We are delighted to present the laureates of the 2026 season
The pianists
Joanna Goranko
Joanna Goranko is a Polish pianist, born in 2001. Currently, she is studying under the guidance of Professor Konstantin Scherbakov in Zürich at the University of the Arts. She is a prizewinner of numerous prestigious piano competitions, including the International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition for Young Pianists in Foshan (3rd Prize) and the National Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition.In 2023 she became a Semi-finalist of the Chopin Piano Competition on the Period Instruments. In March 2024, she became a prize winner of the Valiant Forum Piano Competition as part of the Murten Classics Festival in Switzerland. In June 2024, she won the 1st Prize at the Piano Competition in Lausanne and in August 2024, she performed Mendelssohn’s Piano Concerto in A minor with Orchestra Boho Strings at this Festival and won the 3rd Prize.. As a result, she was invited to perform Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major with an orchestra. In December 2024 she made her debut at the Tonhalle, Zurich, performing Schumann Trio with her chamber music partners. Joanna has performed concerts both in Poland and abroad, including in Moscow, Vienna, Paris, Hamamatsu, Miami, Rome, and many cities in Germany and Switzerland. Joanna has also been invited to perform at renowned Chopin events, such as at the Chopin Manor in Żelazowa Wola, the Chopin Museum, the Chopin Festival in Duszniki Zdrój, as well as the Paris Chopin Festival “Chopin au Jardin” and “Chopin à Paris.”
Dominik-Augustin Ilisz
“This young man is highly talented, full of imagination, and strives to shape every detail of a composition” wrote Pierre Charron about Dominic after the concert for the International Chopin Society in Vienna.
Dominik Ilisz is a pianist in his fourth year of studies at the MdW in the class of Professor Christopher Hinterhuber, and at the Oradea in the class of Professor Horia Maxim. He has already performed on many major stages in Europe,including the Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest, the Megaron Concert Hall in Thessaloniki,and the Philharmonic Hall of Patras (Greece).He has given concerts in Germany,Italy, France, Spain, and Austria. A significant milestone in his career was his début at the Wiener Staatsoper and at the Wiener Musikverein in 2025. His recent achievements include a 1st Prize at the Targu Mures International Piano Compétition,a “Medalla d'Honor” at the 70th Maria Canals International Piano compétition, special prize at the Ettlingen International Piano Competition and at the Bechstein Bruckner Piano Competition in Linz,the Marianne Nadler-Preis Awarded by the Beethoven Society and the Anny Felbermayer Award, which he received in 2023 from the University of MdW.In 2025, he appeared as an invited artist in the Musethica Vienna sessions, performing in eleven concerts across Austria. In January 2026,he performed at the Benjamin Prize Award Gala in Vienna.This prize is presented annually by the Wolfgang Boesch Private Foundation to exceptionally successful young artists.Dominik received the award following his appearance at the Wiener Staatsoper,where he stepped in on short notice and had to learn Liszt’s Reminiscences de Norma in less than two weeks.
Riko Imai
Riko Imai Born on 5 July 2001, she began learning piano at the age of two. She is currently a student of Anna Malikova at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. She completed her bachelor’s degree with highest distinction in Piano Performance at the MdW. Starting this autumn, she will continue her studies in the master’s program.
She has won prizes in numerous piano competitions, including second prize in the Chopin Piano Competition in Japan (2024), third prize in the 13th Rosario Marciano International Piano Competition (2024), sixth prize in the 4th Shigeru Kawai International Piano Competition (2023), second prize in the Osaka International Music Competition (2019), the gold medal in the Asian International Chopin Piano Competition (2018), a special prize in the Hamamatsu International Piano Academy (2017), and the bronze medal in the Ishikawa International Competition (2017).
