Meet the 2025 Crain-Maling Foundation CSO Young Artists finalists

The preliminary round of the 2025 Crain-Maling Foundation CSO Young Artists Competition occurred on Jan. 18 at Symphony Center. After a day of auditions, judges selected four finalists to compete in the final round on March 22, accompanied by the Civic Orchestra, led by Jerry Hou.

The finalists are: Tong-Bai Deng, 16, Hinsdale; Joseph Gallwas, 17, Elmhurst; Jeremy Liu, 13, Naperville, and Evangeline Wang, 14, Chicago.

Along with competing in the finals, the four finalists will participate in a master class April 30 with CSO Artist-in-Residence Daniil Trifonov at Orchestra Hall (with the audience seated on the stage and on the Terrace level).

Tong-Bai Deng, 16, Hinsdale

An 11th-grade student at Hinsdale Central High School, Tong-Bai Deng, 16,
has studied piano under Ludmilla Derka and Dr. Sung Hoon Mo and currently
studies with pianists Dr. Svetlana Smolina and Dr. Winston Choi. Since fall
2023, he has been a student at the New Music School and has taken additional studies with pianists Sean Bennett and Jeff Panko.

He has been recognized in many competitions, and has won awards such as 1st Exceptional Performers in the 2024 Charleston Winter Music Competition, gold medal in the Professional Young Group at the 11th GOCAA Competition, Professional Young Artist II First Prize in the 2024 CIMC Competition and gold medal in the Professional Young Group at the 12th Qingdao International Mendelssohn Piano Competition, held in China. Recently, he also earned first place in the piano division of the 56th annual Stanger Competition.

Beyond competitions, he has also participated in many summer camps such as the Chicago International Music Competition and Festival and successfully held his first personal concert in August 2023.

At the YAC finals: He will perform Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, IV. Allegro tempestoso.

Joseph Gallwas, 17, Elmhurst

Joseph Gallwas, reigning third-place winner of the 2024 MTNA National Champion in Senior Piano Duet with Kenneth, his twin, first performed at Carnegie Hall at age 9. An avid 17-year-old concerto pianist, Joseph performed (at age 12) Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in E Minor with the Chicago Arts Orchestra, Rachmaninov’s Concerto No. 3 (at age 15) with the SEEN Orchestra under Conner Gray Covington and Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with the TIMM Ensemble in Italy, as well as additional concerti in the DePaul Concerto Festival, Stanger Concerto Competition and Rockford Concerto Competition (2024 winner).

Featured on WFMT-FM’s “Introductions” twice, he recently won the Open Senior Overall at the O’Malley Foundation Concerto Competition, placed fourth in the International Young Artist Concerto Competition and was the grand winner in the DuPage Symphony Orchestra Young Artists Audition; he is set to perform with the DuPage Symphony Orchestra at the Wentz Concert Hall in Naperville.

As a solo pianist, Gallwas won accolades from Aloha International Piano Competition, Charleston International Competitions, Sejong National Competition, and ISMTA and MTNA competitions. His chamber-music piano trio has earned prizes in the Rembrandt and MYA competitions, as well as advancement to Fischoff and Coltman.

He studies piano with Jeffrey Panko, Mary Sauer and Sean Bennett at the New Music School in Chicago and has attended masterclasses with luminaries such as Antonio Pompa-Baldi, Steven Osborne, Dang Thai Son and Stanislav Ioudenitch.

A junior at York Community High School in Elmhurst, he also plays violin in the school orchestra and ice hockey for the York Varsity White Team.

At the YAC finals:  He will perform Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Major, I. Andante-Allegro.

Jeremy Liu, 13, Naperville

An eighth grader at Gregory Middle School in Naperville, Jeremy Liu, 13, has been under the tutelage since age 6 of Sueanne Metz. He is the recent piano winner of the O’Malley Foundation National Concerto Competition. He made his Carnegie Hall debut at age 7. Since then, he has participated in many competitions. He is a four-time winner of the Illinois State Music Teachers Association Competition and the winner of the MTNA (Junior Division of Illinois) in both 2022 and 2023. He is also a three-time winner of the Sejong Music Competition.

Additionally, he has earned first prizes in prestigious events such as the Walgreens National Concerto Competition, Chicago International Music Competition, Aloha International Music Competition, Pacific International Music Competition, Quebec Music Competition and De Bach au Jazz International Competition. In 2022, he won first place in both solo and concerto categories at the Carmel Klavier International Competition. In summer 2023, he had the honor of performing with an orchestra in Perugia, Italy.

He also enjoys playing the cello in his school orchestra and is a keyboardist in the school’s jazz band.

At the YAC finals: He will perform Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A Minor, I. Allegro molto moderato.

Evangeline Wang, 14, Chicago

An eighth grader at Skinner West Elementary School in Chicago, Evangeline Wang, 14, started her piano journey at the age of 2 with her mom. At age 5, she began to study under Brenda Huang. Wang has received many awards, including first place at Carmel Klavier International Piano Competition, first place at the VI Krystian Tkaczewski International Piano Competition and second place at the International Youth Euregio Piano Competition.

She also placed at the Future Stars International Piano Competition and Steinway National Piano Competition. Other competition victories were DePaul Concerto Competition, Sejong Korean Piano, Illinois State Music Teachers Association, North Shore Music Teachers Association, first place at all four levels of the CAMTA Roberta Savler Competition and the Illinois Music Association Memorial Contest. Along with competing, she occasionally performs at area residential senior homes.

In addition to piano, she also plays violin with the CYSO Concert Orchestra. Other awards include first place from the Illinois Music Association and third place at the Annual Bach Competition. In her spare time, she enjoys playing volleyball, hanging out with friends and reading. 

At the YAC Finals: She will perform Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Minor, I. Maestoso.