IT TAKES A COMMUNITY

The HHIPC has grown significantly since its inception in 1996. From the beginning it has been about people, and the number of individuals who have touched the event through the years numbers in the thousands. One of the things that sets the HHIPC apart is that competitors are hosted in private homes rather than hotels or dormitories. For the duration of the competition, host families become their competitor’s local support system—housing and feeding them, driving them to events, listening to hours of practice, and cheering them on. They get to know each other well, traveling to their home countries and attending their performances in other parts of the world. Hosts often invite their competitors to come back to Hilton Head and many accept, sometimes bringing their own families, thus establishing close, multigenerational ties for a lifetime. We salute the more than 200 people who have opened their hearts and homes to HHIPC competitors. They are your friends and neighbors, and they deserve a standing ovation.

Read the story of 2022’s competitor Illia Ovcharenko and hosts Lauren and Van Schwiebert, in their own words:

“In 2022 we were approached about hosting a competitor. We wondered who we might be assigned and exactly what to expect. It sounded intriguing, and we were told the HHIPC experience could be “life changing.”

Our competitor was Illia Ovcharenko, a 20-yearold from Ukraine. He arrived shortly after the Russian invasion of his country. Do you recall the long convoy of Russian tanks and military equipment heading south toward Chernigov at the beginning of the war? Illia’s family home was directly at the front of that line. When we picked Illia up at the airport, he said that he had not been eating or sleeping well, and most concerning, he had not heard from his family for several days. Our neighbors in Hilton Head Plantation had decorated trees, mailboxes, and lampposts with blue and yellow ribbons in anticipation of Illia’s arrival. We obtained a Ukrainian flag and displayed it on our porch. He was overwhelmed by the outpouring of support. We decided that our charge was to provide him with a place of calm and quiet and we were careful not to intrude with too many questions. By the third day, Illia was practicing his repertoire and relaxing in his pajamas. He began eating and shared what news he learned from his family, whose home had been heavily damaged. Despite an unimaginably stressful situation, Illia proved to be a mature, gracious, and engaging guest. He soon felt like a grandson to us, not a performer passing through. We were thrilled when he won second prize. “Hilton Head Monthly” picked up Illia’s story and soon all of Hilton Head learned about this remarkable young man. We keep in touch weekly, receiving updates on his family. We could not be prouder of Illia and look forward to sharing in his continued success. Our lives have indeed been changed!”

The HHIPC proved to be an important steppingstone for Illia Ovcharenko. This past summer he won the Honens Competition (Calgary, Canada), which includes a $100,000 prize and an Artist Development Program valued at half a million dollars. Then this fall, he won first prize at the New York International Piano Competition and gave his debut recital in Carnegie’s Weill Hall in January 2023. He is pursuing a Master of Music at Hanover’s Hochschule für Musik in Germany.