We are honored to introduce Professor Yakov Kasman—internationally acclaimed concert pianist, distinguished educator, recording artist, and Silver Medalist of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition—as a distinguished member of the Stella Unica International Piano Competition jury.

Professor Kasman gained international recognition following his Silver Medal at the Tenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Fort Worth in 1997. His distinguished competition career also includes prizes at the Valentino Bucchi Competition in Rome, the London World Piano Competition, the Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition in Tel Aviv, and the International Prokofiev Competition in St. Petersburg.

Throughout his remarkable career, Professor Kasman has performed extensively across North and South America, Europe, Russia, and Asia, appearing as a soloist with more than eighty orchestras. An avid chamber musician, he has collaborated with renowned ensembles including the Talich, Tokyo, Shanghai, Pacifica, and St. Petersburg String Quartets, as well as distinguished artists such as pianist Nikolai Lugansky.

Professor Kasman has released fifteen recordings on the Calliope and Harmonia Mundi labels, featuring works by Haydn, Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Scriabin, Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Schnittke, and Lukas Foss. His complete recording of the Prokofiev piano sonatas received the Grand Prix de la Nouvelle Académie du Disque in France.

A dedicated educator and internationally experienced adjudicator, Professor Kasman has served on the juries of numerous international piano competitions and has appeared as guest artist and faculty member at major music festivals and academies around the world. He currently serves as Distinguished Professor of Piano and Artist-in-Residence at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

We are proud to welcome Professor Yakov Kasman to the Stella Unica jury and are honored to have his extraordinary artistry, international experience, and dedication to the next generation of musicians as part of our inaugural competition.