Jancis Xu is a cheerful, loving, passionate and hardworking 6th grader from Dix Hills, New York. She started learning piano at the age of 5 and became student of Joyce Ng since age of 7 and now studying with Irina Edelman at Manhattan School of Music. Jancis has participated in various piano recitals at venues including Carnegie Hall and Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center in New York. Her sense of touch, emotional performances on stage impressed her family, teachers and peers.
Jancis won varies music competition over the years which include 1st Prize of XIV Chopin International Piano Competition 2023, Hartford CT; 1st Prize of Chopin Avenue International Piano Competition Autumn 2022 and Judges Distinction Award (Plaque Trophy) Winner & 1st Prize, American Protégé International Competition of Romantic Music 2022.
Outside of Piano, Jancis also plays violin as secondary instrument and she plays as second chair of the school orchestra of Signal Hill Elementary. She also loves dancing, swimming and reading at her leisure.
Benjamin Chen is 12 years old, currently a 7th grader of Jericho Middle School, Long Island. Ben began taking piano lessons at age 8 and soon demonstrated his talent, love and hard work in piano performing. At age 10, he won the first prize at the Elite International Music Competition and played the winner’s recital at Weill Recital Hall of Carnegie Hall. At age 11, he entered the precollege program in classical piano of Manhattan School of Music and won the second prize of the Best Bartók Performance Competition. At age 12, he was selected as the second prize winner of the 2024 Miclot International Music Competition.
You can find the duet’s 2024 Summer Music Competition performance here.