Photo by David Rafie
T H E
P R O C E S S
FROM APPLICANT, TO ACCEPTANCE TO ACHIEVEMENT This season, a prescreening jury consisting of Polina Bespalko, Gabriela Imreh Spalding, Dorothy Shuford, Lori Sims, and Frank Weinstock selected 24 competitors between the ages of 18 and 32, to compete in the First Round of the Artist Division Competition. Because we get so many questions about the process, we’ve decided to divulge how it works: The prescreening process is entirely anonymous; jurors do not see the applicant’s video submission or know the names of the applicants as they listen. A non-voting member watches the videos to make absolutely sure that videos haven’t been edited, but otherwise, the jurors are only able to identify applicants by an assigned number. Once each applicant has been reviewed, the voting process is shockingly simple: jurors give a “yes” or “no” vote. There is no discussion, nothing is measured, and no statistics are examined. A candidate needs three votes to get in to the competition. Surprisingly, the jury selects the majority or competitors unanimously; any ties are broken by a re-vote among the tied individuals. While the same method of voting is used for the First and Semifinal Rounds, competitors are voted into the Finals by majority vote. Artistic Director Awadagin Pratt’s experience as a judge led him to simplify this stage for us; he has found that complex processes are unnecessary and that the simplicity of the chosen method allows for the election of the best talent based on commonly accepted musical criteria. Once accepted, the competitors compete for one of three spots in the Finals and a performance with the Cincinnati
Symphony Orchestra. The Gold Medalist will take home a $20,000 cash prize and earn a debut recital in New York City, while the Silver and Bronze Medalists will win $15,000 and $10,000, respectively. First Round performances are 36-40 minutes and, new this year, must include a minimum of nine minutes of contemporary compositions from the following list: Elliot Carter: Caténaires John Corigliano: Winging It III. 6/7/2008 Aaron Jay Kernis: Superstar Étude #1 Conlon Nancarrow: ¿Tango? Tobias Picker: Four Études for Ursula David Rakowski: Piano Études 11. Touch Typing 21. 12-Step Program 28. You’ve Got Scale 33. Sliding Scales 61. Ménage à Droit 14. Martler 25. Fists of Fury 30. A Gliss is Just a Gliss 40. Strident 68. Absofunkinlutely In the Semifinal Round, competitors are narrowed to six and must perform a 56-60 minute recital that includes a sonata by Beethoven, Haydn, Mozart, or Schubert. From there, three competitors will advance to the finals where each will perform one concerto with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra from the approved World Piano Competition list.
2014 WORLD PIANO COMPETITION
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