2016 Olga Kern International Piano Competition Program Book

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TABLE OF

Contents 3 4 5 5 6 6 6 6 7 7 B 18 42 42 42 42 43 43

Welcome from the Mayor Welcome from the President of the Board Welcome from Olga Kern Welcome from Steinway & Sons Schedule of Events Venue Locations Competition Etiquette Rules & Regulations Competition Repertoire/Performance Requirements Competition Prizes Jury Competitors Board & Staff Volunteers Special Thanks Host Families Donors Sponsors


WELCOME FROM THE

Mayor

CITY OF ALBUCUJERCUJE Office of the Mqyor/ ChiefAdministrative Officer

October 13, 2016

Dear New Mexico Philharmonic and Olga Kern, Congratulations to the New Mexico Philharmonic and Olga Kern on the creation of this first Olga Kern International Piano Competition, as well as thank you to all the participating pianists, donors, sponsors and volunteers who worked to make this dream a reality. It is a great honor to host this international event in Albuquerque. While in Albuquerque, I hope you get the chance to explore everything this great city has to offer. Take in some of the sights and sounds that you may only encounter in a city as vibrant as Albuquerque. For a taste of our culture and history, the Indian and Hispanic Cultural Centers are great places to spend time. Old Town Albuquerque is a must see, where you can get a sampling of our southwest heritage. Finally, I encourage you to enjoy the great outdoors by visiting our beautiful Sandia Mountains or the Rio Grande.

PO Box 1293

A lbuquerque

Enjoy the Competition and I hope you will come back to visit Albuquerque.

N1vl87103

www.cabq.gov

~am,s_,_~,_.._. Rich rd J. Berr Mayor

Albuquerqur- Making History 1706-2006

The Olga Kern International Piano Competition

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WELCOME

WELCOME FROM THE

President of the Board I am very excited to welcome you to the first-ever Olga Kern International Piano Competition. During this week, you wi ll have the opportunity to hear amazing performances by some of the most talented young pianists in the world. The New Mexico Philharmonic is pleased to support this event by providing the opportunity for the four finalists to perform the fina l round with the orchestra under the leadership of guest conductor Vladimir Kern. Albuquerque and New Mexico have much to offer in addition to the competition, and I hope that you will make time to see some of our spectacular Southwest attractions, both natural and man-made, that tens of thousands of visitors to the Land of Enchantment enjoy each year. On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to thank the City of Albuquerque for its support and funding for the competition. Thanks also to Steinway & Sons for their generous sponsorship by providing the pianos for the competitors' host families as well as the performance pianos for all the rounds. We are deeply grateful to all the donors who through their generosity are providing the critical support to ensure the continuation of this important event We would like to express our deepest gratitude to the families who are hosting the competitors, to the many volunteers who make the daily activities happen, and to Scalo Northern Italian Grill for their generosity in providing the meals for the jury members for the entire week. Having the Olga Kern International Piano Competition in Albuquerque and New Mexico enriches our lives and brings international standing to the area through this world-class event Sincerely,

710Auvl7~uq MAUREEN BACA President of the Board

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NOVEMBER 2016 I Albuquerque, New Mexico USA


WELCOME FROM

Olga Kern Welcome to the first Olga Kern International Piano Competition. I am honored to be serving as the Artistic Director and President of the Jury for the 2016 competition. I would like to welcome all of the competitors with my whole heart, because it is already such a wonderful accomplishment to be invited to participate in this exciting competition. Launching a successful performing career in the 21st century is a daunting task for most young, talented, aspiring musicians. The talent pool was amazing and finalizing the list of the twenty-four contestants to be invited to participate was a difficult undertaking. I am deeply grateful to the panel of judges for their hard work in selecting the participants. I am extremely happy to welcome our panel of distinguished judges, each one of them an internationally celebrated musician, and am deeply grateful for the expertise and time that they have dedicated to the competition. Finally, I would like to thank the New Mexico Philharmonic, the City of Albuquerque, and all the donors, host families, and volunteers who came together to collectively create this international event. Sincerely,

OLGA KERN Artistic Director & President of the Jury

WELCOME FROM

Steinway & Sons Dear Distinguished Competitor, On behalf of Steinway & Sons, I wou ld like to congratulate you on your selection to the 2016 Olga Kern International Piano Competition. Your being one of the invitees is a testament to your ta lent, dedication, and hard work. We are honored that Steinway is the official piano of the Competition and are proud to sponsor the mission of the Olga Kern International Piano Competition - to provide the venue for young pianists to develop international careers through a competition that is recognized globally for its value and excellence. I sincerely hope that your experience at the Olga Kern International Piano Competition is a memory you will cherish for years to come, and that your artistry and love of the piano and its repertoire will be further enhanced as a result of your participation. I wish you all the best this week and throughout your musical life. With best regards,

STEINWAY

& SONS

R~SBY~

Chief Executive Officer Steinway Musical Instruments steinway.com

The Olga Kern International Piano Competition

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SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

VENUES

RULES

Schedule at a Glance

Competition Locations

Rules & Regulations for Competition Rounds

November 13-20, 2016 OPENING RECEPTION Sunday, November 13, 2016, 7 pm Crown Plaza Hotel OK IPC activities will begin with a drawing to determine the order of the competitors' performances. Open to the media and invited guests. ROUND I Monday, November 14, 2016 & Tuesday, November 15, 2016 9 am-1 pm 2 pm-6 pm 7:10 pm-9 pm National Hispanic Cultural Center Open to the public. Free admission. ROUND II Thursday, November 17, 2016 9 am-1:20pm 2:20 pm-6:45 pm 7:45 pm-10 pm National Hispanic Cultural Center Open to the public. $10 admission. Reserve tickets at 505.724.4771. FINALISTS' REHEARSAL WITH THE NEW MEXICO PHILHARMONIC Friday, November 18, 2016, 7:30 pm Popejoy Hall Open to the media and special guests. ROUND Ill Saturday, November 19, 2016 6 pm I Concert 5 pm I Pre-concert talk hosted by KHFM's Brent Stevens Popejoy Hall Audience members will have the opportunity to vote for the Audience Award winner from the OK IPC finalists. Open to the public. Admission ranges from $22 to $75; students $10. Reserve tickets at 505.925.5858 or nmphil.org. AWARDS CEREMONY & WINNERS' RECITAL Sunday, November 20, 2016, 3 pm National Hispanic Cultural Center Open to the public. $25 admission; students $10. Reserve tickets at 505.724.4771 .•

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CROWN PLAZA HOTEL ALBUQUERQUE 1901 University Blvd NE Albuquerque, NM 87102 505.884.2500 NATIONAL HISPANIC CULTURAL CENTER 17014th St SW Albuquerque, NM 87102 505.246.2261 POPEJOY HALL 1 University of New Mexico Albuquerque, NM 87131 505.277.8010 Parking: popejoypresents.comlyour-visitl transportation

COMPETITION

Etiquette As a courtesy to each competitor, please refrain from conversation and remain in your seat during a performance. During competition rounds, audience members may enter or leave only between each competitor's performance and not between pieces. Please do not applaud until each competitor has concluded the performance of the final selection of his or her program. Children must be six or older and accompanied by an adult to be admitted. No smoking, eating, or drinking is permitted in the competition venues. Only authorized use of cameras and recording equipment is permitted. Please si lence all electronic time pieces, cell phones, and other electronic devices during competition performances .•

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DRAWING Performance order wi ll be determined on the evening of Sunday, November 13. The drawing reception will take place at the Crown Plaza Hotel, located at 1901 University Blvd. NE, Albuquerque, NM 87102. The contestant who draws "Number 1" will perform his/her solo recital first, followed by the contestant who draws "Number 2," and so on. This order will be maintained throughout subsequent rounds of the Competition, with the possible exception of the Final Round; see below. The contestants advancing to the Semifinal Round will perform in ascendant order. For example, if the following contestants advance-Numbers 2, 6, 12, 14-the contestant order of the Semifinal Round would be 2, 6, 12, 14. The Jury has the discretion to change this order due to accident, illness, or other circumstances. ROUND I I PRELIMINARY ROUND The contestants perform a 40-minute recital before an audience in Albuquerque. Recitals are recorded on video and also live streamed through KHFM radio and the Competition website. The Preliminary Round will take place at the National Hispanic Cultural Center, located at 1701 4th St. SW, Albuquerque, NM 87102. The piano for the first round will be selected by Olga Kern before the Competition. At the end of the Preliminaries on Tuesday, November 15, the Jury will deliberate and choose ten contestants who will advance to the Semifinal Round. The names of the contestants advanced to the Semifinal Round will be announced the same evening at the venue as well as via Facebook, Twitter, and email. ROUND II I SEMIFINAL ROUND The contestants perform a 60-minute recital before an audience in Albuquerque. Recitals are recorded on video and also live streamed through KHFM radio and the Competition website. Performance order is based on the numbers assigned in Round I. Pianists in the Semifinal Round have the opportunity to choose their performance piano from the two official pianos provided by Steinway & Sons, the Competition sponsor. Each pianist is allotted 20 minutes to perform on the two


pianos and make their choice. This process wi ll take place on Wednesday, November 16, time to be determined. The choice of piano can be carried over to the Final Round. All piano choices for the Semifinal Round are final. No changes are allowed. At the end of the Semifinal Round on Thursday, November 17, the Jury wi ll deliberate and choose the four advancing finalists. The names of the contestants advanced to the Final Round wil l be announced the same evening at the venue as wel l as via Facebook, Twitter, and emai l.

ROUND Ill I FINAL ROUND The Final Round will take place at Popejoy Hall on the campus of the University of New Mexico, located at 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131. The finalists wil l perform a concerto with the New Mexico Philharmonic on Saturday, November 19 at 6 p.m. at Popejoy Hall. They will participate in two rehearsals prior to the concert as follows: Friday, November 18, 7:30 p.m-10 p.m. and Saturday, November 19, 12 p.m.-2:30 p.m. Each contestant wi ll have a pre-rehearsal meeting of approximately 20-30 minutes with the conductor. The numbers of the contestants wi ll be carried over from Rounds I and II. However, the order of the contestants may be changed depending on the repertoire. The order of the contestants will be decided on Thursday, November 17 after the announcement of the advancing contestants. The finalists will be notified that evening. The piano choice from the Semifinal Round can be carried over for each contestant. but a decision change to use the other piano will be allowed before the first rehearsal with the New Mexico Philharmonic. That choice is final. At the end of the concert, the Jury will deliberate and announce the winner and subsequent positions of the remaining contestants. The audience will fill out a ballot for the Audience Award. AWARDS CEREMONY & WINNERS' RECITAL The Awards Ceremony and Winners' Recital will take p lace on Sunday, November 20 at 3 p.m. at the National Hispanic Cultural Center. The performance order and repertoire will be decided on Saturday, November 19. The repertoire choices will be made by Olga Kern as well as members of the Jury and will include works previously performed during the first and second rounds of the Competition .• The Olga Kern International Piano Competition

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE/ PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS

Required Repertoire FIRST ROUND I PRELIMINARY ROUND 1. One Prelude and Fugue by J.S. Bach (chosen from either book of The WellTempered Clavier) 2. Two contrasting Etudes chosen from the following: Frederic Chopin: Op. 10 and Op.25 Franz Liszt: Transcendental Etudes Sergei Rachmaninoff: Etudes- Tableaux, Op. 33 and Op. 39 Alexander Scriabin: Etudes, Op. 42 Claude Debussy: Etudes 3. One Sonata by Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. or Ludwig van Beethoven 4. One short piece by Rachmaninoff chosen from the following: Marceaux de fantaisie, Op. 3 Marceaux de sa/on, Op. 10 Ten Preludes, Op. 23 Thirteen Preludes, Op. 32 Transcriptions SECOND ROUND I SEMI-FINAL ROUND 1. Work(s) of contestant's choice 2. Required piece (5-6 minutes long) written specifically for the Olga Kern International Piano Competition (sent to contestants two months prior to start of competition) THIRD ROUND I FINAL ROUND 1. Contestant's choice of one of the following concerti for piano and orchestra: Bela Bartok: Piano Concerti Nos. 2 or 3 Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Concerti Nos. 3, 4, or 5 Johannes Brahms: Piano Concerti Nos. 1 or 2 Frederic Chopin: Piano Concerti Nos. 1 or 2 George Gershwin: Concerto in F Edvard Grieg: Piano Concerto in a minor Franz Liszt: Piano Concerti Nos. 1 or 2 Sergei Prokofiev: Piano Concerti Nos. 1, 2, or 3 Sergei Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerti Nos. 1, 2, or 3, or Rhapsody on a Theme ofPaganini Maurice Ravel: Piano Concerto in G Major Robert Schumann: Piano Concerto in a minor

Alexander Scriabin: Piano Concerto in f-sharp minor Peter llyich Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerti Nos. 1 or 2 Each composition should be performed in full. No individual movements will be permitted. •

COMPETITION PRIZES

Awards & Prizes The 2016 Olga Kern International Piano Competition awards include $30,000 in cash prizes. Announcement of winners will occur at the end of the Competition week. The 2016 Competition will award the following prizes and perks to the winners:

First Prize I $11,000 In addition to the cash prize, the winner will receive a professional recording, and the Olga Kern International Piano Competition will provide multiple concert engagements through the end of 2018.

Second Prize I $7,500 Third Prize I $5,000 Fourth Prize I $2,000 Best Contemporary Piece Prize I $1,000 Audience Award I $1,000 Aspiration Special Prize I $500 Semifinalist Honorable Mention I $500 Vladimir Spivakov Charitable Foundation Special Prize Recital in Moscow, Russia, as part of the XIV "Moscow We lcomes Friends" International Music Festival. •

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Olga Kern ARTISTIC DIRECTOR & PRESIDENT OF THE JURY Russian-American pianist Olga Kern is now recognized as one of her generation's great artists.

"Sheer talent does not come more transparently." BRYCE MORRISON, GRAMOPHONE

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With her vivid stage presence. passionately confident musicianship and extraordinary technique. the striking pianist continues to captivate fans and critics alike. O lga Kern was born into a family of musicians with direct links to Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff and began studying piano at the age of five. She jump-started her US career with her historic Gold Medal at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Fort Worth, Texas, as the first woman to do so in more than thirty years. Steinway Artist and First-Prize winner of the Rachmaninoff International Piano Competition at the age of seventeen, Ms. Kern is a laureate of many international competitions and tours throughout Russia, Europe, the United States, Japan, South Africa, and South Korea. The first Olga Kern International Piano Competition will take place in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in autumn of 2016, where Ms. Kern will serve as Artistic Director and Jury Chair. Ms. Kern is a corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Division of the Arts, and served as Jury Chairman of the Seventh Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition in June 2016. In the 2016/17 season, Ms. Kern will premiere her first American concerto, the Barber Piano Concerto, with the Saint Louis Symphony and Leonard Slatkin. She will also appear with the Pacific Symphony, Colorado Symphony, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, Stuttgarter Philharmoniker, and Copenhagen Philharmonic. Recital appearances include the Herbst Theatre in San Francisco, Scottsdale Center for the Arts, Virginia Arts Festival, Milan, and Glasgow. Ms. Kern opened the Baltimore Symphony's 2015/16 centennial season with Marin Alsop. Other season highlights included returns to the Royal Philharmonic with Pinchas Zukerman, Orchestre Philharmonique de Nice with Giancarlo Guerrero, performances with the Rochester Philharmonic and San Antonio Symphony, a month-long tour of South Africa for concerts with the Cape and KwaZu lu Natal Philharmonics, an Israeli tour with the Israel


Symphony, solo recitals at Sarasota's Van Wezel Hall, New York's 92nd StreetY, and the University of Kansas's Lied Center, and recitals with Renee Fleming in Carnegie Hall and Berkeley. In recent seasons, Ms. Kern has performed with Tokyo's NHK Symphony; Orchestre National de Lyon; Orquestra Sinf6nica do Estado de Sao Paulo; the Detroit Symphony for Tchaikovsky Piano Concertos 1, 2, and 3; and the Symphonies of Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Nashville, Colorado, Madison, and Austin. Ms. Kern has also given recita ls in New York, San Francisco, Seattle, and Louisville, with performances alongside Renee Fleming and Kath leen Battle. Ms. Kern's performance career has brought her to many of the world's most important venues, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, Salzburger Festspielhaus, La Scala in Mi lan, Tonhalle in Zurich, and the Chatelet in Paris. Ms. Kern's discography includes Harmonia Mundi recordings of the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No.1 with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and Christopher Seaman (2003), her Grammy-nominated recording of Rachmaninoff's Corelli Variations and other transcriptions (2004 ), a recital disc with works by Rachmaninoff and Balakirev (2005), Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Warsaw Philharmonic and Antoni Wit (2006 ), Brahms's Variations (2007), and a 2010 release of Chopin's Piano Sonatas Nos. 2 and 3 (2010). Most recent ly, SONY released their recording of Ms. Kern performing the Rachmaninoff Sonata for Cello and Piano with cellist Sol Gabetta. She was also featured in the award-winning documentary about the 2001 Cliburn Competition, Playing on the Edge, as well as in Olga's Journey, A Musical Odyssey in St. Petersburg, and in They Came to Play. In 2012, Olga and her brother, conductor and composer, Vladimir Kern, co-founded the "Aspiration" foundation, whose objective is to provide financial and artistic assistance to musicians throughout the world. Olga Kern is the Artistic Director, President of the Jury, and a Founder of the Olga Kern International Piano Competition. olgakern.com •

