COMPETITOR SELECTION

Jury Unsung Heroes

When the application period for the 2023 Competition closed on September 30, 2022, there were 107 submissions. So how are the 20 pianists who come to Hilton Head in March selected? This daunting responsibility rests with the Competitor Selection Jury (CSJ). The three professors of piano who comprised the Selection jury are no less accomplished than the members of the Competition Jury who adjudicate in March, and they work just as hard.

Competitor selection is a two-part process. First, the jurors spend six weeks in their studios and homes reviewing the applicants’ audition videos. None has an affiliation with any of the applicants—this is forbidden by competition rules. All evaluations are done blind—jurors know the applicants only by number. They do not have access to the written applications, nor to any other information that might inadvertently introduce bias.

Applicants submit at least three video files reflecting works of contrasting styles/periods totaling 20 – 30 minutes in length. At the end of the remote evaluations, the applicant pool may have been reduced somewhat if all three judges independently rated some applicants as not ready to compete at the HHIPC. At this or any other point in the process, judges cannot see their peer’s ratings, nor do they communicate with the others.

THE UNHERALDED BEHINDTHE-SCENES WORK THE CSJ DOES LAYS THE FOUNDATION FOR A SUCCESSFUL COMPETITION.

In November, CSJ members travel to Hilton Head to complete the task. They settle into a quiet, comfortable room with state-of-the-art equipment at Custom Audio Video’s showroom in Bluffton. They listen again, sometimes more than once, to the multiple pieces of repertoire applicants have chosen to showcase their talents. At the end of three intense 10-hour days, the jury selects the 20 competitors who will be invited to play in the HHIPC, plus several alternates. A numerical scoring system which all agree to is employed, a system that allows for discrimination among applicants of similar talents. The rigorous, unbiased and transparent way our juries select competitors is one of the HHIPC’s acknowledged strengths in the world of international piano competitions. It has been instrumental in helping us attract both top-drawer competitors and judges.

The HHIPC is extremely grateful to this year’s Competitor Selection Jury – Jane Coop, Douglas Humpherys, and Janice Weber – professionals with “great ears” whose collective work ensures a successful Competition.