School of Music to host annual international piano festival
Photo by Rhianna Barrow.
This May, the School of Music will host the International Piano Festival and Competition for the 16th year. Various pianists from around the world will join in on this event. The event scheduled for May 27-29, will be held virtually this year due to the pandemic.
The International Piano Festival and Competition will feature a virtual piano competition, masterclasses, a round-table discussion, lessons, recitals and a faculty performance.
Participants, who must be between the ages of 15-24, will pre-submit their competition pieces. There will be cash prizes for the winners. The first-place winner receives $3,000. The second-place winner receives $2,000, and the third-place winner receives $1,000.
This year, participants can work with guests such as Dr. Christopher Harding from the University of Michigan and Dr. Thomas Lanners from Oklahoma State University. Participants will also work with Lee music faculty such as Dr. Jonathan Jung, Dr. Phillip Thomas and Dr. ChoEun Lee.
Various artists from Lee and other universities will teach lessons and give masterclasses for the pianists. The private lessons and mini masterclasses are open to the competition participants and non-participants. These events are designed to help the pianist grow as a musician. The fee for competition participants is $350. The fee for non-competition participants is $250. Observers will pay $40, all due by May 1.
“There are three levels of participants. This includes competition participants, non-competition participants and observers,” said Dr. Jung, assistant professor of piano and Piano Festival director.
While competition participants are eligible to win cash prizes for their submissions, non-competition participants must submit musical pieces.
Those who apply for the event will have access to all of the submitted musical pieces. Participants and observers will have the opportunity to ask the music professors direct questions about music-related opportunities and their personal experiences as music professors.
For the students entering the competition, their music submissions must focus on their talents and skills as a performer. Competition participants must prepare 20-40 minutes of memorized music. They must include a variety of styles such as baroque, classical, romantic and 20th Century Repertoire. Non-competition participants must prepare 10-15 minutes of contrasting music.
“The piano festival put me in some performance situations that really stretched me as a musician,” said junior piano performance major Marry Nerren, who participated in the competition in 2017. “I got to be involved in a masterclass and was able to play and take lessons from a teacher from New York.”
The faculty will review and screen the audition recordings and then select the participants. Normally, around 20 students participate.
“That’s about the average and about all we can accommodate because everyone gets personal instruction,” said Dr. Phillip Thomas, associate dean of the School of Music and distinguished professor of music. “It’s an immersive experience, and participants get to know one another very well. It’s a time for students to interact and make new friends as well as a time to play the piano.”
Senior Piano Performance major Aiden Hendrick, who participated in the competition in 2018, encourages students to get involved with the opportunity.
“Try to be as involved as possible and take advantage of all the opportunities you can because this festival is really unique,” said Hendrick. “It’s a great way to take advantage of opportunities with pretty low cost.”
The Lee University School of Music is excited to host the 16th annual Piano Festival. The deadline to apply is May 1. The School of Music is excited to host the 16th annual Piano Festival and Competition. For more information, visit the website or email pianofestival@leeuniversity.edu.