The Olga Kern International Piano Competition

Rory Boyle COMPOSER OF THE REQUIRED CONTEMPORARY PIECE & COMPETITION JURY I SEMIFINAL ROUND Rory Boyle is a Scottish composer and Lecturer in Composition at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Born in Ayr, Rory Boyle received his earliest musical education as a chorister at St. George's Chapel, Windsor. He studied composition with Dr. Frank Spedding at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama as well as piano, clarinet, organ, and conducting. A Caird travelling scholarship enabled him to continue his studies with Lennox Berkeley in London. Whilst he was still a student at the RSAMD, he won the BBC Scottish Composer's Prize with his first orchestral score, Variations on a theme of Orlando Gibbons. Further important awards followed, including Royal Philharmonic prizes for both his Symphony in One Mouement and Clarinet Concerto, as well as the Zaiks Prize in the International Competition set up in memory of Kazimierz Serocki (one of the leading figures in the Polish avant garde) for his orchestral score Winter Music. This work was premiered in Poland in 1987 by the Cracow Symphony Orchestra. In 2000, his Lament for Violin and Piano won the critics' prize at the first UK and Eire Composition Platform held in the Purcell Room. His list of works, covering most genres from symphonies to incidental music for television, demonstrates considerable

versatility, and he has received commissions from many societies, festivals, and organizations, including the Cheltenham, Three Choirs, St Albans, Greenwich, and Latvian Contemporary Music Festivals. He has also written for leading performers, most notably Evelyn Glennie (Marimba Concerto), The Fine Arts Brass Quintet (Giochi di Sospiri), the Bachmann Quartet (Symmetric Dancers), Michael Chance (Lord Lundy) and Nicholas Daniel (Four Ways to Play Reels). He has collaborated with several writers including Richard Stilgoe (Mine Host) and Vikram Seth (8 Beastly Tales), whilst Stilgoe has been the narrator in several performances of Boyle's burlesque setting of Roald Dahl's Cinderella. He has not neglected the educational sphere, including writing four operas for chi ldren (Augustine, Alfege, Sunstrike, and The Ghost of Hamish Prong), and several of his works have been used for education projects including Medicine Music and Night Pictures. In 1998, the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland's tour programme included Boyle's Capriccio which was performed at venues including the Concertgebauw, Amsterdam, and the London Proms. In the Proms programme, the conductor Nicholas Cleobury wrote:

"While Boyle's Scottish roots are never far away, his music has a strong, mainstream European, Stravinsky-based rigour. with his own brand of virile, challenging, but always comprehensible counterpoint. dissonance which is hard-fought yet never gratuitous, an unsentimental lyricism and unerring sense of architecture. He chose his teachers well: Spedding encouraged his individual voice: Berkeley reduced wastage and honed his orchestration." Boyle's music is performed and broadcast widely both in Britain and abroad, and several works have been recorded on CD, including the piano pieces Moduli played by Peter Seivewright (who also premiered Boyle's Piano Concerto), Lament, Capriccio, Campani in Aria, and Cinderella. He lives in South Ayrshire .•

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SPREAD THE WORD

Music is a magical way for our souls to elevate to a higher purpose and understanding. Please help us touch as many lives as we can. Spread the word about the Competition and join other excited music lovers in discovering the ta lent that will be the next major pianists of their generation. WE'RE SOCIAL Follow the Olga Kern International Piano Competition on your favorite social networks. Please connect with us so you can receive the most up-to-date information about the Competition and any related events. Join the magic of music once again and see the future take shape before your eyes.

ADVERTISERS

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February 18, 2017 25th Anniversary of music excellence highlighting talented New Mexico Young Artists. www.musicguildofnewmexico.org

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NOVEMBER 2016 I Albuquerque. New Mexico USA

SCVALO


Vladimir Kern GUEST CONDUCTOR & COMPETITION JURY Kern is a bright conductor with brilliant technique and artistic charisma. Kern is also a pianist, trumpet player, teacher, and composer. He was born into a family of musicians in Moscow, Russia, and at the age of six, he had a lready given his first public concert with an orchestra. Vladimir is the winner of the international charitable program "New Names," and for the first time in the history of the Bolshoi Theatre, he became a trumpet soloist with the Bolshoi Orchestra at the age of thirteen. He studied at the Gnessin School of Music in Moscow, and then at the Moscow Conservatory. Kern has two Master's degree diplomas- one in trumpet and one in conducting. He studied and finished a postgraduate program with legendary Russian conductor Gennady Rozhdestvensky. The conductor's debut took place in 1999 at the Moscow Conservatory with the ensemble "Excelente." In his conservatory student years, he was a guest conductor of the Ryazan Philharmonic Orchestra (Russia), the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra (South Africa), and performed with many different orchestras all over the world as principal trumpet, including The State Chamber Orchestra of Russia. He performed with such orchestras as the Russian National Orchestra, The Bolshoi Theatre, and the Moscow Conservatory Symphony. He performed with great success in Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Brazil, USA, and in many cities in the Russian Federation. He has performed with such soloists as Vladimir Krainev, Arthur Moreira Lima, Olga Kern, Robertino Loreti, among many others. In 2005, in cooperation with the winner of the First International Rachmaninoff Competition (Moscow, Russia) and the first prize and gold medal winner of the 11th Van Cliburn International piano competition (Fort Worth, TX, USA), Olga Kern, he conducted all four Rachmaninoff Piano Concerti and the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini in Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg, South Africa. In 2006, he was invited to be the head of the famous theatre, directed by Roman Viktyuk, where he performed productions

The Olga Kern International Piano Competition

of Fevei by Russian Baroque composer Vasily Pashkevich, Who is a brother, who is a sister by Alexey Verstovsky, II tabarro and Suor Angelica by Puccini, The Spanish Hour by Ravel, and The Human Voice by Poulenc. Vladimir has also written music to a play for a theatre production entitled Vasily Kariotsky. He has participated in many prestigious festivals including "The Moscow Autumn" in Moscow, Russia. In 2006, he made his United States debut conducting at Yamaha Hall on New York's 5th Avenue. Vladimir also collaborated with the legendary Russian rock group "Reviva l" in 2006 and gave concerts with them in Moscow stadium "Luzhniki" and in St. Petersburg stadium "October." In 2007, he conducted the world premiere of Revolution Square by American composer Nathan Scalzone in Durban, South Africa, a concert for two pianos and orchestra by David Earl in Cape Town, South Africa, and recently performed the world premiere of Russian composer Boris Frankshtein's Memoirs of the Fifth Point for soprano, baritone and symphony orchestra. In 2010, Vladimir won the Grand Prix at the international competition "New Generation" in Russia. Currently, he is a professor at the Music Academy under the name of Maimonides in Moscow, Russia, where he teaches conducting, trumpet, and orchestra classes. He is head of the department of orchestra, opera, and symphony conducting. He also has given many masterclasses all over Russia, including the Music Institute under the name of lppolitov-lvanov in Moscow. Vladimir has performed many times with his orchestra in many prestigious concerts halls, including Svetlanovsky Music Hall in Moscow. As an opera conductor, he performed such operas as Eugene Onegin and /olanta by Tchaikovsky, Caualleria rusticana by Mascagni, and The Dawns Here are Quiet by contemporary Soviet composer Kirill Molchanov. He supports and is a very active advocate of modern Russian and international music and performs it often in many different stages all over the world He is involved with the Vladimir Spivakov charitable foundation and also, since 2012, in collaboration with Olga Kern, he founded the non-profit foundation "Aspiration," which helps and supports young, talented musicians all over the world. Vladimir lives in Moscow, with his two kids and family. kernfoundation.ru •

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R. Douglas Sheldon COMPETITION JURY R. Douglas Sheldon, Senior Vice President and Director of Columbia Artists Management LLC, is one of the best known and most respected artist managers in the field of classical music. Sheldon manages some of the world's preeminent artists and ensembles, and is known especially for his work with symphony orchestras. The New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, [Kirov] Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre, London Symphony, London Philharmonic, Orchestre National de France, Budapest Festival Orchestra, China Philharmonic, Shanghai Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, and Vienna Symphony are a few of the orchestras he represents in a long list that has also included the San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Phi lharmonic, Gewandhaus Orchestra of Leipzig, Oslo Philharmonic, and the Cleveland, Minnesota, and Saint Louis Orchestras. He represents conductors Va lery Gergiev, Leonard Slatkin, Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos, and Vladimir Spivakov and has worked closely on touring projects with Lorin Maazel, Kurt Masur, and Dennis Russell Davies. He has represented Anne-Sophie Mutter since 1986, and also represents violinists Vadim Repin and Vladimir Spivakov. He has managed some of the greatest opera singers of the 20th century, including Teresa Berganza, Grace Bumbry, and Justina Diaz and presently represents Marilyn Horne.

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Active in chamber music, he represented the Beaux Arts Trio, which retired from the stage in 2008 after 53 seasons, has arranged chamber music tours for pianist Martha Argerich, represents the MutterPrevin-Harrell piano trio and the MutterBashmet-Harrell string trio and now works with the rising young stars, the Capu<;onAngelich Piano Trio. Always interested in young artists, he introduced pianist Yundi Li (the 2000 Chopin Competition Gold Medalist) to the United States and now oversees the development of Olga Kern, the 2001 Cliburn Competition Gold Medalist; Denis Matsuev, the 1998 Tchaikovsky Competition Gold Medalist; Alexei Volodin, the 2003 Geza Anda Competition Gold Medalist and one of the Anne-Sophie Mutter Foundation young artists, Roman Patkalo. Mr. Sheldon joined Columbia Artists in 1966 and has served in many capacities in addition to his responsibilities as Senior Vice President and Director: booking representative, National Booking Director, Artist Manager, Attraction Producer and Manager, and Director of Corporate and Artists Publicity. He has served on the committees to create an in-house travel agency, to streamline budgeting and reporting systems, to review travel and entertainment, to review all touring and production budgets, and to relocate the CAMI offices after nearly 50 years in the legendary 57th Street location across from Carnegie Hall. In pursuit of diversity in his career Mr. Sheldon founded the Ames International Orchestra Festival (1969), organized the first-ever coliseum tour of the Boston Pops (1972), presented the debut US tour of Andre Rieu & the Johann Strauss Orchestra (1997), toured the legendary Salzburg Marionette Theatre, and for a period 20 years beginning in 1986, managed The Boys Choir of Harlem. His activities now take him around the wor ld on a regular basis to Russia, China, Japan, Asia, and Europe. He has taken the New York Phi lharmonic and AnneSophie Mutter to China and Japan on frequent tours and recently the Pittsburgh Symphony on a tour of China and Taiwan. He oversees the careers of Valery Gergiev and Leonard Slatkin. He consults regularly on all international projects of the 'Kirov' companies of the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia. rdouglassheldon.com •

NOVEMBER 2016 I Albuquerque, New Mexico USA

Fali Pavri COMPETITION JURY Fali Pavri enjoys a busy and varied career as soloist, chamber musician, and teacher. While still a student, he was invited by the great Russian cellist Mstislav Rostropovich to be his pianist on an extensive concert tour of India. This was followed by his London debut at the Purcell Room and concerts in prestigious venues around the world. He has performed and collaborated with many eminent musicians, including violinists Nicola Benedetti and llya Gringolts, the Vellinger and Vertavo quartets, the Leopold Trio, Paragon Ensemble, Scottish Ensemble, clarinetist Andrew Marriner, cellists Franz Helmerson, Wolfgang Schmidt, and Timothy Gill, singers Roderick Williams and Mark Padmore, and composer Mauricio Kagel. For many years, Fali was a member of the Pirasti Piano Trio, and he has an exciting duo with his wife, the cellist Naomi Boole-Masterson. Some concert highlights include concertos at the St. Endellion Festival with Richard Hickox, at the Scottish Proms with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, with the Symphony Orchestra of India in Mumbai, Wigmore Hall concerts with cellists Wolfgang Schmidt and Tim Gill, recital tours as far afield as India, South Africa, UK, USA and Lithuania, and performances at international music festivals in the UK, India, Estonia, Denmark, and Norway. An enthusiastic proponent of contemporary music, he has given world premieres of works by many distinguished composers including a cello sonata


by Giles Swayne with Robert Irvine at the Cheltenham International Festival, piano works by the British composer Howard Skempton, at the Leamington Spa Festival, and the world premiere of /n Memoriam, a powerful piece for piano and percussion by the Serbian-American composer Vera Stanojevic. In October 2010, he gave the first performance of a newly commissioned sonata for cello and piano by the Scottish composer William Sweeney with the Finnish cellist Erkki Lahesmaa. In February 2013, he was invited to the USA as guest artist at the National Conference of Composers at Ohio State University where he premiered works by Joshua Feinberg, Mei-Fang Lin, and Vera Stanojevic. Fali Pavri's rapidly growing discography includes two discs of Swiss Piano concertos with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Another recording, featuring the music of Volkmar Andreae, was awarded the coveted 'IRR Outstanding' accolade by the international Record Reuiew. Other discs on the Guild label include two critica lly acclaimed recordings with the cellist Timothy Gill, featuring world premieres of two works by the Indian composer John Mayer (Prabhanda and Calcutta Nagar). In 2009, he recorded another world premiere, the song cycle Black Sea by the British composer Anthony Bolton, with the tenor Richard Edgar-Wilson. On the Delphian label, he has recorded CDs of works by Giles Swayne and William Sweeney with the ce llist Robert Irvine. Radio broadcasts include regular appearances on BBC Radio 3 and on BBC Radio Scotland. He has also recorded for All-India Radio with Mstislav Rostropovich and for CBC (the North American premiere of La Trahison orale by Mauricio Kagel). A committed and sought-after teacher with many international prize-winning students, Fali Pavri is Professor and Associate Head of Keyboard at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. falipavri.com •

The Olga Kern International Piano Competition

Akemi Alink-Yamamoto is a Board member of the Alink-Argerich Foundation. She attended more than 100 competitions over the past 14 years. She has been a jury member at international piano and chamber music competitions in France, Lithuania, Brazil, and the USA. and she frequently gives advice to young pianists and competition organizers. •

Akemi AlinkYamamoto COMPETITION JURY Akemi Alink-Yamamoto is a pianist, teacher. and jury member at international piano and chamber music competitions. Akemi Alink-Yamamoto was born in Japan. From the age of three, she received music lessons, and two years later, she began taking piano lessons. Among her teachers were Junko Otake, Mitsuko Oguchi, Junko Yoshida, Dina Joffe, and Vadim Sakharov in Japan. In Russia, she had lessons with Pavel Egorov and Oleg Malov. In 2001. she moved to Europe, where she worked with Naum Grubert. She also took masterclasses with Lazar Berman, Victor Merzhanov, and Natalia Trull, amongst others. Akemi won prizes in national and international piano competitions and played in important halls such as Suntory Hall and Tokyo Opera City Recital Hall. Since 2010, she plays regularly in Munetsugu Hall in Nagoya. She plays solo repertoire and is also active in chamber music, as well as accompanying vocalists. Since 2012, she has given concerts with mezzo-soprano Stephanie Gericke in Europe and Japan. Apart from her performances, she is also busy as a piano teacher. Since 2013, she has been writing a series of articles entitled "Competition Reports From Across the World" for the monthly piano magazine Chopin in Japan.

