Akari Bastiaens had her first experience on stage when she was only five years old. She immediately demonstrated a strong predisposition for the piano which became more prominent when she, at the age of only six years old, won the Steinway Piano Competition Belgium. Not only did she win the first prize in her own age group, but was also awarded the Steinway & Sons prize for best overall performance.

By now, Akari has had many more successful appearances in national and international competitions winning many first prizes and special prizes. In 2023 she won the First Prize and the Mozart prize for best performance of a work by him in the MozArte international piano competition in Aachen (DE). The next year, she won First Prize, Presse Prize and Audience prize in the 2024 International Piano Competition for Young Musicians in Enschede (NL) In 2025 she won the First Prize, Presse Prize and Audience Prize at the 2025 Prinses Christina Concours (NL) and the First Prize at the International Chopin Competition for the Youth in Szafarnia (Poland) The jury praised the highly poetic and stylistically pure performance of Chopin’s second Ballade.

Akari has been a student at the Junior Conservatorium of Maastricht since 2019 where she first had piano lessons with prof. Joop Celis and from September 2025 on with prof. Ashley Wass. From 2022 she has also become an academy student of the Davidsbundler Music Academy in The Hague (NL) where she has lessons with Tatiana Abayeva and Borys Federov. She regularly attends masterclasses with Maestro Jean-Claude Vanden Eynden in performance and interpretation training.

Even at her young age, Akari has had the chance to perform on many professional stages participating in festivals such as the Arte Amanti International Chamber Music Festival, the Grachtenfestival, Festival Musicorum, International Festival Vocalis, Gentse Feesten and the Ljubljana Festival. Currently, Akari is on tour with the Euregio Jeugdorkest with which she performs M. Ravel’s pianoconcerto in G-major. In November 2026 she will make her debut at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam performing E. Grieg’s piano concerto.

Amanda Zoya Kierun studies in a Music Primary School in Warsaw, Poland (Zespół Państwowych Szkół
Muzycznych No. 1 in Warsaw, Poland). She is 13 years old and loves music. She plays both the piano and the
violin. She has already won over 60 music competitions around the world on both instruments. She had the
pleasure to perform in Royal Albert Hall in London, during the film festival in Cannes in France, in New York
and Switzerland. She also performed with 4 different orchestras in Poland – playing both the piano and the
violin. She took part in many masterclasses with different professors such as Andrzej Jasiński (piano), Janusz
Olejniczak (piano), Philippe Giusiano (piano), Joanna Ławrynowicz-Just (piano), Akiko Ebi (piano), Janusz
Wawrowski (violin), Vadim Brodski (violin), Valeriy Sokolov (violin), Mariusz Patyra (violin).

The most notable competitions:

September 2025 – Berlin, Germany

I prize (violin) and II prize (piano) in Berlin Classical Music Competition

July 2025 – Brussels, Belgium

Grand Prix (violin) and I prize (piano) in International Competition Music Academy FORTE

Special prices – solo performance during Gala Concert in Grand Place in Brussels, a recital in Italy and a grant

for the masterclasses in Italy

May 2025 – Gorzów Wielkopolski, Poland

I prize in XXV Polish Nationwide Piano Competition – “Not only Polish music…” (piano)

March 2025 – Łódź, Poland

I prize in a duo with the double bass in IV Polish Wiłkomirscy Nationwide Chamber Music Competition

(violin)

March 2024 – Płock, Poland

I prize in XVIII Contemporary Music Competition (violin)

March 2024 – Nakło and Notecią, Poland

I prize and special prize for outstanding performance of F. Chopin – Fantaisie-Impromptu in C sharp minor

op. 66 in Rafał Blechacz VIII Piano for Children and Teenagers Competition (piano)

February 2024 – Sanok, Poland

I prize and special prize for outstanding performance of F. Chopin – Mazurka in A minor op. 17 no. 4 in

XV International Piano Competition “Young Virtuoso” (piano)November 2023 – Zambrów, Poland

I prize and special prize for outstanding performance of Witold Lutosławski – Folk Melodies “Flirting” (piano)

February 2023 – Vienna, Austria

I prize in III International Gloria Artis Music Competition in Vienna (both piano and violin)

April 2022 – Corpus Christi, Texas, USA

I prize with distinction in XV Sonatina and Sonata International Youth Piano Competition (piano)

