15th Annual Rosen-Schaffel Competition

Parking

Parking can be challenging, particularly for sold-out events. Please allow extra time to park and arrive at the theatre before showtime. See map for parking recommendations.

Accommodations

App State is committed to providing an inclusive experience for individuals with disabilities. If accommodations are needed in order to fully participate on the basis of a disability, contact the Office of Disability Resources (828-262-3056). It is recommended that accommodation requests be made two weeks prior to the event.

Daphne Jiang, violin

Daphne Jiang, a violinist from Surabaya, Indonesia, began her violin studies at the age of six under the tutelage of Shienny and Finna Kurniawati. She received a full-tuition scholarship to pursue a Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance at Lee University, where she graduated in May 2026. During her time at Lee, she studied under Mr. Xiaoqing Yu, Dr. Joshua Holritz, and Dr. Leonardo Rosario. As a soloist, she distinguished herself as a three-time winner of the Lee University Concerto Competition (2024–2026) and as the winner of the Southern Adventist University Concerto Competition in 2025, performing as a soloist with both university orchestras. She also served as concertmaster at Lee University (2025-2026). In Fall 2026, Daphne will begin her Master of Music in Violin Performance at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where she will study under Dr. Miroslav Hristov and serve as a graduate teaching assistant.

Zhanweiyi Liu, piano

Zhanweiyi Liu is a pianist, collaborative musician, and music educator currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She earned her Master of Music in Piano Performance from Oklahoma State University and her Bachelor of Music from Sichuan Conservatory of Music. An active performer and collaborative pianist, Liu has taken part in numerous recitals, ensemble performances, and university concert series in both the United States and China. Her performance experience includes collaborations with instrumentalists and vocalists in cello, flute, trumpet, viola, and choral recitals, as well as symphonic band concerts and collaborative performances. In addition to her performance career, Liu is an experienced piano instructor dedicated to individualized music education. She has taught private and group piano lessons to students of various ages and backgrounds and has worked extensively as a collaborative pianist and accompanist for vocalists, choirs, and worship services. Liu’s artistry and musicianship have been recognized through several awards, including prizes in the Hong Kong Asia Piano Open Competition, the Liszt International Piano Competition, the OMTA Piano Competition, and the Rosen-Schaffel Competition.

Tiffany Yin, piano

Tiffany Yin, originally from Redondo Beach, CA, recently graduated with a MM in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Georgia, studying with Dr. Alan Woo and Dr. Grace Huang. She is a recipient of the Director’s Excellence Award for Graduate Students, the Anthon-Hughes-Cook Piano Pedagogy Award, the John H. Dorminy, Jr. Piano Scholarship, and was awarded the opportunity to perform in the biannual piano area showcase at Steinway Hall NYC, sponsored by the Robert Edge Fund in Music. In 2025, she received first prizes in the Atlanta Music Club Scholarship competition: Graduate Piano, Georgia Music Teachers Association state audition: Upper College, Georgia Federation of Music Club: Floride Dean Piano Scholarship competition, and the East Carolina Piano Festival Competition. As the concerto prize winner, she will be featured as a guest artist with the Long Bay Symphony of South Carolina performing the complete movements of Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G. As a dedicated pedagogue, she has served as President of TONIC, the MTNA Collegiate Chapter of UGA. She has presented on pedagogical topics at the MTNA Collegiate Symposium, Georgia Music Teachers Association Conference, and the IPPA Piano Pedagogy Conference. Starting this fall, she will be pursuing a DMA in Piano Performance and Pedagogy at University of Colorado Boulder, where she will be working with Dr. Andrew Cooperstock and Dr. Alejandro Cremaschi.