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Constantine Orbelian COMPETITION JURY Constantine Orbelian is an American pianist and Grammynominated conductor. For over 20 years, the brilliant American pianist/conductor has been a central figure in Russia's musical life-first as Music Director of the Moscow Chamber Orchestra and the Philharmonia of Russia, and more recently as guest conductor with a number of illustrious Russian orchestras. Currently Chief Conductor of the Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra in Lithuania, Orbelian leads concerts and recordings there with some of the wor ld's greatest singers, in projects such as a recording of Simon Boccanegra with Dmitri Hvorostovsky in the title role. Opera News calls Orbelian "the singer's dream collaborator," and commented that he conducts vocal repertoire "with the sensitivity of a lieder pianist." The California-based conductor tours and records with American stars such as Sondra Radvanovsky and Lawrence Brownlee, and with Hvorostovsky and other renowned Russian singers in European, North American, and Russian music centers, extending these splendid collaborations to tours in Japan, Korea, and other international music destinations. "Orbelian has star quality, and his orchestra plays with passion and precision," The Audio Critic wrote of his acclaimed series of over 50 recordings on Delos. Among his concert and televised appearances are collaborations with stars

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Renee Fleming and Dmitri Hvorostovsky and with Van Cliburn in Cliburn's sentimental return to Moscow, the great pianist's last performance. Orbelian's frequent collaborations with Hvorostovsky include repertoire from their Delos recordings of universal sentimental songs "Where Are You, My Brothers?" and "Moscow Nights," as well as their 2015 recording in the same series, "Wait for Me." On several occasions Orbelian has conducted historic live telecasts from Moscow's Red Square, the most recent of which took place in 2013, with Hvorostovsky and Anna Netrebko. Recently, Orbelian has turned to film to create more of his unique American/ Russian collaborations. His first such production, "Renee Fleming and Dmitri Hvorostovsky: An Odyssey in St. Petersburg," was filmed in St. Petersburg's most glorious palaces, and stars Fleming and Hvorostovsky in opera scenes and arias. The production is in some ways a cu lmination of Orbelian's efforts in St. Petersburg, since he is founder and Music Director of the annual Palaces of St. Petersburg International Music Festival. Born in San Francisco to Russian and Armenian emigre parents, Constantine Orbelian made his debut as a piano prodigy with the San Francisco Symphony at the age of 11. After graduating from Juilliard in New York, he embarked on a career as a piano virtuoso that included appearances with major symphony orchestras throughout the US, UK, Europe, and Russia. His recording of the Khachaturian Piano Concerto with conductor Neeme Jarvi won "Best Concerto Recording of the Year" award in the United Kingdom. Orbelian's appointment in 1991 as Music Director of the Moscow Chamber Orchestra was a breakthrough event: He is the first American ever to become music director of an ensemble in Russia. A tireless champion of Russian-American cultural exchange and international ambassadorship through his worldwide tours, he was awarded the coveted title "Honored Artist of Russia" in 2004, a title never before bestowed on a non-Russian citizen. In May 2010, Orbelian led the opening Ceremonial Concert for the Cultural Olympics in Sochi-the first event, setting the stage for Russia's hosting of the Olympic Games in 2014. In 2012, the Consulate in San Francisco awarded him the Russian Order of Friendship Medal, whose illustrious ranks include pianist Van

NOVEMBER 2016 I Albuquerque, New Mexico USA

"[Orbelian] stands astride two great societies, and finds and promotes synergistic harmony from the best of each." FANFARE

C liburn and conductor Riccardo Muti, and which singles out non-Russians whose work contributes to the betterment of international relations with the Russian Federation and its people. From his 1995 performance at the 50th Anniversary Celebrations of the United Nations in San Francisco, to his 2004 performance at the US State Department commemorating 70 years of diplomatic relations between Washington and Moscow, and a repeat State Department appearance in 2007, all with the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, Orbelian continues to use his artistic eminence in the cause of international goodwill. He and his orchestras have also participated in cultural enrichment programs for young people, both in Russia and the US. In 2001, Orbelian was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, an award given to immigrants, or children of immigrants, who have made outstanding contributions to the United States .•


Konstantin Scherbakov COMPETITION JURY Konstantin Scherbakov established his international reputation by playing the late-romantic virtuoso repertoire and made his name through the realization of a number of large projects, both in studio and on the concert stage. His unique repertoire choices in combination with his prolific virtuosity and deep musical insight, have formed the artist's profile and fascinated audiences worldwide. As "one of the most capable, daring, and interesting musicians of these days" (Peter Cosse) and in co-operation with the "Naxos" and "Marco Polo" labels, Scherbakov has completed some of today's most unique and significant recording projects. Among them -the complete piano works of Leopold Godowsky, Respighi, and Shostakovich and the complete piano concertos by Tchaikovsky, Respighi, Medtner, and Scriabin. Whether in lesserknown repertoire, such as Lyapunov, Godowsky, and Medtner or in works by Schubert, Scarlatti, and Chopin, his new, often unconventional, but a lways profound readings have set new standards and often caused sensation. Many of these projects have found their way onto the concert stage. Celebrated as the "Rachmaninoff of today" (Lucerne Festiual), the triumphant winner of the 1st Rachmaninoff Piano Competition in Moscow launched his international career with a memorable performance of the complete Rachmaninoff piano solo works at

The Olga Kern International Piano Competition

the XXth Music Festival in Asolo, Italy. The two-evening performance of the comp lete Preludes and Fugues by Shostakovich at different venues, notably at the 2005 Salzburg Festival, was enthusiastically met by both public and press ("One cannot play Shostakovich any better!" Die Presse, Vienna). Lately, Scherbakov has received international acclaim for his performances of Liszt's transcriptions of all Beethoven's Symphonies. Konstantin Scherbakov has given solo performances in 35 countries in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, in the USA New Zealand, South Africa, and South America. He has played in some of the most prestigious concert halls in the world such as Philharmonic of Cologne, Wigmore Hall London, Herkulessaal, Philharmonic and Prinzregententheater Munich, Tonhalle Zurich, Liederhalle Stuttgart, Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatoire, Rudolfinum Prague, Beethovenhalle Bonn, new Congress-Hall Luzern, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, National Hall Taipei, Musikhalle Hamburg, St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Konzerthaus Berlin, Atheneum Bucharest, Casals Hall Tokyo, Victoria Hall Singapore, Gewandhaus Leipzig, Arts Centre Seoul, Konzerthaus Vienna, and Warsaw Philharmonic Hall among others. Konstantin Scherbakov has been guest to important international music festivals such as Salzburg, Frankfurt, Bregenz, Bodensee, Lucerne, Klavier-Festival Ruhr, Bad Kissingen, Schubertiade Feldkirch, and Schwarzenberg, Singapore Piano Festival, Piano Rarities Husum, Beethoven Festival Krakau, and Warsaw, Lebanon Music Festival, "Primavera concertistica" Lugano, Evian, Colmar, Liszt Festivals in Raiding and Weimar, Piano Festival Lucerne, and numerous festivals in Italy, France, New Zealand, USA Russia, and Switzerland. Boasting a phenomenal concerto repertoire of nearly 60 concertos, Konstantin Scherbakov performed as soloist with more than 70 orchestras, among them the Russian State Philharmonic, Moscow State Symphony, Moscow Philharmonic, St. Petersburg Symphony, Stuttgart and Duisburg Philharmonic, Tonhalle Orchestra, Philharmonics of the Nations, Munich Symphony, George Enescu Philharmonic Bucharest, Weimarer Staatskapelle, Sofia Philharmonic, Bach Collegium Munich, Montreal Symphony, New Zealand Symphony, Singapore Symphony, Orchestre

d'lle de France, Ukrainian and Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestras, Ulster Orchestra, Wiener Kammerorchester and with conductors Christian Thielemann, Yuri Simonov, Rudolf Barshai, Nello Santi, Kirill Petrenko, Christian Mandeal, Aldo Ceccato, and Andrei Boreiko, among others. For almost two decades Konstantin Scherbakov has been one of the protagonists of the "Naxos" label. He has a constantly growing discography on "Naxos" and "Marco Polo" and records for EMI Classics and "Two Pianists" labels- all comprising more than 40 CDs featuring over 300 titles. Many recordings have received prizes and awards such as Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik and the Cannes Classical Award. Scherbakov was one of the first artists signed by EMI Classics for their Debut-Series. In 1995, he became a "BBC International Artist." Born in Barnaul, Russia, Konstantin Scherbakov made his debut with the philharmonic orchestra of his native town at the age of 11, performing Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 1. Soon after, he moved to Moscow to continue his musical education at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatoire with the legendary professor Lev Naumov. The triumphant winner of the 1st Rachmaninoff Competition in 1983, Konstantin Scherbakov performed with all the leading orchestras of the former Soviet Union and played recita ls in more than 100 cities in all republics of his native country. After winning an array of prizes at prestigious international competitions (Montreal, Bolzano, Rome, Zurich) he continued his artistic career in Europe. Since 1998, Konstantin Scherbakov has been Professor at the Zurich University of Arts; many of his students received prizes at international piano competitions, most notably Yulianna Avdeeva, the winner of the XVI Chopin Competition in Warsaw. Konstantin Scherbakov is a jury member of many international competitions, such as ARD Munich, Busoni (Bolzano ), Liszt (Weimar), Rio de Janeiro, Youth Tchaikovsky (Seoul), Havana, and others. He lives and works in Zurich, Moscow, and Palamos on the Catalan coast. •

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Meng-Chieh Liu

Golda Vainberg-Tatz

COMPETITION JURY

SELECTION JURY & COMPETITION JURY

A recipient of the 2002 Avery Fisher Career Grant, Meng-Chieh Liu first made headlines in 1993 as a 21-year-old student, when he substituted for Andre Watts at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia with three hours' notice. His acclaimed performance was followed by a number of widely praised appearances, including a recital at the Kennedy Center, Mr. Liu has performed with orchestras under conductors Christoph Eschenbach, Gustavo Dudamel, and Alan Gilbert, among others, His concerts have been broadcast around the world, and Taiwanese National Television has aired a documentary on his life. A dedicated chamber musician, he has collaborated with musicians in North America, Europe, and Asia, in addition to working with artists in other disciplines, including Mikhail Baryshnikov and his White Oak Dance Project He is the artistic director of Chicago Chamber Musicians, which he joined in 2009, Mr. Liu received his Bachelor of Music degree from the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied with Jorge Bolet, Eleanor Sokoloff, and Claude Frank, He received first prizes in the Stravinsky, Asia Pacific Piano, and Mieczyslaw Munz competitions, Mr. Liu has been a member of the Curtis Institute of Music faculty since 1993 and also serves on the faculties of Roosevelt University and the New England Conservatory .•

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Hailed as "a pianist with wonderful firm, clear touch" (The New York Times), a "fascinating interpreter" (Tagblatt. Germany), and an "artist of depth and virtuosity" (The Times Argus, USA). Golda Vain berg-Tatz received her musical education in her native Lithuania at the Ciurlionis School of Art, Israel's Rubin Academy of Music at Tel Aviv University, Manhattan School of Music, and The Juilliard School in New York, As a piano soloist, she has performed with the Shanghai Philharmonic, the National Symphony, the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, St Kristoforas Chamber Orchestra (Lithuania), the Kaunas State Symphony Orchestra, the Moscow Chamber Orchestra (at the Tchaikovsky Grand Hall in Moscow), the Ann Arbor Symphony in Michigan, and the Cincinnati Symphony, As a recitalist and chamber musician, she has performed in Europe, Russia, Israel, Canada, China, and the USA including radio and television broadcasts in Lithuania, Israel, WQXR in New York City, the Dame Myra Hess series in Chicago, "Sundays Live" in Los Ange les, Radio France, Shanghai radio broadcasts, and performances in major halls in New York, She has performed with violinists Raimundas Katilius, Sasha Rozhdestvensky, Dmitri Berlinsky, cellist Suren Bagratuni, and the Vilnius String Quartet in many

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collaborative recitals in Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Israel, Canada, Italy, and the USA Ms. Vain berg- Tatz was a guest artist at the Mozarteum Festival in Salzburg, the Vilnius Festival in Lithuania, the St Petersburg Palaces Festival in Russia, the Puigcerda Music Festival in Spain, the International Academy in Italy, the Shanghai Conservatory International Festival, and the Shanghai Himalayas International Piano Festival (China), where performed the Mozart "Double" Piano Concerto with Andre-Michel Schub and the Shanghai Philharmonic, Her prizes and awards include first prize in the Lithuanian State Competition for Young Pianists, full scholarships with distinction from the America-Israel Cultural Foundation, Maurice Claremont prestigious awards in Israel, top prizes at the Young Keyboard Artists Competition, the World Piano Competition in Cincinnati, the Frinna Awerbuch International Competition in New York, the Prix du Disque from the French Piano Institute in Paris, and the Palm Beach Invitational International Competition, Ms. Vain berg- Tatz is an associate faculty member at The Juilliard School, a faculty member at the Pre-College Division at MSM, associate faculty at Columbia University, and on the faculties of the Young Artist Program at Kaufman Center in New York and Adamant Music School in Vermont She has given master classes in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv University, Shanghai Conservatory in China, and the Ciurlionis School of Art, as well as serving as a judge for auditions and competitions, DMA candidate recitals at MSM, and scholarship and concerto competitions at The Juilliard School Pre-College Division, Her students are winners of national and international competitions, In 2003, she was appointed by Mme. Rosalyn Tureck to serve as director of the Tureck International Bach Competition in New York, Golda Vainberg-Tatz is a PAM I (Piano Art Management Inc.) artist •


as the Jerusalem Quartet, Bennewitz Quartet, and the Zemlinsky Quartet. In 2016/17, he wi ll perform with the Dover Quartet (Dvorak Piano Quintet), with Jan Martinik (Schubert Winterreise) and with Iva Kahanek (Dvorak Slauonic Dances). He is a frequent jury member of national and international competitions, such as the Amadeus Piano Competition, Martinu Piano Competition, and the Eurovision Young Musicians Competition. •

Larry Graham

David Marecek

SELECTION JURY

SELECTION JURY

Larry Graham is a distinguished pianist who studied with Van Cliburn and was Professor of Piano at the University of Colorado for 25 years.

David Marecek is Executive Director of the Czech Philharmonic.

Larry Graham (Piano, M.M., B.M., Juilliard) launched his career with numerous successes in piano competitions such as the Kosciuszko and Concert Artists Guild auditions. He was winner of the coveted ' Prize of the Public" by overwhelming vote at the Queen Elizabeth International Piano Competition in 1975 in Brussels, Belgium. Graham has performed over 35 different concerti w ith orchestras, has played numerous solo engagements, and has a lso performed extensively with chamber music ensembles, including the highly acclaimed Pablo Casals Trio. For 25 years, he was Professor of Piano at the University of Colorado. He is devoted to teaching and continues working with gifted pre-college students and adults. His students have won important prizes locally, nationally, and internationally .•

The O lga Kern International Piano Competition

David Marecek was born in 1976. He studied solo piano and conducting at the Brno Conservatoire and solo piano a t the Janacek Academy of Music. He worked in masterclasses with distinguished piano teachers such as Karl-Heinz Kammerling, Dominique Weber, Peter Lang, and Walter Groppenberger. David Marecek then went on to develop a remarkable career as a music manager. In 2004, he became Deputy Director of the Brno Conservatoire, and in 2005, he added the post of Programming Director of the Brno Philharmonic. In 2007, he became CEO of the Brno Philharmonic and Intendant of the Spilberk International Music Festival. In 2011, David Marecek moved to the Czech Philharmonic in Prague were he started an extensive reform of the orchestra. Together with his team, they brought in Jiff Belohlavek as music director and began collaboration with DECCA C lassics, UNITEL, EuroArts, and other distinguished companies. Between 2012 and 2015, the Czech Philharmonic came back to Carnegie Hall in New York, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Philharmonie in Berlin, NCPA in Beijing, Auditorio National in Madrid, Roya l Festival Hall in London, and many other prestigious concert venues. Together with his main job as music manager, David Marecek is still active as a piano teacher (Brno Conservatoire) and chamber musician. He has worked with outstanding string quartets, such

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COMPETITORS

Nino Bakradze GEORGIA Nino Bakradze was born in Tbilisi, Georgia, into a family of musicians. She received her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from Tbilisi V. Saradjishvili State Conservatory as a student of Svetlana Korsantia. Ms. Bakradze completed a Graduate Diploma from the New England Conservatory with Alexander Korsantia in 2013 and a Professional Studies Certificate from The Boston Conservatory with Jonathan Bass in 2014. She is currently enrolled in the DMA program in Piano Performance at the University of Arizona where she studies with Professor Tannis Gibson. From a very early age, Ms. Bakradze has presented piano recitals worldwide, including Finland, Poland, Armenia, Georgia, China, Spain, Brazil, and the USA. Most recently, she won the Gold Medal and First Prize at the Louisiana International Piano Competition (USA 2015) and the Silver Medal at the Cincinnati World Piano Competition (USA, 2015). She was a winner of the Lois Trester Piano Competition (USA 2015), winner of the President's Concerto Competition at the University of Arizona, and a prize winner of USASU Bosendorfer International Piano Competition (Phoenix, AZ, 2015). In 2014, she was a prizewinner in Spain's Maria Canals International Piano Competition and in 2012, she was awarded Third Place at the BNDS International Piano Competition of Rio de Janeiro. She won both New England Conservatory's Concerto Competition

