Mannes School of Music, an all-Steinway school, is thrilled to bring back the Mannes International Piano Festival for its third year, under the artistic direction of Pavlina Dokovska, Chair of the Mannes Piano Department!
Spend your best weeks of summer in the heart of Greenwich Village, where New York City’s creative energy is literally outside your practice room. The Mannes International Piano Festival is the only large-scale festival in New York devoted entirely to piano and creating a community of serious young pianists working toward shared goals.
The Mannes International Piano Festival is an immersive, conservatory-level experience: a concentrated stretch of private study, masterclasses, seminars, and daily workshops that sharpen technique, refine artistry, and strengthen your professional toolkit through performance opportunities and focused mentorship.
You’ll practice in an All-Steinway setting and perform in beautifully equipped venues within the Mannes/New School campus. And because practice access is not limited, you can truly build momentum day after day.
At the center of the experience is the exceptional faculty: world-class artist-teachers from Mannes School of Music, and guests from Europe and Asia. Working with them means receiving direct, practical guidance on interpretation, technique and artistic identity, while also gaining fresh perspectives shaped by today’s global performance culture. Through lessons, masterclasses, and daily sessions, you’ll be challenged, supported, and inspired by musicians who set the highest standards and know how to help you reach them.
Add to that a high-impact performance culture: a concert series that spotlights the new generation of prize-winning young pianists, so you’re constantly inspired by what’s possible right now, and connected to an international community of driven peers.
Further bolstering your development and performance chops, the festival’s second week includes a two-round piano competition with three cash prizes: real stakes, real stage time, and real visibility.
You'll have the option of attending for one or two weeks. One-week enrollment is available July 12 - 19 or July 19 - 26, and two-week enrollment is from July 12-26. We are pleased to offer merit-based scholarships to make this transformative experience accessible to as many passionate pianists as possible.
The Mannes Summer Piano Festival has been one of the most formative experiences of my artistic journey. Attending in both 2024 and 2025, and receiving a competition prize in 2024, I experienced firsthand the festival’s extraordinary level of mentorship and inspiration. Learning from world-class faculty from across the globe, performing alongside passionate pianists, and being immersed in such a focused musical environment pushed my playing to a new level. The festival offers not only exceptional instruction, but also invaluable performance and networking opportunities. I am especially honored to open the guest concert series for this year’s season—an opportunity that reflects how deeply Mannes supports and believes in its artists.
The Mannes Piano Festival was an incredibly enjoyable and meaningful experience for me. Throughout the festival, there was a strong sense of positive, collegial energy that created a warm, supportive, and inspiring environment. The opportunity to work with outstanding teachers from Mannes and from around the world, combined with a well-balanced schedule of intensive learning and artistic growth alongside the freedom to explore and enjoy New York City, made this experience truly special and unforgettable.
The Festival is open to students 16 years of age or older as of July 1, 2026; exceptional students ages 15 years of age or younger may be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Deadlines
- March 2, 2026 / Early Decision
- May 31, 2026 / Regular Decision
Click “Apply” to submit your application today! You will be asked to provide the following:
- Names of 3 - 4 teachers with whom you would like to study. Subject to teacher availability.
- Written OR selfie-style video response (approximately 250 words OR a 1-minute video) explaining why you want to come to the Mannes International Piano Festival, what you are hoping to learn, and what you are hoping to share.
- Link(s) to a video recording of yourself playing two pieces of contrasting styles. A minimum of 15 minutes of playing total required. Movements are acceptable.
Applicants who would like to be considered for the Mannes Summer Piano Competition will additionally be asked to provide the following:
- Written program proposal of no less than 60 minutes of repertoire
Tuition for 1 Week (July 12 - 19 OR July 19 - 26) is $1,150 + $45 TNS registration fee.
Tuition for 2 Weeks (July 12 - 26) is $1,995 + $45 TNS registration fee.
Tuition includes private lessons, master class(es), content seminars, concert series admission, rehearsals / practice, final performance, and, if selected, participation in the piano competition process.
The Piano Competition is an exciting opportunity for students to showcase their talent, skill, and dedication. A total of $5,000 in cash prizes will be awarded: $3,000 for first place, $1,500 for second place, and $500 for third place.
The competition is open to students participating in the festival from through one-week or two-week enrollment.
- Round 1 / Application: Students indicate their interest in consideration on the general application form and will be asked to provide a program proposal of no less than 60 minutes of repertory.
- Round 2 / Preliminaries (July 22 & July 23): All accepted students who satisfy the program proposal requirements in Round 1 will prepare 10 minutes of material in no less than three contrasting styles for a private audition during the Festival. Jurors will select three finalists.
- Round 3 / Finals (July 24): The three finalists will perform in a public concert in the second week of the festival. Jurors will award cash prizes at the conclusion of the event.
The Mannes International Piano Festival Concert Series celebrates piano virtuosity. From July 13-22, experience an extraordinary lineup of the new generation of internationally acclaimed pianists at The New School's Tishman Auditorium.
