SHARE YOUR BEST
AT SONAFEST!

Date: Saturday, May 3, 2025

Mercer Island Presbyterian Church
3605 84th Ave SE
Mercer Island, WA 98040 


Registration is NOW CLOSED. There is space for additional 7 year olds and 17+. Please email us for registration link.

PRIZES:  Personalized Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals for exceptional performances of sonatinas, sonatas, variations, fantasies and rondos.

All performers receive Certificate of Achievement and valuable adjudication notes from world class adjudicators.

Competition Director:
Dr. Yelena Balabanova

RULES

GENERAL RULES

IN-PERSON COMPETITION:
Saturday, May 3, 2025

Mercer Island Presbyterian Church
3605 84th Ave SE
Mercer Island, WA 98040 


Repertoire changes PERMITTED until April 15th, 2025.

In the event that the pianist cannot participate, no refunds will be issued for any reason, except medical emergency. Proof of hospital visit or physician's note will be required.

This competition will be divided into several groups based on age. There is no minimum age or maximum age to participate. Awards will be merit based. Students may enter for DIFFERENT categories, (sonatinas, sonatas, rondos, variations), but must apply and pay separately as separate applications.

Student will NOT be eligible for prize if music is not memorized or if music is not provided to the adjudicators. Appropriate performance attire is required—no T-shirts, jeans, sweat pants, shorts, or flip-flops.

CATEGORIES

Sonatinas, Sonatas, Rondos, Fantasies, Variations: Any composer, one or more movements within the time limit. Original 4-hand Sonatina works written by the composer are also permitted. 

Music must be performed memorized.

MUSIC POLICY:
All entrants MUST present music to the adjudicator in following forms:
-Books
-Purchased downloads
-Public Domain downloads

BINDERS AND FOLDERS:
3 ring binder or presentation folder must be used if music books are not used. No loose papers. Please make sure measure rows are numbered. Failure to do this will result in disqualification. 

LIVE RECORDING POLICY:
A video recording area will be designated for parents who wish to record their child. You may only record your own child and no one else. Disqualification will apply for violators.

REGISTRATION FEES 

REGISTRATION FEES:
Division 1
8 and under. Total playing time cannot exceed 5 minutes. Registration Fee: $65

Division 2
9-10 years. Total playing time cannot exceed 6 minutes. Registration Fee: $70

Division 3
11 to 12 years. Total playing time cannot exceed 7 minutes. Registration Fee: $75

Division 4
13 to 14 years. Total playing time cannot exceed 8 minutes. Registration Fee: $80

Division 5
15 to 16 years. Total playing time cannot exceed 9 minutes. Registration Fee: $85

Division 6
17 years and older. Total playing time cannot exceed 10 minutes. Registration Fee: $90

NO REFUNDS ISSUED AFTER REGISTRATION.
ALL pianists will written feedback from the adjudicator. Downloadable Certificate of Participation will be given to all participating teachers to give to their student(s).

PRIZES

Personalized Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals for exceptional performances.

Medals will be available for pickup by your teacher at Classic Pianos, Bellevue, WA between June 1-June 30, 2025. 

PLEASE NOTE: Out of town winners will receive Virtual Medals. We do not land mail medals. A virtual medal is a PDF Certificate which will include the winner's name. Suitable for printing at home and framing.

IMPORTANT:
All results are final. Participants, their families and their teachers may not consult with any of the adjudicators prior, during and after the competition with ANY matter pertaining to this competition. Violators will be disqualified immediately and will not be admitted to future Sonafest and other Pacific Competitions. 

2025 Competition Results

We will post the results by 10 pm on our website on Saturday, May 3rd, 2025

2025 SONAFEST
COMPETITION RESULTS (ages 4 to 10):

Medals will be available for pickup by your teacher at Classic Pianos, Bellevue, WA between June 1-June 30, 2025.

AGES 5-6
ADJUDICATOR: 
GOLD: 
SILVER: 
BRONZE: 
HM: 

AGES 7
ADJUDICATOR: 
GOLD:
SILVER:
BRONZE:
HM:

AGES 8
ADJUDICATOR: 
GOLD:
SILVER:
BRONZE:
HM:

AGE 9
ADJUDICATOR: 
GOLD:
SILVER:
BRONZE:
HM:

AGE 10
ADJUDICATOR: 
GOLD:
SILVER:
BRONZE:
HM:

AGES 11
ADJUDICATOR: 
GOLD:
SILVER:
BRONZE:
HM:


2025 SONAFEST
COMPETITION RESULTS (ages 12 and up):

Medals will be available for pickup by your teacher at Classic Pianos, Bellevue, WA between June 1-June 30, 2025.