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and the Piano Honors Competition. Ms. Bakradze was a prize winner at the International A. Khachaturian Competition in Armenia and Second Place winner at the J. Flier International Piano Competition. Awards from within her home country include First Place at the N. Gabunia National Competition and the Roza Rozhok and Emil Gurevich Young Georgian Piano Competitions. Nino Bakradze has participated in master classes of Dimitri Alekseev, Eteri Anjaparidze, Natalia Trull, H.Y. Shtrub, Vladimer Feltsman, Suzan Star, Robert Hamilton, Philip Kawin, Alexander Slobodianik, Pol Ostrovski, John O'Conor, and Jon Nakamatsu. Nino also participated in the Tsintsadze Festivals of Chamber Ensembles in Georgia and Dittsenbach's Summer Art Festival of Borjomi, also in Georgia. She has received grants from the Heinrich Neuhaus Fund, the Gillet Fund, and from the President and Prime Minister of Georgia. She is a recipient of Medici Foundation and National Society of Art and Letters .•

NOV EMBER 2016 I Albuquerque, New Mexico USA

FIRST ROUND J.S. Bach

Prelude and Fugue No. 18 in g-sharp minor from The Well- Tempered Clavier, Book II, BWV 887 Haydn

Sonata in C Major, Hob. XV1:50 I. Allegro II. Adagio Ill. Allegro molto Gabunia

Children's Pieces for Grown-Ups Crooning to the Handbell Catch Me If You Can Valse Chopin

Etude No. 6 in g-sharp minor, Op. 25 Rachmaninoff

Prelude No. 5 in G Major, Op. 32 Rachmaninoff

Etude- Tableau No.9 in D Major, Op. 39 SECOND ROUND Rory Boyle

Six T(OK)ENS Beethoven

Sonata No. 12 in A-flat Major, Op. 26 I. Andante con variazioni II. Scherzo. Allegro molto Ill. Marcia funebre sulla morte d'un eroe. Maestoso andante IV. Allegro Chopin

Variations brillantes in B-flat Major, Op. 12 Debussy

Estampes I. Pagodes II. La soiree dans Grenade Ill. Jardins sous Ia pluie Gounod/Liszt

Valse de /'opera Faust de Gounod FINAL ROUND Beethoven

Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Op. 58 I. Allegro moderato II. Andante con moto Ill. Rondo. Vivace


Junhui Chen

FIRST ROUND

UNITED STATES

J.S. Bach

The 21-year-old Chinese pianist Junhui Chen has already appeared as a soloist with orchestras across the wor ld, including the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Rapides Symphony Orchestra, Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestra, Xiamen Symphony Orchestra, Shanghai Music Middle School Youth Symphony Orchestra, and the Ashdod Symphony Orchestra. In addition to the concerto performances he has given, Junhui is also a winner of many national and international competitions. He was a finalist in the first Wenhua National Piano Competition Uunior group) in 2009 and the 4th prize winner in the first Concerto Competition of Shanghai Music Middle School in 2010. In 2011, he was awarded the 2nd prize in the 4th Louisiana International Piano Competition (Adult group) as the youngest participant. This was followed by 2nd prize and the Best Master Class Performance Prize and 4 years of full scholarship given by the Eastman School of Music in the 13th Eastman Young Artist International Piano Competition in 2012. Born in Fuzhou, Fujian, Junhui got into Shanghai Music Middle School affiliated to Shanghai Conservatory at age nine. He studied with Professor Shuang Xiao and Professor Zhengxiao Que. He studied with Professor Zhe Tang later on. In 2013, Junhui got into The Juilliard School, where he studied wi t h Professor Robert McDonald. In 2015, Junhui got into the Curtis Institute of Music and is continuing his study under the guidance of Professor Robert McDonald .•

Prelude and Fugue No. 8 in e-flat minor from The Well- Tempered Clavier, Book I, BWV 853 Beethoven

Sonata No. 6 in F Major, Op. 10, No. 2 I. Allegro II. Menuetto Ill. Presto Chopin

Etude No. 8 in F Major, Op. 10 Debussy

Etude No. 11 pour les arpeges composes Rachmaninoff

Prelude No. 10 in b minor, Op. 32 Gounod/Liszt

Valse de /'opera Faust de Gounod SECOND ROUND Rory Boyle

Six T(OK)ENS Schubert

Drei KlauierstUcke D. 946 I. Allegro assai II. Allegretto Il l. Allegro Chopin

Sonata No. 3 in b minor, Op. 58 I. Allegro maestoso II. Scherzo. Molto vivace Ill. Largo IV. Finale. Presto non tanto; Agitato Liszt/Schubert

Soirees de Vienne, Valse-Caprice No. 6 FINAL ROUND Beethoven

Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Op. 58 I. Allegro moderato II. Andante con moto Il l. Rondo. Vivace

The Olga Kern International Piano Competition

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OLGA KERN INTERN ATI ONAL PIANO COMPETITION

COMPETITORS

Chen Guang

FIRST ROUND

CHINA

J.S. Bach

Winner of the Scriabin Prize and the Rome Prize, together with numerous other internationally renowned competitions, the twenty-one-year-old pianist Chen Guang combines his extraordinary technical capacity with a profound and mature musical sensibility and an exceptional onstage charisma. Numerous concert associations of Europe, America, and Asia have hosted him both in recitals and with orchestras performing programs ranging from William Byrd to Ligeti to modern-day composers. He has performed in the Shanghai Oriental Center, Shenzhen Concert Hall, Beijing Concert Hall, Sola Verdi of Milan Conservatory, Teatro Verdi of Florence and Pisa, Teatro Ia Fenice of Venice, Auditorium della Conciliazione at Rome, Teatro del Fuoco of Foggia, Teatro Goldoni of Livorno, Kawai Concert Hall at Krefeld, Historische Stadthalle Wuppertal, Stadthalle of Muhlheim, PaderHalle of Paderborn, Stadtpark Schutzenhof of Herford, Konzerthalle of Bad Salzuflen, Palau de Ia Musica of Barcelona, Royal Concertgebouw of Amsterdam, Theater of Zwolle, Slovak Philharmonic Hall in Bratislava, Lincoln Center and Alice Tu ll y Hall of New York, Davis Hall of Fairbanks, National Music Center of Canada, among others. Chen Guang was born into a family of musicians in the province of Hubei, China. At the age of 11, he moved to Beijing to study in the Central Conservatory. In 2012, he received his pre-College Diploma at The Juilliard School of New York. In 2015, he received the Diploma at the Accademia lnternazionale Pianistica di lmola, where he studied with Maestro Ashkenazy as the youngest graduate in the Academy's history. He is now continuing his studies at the Academy with Leonid Margarius. Among his other teachers are Zhu Lianping, Zhao Pingguo, Matti Raekallio, Enrica Ciccarelli, and Paul Badura-Skoda, to name a few. Antonio Mormone was among the first to recognize the talent of Chen Guang, and Mormone has been following his artistic growth for years .•

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NOV EM BER 2016 I Albuquerque, New Mexico USA

Prelude and Fugue No. 20 in a minor from The Well- Tempered Ctauier, Book II, BWV 889 Rachmaninoff Etude- Tableau No.5 in e-flat minor, Op. 39

Liszt Transcendental Etude No. 8 in c minor, "Wilde Jagd" Beethoven

Sonata No. 3 in C Major, Op. 2 I. Allegro con brio II. Adagio Ill. Scherzo: Allegro IV. Allegro assai Rachmaninoff

Prelude No. 12 in g-sharp minor, Op. 32 SECOND ROUND Chopin

Polonaise Fantasie in A-flat Major, Op. 61 Scriabin

Sonata No. 4 in F-sharp Major, Op. 30 I. Andante II. Prestissimo volando Liszt Sonata in b minor, S. 178 Rory Boyle

Six T(OK)ENS FINAL ROUND Prokofiev

Concerto No. 3 in C Major, Op. 26 I. Andante. Allegro II. Tema con variazioni Ill. Allegro ma non troppo


Willem de Beer SOUTH AFRICA Described as "mature beyond his age" and a "... bright and shining star in the firmament of the South African music scene," by newspaper Beeld, Willem de Beer is quickly becoming one of the foremost South African concert pianists. Willem de Beer was the winner of various competitions, including the largest classical music competition in South Africa, ATKV's Muziq (2014): the Wakkerstroom Music Festival Bursary Competition (2015); the Philip H. Moore Competition (2013); UNISA Music Scholarship Competition (2012), where Willem also received the special prizes for the best rendering of a South African and Romantic work; the First Atterbury National Piano Competition (2011), during which Willem also received the prizes for the best rendition of a Classical and South African work; and the Arts Trust National Piano Competition (2009), where the special prizes were awarded for Willem's rendering of a concert etude as well as concerto. Willem was also a main prize winner and the joint winner of the Piano Category at UN ISA's 120th Anniversary Bursary Concert (2014) and the runner-up at the 5th UNISA National Piano Competition (2015). He was also a finalist in the Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival Bursary Competition (2015). During 2016, Willem competed in the 13th UNISA International Piano Competition. Willem has performed with various orchestras: In 2009, Willem performed with both the Free State Symphony Orchestra

The Olga Kern International Piano Competition

(conductor Christopher Dowdeswell [RSA]) and the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra (conductor Arjan Tien [NED]). During 2011, he performed with the UNISA Music Foundation Orchestra under the baton of Jonas Alber (GER), and during 2013, Willem performed with the Gauteng Philharmonic Orchestra (conductor Nicolas Nicolaides [RSA]) and the University of Pretoria Symphony Orchestra (conductor Prof E. Rycroft [RSA]). Throughout 2014, Willem has performed with the Gauteng Philharmonic (Alexander Fokkens [RSA]) and Pretoria Symphony Orchestra (Gerben Grooten [NED]) as well as the KwaZuluNatal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Lykele Temmingh. During 2015, he again performed with the PSO (Schalk van der Merwe [RSA]) and CPO. working with Daniel Boico [USA]. Willem has attended master classes with various celebrated international artists in South Africa and abroad. These artists include Jerome Lowenthal, Ramsi Yassa, Marian Rybicki, Petrone! Malan, and Antonio Pompa-Baldi. During 2014, Willem received his BMus cum laude under the guidance of renowned pedagogue Joseph Stanford. He graduated as one of the best students in the whole of the Humanities Faculty. Willem is also a member of the esteemed Golden Key Honour Society for excellence in academics. Willem has been featured on several television programs in South Africa and recordings of his playing are often broadcast on radio by stations RSG and ClassicFm. Willem has also performed for various dignitaries, most notably the King of Lesotho. Willem is married to Renee de Beer .•

FIRST ROUND J.S. Bach

Prelude and Fugue No. 20 in a minor from The Well- Tempered Clauier, Book II, BWV 889 Beethoven

Sonata No. 2 in A Major, Op. 2 I. Allegro vivace II. Largo appassionato Ill. Scherzo: Allegretto IV. Rondo: Grazioso Chopin

Etude in No. 10 in b minor, Op. 25 Rachmaninoff

Etude- Tableau No.9 in D Major, Op. 39 Rachmaninoff

Prelude No. 4 in D major, Op. 23 SECOND ROUND J.S. Bach

Partita No. 1 in B-flat Major, BWV 825 I. Praeludium II. Allemande Ill. Corrente IV. Sarabande v. Menuet 1-11 VI. Gigue Haydn

Sonata in C Major, Hob. XVI 50 I. Allegro II. Adagio Ill. Allegro molto Chopin

Scherzo No. 4 in E Major, Op. 54 Rory Boyle

Six T(OK)ENS Messiaen

"Le baiser de I'Enfant-Jesus" from Vingt regards sur /'Enfant-Jesus Balakirev

lslamey, An Oriental Fantasy, Op. 18 FINAL ROUND Rachmaninoff

Concerto No. 2 in c minor, Op. 18 I. Moderato II. Adagio sostenuto Ill. Allegro scherzando

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OLGA KERN INTERNATIONAL PIANO COMPETITION

COMPETITORS

Anna Dmytrenko

FIRST ROUND

GERMANY

J.S. Bach

Born in Ukraine in 1992, pianist Anna Dmytrenko has dedicated her life to music from a young age. As a concert pianist, Anna has performed at such renowned venues as the Kimmel Center of Performing Arts, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Salle Cortot, Yamaha Salon, Steinway Hall, St James's Piccadilly, and Temple Emanu-El. Anna has won prizes in many international piano competitions - among them were first places at the Manhattan International Piano Competition, Dorothy MacKenzie Artist Recognition Competition, Viardo International Piano Competition, American Prize, and Bradshaw and Buono International Piano Competition. Anna was awarded the third prize at the New York International Piano Competition and was thus featured on the McGrawHill Companies Young Artists Showcase on WQXR radio and performed at the Salmagundi C lub in New York. Whi le studying in England for her Bachelor's degree, she enjoyed performing both solo and chamber music around the UK in places such as St. Paul's Bedford, Windsor Parish Church, St. Mary's Perivale, St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Steinway Hall, and Regent Hall, among others. Through numerous master classes, Anna was very happy to receive guidance from famed pianists and teachers, including Sergei Babayan, Boris Berman, Alexander Braginsky, Akiko Ebi, Richard Goode, Gary Graffman, Klaus Hellwig, Karl-Heinz Kammerling, Olga Kern, Piotr Paleczny, Yevgeny Sud bin, and Arie Vardi. Anna began her studies at the Mariupol School of Music in Ukraine. Following her relocation to the United States, she furthered her musical education at the Delaware Music School as a pupi l of David Brown and Jeanne Pascal. In 2004, Anna was admitted to The Juilliard School PreCollege Division to study under scholarship with Oxana Yablonskaya. Most recently, she has completed her studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London and received a Bachelor's degree, under Christopher Elton. She is currently based in Berlin, Germany, where she is working on a Master's degree at the University of the Arts with Pascal Devoyon .•

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NOV EMBER 2016 I Albuquerque, New Mexico USA

Prelude and Fugue No. 4 in c-sharp minor from The Well- Tempered Clavier, Book I, BWV 849 Beethoven

Sonata No. 28 in A Major, Op. 101 1. Allegretto ma non troppo II. Vivace alia marcia Ill. Adagio ma non troppo, con affetto IV. Allegro Debussy

Etude No. 4 pour les sixtes Rachmaninoff

Etude- Tableau No.9 inc-sharp minor, Op.33 Rachmaninoff

Prelude No. 2 in B-flat Major, Op. 23 SECOND ROUND Rory Boyle

Six T(OK)ENS Brahms

Sonata No. 3 in f minor, Op. 5 I. Allegro maestoso II. Andante espressivo Ill. Scherzo: Al legro energico IV. Intermezzo: Andante molto V. Finale: Allegro moderato ma rubato Barber

Sonata in e-flat minor, Op. 26 I. Allegro energico II. Allegro vivace e leggero Ill. Adagio mesto IV. Fuga: Allegro con spirito FINAL ROUND Prokofiev

Concerto No. 2 in g minor, Op. 16 I. Andantino II. Scherzo. Vivace Ill. Intermezzo. Allegro moderato IV. Finale. Allegro tempestoso


Mehdi Ghazi

FIRST ROUND

CANADA

J.S. Bach Prelude and Fugue No. 18 in g-sharp minor from The Well- Tempered Clavier, Book I, BWV 863

Solo finalist in the 2013 edition of the International Ferruccio Busoni Competition in Balzano, Italy, and medalist in the 2014 Hilton Head International Piano Competition, Mehdi Ghazi has been described as a "sensi tive pianist" (Anthony Tommasini, The New York Times) and "a great pianist" with a power of "communicating emotions comparable to that of Wilhelm Kempff" (Claude Gingras, La Presse, Montreal). As a soloist and chamber musician, Ghazi has performed in several venues around the world such as UNESCO's Great Hall in Paris, Koerner Hall in Toronto, the Chappelle Historique in Montreal, and the Conservatorio Monteverdi Hall in Balzano, among others. He has worked and collaborated with renowned conductors, including Daniel Barenboim, John Morris Russell, Pavel Baleff, and Raffi Armenian. He has performed with renowned musicians Conrad Tao, Valeryi Sokolov, Aleksey Shadrin, and Julie Nasrallah and was selected by The Glenn Gould Foundation to perform before the Governor General of Canada as part of a tribute to the late Glenn Gould. After moving from Algeria to Canada in 2006, he was awarded several prizes and awards: the 2014 Sylva Gelber Award, First Prize at the "Festival de musique classique du Bas-Richelieu," and First Prize at the Canadian Musical Competition, as well as school chamber and concerto competitions and special scholarships. He is often featured on radio, television, and newspaper: CBC (2011), Classical 96.3 (2012), The Globe and Mail (2011), and Algerian Radio and Television (2006 ), among others. Ghazi graduated with the highest distinctions from the Montreal Conservatory and the Glenn Gould School, where he studied with pianists John Perry, Andre Laplante, and Marc Durand, while taking master classes with internationally acclaimed artists such as Daniel Barenboim, Leon Fleisher, Emanuel Ax, Menahem Pressler, Michel Beroff, JeanPhilippe Collard, Robert McDonald, and John O'Conor. Mehdi also holds an Algerian Science Baccalaureate and is currently completing a Doctoral degree at the University of Montreal under the tutelage of Jean Saulnier .• The Olga Kern International Piano Competition

