Saturday, June 14th

Classical Piano - Level 7 - Group B

Adjudicator: Connor O'Kane

Classical Piano - Level 7 - Group B

Dr. Connor O'Kane is a highly sought-after pianist, teacher, chamber musician, and conductor. Since his concerto debut with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony in 2014, he has appeared as a recitalist in the United States, France, and across Canada. A laureate of major competitions, he was awarded the Canimex Second Prize and top award for piano at the Canadian Music Competition's prestigious Stepping Stone. He has performed in a variety of concert series including Ottawa's Chamberfest, Chateau Windrush, and the KW Chamber Music Society, and has appeared as a guest artist in faculty concerts at Western University, Brock University, and The University of Waterloo.

A passionate collaborative musician with an affinity for opera, Connor has worked on over 20 opera productions in a variety of roles. In 2024 he conducted opera performances at Western University (Britten's Albert Herring), Toronto City Opera (Bizet's Carmen), and at the Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music, where he served as music director and conductor of Ravel's L'enfant et les sortilèges and Debussy's Prodigal Son. In 2025 he has further opera-related engagements with the Glenn Gould School and the Banff Centre.

Connor holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in piano performance from Western University, where he studied with Stéphan Sylvestre. His doctoral research focused on the piano transcriptions of Sergei Prokofiev, particularly with relation to the ballets Romeo and Juliet and Cinderella. He has been awarded the SSHRC doctoral fellowship, the Canada Graduate Scholarship (CGS-M), and the Canada Council Explore and Create grant. Connor also studied with David Jalbert, Heather Taves, and Joan Walker, with additional training at the Conservatoire de Lyon in the studio of Manuel Schweizer. He is a passionate and dedicated piano teacher, and an enthusiastic adjudicator at music festivals.

Location

Conrad Grebel University College - Great Hall
140 Westmount Rd. N.
Waterloo, ON N2L 3G6

Classical Piano - Level 7 - Group B - Morning

TimeNameTitlesHome Festival
Time:10:00 AMName:Leon ZhangTitles:
Invention No. 8 in F Major, BWV 779 by Johann Sebastian Bach
Sonatina in C Major, op. 88, no. 3, 3rd mvt. by Friedrich Kuhlau
Home Festival:Pickering Rotary
Time:10:10 AMName:Julia HarmsTitles:
Allemande in E flat Major by Johann Sebastian Bach
Sweet Elegy by Catherine Rollin
Home Festival:Kitchener-Waterloo
Time:10:20 AMName:Danielle ArkuTitles:
Lullaby, op. 109, no. 7 by Johann Friedrich Burgmüller
Peace Country Hoedown by Christine Donkin
Home Festival:London
Time:10:30 AMName:Elizabeth BeilbyTitles:
Allegro in E Minor by José António Carlos de Seixas
Venetian Boat Song, op. 30, no. 6 by Felix Mendelssohn
Home Festival:Barrie
Time:10:40 AMName:Catherine HuhTitles:
Sonatina in A minor, op. 88, no. 3, 3rd mvt. by Friedrich Kuhlau
Variations on Three Blind Mice by John Thompson
Home Festival:Chatham
Time:10:50 AMName:Hemu Ian YaoTitles:
Rondo-Toccata op. 60, no. 4 by Dmitri Kabalevsky
Halley's Comet by Nancy Telfer
Home Festival:Kingston
Time:11:00 AMName:Avanesh BaskarTitles:
Für Elise, WoO 59 by Ludwig van Beethoven
Peace Country Hoedown by Christine Donkin
Home Festival:Toronto
Time:11:10 AMName:Vera ChuTitles:
Scherzo in A Major by Johann Nepomuk Hummel
Toccatina, op. 8, no. 1 by Samuel Maykapar
Home Festival:Peel
Time:11:20 AMName:Faiz Abdullah KhwajaTitles:
Allemande, French Suite No. 4 in E flat Major, BWV 815 by Johann Sebastian Bach
Sonatina in A Minor, op. 88, no.3, 1st mvt. by Friedrich Kuhlau
Home Festival:Hamilton
Time:11:30 AMName:Tong En LiTitles:
Scherzo in A Major by Johann Nepomuk Hummel
White Noon by Naoko Ikeda
Home Festival:North York Live
Time:11:40 AMName:Eric ChenTitles:
Allegro in E Minor by José António Carlos de Seixas
Sonata in D Major op. 4, no. 1, 1st mvt. by Muzio Clementi
Home Festival:Ottawa Kiwanis

12:00 PM - Lunch Break

Classical Piano - Level 7 - Group B - Afternoon

TimeNameTitlesHome Festival
Time:1:00 PMName:Ryan ChungTitles:
Polonaise in G Minor, op. posth., B 1 by Frédéric Chopin
Viennese Sonatina in A Major (no. 2), 1st mvt. by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Home Festival:CCC
Time:1:10 PMName:Jason WalkerTitles:
Sonatina in C Major, op. 55, no. 3, 1st mvt. by Friedrich Kuhlau
Fantasy Bossa by Christopher Norton
Home Festival:Pickering GTA
Time:1:20 PMName:Thomas PerroneTitles:
Bagatelle, op. 119, no. 1 by Ludwig van Beethoven
Prelude in E Minor, op. 28, no. 4 by Frédéric Chopin
Home Festival:Grey County
Time:1:30 PMName:Oscar Amaru Cárdenas-CanoTitles:
Für Elise, WoO 59 by Ludwig van Beethoven
Prelude in E Minor, op. 28, no. 4 by Frédéric Chopin
Home Festival:Sudbury
Time:1:40 PMName:Noah FossTitles:
Peace Country Hoedown by Christine Donkin
White Noon by Naoko Ikeda
Home Festival:Woodstock

2:00 PM - Workshop and Announcement of Winners - MANDATORY

Workshop will be held from approximately 2:00 pm to 3:15 pm.

Announcement of winners will happen at the end of the workshop.

3:45 PM - PLAYOFFS - Classical Piano - Level 7

The top two competitors from this class will proceed to the playoffs.
The playoffs will be held at Conrad Grebel University College - Chapel
140 Westmount Rd. N., Waterloo, ON N2L 3G6