Monday, July 13th at 7:00pm – Jiwon Yang
Wednesday, July 15th at 7:00pm – Nicolas Salloum
Friday, July 17th at 7:00pm – Seunghyuk Na
Monday, July 20th at 7:00pm – Ilya Shmukler
Wednesday, July 22nd at 7:00pm – Evren Ozel
David and Sheila Cutner
Diane Volk
Eugenia Ames
George Fisher
Google LLC
Guzik Foundation
Hans Gessel
J.Y. Song
Judith Vale
Kathleen Williams
Leslie and David Burgstahler
Lorna Power
Patricia Forelle
Patricia Kozak
Pavlina Dokovska
Rizel Sigele
Vladimir Valjarevic
To support the Mannes International Piano Festival, we invite you to contact Min Um-Mandhyan at ummandhm@newschool.edu. You can also make a gift online by choosing Mannes Summer Piano Academy and Festival from the list of giving options.
Danwen Wei, a native of the People’s Republic of China, is hailed as one of the most outstanding musicians of his generation. His commanding technique and artistic temperament have resulted in his appearances as a soloist with orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic, the Minnesota Orchestra, the Seattle Symphony, the St. Louis Symphony, the New York Chamber Symphony, the Augusta Symphony, symphony of the Americas, the Hong Kong Philharmonic, the Shanghai Symphony, the Shanghai Broadcasting Orchestra, the National Orchestra of China and the Singapore Symphony among many others.
A Steinway Artist, Mr. Wei has performed in cities throughout the United States as well as in Germany, Austria, Italy, France, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Taipei, and China. Mr. Wei has performed in festivals such as the Ravinia Festival in Chicago, the Mostly Mozart Festival in New York, the Beijing Music Festival, and the “Tuscan Sun Festival” in Cortona, Italy. His two solo albums were released on the 3D Classic label, and a concerto performance was released by China Record Company.
In recent years, Mr. Wei is expanding into the area of conducting as well. He has conducted Soloisti di Perugia, Budapest Youth Symphony, The Oshdot Symphony of Israel, University of Alicante Symphony, Shenyang Youth Symphony, and the Master’s Chamber Orchestra of Central Conservatory of China among others. He has been a principal conductor of Music Fest Perugia in Italy since 2013.
A graduate of the Juilliard School, Mr. Wei’s principal teachers include Qifanf Li, Ilana Vered, and Martin Canin. He was also one of the last pupils of the legendary pianist Vladimir Horowitz, Mr. Wei is now a much sought-after teacher in China and a frequent adjudicator in both national and international piano competitions. He has been invited to give lectures and master classes both in China and abroad. Mr. Wei’s students have won top prizes in many competitions, and he is a faculty member of many summer festivals including Musicfest Perugia in Perugia, Italy, and Beijing Music Festival and Academy, in addition to his professorship at Shenyang Conservatory of Music. In 2015, Mr. Wei joined the faculty of the Central Conservatory of China in Beijing, and in 2013, was elected Vice-Chairman of the National Piano Society of China.
Since his debut with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra at the age of sixteen, Korean-born
pianist Hyoung-Joon Chang has worked with eminent conductors, including Walter Hendl,
Tadaaki Otaka, Thomas Sanderling, Paul Freeman. Chang has collaborated with world-renowned orchestras such as the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Tokyo Philharmonic
Orchestra, the Osaka Symphony Orchestra, the Victoria Symphony, the KBS Symphony
Orchestra and the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra during its summer music festival. Chang was the soloist for the Korean premiere of “Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra” by Vaughn Williams. In addition, Chang has given acclaimed solo recitals on international stages in Europe,
the United States, Canada, Japan, and Korea.
Chang received his doctoral degree from the Manhattan School of Music where he has
studied with legendary American pianists Earl Wild and Constance Keene. He has also played often for the late Abram Chasins. He has served as a jury member of Cleveland International
Piano Competition, Dublin, Enescu, Seoul, Epinal, Bonn Beethoven, Shanghai, Scottish, Kiev,
Norway and Grand Piano Competition in Moscow. Many of his pupils have won major and special prizes from International Piano Competition. He has taught master classes at leading schools around the world, including the Eastman, Manhattan, CIM, HEM Geneve, Shanghai,
Beijing, Royal College of Music, Dresden and Mannheim Hochschule.
Since June, 2022, Hyoung-Joon Chang has been appointed as a president of Seoul Arts Center. He has been a Professor of Piano at Seoul National University since 1995. An active and popular recording artist, Chang has recorded diverse piano concertos of Mozart, Prokofiev,
Tchaikovsky, Gershwin and Schnittke with labels such as Pro Arte, Warner Music and Genuin.
Katarzyna Popowa-Zydroń is an internationally acclaimed Polish pianist of Bulgarian origin. A former student of Alexander Jenner at the Hochschule fur Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Vienna, and a participant in masterclasses with Suzanne Roche, Dieter Zechlin and Gyorgy Sebok, she was also a prize-winner of prestigious national and international competitions.
Katarzyna Popowa-Zydroń is a regular performer in Poland and abroad. Her repertoire includes compositions from the Baroque era to the present day with particular emphasis on the works of Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Chopin, Debussy, Bartok, and others. She is also known for premiering Polish contemporary music.