Chopin Etude No. 4 in c-sharp minor, Op. 10 Liszt Transcendental Etude No. 5 in B-flat Major, "Feux Follets" Haydn Sonata in F Major, Hob. XVI:23 I. Allegro II. Adagio Ill. Finale. Presto Rachmaninoff Prelude No. 2 in B-flat Major, Op. 23

SECOND ROUND Rory Boyle Six T(OK)ENS Falla Fantasia Baetica Chopin Sonata No. 3 in b minor, Op. 58 I. Allegro maestoso II. Scherzo. Molto vivace Ill. Largo IV. Finale. Presto non tanto; Agitato Messiaen "Regard de I'Esprit de joie" from Vingt regards sur /'Enfant-Jesus

FINAL ROUND Rachmaninoff Concerto No. 3 in d minor, Op. 30 I. Allegro ma non tanto II. Intermezzo: Adagio Ill. Finale: Alia breve

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COMPETITORS

Shino Hidaka JAPAN Born in 1988, Shino Hidaka started playing the piano at the age of five. In 2010, she was awarded two prizes: third prize at the 7th Kazusa Akademia Music Competition and an incentive award at the Chopin Piano Competition in Japan. In addition, Shino Hidaka performed as a soloist with the Geidai Philharmonic conducted by Zsolt Nagy (Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 2) in May 2010, and with New Philharmonic Orchestra Chiba conducted by Kazufumi Yamashita (Chopin's Piano Concerto No.1) in June 2010. In August 2010, she took part in the Russian Piano School in Tokyo as a master class student of Sergei Dorensky, Pavel Nersessian, and Andrei Pisarev. She graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts in 2011 and was awarded the Douseikai Prize at graduation. In 2011, she won 3rd prize at the 16th Concert Marronnier 21 (Japan). In October 2012, she won the 1st prize and Gold Medal at the 5th International Piano Competition in Memory of Emil Gilels in Ukraine, Odessa. At the Gilels Competition, she was awarded the Special Prize for the best performance of Ukrainian composer Vladimir Ptushkin's composition Rhapsody. She performed Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 2 as a soloist with the Odessa Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Hobart Earle. In October 2013, she took part in the 5th Tbilisi International Piano Competition (Tbilisi, Georgia). She was a semifinalist, and she won the Conservatoire Grand Hall Prize.

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In March 2014, she graduated from the Master's course of graduate school of music at Tokyo University of the Arts, and she continued her studies at the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory in the class of Professor Yuri Slesarev. In 2015, she was a participant in the 15th International Tchaikovsky Competition and performed in the Big Hall at the Moscow Conservatory. And in 2016, she won 2nd prize at the 17th San Jose International Piano Competition in the USA (CA). In 2016, she had solo recitals in Moscow, Olenburg (Russia), Crimia, and Kiev (Ukraine), among others. Next season, she will play in Berlin, Odessa (Ukraine) with orchestra, and Moscow. She has studied with Mrs. Yukiko Sakai, Mrs. Ritsuko Tsuchiya, Mrs. Tomoko Ogasawara, Ms. Akiko Ebi, Dr. Katsumi Ueda, Dr. Yuri Slesarev, and his assistant Vyacheslav Gryaznov .•

NOVEMBER 2016 I Albuquerque, New Mexico USA

FIRST ROUND J.S. Bach

Prelude and Fugue No. 21 in B-flat Major from The Well- Tempered Clavier, Book II, BWV 890 Chopin

Etude No. 6 in g-sharp minor, Op. 25 Rachmaninoff

Etude- Tableau No.5 in e-flat minor, Op. 39 Beethoven

Piano Sonata No. 26 in E-flat Major, "Les Adieux," Op. 81a I. Das Lebewohl (Les Adieux The Farewell) Adagio - Allegro II. Abwesenheit (L'AbsenceThe Absence) Andante espressivo Ill. Das Wiedersehen (Le RetourThe Return) Vivacissimamente Rachmaninoff

Polka de W.R. in A-flat Major SECOND ROUND Rameau

"Le rappel des oiseaux" from the Suite in e minor Bach/Busoni

Chaconne in d minor, BWV 1004 Schulhoff

From the 5 Etudes de jazz I. Charleston (pour Zez Confrey) II. Blues (pour Paul Whiteman) IV. Tango (pour Eduard Kunnecke) Balakirev

lslamey, An Oriental Fantasy, Op. 18 Rory Boyle

Six T(OK)ENS Prokofiev

Piano Sonata No. 8 in B-flat Major, Op. 84 I. Andante dolce II. Andante sognando Ill. Vivace FINAL ROUND Prokofiev

Concerto No. 3 in C Major, Op. 26 I. Andante. Allegro II. Tema con variazioni Ill. Allegro ma non troppo


Kyohei lmaizumi

FIRST ROUND

JAPAN

J.S. Bach

Kyohei lmaizumi was born in Fukuoka, Japan, in 1992 to a family of musicians and received his first piano lessons at the age of 10. He was the winner of many national competitions in Japan. In 2011, he was awarded 3rd prize at the 2nd Slobozhanska Fantasy International Competition for Young Pianists in Ukraine. In 2013, he was awarded the 2nd prize at the 14th Maria Yudina International Piano Competition in Russia, and the "Audience Award" at the 58th West Japan International Piano Competition in Japan. In 2015, he was awarded 2nd prize and the "Virtuoso Award" at the Way to Mastery International Piano Competition in Russia. In 2016, he was awarded the grand prix at The Classical Academy International Competition in Russia, the 1st prize and the "Piano Asia Prize" at the 1st Lazar Berman International Piano Competition in Italy, and awarded the 1st prize and the "Vi rtuoso Award" in the 8th Romanticism International Competition in Russia. He graduated from the Suzuki Method and the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory. He is currently studying postgraduate courses at the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory, where he achieved a top score in the entrance examination. He has performed with the Suzuki Method Orchestra conducted by Masahiro lzaki, with the Cantus Firm us Orchestra conducted by Alexander Furgin, with the Luhansk Academic Symphony Orchestra conducted by Alexander Shurov, and with the Gnesin Chamber Orchestra conducted by Andrey Rein. He has performed many concerts in Japan, Russia, Ukraine, and Spain. He has studied with Ms. Kyoko Nakajima, Ms. Yasue Tanaka, Mr. Masaya Tanaka, and is now studying with Professor Vladimir Ovchinnikov .•

Prelude and Fugue No. 1 in C Major from The Well- Tempered Ctauier, Book I, BWV 846 Beethoven

Sonata No. 31 in A-flat Major, Op. 110 I. Moderato cantabile molto espressivo II. Scherzo: Allegro molto Ill. Adagio ma non troppo. Fuga: Allegro ma non troppo Rachmaninoff

Prelude No. 4 in D Major, Op. 23 Chopin

Etude No. 1 in C Major, Op. 10 Chopin

Etude No. 12 in c minor, Op. 10 SECOND ROUND Scarlatti

Sonata in f minor, K. 466 Liszt

Mephisto Waltz, No. 1 Chopin

Nocturne No. 2 in D-flat Major, Op. 27 Rory Boyle

Six T(OK)ENS Debussy

Preludes, Book II VI. General Lauine - eccentric: Dans le style et le mouvement d'un Cakewalk XII. Feux d'artifice: Moderement ani me Rachmaninoff/Horowitz

Sonata No. 2 in b-flat minor, Op. 36 I. Allegro agitato II. Non allegro Ill. Allegro molto FINAL ROUND Prokofiev

Concerto No. 2 in g minor, Op. 16 I. Andantino II. Scherzo. Vivace Ill. Intermezzo. Allegro moderato IV. Finale. Allegro tempestoso

The Olga Kern International Piano Competition

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COMPETITORS

Elizaveta lvanova GERMANY Elizaveta lvanova was born in Moscow in 1986. She started playing the piano at the age of four and studied at the Yakov Flier Music School in Moscow with N. Dolenko. She graduated from the Academic Music College of Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory (class of 0. Meche tina, Diploma with honor) and Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory in 2011 (Diploma with honor), where she studied with Prof. Sergey Dorensky and his assistants Pavel Nersessian, Andrey Pisarev, and Nikolay Lugansky. In 2012, she moved to Hamburg, where she attended a Master degree course in solo performance at the Hochschule fur Musik und Theater Hamburg with Prof. E. Koroliov. She finished her Master studies in June 2013 with the note 1,0 (best possible) and now works toward her Konzertexamen (Artistic Diploma) (class of Prof. E. Koroliov). Her extensive concert activity began in 2002, when she became a participant of programs and a scholarship holder of the V. Spivakov International Charity Foundation. Since that time, Elizaveta has been performing all over Russia and abroad (in more than 25 countries, including Austria, Australia, Canada, Germany, France, Ireland, Italy, India, Japan, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, and the United Kingdom). Elizaveta has performed on the stages of famous concert halls such as the Great, Small, and Rachmaninov Halls of the Moscow Conservatory; Svetlanov and Chamber Halls of the Moscow International Performing Arts Centre; Tchaikovsky Concert Hall (Moscow); Great Hall of the Ukrainian State Philharmonic Society (Kyiv); Chamber Music Hall of the Berlin Philharmonic; George Weston

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Recital Hall of the Toronto Centre for the Arts; Salle Cortot (Paris); John Field Room of the National Concert Hall (Dublin); Teatro Ristori (Verona); the Small and Great Halls of the Laeiszhalle (Hamburg), among others. Elizaveta lvanova is a prize winner of numerous international competitions, among them 1st Prize and two Special Prizes at the "Piano Campus" International Piano Competition (Cergy-Pontoise, France, 2011), 1st Prize and Special Prize at the International Piano Competition "Citta di Verona' (Verona, Italy, 2012), 2nd Prize and Special Prize at the "Biuthner 'Golden Tone' Award' International Piano Competition (Vienna, Austria, 2013), 1st Prize at the "Euregio Piano Award' International Piano Competition (Geilenkirchen, Germany, 2015). She participated in master classes with many famous musicians such as Fou Tsang, Dmirty Bashkirov, Sergey Babayan, Andrea Bonatta, Emmanuel Ax, and others. In 2012, she also had the honor of presenting the annual "Montblanc de Ia Culture Arts Patronage Award' in the short movie with piano star Lang Lang. Also in 2012, her solo CD was released by "Piano Campus' (France). Elizaveta Iva nova is a soloist of the Saint Petersburg Music House. Her recent engagements include recitals at the Beethoven Festival in Gtog6wek, Poland; "Giovanni pianisti in Accademia" at the Teatro Filormonico in Verona, Italy; "Krakow Piano Summer" Festival (Poland); "Russian Spring' concert series at the Musikaliska (Stockholm, Sweden); "Biuethner-Zyklus' in Vienna; "Music at Eelswamp' in Pattaya, Thailand; as well as appearances at the Russian Centers for Culture and Science in numerous major cities (Madrid, Praha, Rome, Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, Faro, Tel Aviv, and Kolkata) presented by the Music House Saint Petersburg. She also performed with orchestras such as Sinfonia Baltica in Slupsk, Poland; Orchester '91; Orchestra Simphonica del Conservatorio di Mantova; Saint Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra; and the Orchesterzentrum NRW, Germany. Her repertoire includes compositions ranging from the English virgina l music through the contemporary. She is a lso a successful participant of chamber ensembles and a skilled harpsichordist. Since 2013, she has worked as an associate professor at the Hochschule fur Musik und Theater Hamburg. elizavetaivanova.com •

NOVEMBER 2016 I Albuquerque, New Mexico USA

FIRST ROUND J.S. Bach

Prelude and Fugue No. 5 in D Major from The Well- Tempered Clouier, Book II, BWV 874 J.S. Bach

Partita No. 3 in E Major, BWV 1006 (orr. Rachmaninoff) I. Prelude II. Gavotte Ill. Gigue Haydn

Sonata F Major, Hob. XVI:23 I. Allegro II. Adagio Ill. Finale. Presto Chopin

Etude No. 4 in c-sharp minor, Op. 10 Rachmaninoff Etude- Tableau No.9 in D Major, Op. 39 SECOND ROUND Rameau Gouotte with Six Doubles Chopin

Two Nocturnes, Op. 27 I. Larghetto in c-sharp minor II. Lento sostenuto in D-flat Major Rory Boyle

Six T(OK)ENS Szymanowski

Mazurkas, Op. 50 XV. Allegretto dolce XVI. Allegramente - Vigoroso Prokofiev

Piano Sonata No. 8 in B-flat Major, Op. 84 I. Andante dolce II. Andante sognando Ill. Vivace FINAL ROUND Prokofiev

Concerto No. 3 in C Major, Op. 26 I. Andante. Allegro II. Tema con variazioni Ill. Allegro ma non troppo


Seong-Hyeon Leem

FIRST ROUND

SOUTH KOREA

J.S. Bach

Seong-Hyeon Leem was born in 1992 and holds a Bachelor's degree from Seoul National University with honors. Ms. Leem studied at Sunhwa Arts School and High School and graduated both schools as a scholarship student Her teachers include Aviram Reichert. Eun-Joo Heo, and she had master classes with world-class musicians Paul Badura Skoda, Menahem Pressler, Paul Guida, Edward Wolanin, Arie Vardi, and others. In 2012, she had a debut as a soloist in Europe. Korea Austria Culture and Technology Exchange Association in Austria invited her to hold a young artists concert in Mozarthaus Konzertsaa l in Vienna (2012, 2014, 2015). In addition, she also performed at the Young Artist Concert held by the Korean Cultural Institute in Budapest (2012, 2015) and Poland (2015). Seong-Hyeon performed in concerts with the Sunhwa Wind Orchestra at the Universal Arts Center, Gunpo Philharmonic Orchestra, and "Korea and China's Young Artists Concert" at Shenyang College of Education in China. She had a recital at Kumho Art Hall as a Kumho young artist in the Kumho Asiana Cultural Foundation. Ms. Leem is a prizewinner of numerous competitions, including the Suri Music Concours, Segye Times Concours, TBC Music Concours, Sunhwa Music Competition, Audition for Chopin Scholarship at Seoul National University, and the Korean Liszt Competition. As a winner of the Korean Liszt Competition, she was also invited for a recital which was held by the Korean Liszt Society. She was a finalist at the Conservatory Music in the Mountains in Colorado. Recent competition awards include 2nd prize at the 7th Rosario Marciano International Piano Competition in Vienna (2015) and the Soroptimist C lub Prize at the 66t h Gian Battista Viotti International Music Competition in Vercel li.•

Prelude and Fugue No. 11 in F Major from The Well- Tempered Ctauier, Book II, BWV 880 Chopin

Etude No. 8 in F Major, Op. 10 Rachmaninoff

Etude- Tableau No.9 in D Major, Op. 39 Beethoven

Piano Sonata No. 13 in E-flat Major, Op. 27-1 I. Andante - Allegro - Andante II. Allegro molto e vivace Ill. Adagio con espressione IV. Allegro vivace Kreisler /Rachmaninoff

Liebesfreude SECOND ROUND Rory Boyle

Six T(OK)ENS Haydn

Sonata in C Major, Hob. XV1:50 I. Allegro II. Adagio Ill. Allegro molto Chopin

Sona ta No. 2 in b-flat minor, Op. 35 I. Grave - Doppio movimento II. Scherzo Ill. Marche funebre: Lento IV. Finale: Presto Stravinsky

Three Dances from The Firebird (orr. Agosti) I. Danse lnfernale II. Berceuse Ill. Finale FINAL ROUND Rachmaninoff

Concerto No. 2 in c minor, Op. 18 I. Moderato II. Adagio sostenuto Ill. Allegro scherzando

The Olga Kern International Piano Competition

olgakerncompetition.org

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COMPETITORS

Steven Massicotte CANADA Steven Massicotte discovered the piano at a young age. Since then, his passion has grown and is fully involved in the practice of his art Graduated from the Conservatory of Music in Montreal, where he studied under the direction of Raoul Sosa, he pursued undergraduate studies and Masters in Performance at the Faculty of Music at the University of Montreal with teachers Marc Durand, Jimmy Briere, and Jean Saulnier. He is now currently finishing Doctoral studies with Jean Saulnier in Montreal, after completing an exchange program as well as a post-graduate diploma in Vienna with Prof. Avedis Kouyoumdjian at the UniversitOt fur Musik und Darstellende Kunst Wien. He has played with several orchestras including the Amadeus Orchestra in Poland under the direction of Anna Duczmai-Mr6z, the Orchestre de Universite de Montrea l with Jean-Fran<;ois Rivest, and Sinfonia de Lanaudiere with Stephane Laforest in Quebec. Massicotte is a laureate of numerous competitions, and recently, he has been named the grand winner of the OPMEM (Orchestre Symphonique des Musiciens de Montreal) concerto competition and will play Rachmaninov's Third Piano Concerto wi th the same orchestra in September. Last year, he won the 2nd prize at the International Chamber Music Competi tion of Malta with duo Schaeffer Massicotte. In 2013, he won 3rd Prize at the International Chopin Competition in Mari6nske L6zne, Czech Republic. In the 2013 and 2014

