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Jun Asai
Born in Oklahoma, USA in September 1982, Jun Asai has been studying music for 24 years. Past teachers have included Eduardo Delgado, Daniel Pollack, and Yoheved Kaplinsky. She has also worked with John O'Conor, Arie Vardi and Nelita True in various masterclasses. She entered The Juilliard School as an undergraduate freshman at the age of 15 and graduated in 2004 with a Master's degree.
Jun made her orchestral debut with the Glendale Symphony, playing Beethoven's Concerto No. 1, conducted by Lalo Schiffrin at age nine, and made her L.A. Philharmonic debut playing Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion Music Center. She has performed with many renowned orchestras, such as the Fort Worth Symphony and Nagoya Philharmonic. She made her Carnegie's Weill Recital Hall debut in January of 2002.
She was a prizewinner at the Joanna Hodges International Piano Competition in 1992. In 1998 she took first place in the Los Angeles Philharmonic's Bronislaw Kaper Awards for Young Artists, In 2000, she won second place at the National Chopin Competition in Miami, Florida. She was also a prize/award winner at the 2001 Gina Bachauer Int'l Young Pianists' Competition, 2003 Hilton Head Int'l Piano Competition, and 2003 William Kapell Int'l Piano Competition. She won a Special Jury Prize at the Russian International Music Competition in May 2005. At the Shanghai International Piano Competition in November, 2005, she was a finalist and won the prize for Best Mozart Concerto Performance. In July, 2006, she won the Audience Favorite Prize at the New Orleans International Competition. She was a finalist and award winner at the Nagoya International Competition. In May of 2008, she won 3rd place at the Citta di Cantu International Piano Competition.
Jun played the role of a piano prodigy in the movie "Sneakers" with Robert Redford in 1991.
Jun began to write music at age four and has been composing on and off since then. Her 35-minute composition for string orchestra "Peace be with You," was performed by the Colburn Chamber Orchestra in 1995. She is currently serving in the music ministry for Davar Church in Los Angeles. Her hobbies include watching movies, reading, baking, swimming and playing with her pets.
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Round I
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L. v. Beethoven
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Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13, ¡°Path¨¦tique¡±
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F. Liszt
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La Campanella
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Round II
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D. Scarlatti
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3 Sonatas (Sonata in G major, K. 13, Sonata in F minor, K. 466, Sonata in D minor, K. 1)
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M. Ravel
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Alborada del gracioso
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F. Chopin
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Nocturne in D flat major, Op. 27, No. 2
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F. Schubert/Liszt
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Erlkonig
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Semifinal Round
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F. Liszt
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Sonata in B minor
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I. Stravinsky
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Three Movements from "Petrouchka"
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Final Round
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S. Rachmaninoff
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Concerto No. 3 in D minor, op. 30
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In her own words:
I love watching movies-they inspire me and let me experience other people's lives, without leaving my seat! I love animals; right now, I have four cats, all of whom came to me by accident. I also enjoy baking, swimming (though not very good at it), reading, taking walks, eating (who doesn't?), drinking coffee...
My perspective toward competition is, you've got nothing to lose. You get to play for an appreciative audience, meet other musicians (and non-musicians!), gain valuable experience, and challenge yourself to do better than you did before.
My goal in life is to serve God and other people through whatever I do. What I hope to do most, is make music. I gain the most fulfillment from performing now, but I hope to get to teach further down the line. Teaching carries so much more responsibility! I'm serving at my church as the music director and church school teacher, so that's also something I hope to continue doing. I'd also like to write some music.
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