The Portland Conservatory's 6th annual International Piano Festival takes place June 21-27 and on Wednesday, June 24, 2009 three young pianists featured in the festival will be performing in the Bangor studio. If you would like to join us live in the Bangor Studio for this event send an email to Kristina Goodwin.

6th Annual International Piano Festival features three splendid concerts, plus master classes and recitals hosted and perfrormed by wonderful pianists from across the age spectrum and the map.

The three performing in the Bangor studio are as follows:

Marlene McCarthy

Marlene is 18 years old and just completed her freshman year at Long Island Conservatory in New York where she studies under Dr. Tamara Poddubnaya. She grew up in Farmingdale, Maine and graduated from Hall-Dale High School. Marlene began playing the piano at age 11 and acquired her love of classical music in high school where she began her studies under Chiharu Naruse. In 2008 she won the Portland Conservatory of Music’s Ocy Downs Piano Competition. In 2007 she was a prize winner in the Bangor Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition. She has participated in numerous musical festivals over the past few years, including the Rhondo Bennington Music Festival in Vermont, LISMA Festival in New York, Portland Conservatory of Music International Piano Festival, and the Music Without Borders International Piano Festival at Gould Academy.

Dimitar "Mitko" Dimitrov

Mitko began his piano lessons at the age of 5 at the National Music School “Lubomir Pipkov” in the city of Sofia, Bulgaria. In his high school years, Dimitar numerous international competitions. In 2004, after an audition, Dimitar was chosen to perform the Beethoven 1st piano concerto with the orchestra of National Music Academy “Pancho Vladigerov”, Sofia. After finishing high school in 2006, Dimitar was accepted ate the Prins Claus Conservatory, Groningen, Netherlands. Since then he has been a student of Russian pianist Dr. Tamara Poddubnaya. His prizes now include three of the main Dutch competitions, “Prinses Christina Concours” The Hague, 2007; “Harten Aas Trofee” Groningen, 2007 and “Grachten Festival” Amsterdam, 2007. The competition jury called him a “lion” on the piano reminding them of the pianists in the great Russian tradition of the past. In January 2008, Dimitar went to Saint Petersburg, Russia, where he was awarded the Grand Prix of “Maria Yudina International Competition.” In November 2008, as a result of winning “Prinses Christina Concours”, Dimitar had a 3-day tour with The North Netherlands Orchestra with conductor Michael Tabachnik, performing the famous Tchaikovsky 1st Piano Concerto. In January and February 2009, Dimitar Dimitrov was often asked to represent the “Prins Claus Conservatory”, Groningen in many concerts for important guests and ambassadors from different countries.

Christian Saunders

Christian began playing piano at the age of seven. At 13, he was accepted in pre-study at the Music Conservatory in Groenigen, Netherlands. His first teacher was the Hungarian pianist Klara Wiertz, followed by Tamara Poddubnaya and Nata Tsvereli. Since high school, he has began full time study at the Conservatory in Groenigen. He has been
a finalist in the Princess Christina Competition, a Dutch competition for young pianists, three times. In 2005, he won second prize at the Franz Schubert Competition in Rousse, Bulgaria. Last August he participated in the International Johann Brahms Competition in Poertchach, Austria.