Popowa-Zydroń has performed as a chamber musician with renowned soloists and ensembles. Her concerts and recordings (for Accord Musidisc, CD Accord, Art Records and Fryderyk Chopin Institute) have been enthusiastically received by critics and audiences:
"It is that highest art of striking the listener at the heart that Katarzyna Popowa-Zydroń has mastered to absolute perfection...” (Marcin Gmys, about the ACD 189-2/2013 CD ACCORD) "I received the distinct impression that Popowa-Zydroń was less of a performing artist but had become or had been transformed into a perfect conduit or channel for the spirit and music of Schubert speaking directly through her.” (Michael Moran's blog: 73rd International Chopin Piano Festival, Duszniki 2017)
Katarzyna Popowa-Zydron is a professor at the Feliks Nowowiejski Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz, where she was the Head of the Piano Department for years. She frequently gives masterclasses, conducts seminars and courses for piano teachers at home and abroad. She has often been on juries, judging national and international competitions. For the last two International Chopin Competitions in Warsaw (2015, 2021), she was the president of the international jury. In addition, she has been the president of the I. J. Paderewski Music Society in Bydgoszcz for years, which is the organizer of the Paderewski International Piano Competition.
Her students have won awards in numerous competitions. Some of them have busy performing careers, others are successful teachers. Among her former pupils are Krzysztof Herdzin, Rafal Blechacz, Jakub Kuszlik, Pawel Wakarecy, Katarzyna Borek, Radoslaw Kurek, Michio Nishihara Toro, Michal Szymanowski, to name but a few.
For her artistic and pedagogical achievements, Katarzyna Popowa-Zydron has received many awards. She has been decorated with the Medal of the Commission of National Education, Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis, and the Order of Polonia Restituta's Officer's Cross.
Born in China, Yun Sun studied with Professor Guang Ren Zhou at the middle school of the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. She then went on to the United States to study in the pre-college division of the Manhattan School of Music as a winner of the Elwa van Gelder Scholarship. She received her master’s degree from the Mannes College of Music, where she studied with Nina Svetlanova and received the Marian Marcus Wahl Award.
Since then, Ms. Sun has also studied with Vladimir Feltsman and Robert McDonald. In 2012, Yun Sun obtained her degree of Doctor of Music Arts in Piano Performance from The City University of New York. She has been on the college piano faculty at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music in China since 2002.
Ms. Sun is a winner of numerous piano competitions, including the Artist International Annual Young Artist Debut Series and the National Beethoven Foundation Fellowship Audition. She has also been the top-prize winner at the Stravinsky International Piano
Competition, and the top-prize winner in the World Piano Competition in Cincinnati.
Since Ms. Sun’s Weil Recital Hall debut, she has concertized throughout the United States. Her European debut took place in Kleine Zaal at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. Her sparkling artistry has been equally enthusiastically received in the rest of Europe, America, and Asia.
Danwen Wei, a native of the People’s Republic of China, is hailed as one of the most outstanding musicians of his generation. His commanding technique and artistic temperament have resulted in his appearances as a soloist with orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic, the Minnesota Orchestra, the Seattle Symphony, the St. Louis Symphony, the New York Chamber Symphony, the Augusta Symphony, symphony of the Americas, the Hong Kong Philharmonic, the Shanghai Symphony, the Shanghai Broadcasting Orchestra, the National Orchestra of China and the Singapore Symphony among many others. His performance with the New York Philharmonic was broadcast on PBS’ “Live from Lincoln Center” series.
A Steinway Artist, Mr. Wei has performed in cities throughout the United States as well as in Germany, Austria, Italy, France, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Taipei, and China. Mr. Wei has performed in festivals such as the Ravinia Festival in Chicago, the Mostly Mozart Festival in New York, the Beijing Music Festival, and the “Tuscan Sun Festival” in Cortona, Italy. His two solo albums were released on the 3D Classic label, and a concerto performance was released by China Record Company.
In recent years, Mr. Wei is expanding into the area of conducting as well. He has conducted Soloisti di Perugia, Budapest Youth Symphony, The Oshdot Symphony of Israel, University of Alicante Symphony, Shenyang Youth Symphony, and the Master’s Chamber Orchestra of Central Conservatory of China among others. He has been a principal conductor of Music Fest Perugia in Italy since 2013.
A graduate of the Juilliard School, Mr. Wei’s principal teachers include Qifanf Li, Ilana Vered, and Martin Canin. He was also one of the last pupils of the legendary pianist Vladimir Horowitz, Mr. Wei is now a much sought-after teacher in China and a frequent adjudicator in both national and international piano competitions. He has been invited to give lectures and master classes both in China and abroad. Mr. Wei’s students have won top prizes in many competitions, and he is a faculty member of many summer festivals including Musicfest Perugia in Perugia, Italy, and Beijing Music Festival and Academy, in addition to his professorship at Shenyang Conservatory of Music. In 2015, Mr. Wei joined the faculty of the Central Conservatory of China in Beijing, and in 2013, was elected Vice-Chairman of the National Piano Society of China.