Happy upcoming New Year, dear guests of our website and participants of the The Stars of Summer festival!
May the New Year bring you inspiration, bright emotions, creative discoveries, and new achievements. Thank you for being with us — we look forward to new meetings, music, and unforgettable moments in the year ahead.
We begin the year by celebrating landmark moments across both divisions — the Piano & Vocal Competition and The Stars of Summer Master Agency.
The Agency marks its bright debut with the inaugural recital by Polina Osetinskaya at Severance Music Center.
At the same time, the Competition celebrates a significant milestone: for the first time, two of our participants have been invited to perform a new program in a professional concert with the Snowbelt Symphony Orchestra.
We look forward to seeing our young artists continue their journey — and the Agency’s brightest and most successful projects unfold — from the Cleveland Cultural Gardens to the Opera in the Italian Garden, to concert stages in London, and, we hope, one day to Carnegie Hall.
Wishing you continued success, inspiration, and a year filled with music, meaning,
and light.
The Stars of Summer
RESULTS
Piano: American Composer
Mary Katherine Hamons - 1st, Total points 99.75, Invitation from Evgenia Terentieva, Alexander Peskanov
Olivia Chen - 1st, Total points 95.75, Invitation from Evgenia Terentieva
Gary Yan - 1st, Total points 94.625
Sari Septon - 1st, Total points 94.625
David Margolin - 1st, Total points 93.25, Invitation from Evgenia Terentieva
Moshe Silver - 1st, Total points 93
Sophiya Dydyk - 1st, Total points 92.875
Ariya Huang - 2nd, Total points 89.75, Invitation from Evgenia Terentieva
Vivian Chang - 2nd, Total points 88.75
Ayala Kaminski - 2nd, Total points 88.5
Netanel Kleinman - 2nd, Total points 87.125
Niko Constantinou & Aarnav Jain - 2nd, Total points 84.125
Oorvi Chhibber & Om Chhibber - 2nd, Total points 84.125
Hannah Vallabhaneni - 2nd, Total points 84
Om Chhibber - 2nd, Total points 83.75
Ruth Vallabhaneni - 2nd, Total points 83.625
Teagan Cullen - 2nd, Total points 82.625
Oorvi Chhibber - 2nd, Total points 80.375
Lithika Boligarla - 2nd, Total points 80.125
Piano: To be Performed with the Orchestra
Joyce Yan & Justin Yan & Julie Yan - 1st, Total points 98.5, Invitation from Evgenia Terentieva
Zhi-yang Chen - 1st, Total points 97.25, Invitation from Evgenia Terentieva
Matthew Wang - 1st, Total points 96.375, Invitation from Evgenia Terentieva
James Yan - 1st, Total points 96
Phoebe Fang and Jonathan Fang - 1st, Total points 94.625, Invitation from Evgenia Terentieva
Qizhen Zhu, Sophia Wang - 2nd, Total points 87.5
Qizhen Zhu, Sophia Wang, Giving Chao - 2nd, Total points 87.25
Piano: Italian Composer Award
Paige Xu - 1st, Total points 95.75, Invitation from Evgenia Terentieva
Sophie Gnacadja - 1st, Total points 95.875, Invitation from Evgenia Terentieva, Alexander Peskanov
Nico DiFranco - 1st, Total points 95, Invitation from Evgenia Terentieva
Sahana Sriram - 1st, Total points 95, Invitation from Alexander Peskanov
Zhixi Ge - 1st, Total points 92, Invitation from Alexander Peskanov
Piano: MusiCats
George Wang- 1st, Total points 99, Invitation from Evgenia Terentieva, Alexander Peskanov
Iris Wong - 1st, Total points 98, Invitation from Evgenia Terentieva, Alexander Peskanov
Anning She - 1st, Total points 93.625, Invitation from Alexander Peskanov
Elrina Tang - 1st, Total points 92.875
Hengyu Liu - 1st, Total points 92.75
Jeremy Zhang - 1st, Total points 91.875
Meir Kaminski - 1st, Total points 91.375
