Dr. Dario Martin
A native of Havana, Cuba, Dr. Dario Martin is a dynamic and versatile pianist whose international career spans solo performance, chamber music, and collaborative piano. A prize-winning artist, Dr. Martin has earned first prizes in prestigious piano competitions in Costa Rica, Cuba, Mexico, and the United States. Highlights include winning the 2018 Concerto Competition at Indiana University with a performance of Ligeti’s Piano Concerto and securing First Prize at the 2014 José Jacinto Cuevas Yamaha Piano International Competition in Mexico.
Dr. Martin has performed extensively across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. His appearances as a soloist include performances with the National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba, the Havana Chamber Orchestra, and the Yucatán Symphony Orchestra. Recent engagements feature recitals in Fairbanks, at the Juneau Piano Series, the Piano Industry and Professionals Conference in Las Vegas, masterclasses and concerts in Costa Rica, performances in France, and Austria—including Lieder recitals in Salzburg.
Currently on the piano faculty at the University of Tennessee – Knoxville, Dr. Martin teaches Applied Piano Lessons, Piano Literature, Piano Pedagogy and Keyboard Harmony. He previously taught at the University of Alaska Fairbanks from 2023 to 2025. During this time, he collaborated with the Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra, the Northern Lights String Orchestra, and both faculty and guest artists. Since 2022, he has served as music director, conductor, and collaborative pianist at the Austrian-American Mozart Academy in Salzburg.
Dr. Martin earned his Doctor of Music in Piano Literature and Performance from Indiana University–Bloomington, studying under Arnaldo Cohen, with minors in Collaborative Piano and Music Education. He also holds a Performer’s Diploma and Master of Music from Southern Methodist University, where he studied with renowned pianist Joaquín Achúcarro, and a Bachelor of Music from the Instituto Superior de Arte in Havana.
An acclaimed recording artist, his debut album El Álbum de la Ciudad Celeste (2011) won the Cubadisco Award for Best Classical Solo Album. Additional recordings include Netzaj, in collaboration with trumpet player Fadev Sanjudo, and Up into the Silence, with singer Diana Fuentes. His second solo album, Juegos de Agua, was released by FT Music in Mexico. He is a recognized legacy pianist of the Joaquín Achúcarro Foundation.
Kuan-Wei Chen
Kuan-Wei Chen began piano at four and gave his first public performance at five. At sixteen, he entered the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin to study with Prof. Konrad Maria Engel and is now pursuing a master’s degree at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna under Prof. Anna Malikova.
In 2025, he received 5th Prize along with the Best Interpretation of Catalan Composer Prize at the 70th Maria Canals International Piano Competition in Barcelona and later participated in the Queen Elisabeth International Piano Competition in Brussels. In August, he won First Prize and the Paderewski Prize at the 14th Rosario Marciano International Piano Competition in Vienna and was selected as one of the finalists for the 65th Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition.
Previous achievements include First Prize and Audience Award at the Giovanni Colafemmina International Piano Competition (Italy, 2024), First Prize at the Radovljica International Piano Competition (Slovenia, 2023), and Third Prize plus two special prizes at Les Étoiles du Piano International Piano Competition (France, 2023). He is a laureate of the Fondation Clavarte (Switzerland) and recipient of the Yamaha Music Foundation of Europe Scholarship (Austria).
