Inaugurated in 2020, the Irena Orlov Memorial Piano Competition for Adult Students remembers and celebrates our beloved friend and faculty member, Irena Orlov. For over 30 years, Irena was a pillar of Levine and our piano department. During her remarkable career, she taught and mentored hundreds of students and faculty, helping each of them achieve their best.
The 2026 Competition took place on Sunday, March 22, 2026, at our DC Campus: NW, with divisions for intermediate and advanced adult piano students.
Congratulations to all the participants, their teachers, and their families!
Awards
Congratulations to all the finalists and their extraordinary teachers!
Intermediate Division
First Place: Alex Rehding, student of Artur Aksenov
Second Place: Fern Hunt, student of Rachel Chen
Third Place: Cameron Brown, student of Ching-Yi Lin; Terri Scadron, student of Victor Shklyar
Honorable Mention: Philip Sharp, student of Naira Babayan
Advanced Division
First Place: Melina Zohn, student of Ralitza Patcheva
Second Place: Landin Thorsted, student of Naira Babayan
Third Place: Dylan Tran, student of Ching-Yi Lin; Hon-Cheong Chan, student of Artur Aksenov
Honorable Mention: AnnElizabeth McMahon, student of Katerina Zaitseva; Joseph Vetter, student of Ching-Yi Lin
Special thanks to: Jinha Park, competition organizer; Jeffery Beaudry and Nikita Fitenko, competition judges; and the Levine campus staff.