Carson Covey

CARSON COVEY, a native of Winner, South Dakota, is currently pursuing his Master of Music degree in Collaborative Piano at North Dakota State University. Before attending NDSU, Covey received his Bachelor of Music Education from South Dakota State University with an emphasis on piano and vocal music education. Covey’s primary instructors have been Dr. Tyler Wottrich, Dr. John Walker, Vicki Covey, and Ruby Reckling. During his undergraduate career, Covey performed solo recitals and accompanied various vocal and instrumental recitals, and he also served as an accompanist for the SDSU Statesmen, Women’s Choir, and Concert Choir. Covey was also selected as the featured performer for the SDSU Undergraduate Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity Day (URSCAD). His duties at NDSU include accompanying voice students, instrumental students, choral ensembles, private piano teaching, and this is his second year as a participant in the NDSU Chamber Festival.

Elisama Gonçalves

Elisama Gonçalves is student of the Doctor of Musical Arts in Collaborative Piano at North Dakota State University under supervision of Dr. Tyler Wottrich. She enjoys a thriving career as a performer and educator who started to play the piano at the age of six years old. In 2006, attended at the prestigious School of Music at the Federal University of Bahia in Brazil where graduated in music education with a focus in piano. Elisama has participated as collaborative pianist in national and international competitions that include: 9th Bidu Sayão International Vocal Competition in Belo Horizonte in Brazil, 16th International Voice Competition and Festival hosted in Trujillo, Peru, as well as 2th Brazilian French Horn Festival in Natal and 22th Brazilian Trombone Festival in Manaus in Brazil. In 2016, sponsored by the Brazilian Ministry of Culture, she performed as collaborative pianist in the Singing Recital at Seia Conservatory of Music in Portugal. She also has collaborated in master classes with important singers that include, Antônio Salgado, Neyde Tomas, Rio Novello, Lício Bruno, Giuseppe Onis, Mariagrazia Moratello, Carlos Aransay and Valerie Francis. Nowadays, Elisama Gonçalves keeps a professional position as Collaborative Pianist at Federal University of Bahia in Brazil, where she has been working for the last six years.

Kelvin Landherr

Kelvin Landherr received his Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance from Winona State University under the tutelage of Deanne Mohr. When he graduated from WSU in 2017, he was chosen for the “Outstanding Student” award by the music faculty. Landherr is currently pursuing his graduate studies with Robert Groves at North Dakota State University, working on his Master of Music degree in Piano Performance. Landherr has also studied with pianists Eric Brisson, Woobin Park, and Lydia Artymiw. Besides teaching and performing, Landherr is interested in piano-related research topics, including living composers, extended piano techniques, Avant-garde music, and piano pedagogy.

Yizhou Luo

Yizhou Luo is from Chengdu, Sichuan, China. She received her Master of Music in Piano Performance from University of Northern Iowa, where she studied piano with Professor Sean Botkin. She earned her Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance and Collaborative Piano (Vocal) from Sichuan Conservatory of Music. She has performed with numerous instrumentalists and singers during her undergraduate. She was also an accompanist of UNI’s vocal studios. Currently, she is a doctorate student in Piano Performance at the North Dakota State University. Yizhou enjoys both performing and teaching and seeking adventure in music.

Hong Liang Andre Ng

Hong Liang Andre Ng is a first year D.M.A. student in collaborative piano at North Dakota State University. He studies under the direction of Dr. Tyler Wottrich while accompanying students as a graduate assistant. He has performed as a soloist and collaborative pianist throughout his academic career, and also involved in several opera productions. He performed in Minnesota's Song Source Festival in 2016 and has participated in masterclasses with internationally acclaimed professors such as Arlene Shrut, Martin Katz, and Olivier Godin. Hong Liang earned his master's degree from Middle Tennessee State University, and Bachelor’s degree from UCSI University in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Andrew Steinberg

Andrew Steinberg is Sanctuary Worship Director and Organist at Trinity Lutheran Church and Choral Area Accompanist for Concordia College, Moorhead. Steinberg holds a Master’s Degree in Organ Performance and Certificate in Liturgical Studies from Colorado State University, Fort Collins, studying with Dr. Joel Bacon. In 2017 as part of the celebration of the 500th anniversary of the reformation, Steinberg presented multiple recitals in Wittenberg Germany. He is frequently called on as a soloist as well as a collaborative accompanist in instrumental and choral activities featuring organ, harpsichord, and piano.

Steinberg has served as organist and worship director at congregations in the Twin Cities MN, Fort Collins CO, and the Fargo-Moorhead area. He helped develop and run the Celebration of Organ Week, in Fort Collins, which has brought world-class artists for a week of performing and teaching. He remains active as organist, collaborative pianist, and teacher. Steinberg is pursuing a Doctorate in Collaborative Piano with Dr. Tyler Wottrich at NDSU.

Hannah Swanson

Hannah Mae Swanson is passionate about connecting with people through music, which drew her to collaborative piano. Hannah has performed as a collaborative pianist at numerous conferences, competitions, and recitals in the Midwest. Hannah also has extensive experience performing solo piano repertoire in the Fargo area and across Minnesota. Hannah has also performed with several jazz combos and ensembles and currently plays with Grüvhaus, a jazz/funk sextet.

Hannah is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Piano Performance as a student of Dr. Tyler Wottrich and will graduate in December 2018. To learn more about Hannah, explore her website, hannahmaeswanson.com.

Xiang Wei

Pianist Xiang Wei is recognized himself as a chamber musician, vocal pianist, solo performer, and teacher. Xiang has been traveled and performed in many locations. He was invited to perform at the 2016 PianoTexas International Academy & Festival by Dr. Tamás Ungár, one of the United States’ best-known and most respected teachers of the piano, at Texas Christian University. In 2015, he participated in the Za-atari refugee project. The main goal was to gather young musicians from around the world in collaborative arts projects to shine a spotlight on the humanitarian crisis, promote social advocacy, and inspire positive change. During the same year, Xiang has also invited by Dr. Tamás Ungár to attend and perform at Semper Music International Festival, Vol Am Schlern, in South Tirol, Italy. Back to 2008, Xiang attended the Beijing International Piano Festival.

Xiang has been studied piano for more than twenty years. He earned his bachelor’s degree in music education from Xi’an Conservatory of Music in China. He got his master’s degree in piano performance from McNally Smith College of Music in St. Paul, Minnesota. Now, he is working on his doctoral degree, majoring in Collaborative Piano with Dr. Tylor Wottrich at North Dakota State University. Meanwhile, he is also the teaching assistant at NDSU.

During school years, he has been awarded full scholarship at NDSU since 2017, President Scholarship for 2015-2016 at McNally Smith College of Music, St. Paul for 2015-2016, and Eminent Alumni of The Xi’an Conservatory of Music, China in 2008 and 2011.