Siana Wong, violin

Siana Wong is a native of Greensboro, NC, with family roots in Malaysia. She has won the Winston-Salem Symphony Youth Orchestra, Greensboro Symphony Youth Orchestra, UNC Chapel Hill, and UNC Greensboro concerto competitions. She holds a Bachelor of Music from UNC Chapel Hill and a Performance Certificate from UNCG. Siana is a champion of contemporary music and an avid chamber musician in and out of her home state of North Carolina, including performances with Eastern Festival of Music and UNCG faculty. Siana has spent many summers at the original Richard Luby Violin Symposium, where she had the opportunity to learn from first-class violinists from around the globe. Currently, she has been selected as a String Fellow at Eastern Festival of Music to perform with the Faculty Orchestra. Siana is a member of Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra, Western Piedmont Symphony, and Associate Concertmaster of Greensboro Symphony Orchestra. In addition to her performing career, she is committed to advancing youth music education while fostering meaningful community engagement. Siana is extending her studies at UNCG, pursuing a Master of Music with Professor Fabián López. She plays on a Wojciech Topa violin from 2017 and a bow by Victor Fétique.

Donald Oehler

Donald L. Oehler is a professor of music at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an active performer, educator, and artistic leader. He is the founder and artistic director of the Chapel Hill Chamber Music Workshop and the University Chamber Players, and serves as music director of the Chapel Hill Philharmonia. Oehler has held international roles, including directing chamber programs in Wales and Switzerland and serving as artistic director in Italy. He also leads the Burch Musical Perspectives Honors program, which takes students to London and Florence for immersive study. He began his career as principal clarinetist with the Orchestra Philharmonique Tehran and has since performed widely with orchestras and chamber ensembles, including as a founding member of the Carolina Wind Quintet. Additionally, he has served as an international adjudicator for numerous competitions, including the International Johannes Brahms Chamber Music Competition in Poland. He is a graduate of the Juilliard School.

Xun Pan

Xun Pan is a Steinway artist who recently finished a 15-city concert tour in 30 days in China, and performed chamber music concerts with the American String Quartet and the Gabriel Chamber Ensemble. He was inducted into the Steinway & Sons Teacher Hall of Fame in 2023. Dr. Pan is the Director of Keyboard Studies of The Tell School of Music at Millersville University of Pennsylvania and is a visiting professor at many universities and conservatories in China. He also taught master classes at Manhattan School of Music, Boston University, Frost School of Music at University of Miami, University of West Florida, The Catholic University of America, Dartmouth College, Mozarteum University (Austria), Bellini Music Institute (Italy), Tbilisi State Conservatoire (Georgia), and others. He is one of the founding members and the Co-Artistic Director of the Lancaster International Piano Festival in Pennsylvania. Dr. Pan performed the entire 32 piano sonatas, 10 piano/violin sonatas, eight piano/cello works, and 13 piano trios of Beethoven to celebrate the composer’s 250th birthday a couple of years ago.

Dr. Underwood has been a champion of new music, commissioning works by notable composers such as Jennifer Higdon, Julia Wolfe, James Stephenson, and Hilary Purrington. Furthermore, her ensembles have premiered pieces by Paul Osterfield, Jennifer Merkowitz, and Andrew Hannan, expanding the repertoire with fresh and innovative works.

Her academic and teaching career includes previous faculty appointments at Mansfield University in Pennsylvania and Otterbein University in Ohio, as well as teaching middle and high school bands in New York. She holds degrees from the State University of New York at Fredonia, The Ohio State University, and the University of Minnesota.

Timothy Schwarz

Since his solo debut with the legendary Philadelphia Orchestra at age nine, violinist Timothy Schwarz has had a brilliant career as a soloist, chamber musician, and pedagogue. His work promoting living composers has led to numerous recordings, performances, and premieres around the globe earning accolades such as “A virtuoso tour de force” (Gramophone) and “glorious tone and impeccable technique” (Music Web International). An avid educator, Schwarz is currently Visiting Professor of Performance at the London College of Music, Associate Professor and Head of Strings at Rowan University and Founder and Artistic Director of the Techne Music Festival. In 2026 Dr. Schwarz will participate in a week-long residency at Saint Andrews University in Scotland, where he will perform and teach numerous classes. In 1996 the United States named him an Artistic Ambassador, resulting in over 100 solo concerts promoting American music throughout Africa, the Middle East, South America and Southeast Asia. In between his solo playing and teaching, Schwarz is often performing as a substitute violinist with the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Baltimore Symphony. He owns several fine violins, including a 1745 Carlo Antonio Testore, an 1830 J. B. Vuillaume, and a 1921 Leandro Bisiach. For further information and a performance schedule, visit www.TimothySchwarz.com.