Arthur Kokerai
Arthur Kokerai is a young pianist whose artistry is distinguished by a striking blend of expressive individuality and technical brilliance. His vivid temperament and deeply communicative style have already marked him out as a musician of rare promise. A citizen of Zimbabwe, Arthur was born in October 2006. He began his musical education in 2012 at the Gnessin Special School/College of Music in Moscow, where he studied piano under Elena Plyashkevich. In 2024 he graduated from school with distinction. He is currently in his second year at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he holds a full scholarship, studying for the Bachelor of Music degree under Professor Joanna MacGregor.
Arthur has performed in many of Russia’s prestigious concert halls, including the Small, Great, and Rachmaninov Halls of the Moscow State Conservatoire, the Zaryadye Concert Hall, and the Moscow International House of Music. He has participated in the Music Festival Chipping Campden 2025 in conjunction with Chipping Campden Literature Festival. He has also performed at the Duke Hall. Arthur is a laureate of several national and international competitions, most notably winning Third Prize and the Bronze Medal at the XI International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians (2023) in Moscow and Third Prize at the BPSE 32nd Senior Intercollegiate Piano Competition in UK (2025). He has also been selected for the Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition 2023 and participated in the Dublin International Piano Competition 2025 and Hastings International Piano Concert Competition 2026 (UK)
Darren Sheng
Darren Sheng is renowned for his clear and passionate playing, which has earned him numerous invitations to perform in France, appearing in prestigious venues such as the Salle Cortot, the Théâtre de la Ville in Paris, Théâtre du 95 ‘Point Commun’, and the Théâtre de Poissy, as well as at numerous festivals, such as the Chopin Festival at Bagatelle, the ‘Envol Musical’ Festival alongside David Fray and Clément Lefebvre, and the Pontlevoy Festival. He distinguished himself at the 2020 edition of the “Virtuose du Cœur” International Competition by winning Third Prize, and is also a laureate of the “Piano Campus” competition, having won two special prizes. In 2022, he was invited as a soloist to perform Liszt’s “La Malédiction” with the PSPBB orchestra under the baton of Xavier Gagnepain.In 2026, he performed as a soloist with the Marseille Philharmonic Orchestra to play “Nuit dans les jardins d’Espagne” with Daniel Kawka. A versatile musician, Darren Sheng has extensive training as a cellist and regularly performs on period instruments. He previously obtained the Higher Diploma in Concert Performance at the École Normale de Musique de Paris, under the guidance of Jean-Marc Luisada, and is currently completing a dual course at the Paris Conservatoire (CNSM), studying as a soloist under Denis Pascal and as an accompanist with Reiko Hozu. With an interest in history, philosophy and sociology, he seeks to find the right musical meaning by integrating these diverse, cross-disciplinary dimensions into his performance.
A native of Taiwan, he has performed in numerous recitals in Taipei, notably at the Eslite Hall. Darren is supported by the Jeune Talent association and is a recipient of the Safran Foundation scholarship.
Mila Gostijanović
Mila discovered music at an early age and began learning the piano at the age of four at the CRD in Roubaix in Vladimir Soultanov’s class; at the age of nine, she performed Haydn’s Concerto in D major with an orchestra there. She continued her pre-higher education at the Musica Mundi School in Waterloo (Belgium), where she studied for three years with Jacques Rouvier, before being admitted at the age of 17 to the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris. Winner of several first prizes (Pianissima, Opus Yvelines) and the Debussy Interpretation Prize in 2022, she has furthered her studies in masterclasses with Bruno Rigutto, Anne Queffélec, Abdel Rahman El Bacha, Avedis Kouyoumdjian and Elisabeth Leonskaja. She has been invited to perform at numerous festivals (La Roque d’Anthéron, Lisztomanias in Châteauroux, Piano City Milan, ‘Muse & Piano’ at the Louvre-Lens, Philomuses in Paris, Piano-Pic in Bagnères-de-Bigorre, Plan-de-la-Tour, Chopin de Bagatelle, Château de Lourmarin) and performs Rachmaninov’s First Piano Concerto with the Orchestre de la Folia de Lille. In a duo with her sister Barbara (four hands / two pianos), she performs notably at the Festival Debussy in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, at ‘Pianos en fête ’ (La Roque d’Anthéron), at the Salle Cortot, at the Piano Folies in Le Touquet and in French Guiana. Deeply committed to chamber music, she works with Emmanuelle Bertrand, François Salque, Michaël Hentz and the Quatuor Ébène; a member of the Trio Idyl since 2024, she obtained a bachelor’s degree in the class of Claire Désert and Loui Rodde. Aged 21, she is continuing her piano studies at the CNSMDP under Denis Pascal and Varduhi Yeritsyan.
