21. Gdańska Jesień Pianistyczna – Xin Wang, Florian Koltun

Xin Wang is one of the leading pianists in Inner Mongolia, China. She gained recognition by winning a special award at a national piano competition at the age of seven, and today she performs piano concerts and recitals in concert halls throughout China. She studied with Julius Ligeti and Gabriel Rosenberg in Cologne and Nuremberg. She received a DAAD scholarship during her studies. She regularly performs in various well-known concert venues in Asia and Europe. As a soloist, Xin Wang has performed with many renowned orchestras, under the direction of famous conductors such as Kazem Abdullah, James Peng Liu, Yuri Gilbo, Eduardo Strausser, and Fuad Ibrahimov. She is also a regular guest at significant international festivals, such as the Skrjabin Piano Festival in Grosseto (Italy), Friday Nights with Yury Revich in Vienna (Austria), and the Festival de musique classique a Pompignan in Toulouse (France). Xin Wang is the founder and artistic director of the international piano festival in Geilenkirchen, Germany, and the chair of the jury for the Euregio Piano Award international piano competition. Since 2012, she has been a visiting professor at various music universities in China. She has also conducted several masterclasses in China and Germany, with renowned instructors from prestigious European music universities. Florian Koltun is a German pianist and music manager. He studied at the University of Music and Dance in Cologne. Since 2013, he has been working with Tomislaw Baynov at the University of Music in Trossingen. He has attended masterclasses with renowned teachers such as B.L. Gelber and G. Rosenberg. His active concert career began when he was 14 years old. He immediately drew attention by winning several first prizes in the German Jugend Musiziert competition and the National Bach Music Competition in Köthen. He is a laureate of several international piano competitions, including the piano competition in Caraglio (Italy), the international piano competition for young pianists in Luxembourg, the Henri Herman Concours in Maastricht (Netherlands), and the international piano competition Notes in harmony in Betton (Italy). Florian Koltun is the artistic director of various concert cycles and music festivals in Germany (Heinsberg, Aachen, Windeck, Geilenkirchen, Boltenhagen, and Monschau). Since 2012, he has been conducting masterclasses at various music universities in China and Europe. From 2015 to 2017, he taught piano at the University of Music and Dance in Cologne.