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edition of the prest igious Prix d'Europe competition in Quebec, he was a two-time finalist and winner of the piano category row as well as recipient of the prize for the best interpretation by a pianist of a piece by a Quebec composer. In 2011, he was awarded the Prix Joseph-Rouleau for Best Pianist from Quebec at the Montreal International Musical Competition, which brought him concert engagements in London and Berlin for the Fete Nationale du Quebec. He is the first-prize winner of the Concours de musique Sorel-Tracy (2011), the Concerto Competition of Universite de Montreal (2010), and the Concours de Musique de Repentigny (2009). He was also a finalist of the Canadian Stepping Stone Competition (2012), third prize winner of the Shean Competition in Edmontion (2012), and third-prize winner of Toronto Symphony Orchestra Competition (2011). In recent years, Steven Massicotte has a lso attended several master classes with such renowned pianists as Benedetto Lupo, Stephen Kovacevich, Andre Laplante, Jimmy Briere, Jacques Rouvier, Anton Kuerti, Jean Saulnier, Robert McDonald, Julian Martin, John Novacek, John Perry, Martin Kasfk. and Avedis Kouyoumdjian, in addition to being a scholarship recipient of the Orford Arts Centre, Banff Centre, and the Canada Council for the Arts .•

NOV EMB ER 2016 I Albuquerque, New Mexico USA

FIRST ROUND J.S. Bach Prelude and Fugue No. 12 in f minor from The Well- Tempered Clauier, Book I, BWV 857 Chopin Etude No. 10 in b minor, Op. 25 Scriabin Etude No.5 in f-sharp minor, Op. 42 Rachmaninoff Prelude No. 10 in b minor, Op. 32 Beethoven Sona ta No. 30 in E Major, Op. 109 I. Vivace ma non troppo Adagio espressivo II. Prestissimo Ill. Gesangvoll, mit innigster Empfindung. Andante molto cantabi le ed espressivo

SECOND ROUND Rory Boyle

Six T(OK)ENS Ravel Gaspard de Ia nuit I. Ondine. Lent II. Le Gibet. Tres lent Ill. Scarbo. Madere Liszt Sona ta in b minor, S. 178

FINAL ROUND Rachmaninoff Concerto No. 2 in c minor, Op. 18 I. Moderato II. Adagio sostenuto Ill. Allegro scherzando


Francisco Montero SPAIN Francisco Montero has performed in some of the most important halls in the USA and internationally. In the USA (Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Music Center, Bruno Walter Auditorium at Lincoln Center, Festival Ubuntu organized by Carnegie Hall, Peter Jay Sharp Theater, Klavierhaus, Paul Hall, Morse Hall in New York, Borden Auditorium, NV Hall, Esber Recital Hall, Staller Center for the Arts, and the 4th Texas State International Piano Festival-playing as a part of Rising Star guest. Some of these concerts have been reviewed by The New York Times by great critics. In the United Kingdom (concerts at Dukes Hall, Purcell Room, and Constance Pilkington Hall in London which was broadcasted by BBC Radio 4): in Germany (Konzertsaal in The University of Music and Dance Cologne playing as part of EuroArts International Festival); Austria (Palais Auersperg, Schloss Halbturn in Vienna); Italy (Sola Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, Val Tidone Festival); and most of the cities in Spain (Centro Niemeyer, Teatro Lopez de Aya la, Fundacion Eutherpe, Sola Nicolas Salmeron, XXV Festivallberico ). He has recently recorded at WQXR radio presented by David Dubal at The Greene Space for the new radio series "The Piano in Spain" and K-Radio AM 1660 performing pieces by Couperin and Scriabin. Recently, Francisco Montero was awarded First Prize at the Windsor International Piano Competition in London, UK, and First Prize at the Ill Enkor

The Olga Kern International Piano Competition

International Piano Competition. Others competition awards include the Grand Prize at the New York Artists International Competition, making his debut at Carnegie Hall and Weill Recital Hall last year as part of the award; 1st Prize at the New York International Music Concours; 2nd Prize at the Bradshaw & Buono International Piano Competition; 1st Prize at the Esteban Sanchez International Competition; 1st Prize, in addition to the Special Prize for the best performance of Spanish music, at the 19th International Ciutat de Carlet Piano Competition; and 2nd Prize at the Pedro Bote International Competition for Young Artists. Born in 1991, Francisco Montero studied in Seville under the tutelage of Ignacio Torner and Tatiana Postnikova. In 2009, he moved to Badajoz to study with one of the most prestigious pianists in Spain (Alexander Kandelaki, pupil of Heinrich Neuhaus). Francisco holds a Bachelor's degree in Music from the Conservatorio Superior de Musica "Bonifacio Gil," Badajoz. From 2008 to 2012, he worked periodically with Christopher Elton, Head of Keyboard at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Francisco Montero studied his Master of Music at the prestigious The Juilliard School in New York under the guidance of the renowned teacher Julian Martin, whose influence on him has been decisive. His studies were generously supported by the Celia and Joseph Ascher Piano Fund, Nina Carasso Scholarship, and Martin Canin Scholarship. He is currently pursuing his DMA in Piano Performance at Pennsylvania State University with Dr. Jose R. Mendez .•

FIRST ROUND J.S. Bach

Prelude and Fugue No. 22 in b-flat minor from The Well- Tempered Clavier, Book II, BWV 891 Liszt

Transcendental Etude No. 12 in b-flat minor, "Chasse-Neige" Scriabin

Etude No. 5 in c-sharp minor, Op. 42 Haydn

Sonata in E-flat Major, Hob. XVI:52 I. Allegro II. Adagio Ill. Finale. Presto Rachmaninoff

Prelude No. 2 in B-flat Major, Op. 23 SECOND ROUND Scriabin

Sonata No. 5, Op. 53 Brahms

Variations on a Theme by Robert Schumann, Op. 9 Liszt

Rhapsodie espagnole, S. 254 Rory Boyle

Six T(OK)ENS FINAL ROUND Liszt

Concerto No.1 in E-flat Major, S. 124 I. Allegro maestoso II. Quasi adagio Ill. Allegretto vivace- Allegro animato IV. Allegro marziale animato

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OLGA KERN INTERNATIONAL PIANO COMPETITION

COMPETITORS

Anastasiya Naplekova UKRAINE Ukrainian-born pianist Anastasiya Naplekova has a unique voice in the world of music, performing with "effortless virtuosity" (Cincinnati Enquirer) and delivering the most challenging works of the piano repertoire with "strongly personal performance(s)" (The Miami Herald), Winner of the Rudolf Firkusny International Piano Competition in Prague, she has recently received her doctoral degree in piano performance and pedagogy from the University of Miami, Frost School of Music, studying under the distinguished tute lage of Professor Santiago Rodriguez, Ms. Naplekova received her B.M, and M.M, in piano performance from Kharkov State University of Arts, studying under Professor Nataliya Melnikova, She continued her studies at the University of Florida with Professor Kevin Sharpe, where she received her second M.M, in piano performance, Ms. Naplekova has participated in master classes with ian Hobson, Robert Roux, Eugene and Elizabeth Pridonoff, and Phillip Entremont Among Ms. Naplekova's achievements include prizes at the 2014 Hilton Head International Piano Competition, the 6th lnternationallgnacy Paderewski Piano Competition in Poland, the International Piano Competition in memory of Vladimir Horowitz in Ukraine, the 4th International Adilia Alieva Piano Competition in France, the Wideman Piano Competition in Louisiana, and most recently the Second Prize at the International Piano

30

Competition Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Meryem in Morocco, An international performer, Ms. Naplekova has participated in music festivals such as the Paris International Summer Sessions organized by Foundation Beii'Arte, Beethoven Master Classes with Menahem Pressler in Boston, and CCM Prague International Piano Institute; she has also appeared in solo recitals throughout Ukraine, Russia, Czech Republic, France, and the USA, As a concerto performer, she has played with multiple orchestras, including the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, Crimea State Symphony Orchestra, and recently with the Frost Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Leon Fleisher as the opening performance for the 2012 Festival Miami concert series, Ms. Naplekova is also the recipient of special grants from the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine and the President of Ukraine .•

NOV EMBER 2016 I Albuquerque, New Mexico USA

FIRST ROUND J.S. Bach

Prelude and Fugue No, 22 in b-flat minor from The Well- Tempered Clauier, Book I, BWV 867 Haydn

Sonata in b minor, Hob, XVI/32 I. Allegro moderato II. Minuet Ill. Finale: Presto Chopin

Etude No, 12 in c minor, Op, 25 Rachmaninoff

Etude Tableau No, 2 in a minor, Op, 39 Kreisler /Rachmaninoff

Liebesfreude SECOND ROUND de Falla

Cuatro piezas espafiolas I. Aragonesa II. Cubana IV, Anda luza Ravel

"Ondine" from Gaspard de Ia nuit Rory Boyle

Six T(OK)ENS Rachmaninoff

"Daisies" Mendelssohn/Rachmaninoff

Scherzo from A Midsummer Night's Dream Tchaikovsky /Rachmaninoff

Lullaby, Op. 16, No, 1 Rachmaninoff

Sonata No, 2 in b-flat minor, Op, 36 (1931 version) I. Allegro agitato II. Non allegro - Lento Ill. L'istesso tempo- Allegro molto FINAL ROUND Rachmaninoff

Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op, 43


Richard Octaviano Kogima SWITZERLAND Richard Octaviano Kogima is a Brazilian pianist, composer, and conductor. Born in November 1990, he is current ly pursuing a Master's of Music in Piano Concert Performance at the Zurich University of the Arts in the class of Prof. Konstantin Scherbakov. He obtained his Bachelor's degree in Piano Performance at the University of Sao Paulo and his Performance Diploma at the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris Alfred Cortot. His former teachers include Professors Eduardo Monteiro, Guigla Katsarava, and Maria Jose Carrasqueira. Richard has performed as a soloist and chamber musician throughout Europe and the Americas in halls including the Salle Cortot (Paris), University Aula (Norway), Howard Performing Arts Center (USA) the Mirabel! Palace (Austria), and Audit6rio C laudio Santoro (Brazil). He has been a laureate at various national and international competitions, most recent ly winning 1st prize at the FLAME International Competition in Paris; the Audience Prize at the Alain Marinaro International Piano Competition in Collioure; 1st prize at the Andrews University International Music Competition in Michigan, USA; and 2nd prize at the Florianopolis Latin American Competition in Brazil. Richard has integrated music festivals such as the Festspillene I Bergen and Valdres Sommersimfoni in Norway, the Usedomer Musikfest and the Emil Gilels Festival in Germany, the Chautauqua Institution Music Festival in the USA, and the Festivallnternacional de lnverno de Campos do Jordao in Brazi l. He has participated in master classes with artists such as Leif Ove Andsnes, Rudolf Buchbinder, Dmitri Bashkirov, and Christian Zacharias. He has served as assistant conductor of the UN ASP Youth Orchestra and principal conductor of the Carlos Gomes Choir in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and worked as an assistant Kantor at the Adventist University Church of Sao Paulo .•

FIRST ROUND J.S. Bach

Prelude and Fugue No. 3 in C-sharp Major from The Well- Tempered Clauier, Book I, BWV 848 Beethoven

Sonata No. 17 in d minor, "Tempest, " Op. 31. No.2 I. Largo - Allegro II. Adagio Ill. Allegretto Rachmaninoff

Prelude No. 10 in b minor, Op. 32 Rachmaninoff

Etude- Tableau No.5 in e-flat minor, Op. 39 Liszt

Transcendental Etude No. 8 in c minor, "Wi lde Jagd" SECOND ROUND Rory Boyle

Six T(OK)ENS J.S. Bach

Aria uariata a//a maniera italiana, BWV 989 Chopin

Scherzo No.2 in b-flat minor, Op. 31 Mussorgsky

Pictures at an Exhibition I. Promenade II. The Gnome Il l. Promenade IV. The Old Castle v. Promenade VI. Tuileries VII. Catt le VIII. Promenade IX. The Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks in Their Shells X. Samuel Goldenberg and Schmuyle XI. Promenade XII. The Marketplace at Limoges (The Great News) XIII. Catacombs XIV. Baba Yoga XV. The Great Gate of Kiev FINAL ROUND Rachmaninoff

Concerto No. 2 in c minor, Op. 18 I. Moderato II. Adagio sostenuto Il l. Allegro scherzando

The Olga Kern International Piano Competition

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COMPETITORS

Liana Paniyeva

FIRST ROUND

UNITED STATES

J.S. Bach

Liana Paniyeva began winning prizes in piano competitions in Ukraine in 2002 when she earned Third Prize at the International Competitions in Memory of E. Gilels, First Prize at the International Competition in Memory of Prokofiev, and Second Prize at the International Competition in Memory of A. Karamanov. In 2008, Liana continued winning competitions: She won First Prize in the "Music World" International Competition in Italy, and she was the winner of "The Voice of Music" Piano Competition in Israel. In the United States in 2012, Ms. Paniyeva was the winner of the American Protege International Competition of Romantic Music, recipient of the Grand Prize at the Metropolitan International Piano Competition, and the winner of the AFAF Golden Era of Romantic Music International Competition. In 2013-2015, Ms. Paniyeva was awarded the E. B. Storrs Piano Scholarship from the Musical C lub of Hartford. Ms. Paniyeva was also awarded the Cargill Foundation Prize in the 2014 Scottish International Piano Competition in Glasgow and became a prizewinner at the Iowa International Piano Competition in 2015. She has performed at international festivals in Norway, Hungary, Syria, Italy, and Israel. During the 2012/13 season, she performed three times at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Most recently, Liana played in the concert halls of Scotland, South Africa, and in multiple states of the USA. Liana graduated from the Donetsk Music Academy in Ukraine and went on to earn her Professional Studies Certificate from the Manhattan School of Music in 2011. Her career continues with recitals in Hungary, Israel, Ukraine, USA England, Syria, Canada, South Africa, and Norway. Most recently, Ms. Paniyeva finished her Artist Diploma at The Hartt School of the University of Hartford. Liana continues her studies under the mentorship of Anastasia Seifetdinova .•

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NOV EMBER 2016 I Albuquerque, New Mexico USA

Prelude and Fugue No. 20 in a minor from The Well- Tempered Clauier, Book II, BWV 889 Beethoven

Piano Sonata No. 23 in f minor, "Appassionata, " Op. 57 I. Allegro assai II. Andante con moto Ill. Allegro ma non troppo- Presto Rachmaninoff

Etude- Tableau No.6 in a minor, Op. 39 Mendelssohn/Rachmaninoff

Scherzo from A Midsummer Night's Dream Liszt

Transcendental Etude No. 10 in f minor, "Appassionata " SECOND ROUND Gluck/Sgambati

"Dance of the Blessed Spirits" from Orjeo and Euridice Rachmaninoff

Variations on a Theme

of Carelli,

Op. 42

Rory Boyle

Six T(OK)ENS Shostakovich

Three Fantastic Dances, Op. 5 I. March - Allegretto II. Waltz- Andantino Ill. Polka- Allegretto Shostakovich

Preludes, Op. 34 (Nos. 2, 7, 6, 10, 24) Ravel

Pauane Ravel

La Valse FINAL ROUND Tchaikovsky

Piano Concerto No. 1 in b-flat minor, Op.23 I. Andante non troppo e molto maestoso - Allegro con spirit II. Andantino semplice- Allegro vivace assai Ill. Allegro con fuoco


