Pianist Dong-Wan Ha, a doctor of musical arts degree candidate at the Bienen School of Music, recently won two major piano competitions in Europe, receiving a total of €10,000 in awards.

Ha, a student of associate professor of piano Alan Chow, received first place in the Neue Sterne International Piano Competition as well as the Delia Steinberg International Piano Competition.

The 5th Neue Sterne International Piano Competition took place April 11-17 in Wernigerode, Germany. Four rounds of competition culminated with a performance of a Mozart concerto with the Wernigerode Chamber Orchestra. For his first place distinction, Mr. Ha received €5,000 and the opportunity to perform a solo concert in Wernigerode, which is tentatively planned for November 2016.

The 35th Delia Steinberg International Piano Competition, held April 26-29 in Madrid, Spain, comprised four rounds of solo piano works. The jury unanimously agreed to award the €5,000 first prize to Mr. Ha.

Born in Seoul, South Korea, Dong-Wan Ha began his piano studies at the age of seven. After training with Jung-Hyun Lee and Mari Kwon, he entered Seoul National University where he studied with Hyoung-Joon Chang and received his bachelor of music degree in piano performance in 2011. He moved to the United States to pursue a master of music degree in piano performance and literature at the Eastman School of Music, where he studied with Barry Snyder and worked as an accompanist for the school. He continued his piano studies with Haesun Paik and Anita Pontremoli at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he received an artist diploma in piano performance and collaborative piano, uniquely at the same time.

After participating in the Music Academy of the West’s summer program as a solo piano fellow, Ha began his doctoral studies at the Bienen School of Music in fall 2015. He represented the school in a concert at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as part of the Kennedy Center’s Conservatory Project. He was also one of the winners in the Bienen School’s recent Concert/Aria Competition and will perform as a featured soloist with a Bienen ensemble next year.

Ha has won several other national and international competitions, including prizes in the Korean Piano Duo Competition and Joong-ang National Music Competition in his home country, the Glasgow International Competition of Young Pianists in the Scotland, and the Asia Chopin International Competition in Japan.

Dong-Wan Ha will present a recital on Wednesday, June 1, 2016, at 8:30 p.m. in Mary B. Galvin Recital Hall. The event is free and open to the public.