Elise Tang - 1st, Total points 90.875
Rylee Liu - 1st, Total points 90.75
Nelson Na - 1st, Total points 90.625
Rina Khavis - 1st, Total points 90.375
Piano: Ukrainian Prize
Xinning Li - 1st, Total points 96.5, Invitation from Alexander Peskanov
Deborah Hu, Eyrie Hou, Olivia Li - 1st, Total points 93.75, Invitation from Evgenia Terentieva, Alexander Peskanov
Andrew Li - 1st, Total points 91.375
Ekaterina Bederman - 1st, Total points 90.125
Piano: World Composers
Deborah Hu - 1st, Total points 99.25, Invitation from Evgenia Terentieva, Alexander Peskanov
John Paul Leopold - 1st, Total points 99, Invitation from Evgenia Terentieva, Greg Hillis
April Lin - 1st, Total points 98.5, Invitation from Evgenia Terentieva, Alexander Peskanov
Justin Yan - 1st, Total points 98.5, Invitation from Evgenia Terentieva, Alexander Peskanov
Tianyue (Joyce) Yan - 1st, Total points 98.125, Invitation from Evgenia Terentieva, Greg Hillis
Edwin Mithra - 1st, Total points 95.625, Invitation from Alexander Peskanov
Jonathan Fang - 1st, Total points 95.625, Invitation from Evgenia Terentieva
Sarah Gnacadja - 1st, Total points 95, Invitation from Alexander Peskanov
David Kaminski - 1st, Total points 94.625, Invitation from Alexander Peskanov
Kevin Li - 1st, Total points 94.25
Nathan Li - 1st, Total points 93.625
Sanjana Sriram - 1st, Total points 93.625
Daniel Pang - 1st, Total points 93.25
Shirley Zhang - 1st, Total points 93
Jackie wu - 1st, Total points 92.75
Lily Zhang - 1st, Total points 92.75
Sari Septon - 1st, Total points 92.625
Audrina Vura - 1st, Total points 92.125
Abhinav Srishala - 1st, Total points 92
Claire Li - 1st, Total points 91.875
William Zhang - 1st, Total points 91.125
Yulianna Wang - 1st, Total points 90.125
Sophie Li - 2nd, Total points 88.625
Grace Zhao - 2nd, Total points 88.5
Luna Casey - 2nd, Total points 88.25
Piano: Latin Composer
David Margolin - 2nd, Total points 89.875,
Piano: Tchaikovsky Award
Chloe Yuan - 1st, Total points 99.5, Invitation from Evgenia Terentieva, Alexander Peskanov
Louis Zhang - 1st, Total points 98.125, Invitation from Evgenia Terentieva, Greg Hillis
Louis Zhang, Lucas Zhang - 1st, Total points 95.125, Invitation from Alexander Peskanov
April Lin - 1st, Total points 94.375, Invitation from Alexander Peskanov
Ailsa Zhang - 1st, Total points 93.25
Julie Yan - 1st, Total points 91
Vocal: Classical - NO MICROPHONE
Italian Composer Award
Jasmine Bidzhiev - 2nd, Total points 88.5
Vocal: Microphone
Saira kakumanu - 1st, Total points 90.25, Invitation from Evgenia Terentieva
Yaxin(Cindy) Sun - 2nd, Total points 88.125
Special Invitation to a World-Class Concert
On behalf of The Stars of Summer team, I extend our heartfelt thanks for being part of the 6th Annual International Piano and Vocal Competition.
Whether as a dedicated parent, an inspiring teacher, or a generous sponsor, your support brings this celebration of young talent to life.
This year, we were especially proud to introduce the Tchaikovsky Award, honoring exceptional artistry among our participants — a meaningful addition that
reflects our deep admiration for timeless musical tradition.
While our judges continue their work (results will be announced August 9), I’m delighted to share a special gift from our
Executive Producer, Svetlana Stolyarova:
🎟️ Enjoy 20% off tickets to the Cleveland debut of internationally acclaimed
pianist Polina Osetinskaya
🗓️ Friday, September 12 at 7:30 PM
📍 Severance Music Center 🎶
The Art of Transcription — a powerful program of piano transcriptions by J.S.
