The First China Shenzhen International Piano Concerto
Competition will be held from October 18 to 28 at the Shenzhen
Grand Theater. A concerto competition is rare in the world and the
first of its kind in China, said Dan Zhaoyi, renowned piano teacher
and executive artistic director of the contest.
A US$30,000 cash prize will be awarded to the top winner, an
award at the level of advanced international piano
competitions.
Shenzhen, the future "city of pianos," will become the third
city in China hosting international piano contests. The current two
contests are China International Piano Competition (CIPC) in
Beijing and China Shanghai International Piano Competition. The
Shenzhen international competition was approved by the Ministry of
Culture in June, after three months' constant effort by the
Municipal Culture Bureau.
A total of 51 contestants, 21 from the mainland, three from
Taiwan, and 16 from 11 foreign countries, aged 16 to 30, have
passed the initial audition and will compete in October.
The contest is especially meaningful to Chinese pianists,
according to Dan, as quite a number of excellent Chinese pianists
lose in international contests, only because they don't have much
experience in performing with symphony orchestras.
The Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra will accompany the semifinalists
and finalists. Quintets of the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra will
accompany the earlier stages of competition.
Guaranteeing international standards of competition, the
organizing committee has invited 10 world-renowned pianists and one
conductor, who chairs the jury for the Van Cliburn International
Piano Competition, to serve as jury members. Seven are from foreign
countries. Zhou Guangren, founder of the CIPC and professor of the
Central Conservatory of Music, is chairwoman of the jury.
While the jury members are in Shenzhen, they are invited to give
lectures on the piano to contestants as well as other piano
students.
Sponsored by the Shenzhen Municipal Government, the piano
contest is also meant to promote Shenzhen as "city of pianos," and
enrich the cultural life of the city.
More than 8 percent of families in Shenzhen have pianos, among
the highest percentage in China. More than 150,000 people of all
ages are learning to play the piano and every year almost 10,000
people take degree exams in piano performance. Several local
pianists have won top prizes in major domestic and international
competitions.
To encourage more residents to participate in the grand cultural
feast, all 24 rounds of the competitions will be open to the
public. Comparatively low prices will be charged for tickets and
some middle school students will be invited to attend free of
charge.
(Shenzhen Daily September 14, 2006)
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