AGE 12
ADJUDICATOR: 
GOLD:
SILVER:
BRONZE:
HM:

AGE 13
ADJUDICATOR: 
GOLD:
SILVER:
BRONZE:
HM:

AGE 14
ADJUDICATOR: 
GOLD:
SILVER:
BRONZE:
HM:

AGE 15-16
ADJUDICATOR: 
GOLD:
SILVER:
BRONZE:
HM:

AGE 17 and up
ADJUDICATOR: 
GOLD:
SILVER:
BRONZE:
HM:

DUETS, all ages
ADJUDICATOR: 
GOLD:
SILVER:
BRONZE:
HM: 

Dr. Xiaohui Yang 

Chinese pianist Xiaohui Yang, a winner of the 2017 Naumburg International Piano Competition, has been hailed by the press as a "tastefully polished musician" (Haaretz, Israel) and “a magician of sound and virtuosity” (La Libre, Belgium). She has performed across four continents in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Ozawa Hall, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, and the Seoul Arts Center.

Ms. Yang has appeared as a soloist with ensembles including the Louisiana Philharmonic, Milwaukee Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, Acadiana Symphony, Curtis Symphony, Galveston Symphony, and Poland’s Capella Bydgostiensis. Her solo and collaborative performances include recitals for Portland Piano International, the Shriver Hall Concert Series (Baltimore), the Union College Concert Series (Schenectady, NY), the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts (Chicago), and the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts (Katonah, NY).

A dedicated chamber musician, Ms. Yang has participated in renowned North American festivals such as Marlboro, Tanglewood, Ravinia, Banff, and Taos, performing with luminaries including Peter Wiley, Charles Neidich, Roberto Díaz, and the Dover String Quartet. She has been invited to tour with Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute and Curtis on Tour, performing in concert halls across the United States, Korea, and Greece. She is also a founding member of the Steans Piano Trio, alongside Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra violinist Eunice Kim and Boston Symphony Orchestra Assistant Principal cellist Oliver Aldort.

Ms. Yang is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, where she studied with Ignat Solzhenitsyn and was a recipient of the Festorazzi Prize for the best graduating piano student. She earned her master’s degree at The Juilliard School under Robert McDonald and her Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the Peabody Conservatory under Boris Slutsky. Before moving to the United States, she studied at the Attached Music School of Shenyang Conservatory of Music with Danwen Wei, Xianwei Cheng, and Rosemary Platt.

Xiaohui Yang lives in Tacoma, WA, where she is a faculty member at the University of Puget Sound.

Dr. Roger McVey

American pianist Roger McVey has performed as a soloist and collaborative pianist throughout the United States, in Europe, Asia, Mexico, and New Zealand. He is Head of Keyboard Studies and Professor of Piano at the Lionel Hampton School of Music, of the University of Idaho. He holds degrees from the University of Kansas, Indiana University, and East Carolina University. Additionally, he has studied at the Aspen Music Festival and the Chautauqua Institute.

His past teachers include Menahem Pressler, Anton Nel, Jack Winerock, Herbert Stessin, and Henry Doskey.

Dr. McVey was a top prizewinner in the International Beethoven Competition (U.S.A.), and he was a Semi-Finalist at the International Franz Liszt Competition in Poland, where critics praised his "passionate artistry and electrifying virtuosity." He has released five solo CD recordings and is featured as a collaborative pianist on four others. In addition to his solo performances, Dr. McVey was a founding member of the Trio St. Croix, and regularly collaborates as a chamber musician.

He is a dedicated advocate for contemporary music, and has worked with numerous leading American composers, such as Julia Wolfe, Marc Mellits, Libby Larsen, Eric Ewazen, Harvey Sollberger, Lori Laitman, Emma Lou Diemer, and Wynn-Anne Rossi.

Roger is a passionate educator and a frequent adjudicator for the Washington State Music Teachers Association.

He has served as an executive board member of the Idaho Music Teachers Association. Recently, he has presented at the Idaho Music Teachers Association conference, MTNA National Conference, College Music Society National Conference, and the National Conference for Keyboard Pedagogy. Besides the piano, his other interests include cooking, playing chess, skiing, and learning to play the guitar.

He is a Steinway & Sons Hall of Fame Teacher.

Dr. Ross Salvosa

Ross Salvosa is an accomplished performer, pedagogue, teacher, and adjudicator. He recently joined the Department of Music at Central Washington University as a full-time Lecturer of Piano and Piano Pedagogy, bringing decades of experience to his role.