Joshua-Allen Rupley

FIRST ROUND

UNITED STATES

J.S. Bach

Born in 1993, Albuquerque native Joshua Rupley has performed in New Mexico, Colorado, New York, Swi tzerland, Italy, and in much of Germany. His large and varied repertoire ranges from the Baroque to the 21st century and includes numerous pieces composed for him or which he premiered. His playing is marked by great vita lity and sensitivity: "a heavenly avalanche of notes" and "a fortissimo as mighty as a cathedral organ," or at times "balsam for the soul and the ears." In addition to a budding solo career, he is in demand as a German Lied pianist and regu larly accompanies Lied singers in many of Germany's important recital halls. Joshua began his piano studies with Lisa Francis at the age of 11. Homeschooling allowed him great flexibility in his schedule, so he was able to practice piano as much as he wanted as well as try out his other interests, including composing, creative writing, and theatre. In high school, he took lessons in piano and composition with Michael Mauldin and studied conducting with former AYS Music Director Gabriel Gordon. Starting at age 16, he began to organize his own piano recitals, and a few months later he was invited to join the studio of Falko Steinbach at UNM. After performing at the Klavierfestival Lindlar in Germany in the summer of 2011, he was determined to return someday and study in Germany. The opportunity came in 2013 in the form of a study abroad at the Wurzburg University of Music, where he encountered many new and exciting influences, facing greater challenges and higher musical standards than ever before. After a year as an exchange student. Joshua chose to remain in Wurzburg and continue studying with lnge Rosar, then with Silke-Thora Matthies. He studies German Lied accompanying wi th Gerold Huber and chamber music with Denise Benda. He has also received important musical impulses from Markus Bellheim, Andras Hamary, Markus Schirmer, and Andrej Jasinski .•

Prelude and Fugue No. 5 in D Major from The Well- Tempered Clauier, Book II, BWV 874 Beethoven

Sona ta No. 7 in D Major, Op. 10, No. 3 I. Presto II. Largo e mesto Ill. Menuetto. Allegro IV. Rondo. Allegro Scriabin

Etude No. 5 in c-sharp minor, Op. 42 Rachmaninoff

Prelude No. 10 in b minor, Op. 32 Rachmaninoff

Etude- Tableau No.3 in e-flat minor, Op. 33 SECOND ROUND Debussy

Estampes I. Pagodes II. La soiree dans Grenade Ill. Jardins sous Ia pluie Bartok

Eight lmprouisations on Hungarian Peasant Songs, Op. 20, Sz. 7 4 I. Molto moderato II. Molto capriccioso Ill. Lento, rubato IV. Allegretto scherzando V. Allegro molto VI. Allegro moderato, molto capriccioso VII. Sostenuto, rubato VI II. Allegro Messiaen

Vingt regards sur /'Enfant-Jesus VIII. Regard des hauteurs XIII. Noel Rory Boyle

Six T(OK)ENS Rachmaninoff

Variations on a Theme of Carelli, Op. 42 FINAL ROUND Beethoven

Concerto No. 3 in c minor, Op. 37 I. Allegro con brio II. Largo Ill. Rondo- Allegro

The Olga Kern International Piano Competition

olgakerncompetition.org

33


COMPETITORS

Wenting Shi UNITED STATES Wenting Shi was born in 1992 and began her piano study at the age of four. At the age of five, she made her debut by receiving the first prize in a national piano competition. She entered the elementary school of Shanghai Conservatory of Music at the age of eight and continued the study in the Middle School Affiliated to Shanghai Conservatory of Music. In 2004, she won first prize in the second Gu'Lang'yu National Youth and Children Piano Competition in China. In the same year, she won first prize in the Beethoven Music Festival National Competition and was invited to participate in the Beethoven Music Festival to give several concerts in Germany. In 2005, she won second prize of the second National Concerto Competition for Young Musicians in Beijing. In 2006, she won the highest prize of the Thirteenth Bucharest International Piano Competition in Romania. In 2008, she won second prize of the Twelfth International Piano Competition of Taipei, presented by the Frederic Chopin Foundation of Taipei. The following year, she was invited by the competition committee to give solo and concerto concerts with the Kaohsiung Symphony Orchestra in several cities in Taiwan. In 2015, she won fifth place at the International Toronto Piano Competition. In June of 2016, she was awarded third prize at the San Jose International Piano Competition with a special prize of Best Performance of Russian Music. Ms. Shi has given solo concerts in the USA, Canada, Germany, Austria, France,

34

UK, Russia, South Korea, and China, and performed in world-renowned venues such as Alice Tully Hall in New York, Salle Gaveau in Paris, and the Shanghai Grand Theatre. She is also active in concerto performances. Her orchestral performing experiences include Liszt's Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Kaohsiung Symphony and Shanghai Conservatory Orchestras, Chopin's Piano Concerto No.1 with the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, and Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3 with Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra, among others. She was admitted into the Shanghai Conservatory in 2010, under the tutelage of Professor Min-duo Li. In early 2011, she began study at The Juilliard School in New York with Dr. Yoheved Kaplinsky. She received her Bachelor's degree in May of 2015, and honored with an Arthur Rubinstein Prize. She is now a Master's student of Dr. Yoheved Kaplinsky at The Juilliard School. Ms. Shi was awarded the "Outstanding Pianist in Artistry" by the Shanghai Literature and Art Talent Fund Council. She was also the recipient of many celebrated scholarships, including Shanghai Tang's Educational Scholarship; Chengxian Fu Scholarships; Celia and Joseph Ascher Fund for Piano; Juilliard Alumni Scholarship; Carl Friedberg Memorial Scholarship; Arthur Gold and Robert Fizdale Scholarship; Shendell Scholarship; Harold & Helene Schonberg Piano Scholarship; L. & M. Burle Scholarship; Alexander Siloti Scholarship; Lousie Chisholm Moran Piano Scholarship; William Petschek Scholarship; Hui Luen Chao Scholarship; and Adele Marcus Piano Scholarship. In 2015, she was awarded the Beatrice Ohanessian Memorial Scholarship and gave a concert of the music by the renowned American composer .•

NOVEMBER 2016 I Albuquerque, New Mexico USA

FIRST ROUND J.S. Bach

Prelude and Fugue No. 5 in D Major from The Well- Tempered Ctauier, Book II, BWV 874 Haydn

Sonata in C Major, Hob. XVI:50 I. Allegro II. Adagio Ill. Allegro motto Chopin

Etude No. 1 in C Major, Op. 10 Rachmaninoff

Etude- Tableau No.6 in e-flat minor, Op.33 Rachmaninoff

Prelude No. 12 in g-sharp minor, Op.32 Schumann

Symphonic Etudes, Op. 13 SECOND ROUND Rory Boyle

Six T(OK)ENS Chopin

24 Preludes, Op.28 Stravinsky

Three Dances from The Firebird (orr. Agosti) I. Danse lnfernale II. Berceuse Ill. Finale FINAL ROUND Prokofiev

Concerto No. 2 in g minor, Op. 16 I. Andantino II. Scherzo. Vivace Ill. Intermezzo. Allegro moderato IV. Finale. Allegro tempestoso


Marie Sumnikova

FIRST ROUND

CZECH REPUBLIC

J.S. Bach

Born in 1998, young Czech pianist Marie Sumnfkov6 started playing the piano at the age of four. She continued studying piano with her mother, Jana Sumnfkov6, until reaching the age of 15. Currently, she is a student at the Prague Conservatory studying with Professor Martin Kasik. She has participated in various international competitions and has been awarded many prizes, including Amadeus Brno, Prague Junior Note, Virtuosi per musica di Pianoforte, Chopin for the Youngest, Broumov Key, Chopin Piano Competition in Budapest, and others. Her various successes include third prize in the International Competition in Cologne, Germany (2016): second prize in the International Fryderyk Chopin Competition in Mari6nske L6zne (2015); and finalist in the International Competition of Fryderyk Chopin Budapest (2016). She performed several concerts with the Moravian Symphony Orchestra Olomouc (Shostakovich, Haydn, and Chopin), Janacek Symphony Orchestra Ostrava (Mozart, Shostakovich) and the Philharmonic of Bohuslav Martinu in Zlfn (Shostakovich). She has participated in piano courses and master classes of such worldrenowned artists as Eugen lndjic, lvo Kah6nek, Ivan Kl6nsky, Lars Bokt, Behzod Abduraimov, and many more .•

Prelude and Fugue No. 16 in g minor from The Well- Tempered Ctauier, Book I, BWV 861 Beethoven

Sonata No. 8 in c minor, "Pathetique," Op. 13 1. Grave - Allegro di molto e con brio II. Adagio cantabile Ill. Rondo. Allegro Rachmaninoff

Elegy, Op. 3 Scriabin

Etude No. 3 in F-sharp Major, Op. 42 Chopin

Etude No. 12 in c minor, "Revolution," Op. 10 SECOND ROUND Chopin

Nocturne No. 3 in B Major, Op. 9 Chopin

Sonata No. 3 in b minor, Op. 58 I. Allegro maestoso II. Scherzo. Molto vivace Ill. Largo IV. Finale. Presto non tanto; Agitato Janacek

Sonata 1. X 1905 I. Premonition (Foreboding) II. Death Rory Boyle

Six T(OK)ENS Slavicky

Three Pieces for Piano I. Klement II. Intermezzo Ill. Toccata FINAL ROUND Chopin

Concerto No. 1 in e minor, Op. 11 I. Allegro maestoso II. Romanze- Larghetto Ill. Rondo- Vivace

The Olga Kern International Piano Competition

olgakerncompetition.org

35


OLGA KERN INTERNATIONAL PIANO COMPETITION

COMPETITORS

Stefan Weiler

FIRST ROUND

GERMANY

J.S. Bach Prelude and Fugue No. 2 in c minor from The Well- Tempered Ctauier, Book II, BWV 871

Stefan Wei ler was born in 1992 in Karlsruhe, Germany. He was introduced to classical music from a very young age by his parents, receiving his first piano lessons from his mother, Ok-young You, a Korean concert pianist. when he was seven years old. Since 2002, he has won several first prizes of the German music competition "Jugend Musiziert" for chi ldren and adolescents. In 2008, he also started participating and winning prizes at international piano competitions such as the Concurso lnternazionale di Barletta, the Concurso Pianistico lnternazionale "Mozart" di Frascatti, the Concurso lnternazionale di Padua in Italy, and the Concurs International Merignac in Bordeaux, France. In 2011, he won the 1st prize in his age category at the Anemos International Competition in Rome, Italy. In 2015, he performed Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 26 in D Major with the Parnu Linnaorkester in Estonia, and in 2016, he was invited to the distinguished Piano Texas Festival. Besides frequent concert appearances, he was a student of Irina Edelstein, Wolfgang Bloser, and Felix Gottlieb, who was himself a student of the great Russian pianist Emil Gilels. Additionally, Mr. Weiler took lessons and master classes with KarlHeinz Kemmerling, Konstantin Scherbakov, Dmitri Alexeev, Arbo Valdma, Ferenc Rados, and Dr. Yoheved Kaplinsky. Mr. Weiler received the prestigious Nordan Scholarship at TCU and finished his Bachelor of Music (magna cum laude) under the tutelage of Dr. Tamas Ungar. He is currently pursuing his Master of Music degree at the University of Minnesota with Prof. Lydia Artymiw .•

Beethoven Sonata No. 32 in c minor, Op. 111 I. Maestoso - Allegro con brio ed appassionato II. Arietta: Adagio molto semplice cantabile Chopin Etude No. 11 in a minor, Op. 25 Rachmaninoff Etude- Tableau No.4 in d minor, Op. 33 J.S. Bach Partita No. 3 in E Major, BWV 1006 (orr. Rachmaninoff) I. Prelude II. Gavotte Ill. Gigue

SECOND ROUND Mozart Minuet in D Major, K. 355/576b Chopin Sonata No. 2 in b-flat minor, Op. 35 I. Grave - Doppio movimento II. Scherzo Ill. Marche funebre: Lento IV. Finale: Presto Brahms Three Intermezzi, Op.117 Rory Boyle Six T(OK)ENS Kapustin Variations, Op. 41

FINAL ROUND Rachmaninoff Concerto No. 2 in c minor, Op. 18 I. Moderato II. Adagio sostenuto Ill. Allegro scherzando

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NOV EMBER 2016 I Albuquerque, New Mexico USA


Yumin Wu

FIRST ROUND

GERMANY

Chopin

Wu Yumin is in his eighth semester at Hochschule fuer Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin. Wu garnered the attention of famous pianists Fabio Bidini and Eldar Nebolsin and became their student. He was born in 1993 in Hunan Province, China, and grew up in a music-loving family. He received a good education in culture and music from childhood and showed extraordinary interest in classical music when he was only two years old. He began studying piano at age six and won the Second Award of Zhujiang Cup of Teenage Group in Hunan Province at the age of eight and the Gold Award of the 9th Xinghai Cup of Hunan Competition Area the next year. He finished music theory studies in 2002 when he was nine. Starting in 2005, he studied with Professor Zhao Pingguo, a well-known teacher of the Central Conservatory of Music. In 2007, he was admitted to the Central Conservatory of Music-affiliated high school. He won the Silver award of the 5th invitational selection competition for the Beethoven Festival of German in 2008. He not only has extraordinary musical talents, but he is also a diligent, passionate, and aspirant youth. He is a pianist with a strong learning ability, excellent musicreading capability, and impressive memory skills, offering thought-provoking, highly personal, and technically impeccable performances. He has accumulated a wide and varied repertoire. In May 2013, Yumin Wu participated in the 23rd International Piano Concerto Competition in Italy and won 1st Place with Prokofiev's Second Piano Concerto in the Romance Group. He has performed throughout Italy and China with great success .•

Etude No.1 in A-flat Major, "Aeolian Harp," Op.25 Rachmaninoff

Etude- Tableau No.6 inc-sharp minor, Op.33 Rachmaninoff

Prelude No. 5 in g minor, Op. 23 J.S. Bach

Prelude and Fugue No. 11 in F Major from The Well- Tempered Clauier, Book I, BWV 856 Beethoven

Sonata No.4 in E-flat Major, Op. 7 I. Allegro molto e con brio II. Largo con gran espressione Ill. Allegro IV. Rondo. Poco Allegretto e grazioso SECOND ROUND Mozart

Nine Variations on a Minuet by Duport, K.573 Debussy

Estampes I. Pagodes II. La soiree dans Grenade Ill. Jardins sous Ia pluie Schumann

Fantasie inC Major, Op. 17 Rory Boyle

Six T(OK)ENS FINAL ROUND Prokofiev

Concerto No. 2 in g minor, Op. 16 I. Andantino 11. Scherzo. Vivace Ill. Intermezzo. Allegro moderato IV. Finale. Allegro tempestoso

The Olga Kern International Piano Competition

olgakerncompetition.org

37


COMPETITORS

YundiXu FRANCE Born in 1998, Yundi started to play the piano at the age of three under the guidance of her maternal grandfather (himself a pianist and pedagogue) in Beijing, China. In 2002, she won her first piano competition "MIDO" in Paris, and, after a series of concerts, her success brought her to meet the renown Chinese pianist and teacher Zhou Guangren, with whom she continued her studies. Yundi moved to Paris in 2007 and was admitted to the "Ecole normale de musique de Paris-Aifred-Cortot" in the class of Victoria Melki. The following year, she entered the "Conservatoire a Rayonnement Regional de Paris" and graduated in 2012 from Chantal Fraysse's class with the highest grades. Thereafter, at only fourteen years old, she was accepted at the prestigious "Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris" as the youngest candidate, where she studied with Alain Planes, Emmanuel Strasser, and currently with Frank Braley, completing her second year of a Master's degree. Benefiting from the Erasmus Programme, she spent her first year of Master's studies at the Universitat Mozarteum Salzburg in the class of Jacques Rouvier, who has been mentoring and guiding her for many years, both in terms of academic studies and her professional career. In conjunction with her studies at the secondary school and receiving the Baccalaureate diploma, Yundi took part in several competitions where she was

38

awarded first prize, among them: the 20th "FLAME" Competition in Paris (2009), the Steinway Competition in Paris (2010), and the 12th International Competition "Chopin for the Youngest" in Anton in, Poland (2013). She regularly performs in Europe and Asia in venues such as Salle Gaveau, Espace Pierre Cardin, the American Church in Paris, Moulin d'Ande, Salon Michelin, the Radziwill Hunting Palace, Xinghai Concert Hall, and Eslite Performance Hall. She was invited to participate in the Bon Anniversaire Monsieur Chopin in 2010 and in festivals such as "Les Nuit d'Ete a Macon" in 2012, "L'Heure Musicale au Marais" in 2013, and the Ravel Festival of Montfort L'Amaury in 2015. The same year, she collaborated with the Lanzhou Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Zhang Yi, performing Frederic Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1. She has received advice and guidance during master classes with Gary Graffman, Andrzej Jasinski, Tatiana Zelikman, Katarzyna Popowa-Zydron, Mikhail Rudy, Dang Thai Son, and Rena Shereshevskaya. Her concert engagements for next year will include performances in Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, and France .•

NOVEMBER 2016 I Albuquerque, New Mexico USA

FIRST ROUND J.S. Bach

Prelude and Fugue No. 16 in g minor from The Well- Tempered Ctauier, Book II, BWV 885 Mozart

Sonata No. 9 in D Major, K. 311 I. Allegro con spirito II. Andante con espressione Ill. Rondeau Rachmaninoff

