Helen Taylor Johannesen International Piano Festival
August 2-5, 2026
Directed by Ning Lu
The Helen Taylor Johannesen International Piano Festival and Competition, hosted by the University of Utah School of Music, is a distinguished gathering of exceptional pianists, celebrated pedagogues, and dedicated music enthusiasts from around the world. Since its founding in 2013, the festival has earned an international reputation for artistic excellence, offering an inspiring environment where emerging artists refine their craft and engage deeply with the piano repertoire. Through intensive study with an acclaimed faculty, thought-provoking lectures, master classes, competition and dynamic performance opportunities, the festival cultivates the next generation of pianists while enriching the cultural life of the Salt Lake City community and fostering meaningful artistic exchange.
Registration Fee: $200
The registration of $200 will include the competition registration, and 90 min. piano
masterclass, and a winners’ concert in Libby Concert Hall.
No refunds will be allowed.
Schedule
Aug. 2: Opening ceremony
9 a.m. | LGCH
Aug. 2 - 4: Masterclass and studio lessons
9 a.m. – noon & 2 – 4 p.m.
Aug. 5: HTJ piano competition and winner’s concert
9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
All masterclasses will be held in: Dumke Recital Hall (DRH) and Libby Garnder Concert Hall (LGCH).
Faculty
Ning Lu / Jie Lu / Viktor Valkov / Steven Vanhauwaert
Young Musicians aged 10 and under (5 minutes)
Two contrasting standard piano works, memorization is required.
Junior division aged 11 – 13 (8 minutes)
Two contrasting standard piano works, memorization is required.
Young Artist division aged 14 – 18 (12 minutes)
Three standard piano works with at least two contrasting periods, memorization is
required
College division (currently enrolled in any universities, 15 minutes)
Three standard piano works with at least two contrasting periods, one virtuoso etude, memorization is required
1. No program changes will be allowed after July 15, 2026.
2. All pieces must be performed from memory. Repeats are at the discretion of the competitors.
3. Contestants should not have contacts with any Jury Member during the competition period. Failure to observe this rule may lead to disqualification.
4. All decisions of the Jury are final and cannot be appealed.
5. All prize money is subject to tax under US taxation laws.
6. The performances will be open to the general public.
7. All decisions of the Jury are final and cannot be appealed.
Young Musician division
- 1st prize - $200
- 2nd prize - $150
- 3rd prize - $100
Junior division
- 1st prize - $300
- 2nd prize - $250
- 3rd prize - $200
Young Artist division
- 1st prize - $500
- 2nd prize - $400
- 3rd prize - $300
College Division
- 1st prize - $500
- 2nd prize - $400
- 3rd prize - $300
Artist Teachers & Jury Members
Ning Lu, Artistic Director of HTJ Festival (only judge the applicants of international or non-Utah residents)
Jie Lu, professor at University of Utah (only judge the applicants of international or non-Utah residents)
Viktor Valkov, professor at University of Utah, jury of the competition
Steven Vanhauwaert, professor at University of Utah, judge of the competition
About Helen Taylor Johannesen
Helen Taylor Johannesen was a gifted and promising Juilliard-trained composer and the wife of pianist Grant Johannesen, who died tragically at age 34 in a car accident. Johannesen grew up in Salt Lake City, where she attended the McCune School of Music to study piano. She received her BM from the University of Utah in 1937, her MM from Columbia Teachers College in 1941 and her degree in composition from Juilliard in 1945, where she completed a three-movement symphony. She also joined the Martha Graham Dance Company as a composition pianist. She and Grant had one son, David, with whom Grant collaborated in the 1990's to record all of Helen's work, including Discovering Helen Taylor, vols. 1 and 2. When she died, she was working on an opera, David and Bathsheba, from the Old Testament stories.