For Salvosa, piano pedagogy is not just about teaching technique—it is a means of guiding students toward self-discovery and personal growth, empowering them to live fully and contribute meaningfully to their communities. He has presented piano pedagogy lectures and masterclasses internationally, including for the Steinway Young Artist Program in Canada, the BC Registered Music Teachers Association, the Kenosha Music Teachers Association, Piano League, the Cultural Center of the Philippines, the University of the Philippines, the University of Santo Tomas, the Philippine Suzuki Association, and the Manila Piano Series.

Salvosa holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of British Columbia, where he was awarded the Mildred Johnson Scholarship. He earned his Master and Bachelor of Music degrees under full scholarship at the Conservatory of Music at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida. His distinguished mentors include Sara Davis Buechner, Corey Hamm, Roberta Rust, Kenneth Broadway, Ralph Markham, Emilio Del Rosario, Reynaldo Reyes, Mauricia Borromeo, Ruby Pilante-Salvosa, Abelardo Galang II, and Jose Artemio Panganiban.

An active member of the Music Teachers National Association, Salvosa currently serves as Chair of the MTNA Poster Sessions Committee and is a member of the 2023 MTNA Conference Planning Committee. Additionally, he contributes to the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Task Force of the Washington State Music Teachers Association. From 2013 to 2018, he served as Chairman and Artistic Director of the Music Without Borders Society in Vancouver, BC.

Paige Molloy

Pianist Paige Molloy has been described by The New York Times as “a lucid and passionate performer.” The Wall Street Journal applauded her WNYC Around New York radio performance as “marvelously sensitive playing… the essence of every interlocking and tiny gesture came through.”

Born in East Texas, Paige made her orchestral debut at the age of thirteen at Baylor University, performing Beethoven’s First Piano Concerto. Since then, she has been a soloist with the Fort Worth Chamber Orchestra, East Texas Symphony, Rice University Orchestra, Jupiter Symphony, Flagstaff Festival Orchestra, and Leopoldina Orchestre in Poland, among others.

Paige has performed frequently in New York City at Bargemusic, Alice Tully Hall, Weill Hall, and Miller Theatre. She was an Artist-in-Residence at NYC’s Lotus Club. Her recital appearances include performances in Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Ottawa, Houston, Miami, Pittsburgh, Prague, and Paris.

She has participated in numerous music festivals, including Marlboro, Tanglewood, Aspen, Santa Barbara, Grand Canyon, the European Mozart Academy, and Mecklenberg, Germany. She has collaborated in chamber music concerts with Augustin Hadelich, James Ehnes, Karen Gomyo, Toby Hoffman, Cynthia Phelps, Clive Greensmith, David Sawyer, and Charles Neidich, to name a few.

Paige holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Piano Performance from The Juilliard School. Her beloved teachers included Peter Serkin, Leon Fleisher, Maurizio Pollini, Abbey Simon, and Mary Norris.

Since 2016, she has been a regular at the Seattle Chamber Music Festival and is currently a faculty member of the SCMS Academy. She also plays frequently with members of the Seattle Symphony. A newly released CD in 2022 features Paige and Seattle Symphony principal oboist Mary Lynch performing works by Christopher Nickel.

Paige made her Seattle Town Hall debut in November 2023, performing Shostakovich’s Second Piano Concerto. In May 2024, she played Shostakovich’s First Piano Concerto with the Port Angeles Symphony.

In addition to performing, Paige teaches privately in Seattle. She also enjoys skiing, hiking, biking, and being a mom to two daughters away at college—as well as a few beloved kitties.

ABOUT US
100% of all registration fees from the 2021 Sonafest go directly to Bellevue Symphony. We are an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

SONAFEST DIRECTORS:
Dr. Yelena Balabanova
BELLEVUE SYMPHONY BOARD MEMBERS:
Dr. Sara Wagner, Board Member, Executive Director
Allan Park, President
Dr. Adam Aleksander, 1st Vice President
Nino Merabishvili, 2nd Vice President
Dr. Hanna Cyba, Secretary
Brian Davenport, Treasurer
Dana Davenport, Board Member, Logistics
Jeff Elwell, Board Member, Concert Manager
Kevin Burton, Board Member, Hospitality Manager

ARTISTIC ADVISOR:
Dr. Yelena Balabanova


ADVISORS
:
Conney Vernall
Risa Sakai Jun
Dr. Natalya Ageyeva
Dr. Renato Fabbro

PHOTOGRAPHY/VIDEO:
Adam Berman
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