On Thursday, April 30, 2009 at 7:00pm, Premier Virginia Properties and the National Chopin Foundation of the United States will present the 5th Annual Chopin in Barboursville, featuring the 2008 National Chopin Piano Competition of Poland, Julia Kociuban.

Ms. Kociuban was born on 18^th January 1992 in Cracow, Poland. Since 1998 she has been a student of the Mieczyslaw Karlowicz State Music School in Krakow in piano classes of Olga Lazarska (1998 ? 2006) and Prof. Piotr Paleczny (since 2006).

Julia has won several important national and international piano competitions, such as:

6^th International Piano Competition "Konzerteum" in Greece, 2000; 9^th Klodzko Piano Competition (Poland), 2001;1^st International Competition ?Gradus ad Parnassum" in Kaunas, Lithuania, 2001; 15^th Jan Sebastian Bach International Piano Competition in Gorzów Wielkopolski,  Poland, 2002; 2^nd Chopin Piano Competition for Children in Jelenia Góra, Poland, 2002; 5^th International Chopin Piano Competition in Narva (Estonia), 2004; 11^th Milosz Magin International Piano Competition in Paris, France, 2005; 3^rd Chopin Piano Competition for Children in Jelenia Góra, Poland, 2005; 6^th International Piano Competition "A Step Towards Mastery" in St. Petersburg, Russia, 2007;

She is a holder of a few scholarships : of Mrs and Mr Kwasniewski (President of Poland) Foundation, the City of Cracow Scholarship, Creative Scholarship the City of Cracow, Malopolska Foundation "Sapere auso", Ministry of Culture. She has been also a scholar of the Polish Children´s Fund in Warsaw since 2000.

In July 2003 she took part in the international program Morningside Music Bridge in Calgary (Canada). In 2004 and 2005 she worked with prof. Wiktor Mierzanow during the International Piano Master Courses in Duszniki Zdrój (Poland). In years 2006 - 2008 she was an active participant of Poland Piano Master Classes by the International Piano Chopin Festival in Duszniki Zdrój and in 2007 she was a scholar of Holland Music Sessions in Bergen.

Julia was invited to play in such festivals as: 12^th International Festival for Young Talents in Kaunas (Lithuania), David Oistrach Festival in Parnu (Estonia), "Chopin - days" in Warsaw, 6^th  Young Artists Festival in Cracow, Konzertzyklus in Viena, 3^rd International Piano Festival in Warsaw,  "Altenburger Musikfestival" in Germany.                   

She performed in Poland, France, Germany, Russia, Estonia, Canada, Austria and Lithuania. As soloist she played with: Beethoven´s Academy Orchestra, Slask Philharmony Orchestra, Cracow Philharmony Orchestra, Sinfonietta Cracowia, Dolnoslaska Philharmony Orchestra, Parnu City Orchestra, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, and Warsaw Academy Orchestra condacted by J. Salwarowski, L. Borowicz, R. Bader, M. Tworek, N. Järvi, E. Klas, M. Nesterowicz and J.Swoboda.

Julia has also played several concerts with her brothers in "Family Trio" (last concerts in Cracow Philharmony, Royal Castle in Warsaw and in Altenburg).