5th Westfjords Piano Festival

Félagsheimili Patreksfjarðar

5th Westfjords Piano Festival

5th Westfjords Piano Festival

Félagsheimili Patreksfjarðar, Aðalstræti 107, 450 Patreksfjörður Directions

Thu 13.08.2026 13:00

The 5th Westfjords Piano Festival will take place August 13-20th, 2026, featuring world-class piano concerts in addition to lessons, masterclasses, and workshops for the community. All concerts are are free of charge thanks to our generous grants and sponsors.

Concert dates:

Patreksfjörður (FHP Patreksfjarðar): Saturday, August 15th at 20:00

Tálknafjörður (Tálknafjarðarkirkja): Sunday, August 16th at 17:00

Ísafjörður (Hamrar): Wednesday, August 19th at 20:00

Hólmavík (Hólmavikurkirkja): Thursday, August 20th at 19:30

Pianists:

Andrew J. Yang (USA/Iceland)

Carl Zhang (Canada/Austria)

Jakub Urgoł (Poland)

Matthías Tumi Ragnarsson (Iceland)

Tómas Bogi Bjarnason (Iceland)

Artist info:

Andrew J. Yang (Iceland/USA), artistic director, has an active performance career across the Europe, North America, and Asia. Deemed by The San Francisco Examiner as "a prodigy, [running] the emotional gamut from brooding introspection to manic exuberance” and by Ruth Slenczynska, legendary pianist and student of Rachmaninoff, as “a gifted musician and serious artist”, Yang has performed at venues such as Mozarthaus in Vienna, Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavík, Musiikkitalo in Helsinki, Judaica Foundation in Krakow, and the Hoheikan in Sapporo. Yang was awarded the top prize at the 30th International FLAME Piano Competition in Paris, France, and has also received awards from numerous competitions including the International Heida Hermanns Piano Competition and the Metropolitan International Piano Competition in New York City. He was awarded a "White Rose" Medal of Honor for musical excellence from President of Finland, Sauli Niinistö.

Carl Zhang (Canada/Austria) has garnered top prizes in various esteemed competitions, including the Concours de Musique du Canada, Concours de musique Sorel-Tracy, Concours de musique de Sherbrooke, Concours Clermont-Pépin, and the Concours Gustav Mahler. Zhang received two Master’s degrees in piano performance at two prestigious institutions: University of Montreal and the Geneva Haute École de Musique. In 2018, he was accepted into the PhD program at the University of Montreal, with a dedicated focus on exploring the music of the revered Viennese composer, Franz Schubert. However, the world had unexpected plans in store. During an exchange year at the University of Performing Arts in Vienna, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted Carl's plans to return to Canada. Faced with uncertainties and unable to return home, he made the decision to stay in the vibrant Austrian capital, Vienna. Since then, Vienna has become the artistic hub of Carl Zhang's multifaceted career and life, where he performs in concerts, collaborates with various singers, teaches piano, coaches aspiring vocalists, and accompanies instrumentalists.

Jakub Urgoł (Poland) was born on December 6, 2005, in Rybnik. He began his school education at the age of 5 in 2010. At the same time, he began studying piano at the Józef Świder Primary and Secondary Music School in Jastrzębie-Zdrój under the supervision of Dr. Hab. Anna Miech. In 2020, he participated in the "1st MusicAlive international online piano competition," where he won second prize. In 2023, he graduated from the music school, simultaneously completing the Stanisław Staszic High School with bilingual classes in Jastrzębie Zdrój, majoring in mathematics and physics. After these events, he participated in the "Kraków Piano Summer" music course, taught by Adam Wibrowski, Gloria Campaner, Andrew Yang, Brenda Bruce, and Lesław Możdżer. He is currently continuing his piano studies at the Józef Staszic Academy of Music in Jastrzębie-Zdrój. Karol Lipiński in Wrocław in the piano class of Prof. Jan Kubica.

Young Artist: Tómas Bogi Bjarnason (Iceland) is a Framhaldsnám student at Tónskóli Sigursveins in Reykjavík, where he studied extensively with Laufey Kristinsdóttir and currently studies with Andrew J. Yang. He is also studying engineering at Háskóli Íslands.

Young Artist: Matthías Tumi Ragnarsson (Iceland) is also a Framhaldsnám student at Tónskóli Sigursveins. He won the Styrkir veittir til efnilegra ungmenna 2026 award from Mosfellsbær which is supporting his musical studies.

Performers