The Return of the Five Prizewinners

The Return of the Five Prizewinners

The first edition of La Viñenale brings together five pianists awarded prizes in different editions of the Ricard Viñes International Piano Competition. Their return to Lleida is one of the festival’s central ideas: to reconnect them with the audience, continue their relationship with the city and allow them to share their experience with a new generation of students.

Anthony Ratinov

First Prize 2023

Acclaimed for his “unwavering energy and precision”, American pianist Anthony Ratinov shares his deep passion for music with audiences around the world and commands the stage with “class, style, technical mastery and a strong personality as a soloist” (Beckmesser).

Ratinov won Third Prize at the 2024 Montreal International Music Competition and, in 2025, Second Prize at the US National Chopin Competition. In 2023 he won Second Prize at the Busoni International Piano Competition with his performance of Prokofiev’s Third Piano Concerto, praised for displaying “pianism of the highest level, with admirable dexterity and impeccable precision” (L’Ape Musicale). Other distinctions include First Prize at the 2023 Ricard Viñes International Piano Competition, Second Prize and the Audience Prize at the Valencia Iturbi International Piano Competition, and Second Prize at the Olga Kern International Piano Competition.

Anthony has appeared as a soloist with orchestras across Europe and North America, including a sold-out performance of Chopin’s Piano Concerto in F minor at the Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona. He has also performed at venues including the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the ORF RadioKulturhaus in Vienna, the Maison Symphonique in Montreal and the Warsaw Philharmonic. Upcoming engagements include his recital debut at Carnegie Hall in December 2026.

Anthony is a Young Steinway Artist.

Yuanfan Yang

First Prize 2025

Born in Edinburgh and based in Leeds, Yuanfan Yang is an award-winning pianist, composer and improviser, recognised for the individuality and versatility of his artistic career. His interpretations of Schumann and Liszt have been compared to those of the young Ashkenazy by International Piano Magazine, while The Observer has highlighted the “deep emotional intensity” of his compositions.

Yuanfan has performed with leading orchestras including the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, BBC Philharmonic, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Armenian State Symphony Orchestra, Manchester Camerata and Opera North. He has composed four large-scale piano concertos, which have been performed internationally in the United Kingdom, China, France and Russia.

Also recognised as an improviser, Yuanfan creates spontaneous improvisations based on themes and styles suggested by the audience. His videos on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook have received more than four million views.

He has received more than thirty awards as a pianist, including First Prize at the 2025 Ricard Viñes International Piano Competition, and has released his debut album, Watercolour, on Orchid Classics.

Yuanfan Yang will perform at the Raimat Arts Festival on 9 October 2026, with a piano recital at Bodega Raimat.

Karina Tseng

Third Prize and Audience Prize - Diari Segre 2025

American pianist Karina Tseng, originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, is currently based in Italy. She has performed with the Orquestra Simfònica del Vallès, Seattle Festival Orchestra, Palo Alto Philharmonic and New Millennium Chamber Orchestra, and has given recitals in the United States and Italy.

She won the 2025 Andrea Baldi Competition in Bologna and has received major distinctions at the 2025 Ricard Viñes, 2025 National Chopin and 2025 Samson François competitions.

As an artist who places particular value on connection and dialogue with the audience, she continues to expand a diverse repertoire both as a soloist and chamber musician.

Karina studies with André Gallo at the Fondazione Accademia Internazionale di Imola «Incontri col Maestro». In addition to her degree in Piano Performance, she graduated in Business Information Systems from the University of Rochester and holds Certificates of Excellence in Chamber Music and Arts Leadership from the Eastman School of Music.

Kojiro Okada

Third Prize 2023

Born in Bordeaux in 1999, Kojiro Okada began studying piano at the age of seven with Anne-Lise Gastaldi. From an early age, he has performed at prestigious venues including Salle Pleyel, Théâtre du Châtelet, Philharmonie de Paris, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, La Seine Musicale and the Salle de Musique de La Chaux-de-Fonds.

He has appeared at festivals including La Roque d’Anthéron, La Folle Journée de Nantes, Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad and the Chopin Festival in Nohant. Passionate about chamber music, he has collaborated with artists including Augustin Dumay, Miguel da Silva, Gary Hoffman, Jian Wang and Bertrand Chamayou.

He studied at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris and is currently an artist in residence at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel. His awards include Third Prize at the 2023 Ricard Viñes Competition and First Prizes at the Gabriel Fauré and Società Umanitaria competitions in Milan.

Anna Dmytrenko

Third Prize 2018

Ukrainian-American pianist Anna Dmytrenko has established herself as a versatile artist on the international stage and has performed at prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Philharmonie de Paris, Salle Cortot, Smetana Hall, Teatro Sociale di Como and Theatro Municipal de São Paulo.

She has won Second Prize and the Audience Prize at the Olga Kern International Piano Competition, as well as several awards at the Ricard Viñes, Cantù, Manhattan and New York international competitions.

As a soloist, she has performed with the Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, New Mexico Philharmonic, Orquestra Sinfônica Municipal de São Paulo, KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic, Amman Chamber Orchestra and Orquestra Simfònica del Vallès, among others.

She studied with Oxana Yablonskaya at the Pre-College Division of The Juilliard School, completed her undergraduate degree at the Royal Academy of Music in London with Christopher Elton, earned two Master’s degrees at the Universität der Künste Berlin with Pascal Devoyon and received her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Manhattan School of Music under the guidance of Olga Kern.

Since 2026, she has been Assistant Professor of Piano at Florida State University.