Born in 1998 in Marche-en-Famenne (Belgium), Valère Burnon is a highly promising pianist whose reputation continues to grow steadily. Prizewinner of prestigious international competitions — Épinal (1st Prize, 2019), Bremen (1st Prize, 2021), Viotti (2nd Prize, 2023) and Queen Elisabeth (3rd Prize, 2025) — he captivates audiences around the world with passionate and finely detailed interpretations, driven by a strong musical maturity and a constant search for lyricism and expression.
Versatile, he possesses a rich and varied repertoire that allows him to perform both as a soloist and in chamber music or with orchestra. He has notably collaborated with the Royal Chamber Orchestra of Wallonia, Sinfonia Varsovia, as well as the orchestras of Brussels, Liège, Antwerp, Milan and Metz, under the baton of Augustin Dumay, Kazushi Ono and Marc Albrecht. He has also performed in prestigious venues such as the Philharmonies of Cologne, Liège and Luxembourg, Salle Cortot in Paris, Studio 4 at Flagey and Bozar (Brussels), the Queen Elisabeth Hall in Antwerp, the Concertgebouw in Bruges, the Tonhalle in Düsseldorf, and the Yamaha Hall in Ginza (Tokyo).
His discography currently includes two recordings. His first album, released in 2020 on Azur Classical in collaboration with Belgian pianist and composer Luc Baiwir, features works by Claude Debussy, Sergei Prokofiev and Sergei Protopopov, a little-known Russian futurist composer whose Prelude op. 32 had never previously been recorded. In 2021, he released Neoteric on the Musicaphon label, in duo with German clarinettist Andreas Hermanski, devoted to Francis Poulenc, Ernest Chausson, Claude Debussy, and Scandinavian composers Magnus Lindberg, Arvo Pärt and Rolf Martinsson.
Valère discovered music at the age of six through the violin, before his parents noticed that he was reproducing by ear on a keyboard everything he heard. They then enrolled him in piano lessons with Émilie Chenoy in Marche-en-Famenne, who soon introduced him to her former teacher Marie-Paule Cornia. For nearly ten years, he studied with the latter at the Conservatory of Huy and later at the Royal Conservatory of Liège. At the same time, he continued studying violin with Valérie Cantella at the Conservatory of Ciney and played in various orchestras, including the Terra Nova Orchestra of Namur (dir. Étienne Rappe) and the Louvain-la-Neuve Student Symphony Orchestra (OSEL, dir. Philippe Gérard).
In 2016, he joined the class of Jean Schils and Marie-Paule Cornia at the Royal Conservatory of Liège, where he obtained his bachelor’s degree in 2018, after also studying with Étienne Rappe and François Thiry. He continued his training at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln with Florence Millet, earning a Master’s degree with highest honours in 2021. Admitted the same year to the Accademia Incontri col Maestro in Imola, he further refined his art with Leonid Margarius, obtaining a Diploma Master there in 2024. Since 2022, he has been Artist in Residence at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel, benefiting from the valuable artistic guidance of Frank Braley, Avo Kouyoumdjian and Jean-Claude Vanden Eynden.
Remaining faithful to his first instrument, the violin, he cultivates a deep attachment to the chamber music repertoire and has taught chamber music since 2022 at the Royal Conservatory of Liège, assisting his former teacher Jean-Gabriel Raelet.
Over the years, Valère has distinguished himself in numerous competitions, including:

• 2013: 1st Prize, “Breughel” Competition (Brussels)
• 2014: 1st Prize, “Andrée Charlier” Competition (Charleroi)
• 2015: Joint 3rd Prize, Brest International Piano Competition – Chopin category
• 2016: 1st Prize, Liège Piano Competition
• 2017: 3rd Prize, “Merci, Maestro!” International Competition (Brussels)
• 2018: 2nd Prize, “Triumph of Art” International Competition (Brussels)
• 2018: 2nd Prize, “Karlrobert Kreiten” Competition (Cologne)
• 2019: 1st Prize, Épinal International Piano Competition
• 2019: Joint 1st Prize, “Steinway Förderpreis” (Düsseldorf)
• 2021: 1st Prize, Bremen European Piano Competition
• 2022: “Revelation Prize”, “Long-Thibaud” Competition (Paris)
• 2023: 2nd Prize, “Viotti” Competition (Vercelli)
• 2024: “Certificate of Outstanding Merit”, Hamamatsu International Piano Competition
• 2025: 3rd Prize and Audience Prize (Musiq’3 and VRT), Queen Elisabeth International Competition (Brussels)

He has also taken part in numerous masterclasses throughout Europe with pianists and pedagogues such as Victor Chestopal, Stephen Kovacevich, Rena Shereshevskaya, Denis Kozhukhin, Claudio Martinez-Mehner, Alexander Lonquich, Andreas Staier, Bernd Goetzke, Nikolai Lugansky, Yury Martynov, and more regularly Bertrand Chamayou and Jean-Bernard Pommier.
A complete artist, Valère Burnon pursues a path where virtuosity, poetic sensibility and musical curiosity combine in the service of a demanding repertoire, always in dialogue with the audience.

The Chopin Foundation is particularly proud to count among its laureates the Belgian pianist Valère Burnon, whose artistic journey continues to shine at the highest level.

Since his remarkable appearance at the Foundation during our Gala Dinner on December 6, Valère Burnon has continued along an exceptional path, marked by rigorous work and a deeply affirmed musical sensitivity.

