, and Victor Hugo Toro.

Vasco made his live television debut on Portuguese National TV at the age of six, having started learning the piano at four. In 2000, he was admitted with honors to the Porto Music Conservatory, where he studied with Rosgard Lingardson, completing his studies in 2010 with the highest marks. Since the age of seven, Vasco has also studied the violin. He earned his Bachelor of Music with First Class Distinction from the Royal College of Music in London, where he studied piano with Dmitri Alexeev and Niel Immelman and conducting with Peter Stark and Natalia Luis-Bassa.

He completed a Master’s degree in Performance with the highest marks and pursued doctoral studies ("Konzertexamen") under the guidance of Heribert Koch at the University of Münster. Vasco has been invited as a university lecturer by Boston University and holds a Master’s degree in Music Teaching from Aveiro University, as well as the "Art of Teaching" diploma from the Royal College of Music in London. He is regularly invited to teach masterclasses and participate in festivals worldwide, as well as to serve as a jury member in several international piano competitions.

Vasco has recorded for KNS Classical, ARS Produktion, MPMP, and Coviello Classics. His six albums include Promenade (2015), Golden Liszt (2016), Freitas Branco | Sonatas (2020, nominated for "Best Classical Music Album" at the Prémios Play 2021), Poetic Scenes (2020, nominated for "Best Young Artist of the Year" at the Opus Klassik 2021), Departure (2021), and Préludes | Prelúdios (2024). He has been supported by AVA Musical Editions and the AMM Foundation.

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