Pianists
Official PianistS
The Official Pianists of the Concours are collaborative pianists, assigned to play for the competitors of the Concours 2026, dedicated this year to the violin. These four pianists adapt with finesse to the artistic vision and expression of the competitors, to fully support their musical interpretation. Selected for their expertise, these accomplished artists perform with the violinists of Concours 2026 for the First Round and Semifinal recitals.
CARSON BECKE
Born and raised in Ottawa, Canadian pianist and composer Carson Becke has performed worldwide. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London, UK, and at the University of Oxford, where he completed a doctorate in musicology.
As a chamber musician, Carson enjoys frequent collaborations with sopranos Meghan Lindsay and Lavinia Dames, pianist Suren Barry as Duo Octavian, and cellist Julia MacLaine. As a composer, Carson’s work is often inspired by his surroundings in the Gatineau Hills of Quebec; his 2025 song cycle The Forest is based on newly commissioned poetry about trees by six Gatineau Hills-based poets. As an arranger, he has written transcriptions of music by Mendelssohn (Hebrides Overture – solo piano), Puccini (Fantasy on themes from Tosca – solo piano), Holst (The Planets – piano duo), Richard Strauss (Vier Letzte Lieder – piano and voice), and others.
Carson is also the founder and director of Concerts Enchantés, an organization that presents intimate chamber music concerts across the Gatineau Hills region. Carson lived in the United Kingdom for fifteen years. In 2019, he moved home to Ottawa, and now lives in Wakefield, Quebec, with his family. In 2024, he was inducted into the Chelsea Wall of Fame for his contributions to the cultural life of the Gatineau Hills.
JINHEE PARK
Jinhee Park returns to the Concours as an official pianist after her more recent appearance in 2023. Known for her sensitivity, versatility, and deep musical insight, she is a sought-after collaborative pianist, a foundation that continues to inform her broader musical work.
Jinhee has received international acclaim through her long-standing partnership with soprano Meredith Wohlgemuth. Together, they won first prizes at the Schubert International LiedDuo Competition in Dortmund in 2023, and at the Concours musical international de Montréal – Art Song in 2022, where Jinhee received each competition’s Best Pianist Award. Recent performances have taken her to Petit Palau in Barcelona, SchubertFest Dortmund, the Schumann-Haus in Zwickau, and Carnegie Hall.
As a chamber musician, Jinhee has appeared at venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Caramoor Music Festival, and the New York Chamber Players’ series. She collaborates frequently with internationally celebrated artists such as Stella Chen, Dmytro Udovychenko (Concours 2023 Grand Laureate), Stephen Kim, and Timothy Chooi. From 2018 to 2024, Jinhee served as a vocal coach at the Chautauqua Institution Opera Conservatory, working closely with legendary pedagogue Marlena Malas.
Jinhee made her conducting debut in 2023 with Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilèges at Chautauqua, and has since worked with the Lüneburg Symphoniker, Saratoga Orchestra of Whidbey Island, OAcademy Festival Orchestra, NOI Festival Orchestra and Ensemble, Wintergreen Festival Ensemble, and Camerata Notturna, while continuing her involvement in opera productions at the Manhattan School of Music. She completed the Carlos Miguel Prieto Conducting Fellowship in 2025.
A dedicated educator, Jinhee serves on the faculty of the Manhattan School of Music. From 2019 to 2024, she worked at the Perlman Music Program, collaborating closely with young cellists, and she continues to work with violinists at The Juilliard School.
Jinhee received her bachelor’s degree in piano performance from Seoul National University. She then completed her master’s degree in collaborative piano at The Juilliard School, followed by an Artist Diploma at the Manhattan School of Music, where she studied with esteemed mentors including Jonathan Feldman, Warren Jones, Margo Garrett, and Lydia Brown. In 2025, she earned her Doctorate in collaborative piano from The Juilliard School.
BENJAMIN SMITH
Described as an “immensely exciting performer” with “scintillating technique” (Barrie Examiner), pianist Benjamin Smith has performed across Canada, the United States, and Mexico. He has been a laureate of numerous competitions, including the Virginia Waring International Piano Competition and the CMC Stepping Stone Competition. Soloist appearances include the Stony Brook Symphony Orchestra, New Juilliard Ensemble, Las Vegas Young Artists Orchestra, Ontario Philharmonic, Orchestra London, and Burlington Symphony, with repertoire including rarities such as the Schoenberg and Schnittke piano concertos. Festivals include Toronto Summer Music, Festival del Lago (Mexico), and Chamber Music at New Park (Ithaca, NY).
American performances include recitals for the Texas Chopin Society and Chicago’s Landowska Harpsichord Society, as well as two concerts in Carnegie Hall: as soloist in Gershwin’s Rhapsody In Blue, and in recital with cellist Dongkyun An. A disc with Mr. An of Saint-Saens, Schumann, and Beethoven is currently available on streaming platforms. 2025 saw the release of two new albums on the Orchid Classics label, one with cellist Daniel Hamin Go, and one with oboist Ari Cohen Mann.
Devoted to chamber music, Ben has been heard nationally on CBC Music, as well as the BBC in the UK. He has partnered in recital with a myriad of renowned artists, along with ensembles such as the Penderecki, Cecilia, and Annex string quartets. For two seasons he performed as one-third of the Israelievitch-Smith-Ahn piano trio, and recently has been playing as a member of the Andromeda trio.
Dr. Smith serves on the faculties of both the Glenn Gould School (GGS) and the Taylor Young Artist Academy at the Royal Conservatory in Toronto. Along with a DMA from Stony Brook University, he holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Toronto, an Artist Diploma from GGS, and a master’s from The Juilliard School.
ALEXEY SHAFIROV
Alexey Shafirov is a Montreal-based pianist whose work spans solo performance and collaboration with instrumentalists and singers. He is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Piano Performance at McGill University under Michael McMahon and has appeared in major venues including Maison symphonique and Salle Pierre-Mercure.
Born in Ulan-Ude, Russia, Shafirov moved to Israel at the age of six and began his piano studies with Inna Lerner. After five years of deep involvement in software development, he returned to formal musical training, completing piano performance studies at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance before continuing at McGill University.
Collaboration with instrumentalists remains central to his artistic path. A graduate of the McGill–Université de Montréal Piano-Vocal Arts Residency, he has worked with leading specialists in vocal music and has collaborated with award-winning artists in Israel and Canada, including Wirth Vocal Prize winners Sara Schabas (2023) and Zoe McCormick (2025), as well as finalists of major Canadian competitions such as the Golden Violin and the Prix d’Europe. A two-time participant of the Franz Schubert Institute in Austria, he has performed for some of the world’s foremost interpreters of the German Lied.
Collaborative pianists
Some competitors have chosen to participate in the Concours with their own pianists, whose names are found below:
Rohan De Silva, Umi Garrett*, Aki Maeda, Gaspard Tanguay-Labrosse
* Winner of the John-Newmark Prize for the Best Collaborative Pianist, Concours 2023
