June 23, 2026 at 7:00 p.m.
Dallas Intl. Piano Competition Finals
Moody Performance Hall
2520 Flora Street, Dallas, TX 75201
Experience the virtuosic performances of the three finalists of the Dallas International Piano Competition 2026 as they vie for the event’s top prize. All three will perform a solo concerto with orchestra, and a renowned jury will select and announce the winner. Attendees will have their say as well and can cast their vote for the audience choice award! Follow quarterfinals and semifinals leading up to this event at dallasipc.org.
$29-54 reserved seats
Program
Follow quarterfinals and semifinals leading up to this event at dallasipc.org. The three finalists and their repertoire for this grand-finale concert will be announced following semifinals, at approximately 4pm on Friday, June 19, 2026. Check this page for updates.
Main event starts at 7:00 p.m.
Jim Stopher conducts
Frédéric Chopin
Piano Concerto No. 1 in E Minor
Kamil Pacholec, piano (2nd Prize Winner)
Short Intermission
Sergei Prokofiev
Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Major
Miao Gao, piano (3rd Prize Winner)
Short Intermission
Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat Minor
Jialin Yao, piano (1st Prize Winner & Audience Choice)
Program duration:
120 minutes, including intermissions
$29-54 reserved seats
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(214) 449-1294
9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Monday – Friday
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About the Artists
Jim Stopher, guest conductor
Jim Stopher maintains an active career as a conductor, pianist, composer, and educator. Praised for his “brilliant” conducting and “energetic and precise” piano playing, he is based in Marin County, CA, and is a dedicated contributor to its musical culture.
Stopher has served as Music Director of the College of Marin Symphony Orchestra for seven seasons, and previously served in the same role with the Joliet (IL) Symphony Orchestra. As a pianist, he performs regularly as recitalist, chamber musician, and concerto soloist; recent concerto engagements have been with the Mill Valley Philharmonic, the Lucas Valley Chamber Orchestra, and the Marin Symphony Youth Orchestra. His compositions have been performed by the Sebastian Chamber Orchestra, the Navitas String Quartet, and the Golden Gate Brass Band. In 2018, he released an album of original piano music called Tonal Recall.
Stopher studied music theory and composition at Harvard University, orchestral and opera conducting at the University of Arizona, and conducting at the Peabody Conservatory, where he earned his doctorate under Gustav Meier and Markand Thakar. He is chairperson of the music department at the College of Marin, where he teaches courses in theory, repertoire, history, and musicianship.
Kamil Pacholec, pianist
Kamil Pacholec first gained international recognition through major piano competitions, most notably as a finalist at the 18th International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, where he received an Honorable Mention. In 2019, he was awarded Second Prize and multiple special prizes at the XI Paderewski International Piano Competition in Poland. His earlier achievements include top prizes at the Livorno International Piano Competition (2018), the 47th Polish National Chopin Piano Competition (2016), and the César Franck International Piano Competition in Belgium (2015). In 2018, he also received the Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli Prize at the Klavierakademie Eppan in Italy.
These distinctions led to concert appearances throughout Europe, Japan, Brazil, and the United States. He has appeared at venues including Carnegie Hall (Zankel Hall) and Merkin Hall in New York, the Berliner Philharmonie, Salle Cortot in Paris, and other major halls in Warsaw, Kyiv, São Paulo, Miami, Nagano, and Livorno.
His playing has been praised by critics. Gramophone described it as “elegantly confident,” noting his “effortless fingerwork and idiomatic flair,” while South Florida Classical Review highlighted his “strong technique and interpretive skills.” Australian critic Michael Moran called him “a major young Polish pianistic talent.”
Pacholec has performed at leading festivals such as “Chopin and His Europe” in Warsaw, “Chopin for All” in Miami, and Chopin festivals in Valldemossa, Nohant, Duszniki-Zdrój, São Paulo, and Tokyo.
In 2022, he moved to the United States to study with Kevin Kenner at the Frost School of Music, University of Miami. His previous teachers include Ewa Pobłocka, Wojciech Świtała, and Małgorzata Kowalska.
Miao Gao, pianist
Miao Gao started his musical study from his very young age. In 2012, Gao was accepted by The Middle School Attached to China Conservatory of Music in Beijing and he began his professional piano study there, studying with Professor Yun Guo. In 2018, he was admitted by China Conservatory of Music and started to study with Professor Wei Zhang with the first place in his major. In 2022, he was admitted by Eastman School of Music and started to study with Professor Alexander Kobrin. Gao was invited to perform in many professional and academic events, including 2023 Lancaster International Piano Festival; The Second Piano Education Seminar (2017, China); The concert of Chinese outstanding music students (2017, China). In March 2018, Gao successfully presented a piano recital at Steinway Gallery in Beijing. In November 2018, Gao was invited to perform in the “Steinway 165th Anniversary Celebration” at Steinway House in Beijing. Gao was a prize winner of numerous major piano competitions throughout the world, including The Weatherford International Piano Competition(Jury’s Discretionary Award, 2025); The Lancaster International Piano Competition(Second Prize, 2025); The 4th Shigeru Kawai International Piano Competition(Second Prize, 2023); The Huang Long International Music Festival Piano Competition(First Prize, 2019); The 15th Khachaturian International Piano Competition(Third Prize and Special Prize, 2019); and The 7th Steinway Youth Piano Competition (Second Prize, 2017).
Jialin Yao, pianist
Pianist Jialin Yao has captivated audiences worldwide with his “exquisite melody and profound understanding” and “supreme touch control” (The Boston Musical Intelligencer). His warmth, passion, and artistry have brought him to prestigious venues including Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, Jordan Hall in Boston, Benaroya Hall in Seattle, Warsaw National Philharmonic Hall, and the Beijing Concert Hall, as well as major festivals such as the Verbier Festival, PianoFest in the Hamptons, Aspen Music Festival, Gilmore Festival, and Ravinia Festival. He has appeared as a soloist with the Castilla y León Symphony Orchestra, Beijing Symphony Orchestra, Friuli Venezia Giulia Orchestra, Málaga Philharmonic Orchestra, Boulder Symphony, Mercury Orchestra, and Miami Chamber Orchestra. He has collaborated with distinguished conductors including Zoe Zeniodi, Xincao Li, Devin Patrick Hughes, Lihua Tan, Channing Yu, Salvador Vázquez, Paolo Paron, and En Shao.
Jialin has been a prize-winner of the 65th Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition, Fou T’song International Piano Competition, Frechilla-Zuloaga International Piano Prize, Málaga City International Piano Competition, Seattle International Piano Competition, Teresa Carreño International Piano Competition, Wideman International Piano Competition, Friuli Venezia Giulia International Piano Competition, and Singapore International Piano Competition, among others.
A sensitive and keen chamber musician, Jialin has performed with esteemed artists such as Aaron Boyd, Bin Huang, Midori, Tarn Travers, the Amernet String Quartet, Quarteto Carmen Thyssen, and Quarteto Academia China. He has studied at The Juilliard School and SMU Meadows School of the Arts under the guidance of Sergei Babayan. Beginning in Fall 2026, he will pursue an Artist Diploma at The Juilliard School in New York, where he will continue his studies with Babayan.