Conservatory of Music student wins international piano competition

Fourteen-year-old Brandon pianist Haoyu “Jason” Jiang, a student at Brandon University’s (BU) Eckhardt-Gramatté Conservatory of Music (E-Gré), has won First Prize at the PETROF Fest Piano Competition in Durango, Mexico.

The international competition brought together musicians representing 10 countries. Jason travelled from Brandon to Durango with an ambitious program spanning more than three centuries of piano music.

Jason studies piano with concert pianist Dr. Daniel Tselyakov, who teaches at the E-Gré Conservatory and is also a member of the academic staff at BU’s School of Music.

Jason’s Winning Program:

• J. S. Bach — Prelude and Fugue in C Minor, BWV 847, from The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I
• W. A. Mozart — Piano Sonata in G Major, K. 283
• Felix Mendelssohn — Song Without Words, Op. 30, No. 1
• Sergei Rachmaninoff — Prelude in B Major, Op. 32, No. 11
• Frédéric Chopin — Étude in F Minor, Op. 25, No. 2
• Frédéric Chopin — Étude in C Minor, Op. 25, No. 12

The breadth of this repertoire is particularly impressive for a pianist of Jason’s age. Each work presents a distinct artistic and technical world: the independence of voices and structural clarity of Bach; the balance, precision and elegance of Mozart; the lyricism and tonal refinement of Mendelssohn; the expressive colour and depth of Rachmaninoff; and the union of virtuosity, musical line and dramatic intensity in Chopin’s études.

“Jason worked very hard for this, and it is wonderful to see that work recognized,” said Dr. Tselyakov. “A competition gives a young musician a clear goal. It calls for an extra degree of concentration, discipline and courage, and it can reveal abilities the student may not yet realize he has. With this program, technique was only the beginning. We worked on allowing each composer to speak in a distinct voice and on hearing how the smallest detail—a hidden inner voice, the release of a note, the timing of a cadence—can transform an entire phrase. The First Prize is a wonderful result, but the most important achievement is how much Jason has grown as a musician through the process.”

Jason’s achievement is also a proud moment for the E-Gré Conservatory and Brandon’s musical community.

The result also highlights the importance of the partnership between student and teacher. Through careful preparation and close artistic mentorship, technical development becomes inseparable from musical understanding, stylistic awareness and the confidence to communicate with an international audience.

Winning First Prize in a competition involving musicians from 10 countries is a remarkable milestone for Jason at only 14 years of age—and an outstanding achievement for both student and teacher.

Congratulations to Haoyu “Jason” Jiang and Dr. Daniel Tselyakov on this exceptional international success and proud musical moment for Brandon.

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