Hugo Kitano of California, Aleksandra Kasman of Alabama, Eric Lu of MassachusettsIncoming UAB Honors Program freshman Aleksandra Kasman, 18, won second prize and the Young Jury Award on June 14, 2013, in Columbia, S.C., at the Arthur Fraser International Piano Competition; the competition is a part of the Southeastern Piano Festival and one of the most prestigious competitions for young pianists.
Kasman, who will study piano at UAB, is the daughter of UAB Professor of Piano Yakov Kasman, D.M.A., and Tatiana Kasman, instructor of Piano Ensemble at UAB.
“I especially liked the fact that she was not only awarded by a professional jury, but she also won the vote of the young jury of five students from some of the nation’s top schools,” Yakov Kasman said.
Aleksandra won $1,500 for her second place win and $300 for her Young Jury Award. This year, 20 pianists representing 15 states were selected for the competition. Kasman said the competition level was extremely high this year.
Known to her family as Sasha, Aleksandra has garnered many competition honors as a performer. She has won medals or been named a finalist in the International Competition in Memory of Vladimir Horowitz in Kiev, Ukraine, the Blount-Slawson Young Artist Competition and the Alabama Symphony Volunteer Council's Lois Pickard Competition. She has performed solo recitals in the United States, France, Ukraine, Russia and Japan, as well as duo-pianist recitals with her father in Alabama, Colorado, Louisiana and Russia.