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CIPC Round 1, Session 4, Sunday, July 11

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by Cait Winston

Bowen Li (24, China) opened this round of the CIPC with Bach’s French Suite No. 5 in G. He maintained an engaging pace throughout the piece, skipping through melodic passages with grace and levity, while making sure to give appropriate emphasis to emotional moments. 

Li showed thrilling virtuosity in Chopin’s Etude in F, Op. 10 No. 8, flying up and down the keys with both agility and clarity, and using his flawless technique to fluidly shift the mood of the piece from excited to intense.  [Read more…]

CIPC Announces 2018 Prizes in Young Artists Competition

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by Daniel Hathaway

CIPC YA FInalists 2018

Customarily, the Cleveland International Piano Competition announces its winner late in the evening of its final round, which this year featured concertos with the Canton Symphony Orchestra on Friday evening, June 8 at the Maltz Performing Arts Center. But for the Young Artists Competition this time around, CIPC kept its competitors and followers in suspense until an awards ceremony the following evening at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Here are the results (L-R: Shuan Hern Lee, Hao Wei Lin, Eva Gevorgyan, Xiaoxuan Li, Yunchan Lim, JiWon Yang):

JUNIOR DIVISION
First Prize ($10,000): Eva Gevorgyan (13, Russia)
Second Prize ($5,000): Yunchan Lim (13, South Korea)
Third Prize ($2,500): Hao Wei Lin (13, Taiwan)

SENIOR DIVISION
First Prize ($25,000): Xiaoxuan Li (16, China)
Second Prize ($10,000): Shuan Hern Lee (15, Australia)
Third Prize ($5,000): JiWon Yang (16, South Korea) [Read more…]

All Piano Competition Prizes announced

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2016CIPCLaureatesAt the Awards Ceremony on Sunday, August 6, the 2016 Cleveland International Piano Competition bestowed the following awards.

Mixon First Prize
Nikita Mndoyants wins a cash award of $75,000 donated by Mr. and Mrs. A. Malachi Mixon; management services for the next three years; a New York Recital Debut at Weill Hall in Carnegie Hall to take place on June 7, 2017; and a compact disc recording on the Steinway & Sons label.

Second Prize
Knowlton Second Prize of $25,000 to Leonardo Colafelice, Italy
Presented by Karen Knowlton, with major support from Mr. and Mrs. Richard A. Manuel and Mrs. Marvin A. Evenchik, additional support from Clara T. Rankin. [Read more…]

Cleveland International Piano Competition: final rounds with The Cleveland Orchestra (August 5-6)

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by Daniel Hathaway

WesthuizenThree-quarters of their final score had already been totted up when the four finalists in the 2016 Cleveland International Piano Competition made their last lap around the track at Severance Hall on Friday and Saturday evenings, August 5 and 6. Handsome cash prizes were waiting at the end, but appearing with Bramwell Tovey and The Cleveland Orchestra was its own distinguished reward. (Photo: CEO Pierre van der Westhuizen welcomes the audience.) [Read more…]

Cleveland International Piano Competition: conversations with the four finalists

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by Mike Telin

FourFinalistsNow that the four finalists of the Cleveland International Piano Competition have completed their chamber music performances with the Escher String Quartet, we had a chance to sit down and meet them for the first time in the Case Western Reserve University dormitory where the contestants are being housed. On Friday, August 5 and Saturday, August 6 the finalists will play their concertos with The Cleveland Orchestra under the direction of Bramwell Tovey at Severance Hall. (L-R: Leonardo Colafelice, Georgy Tchaidze, Dinara Klinton, and Nikita Mndoyants).

We first spoke with Nikita Mndoyants of Russia and Leonardo Colafelice of Italy.

Mike Telin: So far, what has been the most memorable moment of the competition?

Nikita Mndoyants: For me it was playing the chamber music round. It was a pleasure to play with such great musicians. And I am really looking forward to playing with The Cleveland Orchestra. [Read more…]

Cleveland International Piano Competition Finals: Colafelice & Klinton with the Escher Quartet (August 3)

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by Daniel Hathaway

Colafelice1How do you tell a great chamber music performance from an ordinary one? That’s what the jury and audience are asking themselves this week as the Cleveland International Piano Competition puts its four finalists through a chamber music round with the Escher String Quartet. [Read more…]

Behind the scenes at the Cleveland International Piano Competition

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by Mike Telin

CIPCBackstage2Long before the pianists arrive and each session begins, a whole group of people arrive to begin work backstage at Gartner Auditorium — making sure that microphones and cameras are properly placed and focused, that the audio and video feeds are working, that pianos are tuned, that radio broadcasts are announced, and that ushers are ready to take tickets, seat the audience, and deal with latecomers.

When I arrived in the lobby one hour prior to the 7:00 start time for the chamber music segment of the finals on Tuesday, the ushers were busy preparing to receive the audience, and volunteers were stocking the competition gift shop with program books, CDs and other CIPC items.

When audio engineer Alan Bise meets me and takes me backstage, the piano technician is busy tuning the Hamburg Steinway that both Georgy Tchaidze and Nikita Mndoyants had chosen for their performances with the Escher String Quartet. [Read more…]

Cleveland International Piano Competition Finals: Tchaidze & Mndoyants with the Escher Quartet (August 2)

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by Daniel Hathaway

Tchaidze1In a new twist this time around, the Cleveland International Piano Competition is requiring each of its finalists to play a chamber music round with the Escher String Quartet. Aside from the welcome change in musical timbre after many hours of solo piano music, this new round is designed to show how well pianists play with others — a direct look at their musicianship in collaboration with a world-class ensemble before moving on to play concertos with The Cleveland Orchestra. [Read more…]

Cleveland International Piano Competition: Semifinal Round, Sessions 3 & 4 (August 1)

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by Daniel Hathaway

Gartner-StageWhile the first and second rounds of the Cleveland International Piano Competition require contestants to show their mettle in required repertoire categories, the semi-final round turns them loose to design their own hour-long recitals — demonstrating their ability “to present a well-planned, stylistically diverse program.” Emcee Zsolt Bognár informally added the caveat that the programs should be “engaging for the audience.” [Read more…]

Cleveland International Piano Competition: Semifinal Round, Session 2 (July 31)

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by Mike Telin

Mndoyants-YangThe semi-finals of The Cleveland International Piano Competition continued at 3:00 pm on Sunday, July 31 in Gartner Auditorium at the Cleveland Museum of Art, when a large audience was treated to polished performances by Nikita Mndoyants (27, Russia, left) and Yuanfan Yang (19, United Kingdom, right). In addition to being accomplished pianists, the two are also award-winning composers. They also each concluded their programs with the second of Prokofiev’s three “war sonatas.” [Read more…]

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