Bach and P.I. Tchaikovsky
Polina Osetinskaya is renowned for her emotional depth and brilliance.
This concert opens the new Stars of Summer Masters recital series and offers a unique experience for students, teachers, and music lovers.
🎫 Use promo code STARS at checkout for 20% off: www.ClevelandOrchestra.com/osetinskaya
We hope to see you there and thank you again for being
part of our growing musical family.
With gratitude,
The Stars of Summer Team
A program of the Cleveland School of Dance
thestarsofsummerusa.com | thestarsofsummerusa@gmail.com
www.ClevelandOrchestra.com
Welcome to the 6th Annual The Stars of Summer Piano, Vocal, and Dance Competition & Festival!
The Stars of Summer Piano, Vocal, and Dance Competition & Festival is a unique platform for young musicians and dancers from around the world to showcase their talent on an international stage. We proudly offer an inclusive, single-round video submission process that ensures every participant, regardless of their location, has an equal chance to compete.
What's New in 2025:
This year, we're excited to introduce several exciting new opportunities for participants:
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Solo, Duet, and Trio Performances with Orchestra: In addition to our traditional solo, ensemble, and concerto categories, we now offer more students the chance to perform with the Snowbelt Symphony Orchestra in a collaborative and unique experience. Featuring pieces by Alexander Peskanov, including the Latin Concerto, this new opportunity will allow even more students to experience the magic of performing with a professional orchestra.
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Inaugural Dance Competition: For the first time, we are inviting dancers to participate in our competition, showcasing their talent in a variety of styles. This is a fantastic new avenue to expand the competition's cultural diversity and give young dancers the spotlight they deserve.
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New Award Categories: We're introducing a Tchaikovsky Award in addition to the established Italian, Ukrainian, and Armenian Music Awards. These categories allow participants to explore and celebrate the music of composers from different countries, and each category offers exciting prizes and recognition.
What to Expect:
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Monetary Prizes & Special Awards for the winners, including invitations to perform in prestigious productions and professional concerts.
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Live performance at the Laureates Concert during the One World Day Celebration at the Cleveland Cultural Gardens, where participants will perform in front of the diverse audience of festival-goers enjoying the various events spread across the 256-acre Gardens.
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Partnership with The Global Stage: Participants have the chance to earn invitations to prestigious international finals, such as Stars of the Albion in London, UK, and BMTG INTERCONTINENTAL MUSIC COMPETITION in New York City. Winners also have the opportunity to perform in famous venues such as Carnegie Hall in New York and renowned concert halls across London.
Competition Highlights:
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Concerto Performances with Snowbelt Symphony Orchestra (including the opportunity to perform the Latin Concerto by Alexander Peskanov).
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Increased Prizes and Recognition across multiple categories, including vocal, piano, dance, and specialty categories (such as MusiCats, Tchaikovsky, and country-specific awards).
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Expanded Performance Opportunities with solo, duet, and trio categories featuring full orchestral accompaniment.
Important Dates:
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Deadline for applications is July 29 12 pm (at noon).
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There WILL NOT PROLONGED OR LATE FEE APPLICATION ACCEPTANCE due to the schedule of one of our judges
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Laureates Concert (One World Day): August 24, 2025 in Cleveland's Cultural Gardens
Don't Miss This Opportunity!
This is a chance to gain recognition, improve your craft, and connect with fellow musicians, dancers, and artists from around the world. Whether you are an aspiring pianist, vocalist, or dancer, The Stars of Summer offers an incredible opportunity to showcase your skills on a global stage. Registration opens on March 10, 2025. Join us on this exciting journey of artistic growth!
Dear Participants,
Below is the list of piano and orchestra pieces to be performed at the 2025 Laureate Concerts.
Please note, this year, we are offering the public not only the traditional piano concerto but also an exciting new addition: pieces for Solo, Duet (4 hands, one piano), and Trio (6 hands, one piano) with orchestra accompaniment.
Concerto:
Solo:
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Kingsport rag https://peskanov.com/products/kingsport-rag-e-print
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https://peskanov.com/products/kingsport_rag_piano_minus-1_orchestra
Duet:
Trio: