2026 PBA Young Artist Piano Competition

Each spring, Palm Beach Atlantic University’s College of the Arts hosts the Young Artist Piano Competition, a celebratory weekend of music at our state-of-the-art Helen K. Persson Recital Hall. We welcome high school pianists, educators, and music lovers from around the world for a dynamic event focused on artistic growth, community, and inspiration.

This two-round competition invites pre-college pianists (ages 15-18) to showcase their artistry and musical identity before a distinguished panel of international judges. All participants—including non-competing students—are encouraged to immerse themselves in complimentary masterclasses, workshops, and concerts, making this a holistic educational experience and a potential steppingstone to a future in music.

Featured Guest Artist: Dr. Daniel Paul Horn

We are profoundly honored to welcome our 2026 guest artist, Dr. Daniel Paul Horn, Professor of Piano at Wheaton College, where he has nurtured young artists for over four decades. Dr. Horn will present a solo recital featuring works by Schumann, Adams, Danielpour, and others. All participating students will receive 4 complimentary tickets to this recital.

• Dr. Jackie Yong, Competition Chair, Palm Beach Atlantic University
• Dr. Daniel Paul Horn, Guest Artist, Wheaton College

Application Process:

1. Please review the details and requirements of the competition below.
2. Submit Application Fee: Click below and begin the application process under “Submit Application Fee.”

$75 for competition and workshop participants

$50 for workshop only (participation in master classes, and workshops).

Link: Application Fee

3. Complete Application form:Complete the application below. under “Application Form”.

Application Form

• Submit Video:A memorized pre-screening video (approx. 5 minutes) must be uploaded to the application if you are competing.
• Upload payment verification (screen shot)

**Repertoire is a free choice and may be the same as or different from your proposed final round program.

4. Deadlines:
   • Prescreening Deadline:December 15, 2025
   • Finalist Invitations Announced by December 20, 2025

Program Submission Details:
Upon application, you will be asked to provide the following for your proposed final round program:

• Title and Movement(s)
• Composer’s full name and birth/death years
• Individual piece durations and total program duration
• Indication of interest in participating in a masterclass

We encourage, but do not require, the inclusion of works by underrepresented, overlooked, or underperformed composers, as well as works by living composers (including your own compositions).

• Finalists will receive a formal invitation to compete in the live final round by December 20, 2025.
• Performance Time: Each finalist is allotted 12-15 minutes of total stage time. This includes walking on/off stage, bowing, and pauses between pieces.
  • Programs under the time limit are acceptable.
  • Programs that exceed 15 minutes will be stopped at the judges’ discretion.
• Memorization is required for all stages of the competition.
• Repertoire must include solo works from at least two contrasting stylistic periods (e.g., Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Impressionism, 20^th/21^st Century).
• Individual movements from larger works (sonatas, suites) are permitted.
• Transcriptions in a classical style are allowed; pop music arrangements are not.
• Compositions requiring prepared piano are not permitted.
• No repertoire changes are permitted after the application is submitted.
• Repertoire questions? Contact the competition coordinator: Dr. Jackie Yong at Jackie_Yong@pba.edu

To receive a monetary award, winners must participate in the full festival weekend.

• First Prize
  • $1,500 Cash Award
  • $12,000 Manfred and Trudy Bung Scholarship to PBA*
• Second Prize
  • $800 Cash Award
  • $10,000 Sandra Houle Memorial Scholarship to PBA*
• Third Prize
  • $500 Cash Award
  • $8,000 Marlene Woodward-Cooper Scholarship to PBA*
• Honorable Mention(s) certificate(s)
  • At the jurors’ discretion.

*Scholarship amounts are for students who enroll as full-time music majors at Palm Beach Atlantic University.

Festival Activities for All Attendees

The weekend is designed for all students, whether competing or not! All events are complimentary for registered participants.

• Guest Artist Recital
• Masterclasses with adjudicators.
• Workshops on Baroque Music on the Harpsichord and Accompanying.
• Awards Ceremony 

Schedule

Friday, January 30, 2026

• 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM: Competition Final Round – HKP

Saturday, January 31, 2026

• 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM: Lessons & Masterclasses
• 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM: Lunch
• 1:30 PM – 2:00 PM: Music Department Tour
• 2:00 PM – 4:50 PM: Workshops
• 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM: Guest Artist Recital & Awards Ceremony

Contact Information

Dr. Jackie Yong
Director, PBA Young Artist Piano Competition
Assistant Professor of Piano
Jackie_Yong@pba.edu

Pianist Daniel Paul Horn is Professor of Music and Keyboard Chair at the Wheaton College Conservatory of Music, where he has taught since 1984, and was honored with a 2009 Senior Academic Achievement Award for sustained excellence in scholarship. As a solo recitalist, he has appeared North America, at the American Liszt Society Festivals, and in live broadcasts over WFMT-FM, on its Pianoforte Foundation Fazioli Salon Series and 2010 Beethoven Piano Sonata series; he has also appeared with the Sarajevo Philharmonic, and various Midwestern orchestras, including the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. An avid chamber musician, he regularly collaborates with members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. With the MasterWorks Ensemble, he has played in Bermuda and at the Beijing Modern Music Festival; in addition, he has performed with the Ying String Quartet, Midsummer’s Music in Door County, the Rembrandt Chamber Players, cellist Stephen Balderston, pianists Alexander Djordjevic and Caroline Hong, and Guarneri Quartet violinist John Dalley. He also works with noted singers, including sopranos Michelle Areyzaga and Sylvia McNair, baritone Gerard Sundberg, and bass Stephen Morscheck; with soprano Carolyn Hart and mezzo-soprano Denise Gamez, he has performed recitals in Chicago, New York, and Paris. Working with living composers, he has premiered music by Jacob Bancks, Jacob Beranek, Delvyn Case, David M. Gordon, Patrick Kavanaugh, Daniel Kellogg, Shawn Okpebholo, and Max Raimi. In 2020, he gave the first performance of Seven Mysteries, a major work composed for him by Richard Danielpour, commissioned by Wheaton College.

As an early keyboardist, he was harpsichordist in performances of Handel’s Messiah and Haydn’s Creation under the baton of John Nelson, and has twice performed on the Historical Piano Concert series at the Frederick Collection in Ashburnham, Massachusetts. In 1997, he recorded the critically praised disc “Wanderings” for Titanic Records on an 1829 Graf fortepiano, and in 2010 released Sehnsucht: Music of Robert Schumann; he also recorded for the Centaur label with CSO cellist Donald Moline, the Canadian Music Centre with soprano Carolyn Hart, and the Innova label with flutist Jennie Oh Brown.

A Detroit native, Horn studied at Peabody with Walter Hautzig, and at Juilliard, where he studied with Martin Canin and Felix Galimir, and earned his doctorate. He has also coached with Jerome Lowenthal, Ann Schein, Joseph Bloch, Roy Howat, and Menahem Pressler, for whom he twice served as a guest assistant at Indiana University. In addition to his duties at Wheaton, he is treasurer of the American Liszt Society, and has been a faculty artist at the MasterWorks, Chicago International Music Competition, Sewanee, Adamant, Blue Mountain, and Dakota Sky summer festivals.

Dr. Jackie Yong is a versatile Malaysian pianist and Nationally Certified Teacher of Music (NCTM) in Piano. Since Fall 2024, he has served as Assistant Professor of Piano and Coordinator of the Keyboard Division at Palm Beach Atlantic University (PBA). Viewing teaching and learning as a form of discipleship, Dr. Yong emphasizes progress-driven, comprehensive, and sustainable approaches that cultivate both practical skills and a profound understanding of music.

As a performer, Dr. Yong is recognized for his thoughtfully curated programs that span repertoire from Bach to Bernstein and Boulez to Bright Sheng. He has appeared across Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Colombia, Germany, and the United States, earning top prizes in competitions such as the Rockwood Piano Competition, Asia-Open International Piano Competition, and Charleston International Piano Competition. A passionate advocate for new music, he has premiered works by living composers and performed at events including Florida State University’s Biennial Festival of New Music and the University of Tennessee’s New Sound Concert Series. His performances have been featured on platforms such as WUOT 91.1 FM and 988 FM.

Dr. Yong’s scholarly work explores collegiate piano literature, recital programming, musical meaning and narrative, historical pedagogy, and career development for musicians. He presents regularly at international, national, state, and regional conferences, including those hosted by the College Music Society, Music Teachers National Association, National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy (NCKP), UCSI Piano Pedagogy Conference, Florida State Music Teachers Association (FSMTA), and the PBA Interdisciplinary Conference. A two-time recipient of the David Z. Kushner Paper Award, he has also received honors such as the FSU Dissertation Research Grant and the University of Tennessee Diversity Enhancement Fellowship.

From 2025–2027, Dr. Yong serves as Vice President of District and Local Associations for FSMTA, Secretary of the Palm Beach County Music Teachers Association, and Chair of the FSMTA District VI Concerto Competition. An MTNA-certified adjudicator, he has judged events including the FSMTA District VI Concerto Competition, Pompano Beach Piano Competition, PBCMTA Scholarship Competition, Tallahassee Sonatina Festival, and Tallahassee Student Day. At PBA, he directs the annual Young Artist Piano Competition, which welcomes high school students for a piano festival.

Beyond academia, Dr. Yong has served as a pianist, organist, conductor, and worship leader across Lutheran, Presbyterian, Methodist, and non-denominational churches, reflecting his deep commitment to music ministry. He is also frequently invited to lead masterclasses and workshops on piano technique, hymn playing, and improvisation.

He holds a Doctor of Music degree in Piano Performance from Florida State University, along with certificates in Piano Pedagogy, Music Theory Pedagogy, and College Teaching. He also earned degrees from the University of Malaya and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. His artistic and pedagogical outlook has been shaped by his teachers Read Gainsford, Diana Dumlavwalla, and Chih-Long Hu, as well as masterclasses with renowned artists including Jerome Lowenthal, Hung-Kuan Chen, Bernd Goetzke, Robin McCabe, Craig Sheppard, and Angela Cheng.