This evolution has led him to one of the summits of the international piano world: the Queen Elisabeth Competition 2025, where he distinguished himself by reaching the final among the twelve best candidates.

His interpretation there generated unanimous enthusiasm from both the jury and the audience, earning him both a prestigious Third Prize and the Audience Prize — recognition that testifies to the expressive power and authenticity of his playing.

This exemplary journey fully illustrates the Foundation’s mission: to support and reveal exceptional artists destined to shine on the great international stages.

It is therefore with immense joy that we will welcome Valère Burnon once again on June 28, 2026, for a musical moment that already promises to be exceptional, celebrating the faithful and precious bond between the artist and the Chopin Foundation.

Stanisław was born in Toruń, Poland on 21 July 2003 and has graduated with distinction from Zespół Szkół Muzycznych im. Karola Szymanowskiego (Karol Szymanowski Music School Complex). He is currently a second year student in the Royal Conservatory of Brussels in class of professor Valentina Igoshina and Timothée Urbain. He regularly takes part in national and international piano competitions. His main achievements are: 3rd Prize at the Neapolitan Masters Competition (2022), distinction presented by the Main Jury and 2nd prize presented by the Student Jury at the 10th edition of International Competition for Young Pianists „Broumov Key” (Czech Republic, 2021), 2nd prize and a Special Award at International Jan Hoffman Piano Competition in Cracow (Poland, 2020), 2nd prize at International Chopin Piano Competition in Turzno (Poland, 2019), Distinction at XIV National Competition for Piano Duos in Toruń (Poland, 2018), distinction at VIII International Janina Garścia Piano Competition in Stalowa Wola (Poland). Stanisław improves his pianistic abilities by participating regularly in master courses and private lessons with important professors, such as prof. Michel Béroff, prof. Claudio Martinez Mehner, prof. Andrzej Jasiński, prof. Janusz Olejniczak, Florent Boffard, Aviram Reichert and many others. In 2021 he was invited as one of 11 pianists to participate in International Piano Academy „Feuerwerk” in Germany. He has performed in many venues, such as Chopin Center in Szafarnia (Poland), concert halls of music academies in Kraków, Katowice, Łódź, Bydgoszcz, Gorzów Philharmonic, Academie de Malmedy (Belgium), Auditorium Wielick in Liége, École Supérieure des Arts in Mons, the Museum of Mikolajus Ciurlionis (Druskininkai, Lithuania) and several times as a soloist with Toruń Symphony Orchestra. In November 2023 he was invited to perform for Polish Radio in Warsaw as a part of „Chopin Marathon” project organised for the Polish Independence Day.

Adam Suska, a violinist born in Gdańsk, is a young artist who can be heard more and more often on concert stages in Poland and in Europe. He has an extremely rich repertoire for his age. In 2022 he has made his debut as a soloist with Polish Baltic Philharmonic conducted by G. Tchitchinadze, Świętokrzyska Philharmonic in Kielce conducted by M. Pijarowski, Zielonagóra Philharmonic conducted by R. Kłoczko, Koszalin Philharmonic conducted by J. Chrenowicz and EOK in Elbląg conducted by R. Droń. Also Adam Suska performed in 2022 recitals at the National Philharmonic in Warsaw and at EMANACJE Festival at the Krzysztof Penderecki European Centre for Music.

He is a laureate of many prestigious awards at international violin and music competitions. His most important achievements include: II prize in 15th International Violin Competition. K. Lipiński and H. Wieniawski (2021), Grand Prix Opus Competition, (2021) Grand Prix Puławy and The Violin Competition, III prize in EuroAsia Competition Tokio (Japan, 2021), Grand Prix Piła Festival & Academy and special prize: concert with Pomeranian Philharmonic in Bydgoszcz and Grand Prix Virtuoso&Belcanto Competition Lucca (Italy, 2021 and 2022).

He is the recipient of scholarships from the Minister of Culture and National Heritage, the J. Semkow Foundation, the National Children’s Fund, the President of the City of Gdańsk, Marshal Office of Pomorskie Voivodeship, Rotary Club Gdańsk-Sopot-Gdynia.

He began learning to play the violin at the age of eight in Gdańsk. After graduating from the S. Suzuki School of Music in the class of Anna Podhajska, he continued his education at the Z. Brzewski Music School in Warsaw under the supervision of Prof. Magdalena Szczepanowska. He was also educated under the supervision of Prof. Yair Kless in Buchmann-Mehta School of Music in Tel-Aviv and Scuola di Musica di Fiesole in Italy. He is currently studying at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw under the supervision of Prof. Agata Szymczewska.

Since October 2022 Artist in Residence at the prestigious Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel under the direction of Augustin Dumay. Adam is supported by a grant from an anonymous donor.

Visualisez son Curriculum vitae au format pdf