Les quatuors à cordes
Aiolos Quartet
Jiaqi Lu, violin
Hongfei Lyu, violin
Alessandra Yang, viola
Aloisa Wetter, cello
Founded in autumn 2024, the Aiolos Quartet is an international ensemble bringing together musicians from China, Austria, and the United States.
Violinists Jiaqi Lu and Hongfei Lyu first began playing chamber music together in 2023. After refining their musical direction, they were joined by violist Alessandra Yang and cellist Aloisa Wetter. Under the mentorship of Prof. Johannes Meissl at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, the Aiolos Quartet has rapidly developed its musical identity. They have been selected to take part in
the 2025/26 and 2026/27 seasons of Musethica.
Through their collaboration, the quartet is developing a cohesive musical language and a distinctive artistic voice.
Galilee Quartet
Mostafa Saad, violin
Gandhi Saad, violine
Omar Saad, viola
Tibah Saad, cello
The Galilee Quartet – a Palestinian quartet based in Paris, composed of three brothers and a sister: Omar, Mostafa, Gandhi, and Tibah. Founded in their home in Galilee, their repertoire includes Western classical pieces and Arabic songs, as well as original compositions.
In 2023, the quartet began studies at the Paris Regional Conservatory (CRR) with Miguel Da Silva and Luc-Marie Aguera, and in 2024 with Emmanuel Haratyk at the Bourg-La-Riene Conservatory. They have also studied under the mentorship of Jean-François Heisser in Paris, Gilles Millet, and Marc Danel(Danel Quartet). In 2025, the quartet was selected as the ensemble in residence at the Verbier festival academy.
In September 2025, the quartet began a masters in quartet studies at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP) where they currently study with François Salque, Jean Sulem and quatuor Ébène. The quartet has performed a lot across Europe and the Middle East, and continues its journey of sharing music and building cultural bridges.
Sostenuto Quartet
Andreas Alexander Martinsen, violin
Bjørg Pas, violin
Kristin Pas, viola
Frida Leanne Rogn, cello
Sostenuto Quartet is a nationally recognized and expressive Norwegian string quartet, consisting of four young musicians, Andreas Alexander Martinsen, violin / Bjørg Pas, violin / Kristin Pas, viola / Frida Leanne Rogn, cello. They are based in London at the “Royal Academy of Music”, with a passion for creativity and vivacity. Despite their young age, the quartet has already developed a mature, deep sound and a nuanced musicality, something that highly contributed to their victory in one of Norway’s most recognized national competitions, The Midgard National Music Competition, in 2022. The Sostenuto Quartet has attended multiple programs and academies throughout the years. One of the greatest points of their career was in spring 2024 where they executed their national Norwegian tour, performing their own concert series “Conflicting Harmony”. Presenting pieces by Debussy, Glass and the Danish String Quartet. This was a series highly focused on the relevance and importance of culture in some of the world’s most discussed issues: war and poverty. Recent performances include a performance in the Wigmore Hall performing «Arcadiana» by Thomas Adès. Attended a masterclass given by Adès himself and a collaboration between students from the Julliard School and The Royal Academy of Music they performed at the Royal Albert Hall (London) and Lincoln Square (New York). For continuing their musical career, the Sostenuto Quartet has received various scholarships from funds viz. Anders Sveeas Almennyttige Fond and Axel Byes legat.