In 1989 he won second prize in the Casadesus International Piano Competition in Cleveland, Ohio, and won the first prize of the Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition five years later. He subsequently made his New York recital debut at the Alice Tully Hall in 1995, playing compositions by Franz Schubert, Sergei Rachmaninoff, and Maurice Ravel.
In 1989, he received second prize in the Casadesus International Piano Competition in Cleveland, Ohio, and won first prize at the Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition five years later. Subsequently, he made his New York recital debut at Alice Tully Hall in 1995, performing compositions by Franz Schubert, Sergei Rachmaninoff, and Maurice Ravel.