Etude- Tableau No.1 in f minor, Op. 33 Chopin

Etude No. 5 in e minor, Op. 25 Mendelssohn/Rachmaninoff

Scherzo from A Midsummer Night's Dream SECOND ROUND Beethoven

Sonata No. 11 in B-flat Major, Op. 22 I. Allegro con brio II. Adagio con molto espressione Ill. Menuetto IV. Rondo: Allegretto Debussy

Images, Set 2 I. Cloches a travers les feuilles II. Et Ia lune descend sur le temple qui fut Ill. Poissons d'or Chopin

Barcarolle, Op. 60 Rory Boyle

Six T(OK)ENS FINAL ROUND Chopin

Concerto No. 1 in e minor, Op. 11 I. Allegro maestoso II. Romanze- Larghetto Ill. Rondo- Vivace


RuiXu

FIRST ROUND

CHINA

J.S. Bach

Xu Rui was born in May 1996 in Beijing, China. She showed her ta lent when she was four years old and then began the study of piano under the guidance of the most distinguished piano professor in China, M• Zhao Pingguo. She has been the top-prize winner of many national and international piano competitions since a very young age: At the age of seven, she won First Prize at the Xiwang Piano Competition in China; at the age of 10, she won First Prize at the 14th Hongkong-Asia Piano Competition; and at the age of 11, she won First Prize at the World Prize for Peace US International Piano Competition. Other prizes include Third Prize at the 56th International Clara Schumann Piano Competition in 2010; First Prize at the 2nd Macau-Asia Piano Competition in 2011; Third Prize at the 4th International Rosario Marciano Piano Competition in 2012; Third Prize at the Primo Concorso lnternazinale Luigi Valperga di Masino in Torino in 2013; and Third Prize at the 24th Concorso lnternazionale per Pianoforte e Orchestra "Ci tta di Cantu" in 2014. She studied at the Central Conservatory of China in Beijing and in Europe at the Hochschule fur Musik "Franz Liszt" in Weimar with Prof. Peter Woos. She continues her studies in Lugano at Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiano with Prof. Nora Doallo. She has been invited to play concerts in China, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland. Her last recital was at Lac in Lugano and was reported by RSI TV News. She performed as a soloist with the Bacau Philharmonic Orchestra and the Orchestra of Conservatorio Svizzera Italiano. She attended master classes with Bernd G6tzke, Jacob Leuschner, Anna Malikova, Ida Gamulin, Darryl Rosenberg, Enrica Ciccarelli, Vladimir Va ljarevic, Pavlina Dokovska, and lzolda V. Zemskova .•

The Olga Kern International Piano Competition

Prelude and Fugue No. 24 in b minor from The Well- Tempered Clauier, Book II, BWV 893 Chopin

Etude No. 4 in c-sharp minor, Op. 10 Debussy

Etude No. 9 pour les notes repetees Beethoven

Sonata No. 3 in C Major, Op. 2 I. Allegro con brio II. Adagio Ill. Scherzo: Allegro IV. Allegro assai Rachmaninoff

Prelude No. 5 in g minor, Op. 23 SECOND ROUND J.S. Bach

Italian Concerto, BWV 971 I. [Allegro] II. Andante Ill. Presto Mendelssohn

Variations serieuses, Op. 54 Chopin

Ballade No.3 in A-flat Major, Op. 47 Prokofiev

Sonata No. 2 in d minor, Op. 14 I. Allegro ma non troppo II. Scherzo. Allegro marcato Ill. Andante IV. Vivace - Moderato- Vivace Rory Boyle

Six T(OK)ENS FINAL ROUND Chopin

Concerto No. 1 in e minor, Op. 11 I. Allegro maestoso II. Romanze- Larghetto Ill. Rondo- Vivace

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COMPETITORS

Fahrettin Eren Yahsi

FIRST ROUND

TURKEY

J.S. Bach

Eren Yah§i has won first prizes at the Second National Young Talent Piano Competition organized by Anado lu University (2002), the First Adnan Saygun Bodrum Piano Competition arranged by the Ninth National Gumu§luk Piano Festival (2012), has been named "Finalist Phenom Lourate" at the World Pianist Invitational Piano Competition (2013), and has won third prize at the Performance Without Limits Piano Competition arranged by Lodz Music Academy, Poland (2013), Born in 1984, Yah§i started piano education in 1995 at Anadolu University State Conservatory, From 1999 until his graduation in 2005, he studied with Prof. Z6hrab Adrguzelzade, Azerbaijani State artist Eren Yah§i has participated in many master classes of Assoc. Prof. Mihai l Lidsky and Prof. Naum Starkman, both at Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow, In 2008, he was accepted at the University for Music and Performing Arts Vienna to study with Prof. inci Hausler-Aitrnok, Prof. Mikhai l Krist, Prof. Roland Keller, and Prof. Oleg Meisenberg, Turkish National Television (TRT Okul) and TV8 have broadcasted Yah§i's performances, He has performed with the Anadolu University Symphony Orchestra; Eski§ehir Municipality Symphony Orchestra, and Azerbaijani Opera Orchestra, His recitals at Viennese and Bulgarian Embassies were highly acclaimed Azerbaijani media praised his performances at Baku Music Academy and Baku State Conservatory, Since 2005, Eren Yah§i has been a faculty member at Anadolu University State Conservatory .•

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NOV EMBER 2016 I Albuquerque, New Mexico USA

Prelude and Fugue No, 2 in c minor from The Well- Tempered Clauier, Book I, BWV 847 Chopin

Etude No, 4 in c-sharp minor, Op, 10 Rachmaninoff

Etude- Tableau No, 9 inc-sharp minor, Op. 33 Beethoven

Sonata No, 21 in C Major, "Wa ldstein," Op, 53 I. Allegro con brio II. lntroduzione, Adagio molto Ill. Rondo, Allegretto moderatoPrestissimo Rachmaninoff

Prelude No, 5 in g minor, Op, 23 SECOND ROUND Prokofiev

Sonata No, 3 in a minor, Op, 28 Ravel

Alborada del gracioso Chopin

Sonata No, 3 in b minor, Op, 58 I. Allegro maestoso II. Scherzo, Molto vivace Ill. Largo IV, Finale, Presto non tanto; Agitato Rory Boyle

Six T(OK)ENS FINAL ROUND Liszt Concerto No, 1 in E-flat Major, S, 124 I. Allegro maestoso II. Quasi adagio Ill. Allegretto vivace- Allegro animato IV, Allegro marziale animato


Yevgeny Yontov

FIRST ROUND

ISRAEL

J.S. Bach

Israeli pianist Yevgeny Yontov began his musical studies at the age of six with Adela Umansky. He later received his B.Mus degree summa cum laude from the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music in Tel-Aviv University, where he studied with Prof. Arie Vardi. He then moved to the USAto study with Prof. Boris Berman at the Yale School of Music, where he received his M.M. degree and is currently pursuing his D.M.A. Top prizes at international piano competitions include the gold medal at the Wideman International Piano Competition in Louisiana, 1st Prize at the Tel-Hoi International Concerto Competition in Israel and a top prize at the International Piano Competition in Pinerolo, Italy, where he also received a special prize for an outstanding performance of a Beethoven Sonata. As an active chamber musician, Yevgeny has played chamber concerts in Israel, Europe, South America, Canada, and the US, in venues that include Carnegie Hall in New York and the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in Washington D.C., with colleagues as well as with distinguished artists, such as David Shifrin, Paul Neubauer, and members of established quartets such as the Orion and Miro Quartets. He has also performed in numerous festiva ls, most recently as a Protege Artist in "Chamber Music Northwest" in Portland, Oregon. As a solo artist, he has performed in solo recita ls and with orchestras, on stages in Israel, the US, Korea, and in many European countries. He also performed on Israeli national TV and recorded for Israeli, Portuguese, and US radios .•

The Olga Kern International Piano Competition

Prelude and Fugue No. 24 in b minor from The Well- Tempered Clavier, Book II, BWV 893 Liszt

Transcendental Etude No. 10 in f minor, "Appassionata " Chopin

Etude No. 5 in e minor, Op. 25 Rachmaninoff

Prelude No. 3 in D major, Op. 23 Beethoven

Sonata No. 32 in c minor, Op. 111 I. Maestoso - Allegro con brio ed appassionato II. Arietta: Adagio molto semplice cantabile SECOND ROUND Debussy

Etudes, Book I Rory Boyle

Six T(OK)ENS Prokofiev

Sonata No. 6 in A Major, Op. 82 I. Allegro inquieto II. Allegretto Ill. Tempo di valzer, lentissimo IV. Vivace FINAL ROUND Prokofiev

Concerto No. 3 in C Major, Op. 26 I. Andante. Allegro II. Tema con variazioni Ill. Allegro ma non troppo

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THANK YOU

COMPETITION

SPECIAL THANKS

Board & Staff

Thank You for Your Generous Support

BOARD

Maureen Boca President

Olga Kern Artistic Director & President of the Jury

Roland Gerencer, MD Vice President

Volunteers, Expertise, Services, & Equipment. The Olga Kern International Piano Competition wou ld like to thank the following people for their support and in-kind donations of volunteer time, expertise, services, product, and equipment

Brent Stevens, KHFM Fred Sturm, piano tuning Hannah Tanau, graphic design Bongani Tembe, KZN Philharmonic Orchestra & Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra Mikol Thompson, Keller Hall Manager Tatiana Vetrinskaya, Director, New Mexico School of Music Joseph Wasson, National Hispanic Cultural Center

Thomas Bird Secretary Treasurer

Marian Tanau Executiue Director

STAFF

City of Albuquerque Mayor Richard J. Berry Trudy Jones & the Albuquerque City Council Dana Feldman & the Albuquerque Cultural Services Department

Olga Kern Artistic Director & President of the Jury

Marian Tanau Executiue Director

Danielle Frabutt Director of Operations

COMPETITION

Volunteers Joe Bentley Alina Cardona Beth Chambers Mark Compton Petra Dawson Jackie Ericksen Robert Gough John Halliday Robert Hawkins Janet Heindel Anthony Landry Anne McKinney Ina Miller John Mims Mary Mims Edward Naimark Geri Newton Nancy Pressley-Naimark Diane Werner Bronwyn Willis Claudia Witzling Suer Wright

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Businesses & Individuals Mancle Anderson, New Mexico Philharmonic Lee Blaugrund & Tanager Properties Management Alexander Boggs, piano tuning Vivian Chiu, Steinway & Sons Alexis Corbin, New Mexico Philharmonic Sandra Doan, Director of Artistic Planning, Cliburn Competition Rosemary Fessinger, Albuquerque Public Schools John Gilbert, Photography Matt Herman, 8VA Music Consultancy Rick & Justin Holcomb, Justin Holcomb Pianos Gregory Isaac, Theatre Jones Vladislav Kern Dr. Janet Landreth, Colorado State University Ron Losby, CEO, Steinway & Sons Jacques Marquis, President and CEO, Cliburn Competition Jackie McGehee, Music Guild of New Mexico Dr. Antonio Mormone, Fondazione La Societa dei Concerti, Italy Dorothy Morse, Adobe & Roses Bed & Breakfast Tim Nenninger, Timbojo Productions Lori Newman, editing Joan Olkowski, graphic design Alexander Onieal, New Mexico Philharmonic Patricia Price, 8VA Music Consultancy Chris Rancier, New Mexico Philharmonic David Rivera, National Hispanic Cultural Center Prof. Falko Steinbach, UNM Department of Music, Piano Department Ekaterina Shirman & Peter Gulko, Victor Spivakov Charitable Foundation

NOV EMBER 2016 I Albuquerque, New Mexico USA

HOST FAMILIES

Thank You We are very grateful to our host families for opening up their homes. Dave Boca Joel & Sandra Boca Mark & Wendy Boca Maureen & Stephen Boca Patrick & Diane Barney Tim & Patsy Beck Jake Chavez Mary Conrad Charles & Eugenia Eberle Dr. Frederick & Elaine Fiber Robert Gough Karl & Wendy Gustafson Alice Hannon & Eiichi Fukushima Sue Hobart & Robert Khanlian Mark Kilburn & Margaret Harvey Bob & Susan McGuire Liz & Don McGuire Ron & Mary Moya Carol L Ritter Mary Ross & Bill Gentry John & Janet Rupley Thomas Seamon Brahna & Janusz Willczynski Lei Yang & Ying Ding Carol F. Zulauf


DONORS Laurel Level DONATION OF $25,000- $49,999

City of Albuquerque Noemi & Michael Neidorff Steinway & Sons

Olga's Circle DONATION OF $10,000- $24,999

Lee Blaugrund Eugenia & Charles Eberle

Platinum Level DONATION OF $5.000-$9,999

Mark & Margaret Carson Keiko & Steven Kaplan, in honor of Olga Kern Craig & Robin Kelly Roland Gerencer The Michaels Foundation Dr. Thomas & Joanne Parker Ill

Gold Level DONATION OF $2,500- $4,999

Anonymous The Computing Center Inc., Maureen & Stephen Boca Dr. Dean Yannias

Silver Level DONATION OF $1,000-$2,499

David & Mary Colton The Griffin Family Carol Lee Klose & Carolyn A. Seale Trust for Women in the Arts, in honor of Olga Kern Paul & Judith Matteucci Robert Milne & Ann DeHart Cynthia Phillips & Thomas Martin Marian & Jennifer Tanau Brooke Tully & Thomas Bird Dr. & Mrs. Albert Westwood

Bronze Level DONATION OF $500- $999

Sheila Barnes Joe Bentley Gay & Stan Betzer Igor Brukner Daniel & Brigid Conklin Robert J. & Greta Dean Thomas Dyble Grund Family Mrs. C hester Kite Henry & Judith Lackner David Machac Jackie & Everett McGehee Mr. & Mrs. Robert McGuire Igor Penka

S. Scott & Virginia "Toots" Obenshain James O'Niell Joyce & Pierce Ostrander Dr. & Mrs. Matt Poage

Friends of the Competition Level DONATION OF $10-$499

JoAnne Altrichter & Robin Tawney Julie Am sden Robert & Marilyn Antinone Veronika Arkhangel Edie Beck Hugh & Margaret Bell Mari lyn Thomas Bernard Denise Bissell Genelia Boenig Julia Bowdich Carolyn Rose Brown Bill Byers C larke Cagle Thom as Cagle Carolyn Callaway Camille Carstens Maureen Carusona Linda C havez Jane & Kenneth Cole David & Mary Colton Martha Cook Ralph Cover Bill Donald Carl & Joanne Donsbach Patricia & Leonard Duda Thomas Dyble Jay Ven Eman Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Fidel Robert & Diane Fleming Terrill Fox Frabu tt Flute Studio Mr. & Mrs. Lawrence A. Fricke Marilyn & Paul Frye David & Tanner Gay Keith Gilbert Sam & Mary Goldman Lorraine B. Gordon Jean & Bob Gough Justin M. & Blanche G. Griffin Lauro Guaderrama Regina Guest Ron & Nancy Halbgewachs Robert Haney Dr. Jo Ellen Head Timothy Howard Mr. Robert Jones John & Julie Ka ltenbach C layton Karkosh Joyce S. Kaser Judy Kauffman Thomas & Greta Ke leher Robert & Toni Kingsley

The O lga Kern International Piano Competition

Frances Salman Koenig Ron Lahti Dianna Lennon, Art of Russia Gallery Dr. & Mrs. Michael Livner Richard & Myra Lynch Tyler M. Mason Susan Mclendon Donna McRae Voice Studio Letitia Morris Shirley Morrison & Cornelis Klein Edward & Nancy Naimark Dr. Michael & Patsy Nelson Mr. & Mrs. Dick Neuman George Novotny Gary Overture Charles & Susan Palmer Oswaldo & Victoria Pereira John Provine Matthew Puariea Ray Reeder Stephen Ridlon Jacquelyn Robins Dr. Estell H. Rosenblum Robert Sabatini Pamela & Richard Salmon Howard & Marian Schreyer Marcia Schi ff Drs. John & Dianna Shomaker Kirk Smith Maryellen Smith Susan M. Spaven Jasmine Lee Steadman Patricia & Luis Stelzner Jane & Doug Swift Suzanne Taichert Donald Thompson Sue A. Thompson Betty Tichich & Fred Bunch Carolyn Tinker Laurence B. Titman Eberhard H. Uhlenhuth Tatiana Vetrinskaya, New Mexico School of Music Mary Sue Warner Barbara & Eugene Wasylenki Maurcena Wel ls Jeffrey West Kay West Joseph & Merida Wexler Roland & Wendy Wiele Jane & Scott Wi lkinson Bill & Sharon Williams James Wood Marc Yellin O lga Zoria

SPONSORS

Sponsors &. Grants

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Updated October 28, 2016

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