The concert is in partnership with the 2025 Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival
Hillsborough County, Fla. (June 26, 2025) - New Tampa Performing Arts Center (NTPAC) will host a concert featuring pianists who were selected for the 2025 Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival (RPPF) on Saturday, July 5, at 7:30 p.m. RPPF is one of the world's premier piano festivals, bringing together award-winning collegiate pianists from around the globe.
The festival is held annually at the University of South Florida, where invited pianists experience an intensive, 3-week program that includes learning and performing opportunities spearheaded by a world-class faculty of international artists.
Selected from more than 245 applications across 25 countries, this year's RPPF pianists include students from The Juilliard School, National University of Singapore, Royal Danish Academy, Yale School of Music, Seoul National University, Oberlin Conservatory, Shanghai Conservatory, Eastman School of Music, and The Glenn Gould School in Toronto.
NTPAC invites the community to hear the following featured RPPF artists perform on Saturday, July 5.
- Jiahao Xu, 20, is a Chinese pianist who has won multiple awards in competitions such as the Rachmaninoff International Youth Competition and the International Youth Competition, both held in Russia. He is currently studying at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.
- Yixuan (Fafa) Han, 29, was born in Anshan, China. He has appeared internationally across Asia, Europe, and North America, and won numerous national and international awards.
- Chi leng (Melody) Ho, 21, currently studies at The Julliard School in New York. She has performed for the former Prime Minister of Japan, Yukio Hatoyama, and has been featured in CHOPIN magazine.
The concert is $10 to attend with limited capacity. Guests can buy tickets in advance at NewTampaArtsCenter.org/tickets.
To learn more about RPPF and additional satellite concerts and events throughout the Tampa Bay area, visit rebeccapenneyspianofestival.org.
Find out more about NTPAC's upcoming events at NewTampaArtsCenter.org and on social media. Follow New Tampa Performing Arts Center on Facebook, Instagram and X at @NewTampaPAC. For questions about event tickets, email TicketsNTPAC@hcfl.gov. NTPAC is located at 8550 Hunters Village Rd., Tampa, FL 33647.