Maikol Pérez Gómez is a Cuban concert pianist currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance at the Duquesne University Mary Pappert School of Music in Pittsburgh, where he studies with Dr. Kevin Lee Sun. At the same time he is an engaged educator and church musician. Currently serving as piano instructor at Bee Sharp Music Studio and as pianist at Fairhaven United Methodist Church and Duquesne Chapel of the Holy Spirit.

In 2025, Pérez Gómez won First Prize at the Marian Garcia International Piano Competition held at Penn State University, and Third Prize at the 9th José Jacinto Cuevas Yamaha International Piano Competition in Mérida, Mexico, where he advanced to the finals and performed Prokofiev’s Third Piano Concerto with the Yucatán Symphony Orchestra. In 2026 he won the Philip Bianco Award at Keynotes Music Scholarship and more recently the 2026-2027 Butler County Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition.

He is the recipient of other international and national awards, including First Prize at the 2021 Villahermosa International Piano Competition in Mexico and Second Prize at the 2017 edition 2nd Prize from the 2018 Amadeo Roldán Regional Piano Competition( Havana), the New York International Music Competition (2024), and a UNESCO Caribbean Region Prize, which funded his participation at the 2024 Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, Italy, where he studied with Lilya Zilberstein. He also has had masterclasses with Kirill Gerstein, Luca Chiantore, Ninowska FernándezBrito, and David Allen Wehr.

Born and trained in Cuba, Pérez Gómez began his musical studies on saxophone before earning degrees in Saxophone and Piano Performance from the Amadeo Roldán Conservatory. He continued advanced studies at the Universidad de las Artes (ISA) in Havana with Danae Ulacia. Prior to relocating to the United States, he served on the faculty of the Manuel Saumell Conservatory and worked as a collaborative pianist and coach at several Cuban music institutions.

Past Concerto Competition Winners:

Michelle LeFevre        12/01/1979                  Viotti Violin Concerto No. 22 in A minor

Teresa Cowin              12/6/1980                    Mozart Flute Concerto No. 2

Linda Gresh                12/06/1980                  Rubenstein Piano Concerto No. 4: Mvt 1

Tawnee Bakuhn          12/05/1981                  Haydn Flute Concerto in D Major

Randall Meagher        4/20/1983                    Mozart Concerto in B flat major for Euphonium

Carla Gumpp Book     05/05/1984                 Mendelssohn Piano Concerto No. 1

Elizabeth Tinker          4/27/1985                    Crusell Clarinet Concerto in F minor

David Conner              04/26/1986                 Kuka Concerto for Marimba

Karen Ord                   05/02/1987                  Griffes Poem for Flute

Michael Stanton          04/01/1989                Haydn Concerto for Trumpet

Jeffrey Stock               03/31/1990                  Vivaldi Concerto for Sopranino Recorder

Jenny Rose Spence   11/03/1990                  Ten Year Old Violinist- Family Concert

Zara Kenjebulatova     05/02/1992              Mendelssohn Piano Concerto No. 1

Jason Park                  10/31/1992                  Greig Piano Concerto Mvt 1

Jodie Lynne Coyle      03/19/1994                  Greig Piano Concerto in A minor

Benjamin Smith          11/05/1994                  Copland “Old American Songs” Family Concert

Erica Saley                  03/16/1996                  Vieuxtemps Violin Concerto #4 in D minor

Angela Schehr  &       11/02/1996                  Cimarosa Concerto in G major for two flutes
Stephanie Crouch

David H. Kennedy       05/02/1998                 Arias by Puccini, Giordano and Mozart

Lauren A. Sparrow      11/07/1998                  Lalo Cello Concerto in D minor

Megan McCoy             03/25/2000                 Arutiunian Concerto for Trumpet

Matthew Shaffer          03/17/2001                 Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 1, mvt 1

Aaron Patterson          3/16/2002                   Scaramouche for Alto Saxophone – Milhaud

Ross Snyder               3/22/2003                    Barber Concerto for Violin Op. 14 mvt 1

Glenna Marie Cypher 03/20/2004               Puccini & Donizetti soprano arias

Camille O’Connor        3/19/2005                   Bizet “Carmen” two arias for mezzo-soprano

Cassandra                     03/18/2006                 Cimarosa Concerto in G major for two flutes
Rondinelli & Sarah Crouch

Edward Leonard         03/17/2007                  Conducting Schumann Overture 2 mvts

Andrew Ho                  03/15/2008                  Saint-Saens Intro & Rondo Capriccioso for Violin

Justin Ryan                 03/14/2009                  Claude Smith “Fantasia” for Alto Saxophone
Polyblank

Michel Tsang              03/13/2010                  Saint-Saens Piano Concerto No. 1 mvt 1

Tom Mahovski            03/12/2011                  Wilby Concerto for Euphonium 2 mvts

Hanna Che                  03/10/2012                  Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 1 mvt 1

Kylee O’Donnell        03/09/2013                  Chaminade Concerto for Flute

Sophia S. Lee             03/08/2014                  Gliere Concerto for Harp in E Flat Major

Sarah Hetrick              04/11/2015                  Maurice “Tableaux de Provence” Alto Sax

Nathaniel Chen           04/09/2016                Ravel Piano Concerto in G Major mvt 1

Angela Renninger      04/08/2017                Tomasi Concerto for Alto Saxophone

Enoch Hsiao               04/14/2018                  Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2

Ellary Mede                 03/02/2019                Songs by Handel, Mozart and Gershwin

Justin Choo                 03/07/2020               Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini, Rachmaninoff

Calista Heidkamp      03/06/2021               Concertino op. 107 by Cecile Chaminade

Emma Kim                  03/05/2022               Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 1 mvt 1

Thomas Bachert         03/04/2023               Jacques Ibert: Concertina de Camera

Taylor Pastore            03/02/2024               Albert Perilhou: Ballade for flute

Cooper Sluka            03/08/2025                 Henri Tomasi: Concerto for Alto Saxophone

Quin Coltman           2025-2026                 Escapades by John Williams (from Catch Me If You Can)