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The Cleveland International Piano Competition:
Week Two and beyond

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by Mike Telin

After a three-day break, Competition first-round performances will continue on Thursday, July 15 at 7:00 pm. Audiences can also experience that evening’s session by attending the Watch Party at the Beachwood Community Center. Pack a picnic and bring your chairs to watch performances under the stars and on the big screen. Click here to register for the free event.

New at this year’s competition is the Trivia Night/Watch Party on Thursday, July 22 at 7:00 pm at the The Music Box Supper Club. Hosts Yaron Kohlberg and Zsolt Bognár (pictured) have created questions that are designed to engage every level of piano and classical music enthusiast. Teams can be up to six people, so bring your friends (or make new ones) and enjoy great music and a chance to win a Cleveland musical prize package.

The ticketed event will include the buffet-style menu on the Music Box’s website. The first drink is on CIPC, but after that, for the rest of the evening you can purchase your favorite beverage at the cash bar. Click here to purchase tickets online or call 216.242.1250. [Read more…]

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 Round 1, Session 3,
Saturday, July 10

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by Jarrett Hoffman

Precision, clarity, and character stood out in the opening selection from Vitaly Starikov (25, Russia) — Bach’s Fantasia and Fugue in a, BWV 904. He brought the different voices of the opening into a discussion of their own, and pointed up certain phrases in the Fugue with an attractive, manic energy.

Two works by Chopin followed. The tempestuous opening of the Etude in b, Op. 25, No. 10 (“Octave”) was engagingly phrased, and the conclusion was emphatic. The Op. 23 Ballade No. 1 in g was a bit consistently intense in tone, but Starikov’s technique shone in several delightful scampers around the keyboard. [Read more…]

CIPC Round 1, Session 2,
Friday, July 9

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by Stephanie Manning

Lucas Thomazinho headshotLucas Thomazinho (25, Brazil) began the second session of the first round with Czerny’s Variations on a Theme by Rode, Op. 33 (“La Ricordanza”), where he impressed with beautiful dynamic contrasts. He played with a fluidity that served him well over the five variations, shifting gracefully between the gentler moments to quick and light passages.

The pianist then emphasized his dramatic side in Scriabin’s Fantasie in B Minor, Op. 28. His hands moved furiously through complex tangles of notes, but he kept a level head throughout, ensuring that brief moments of calm were treated with the utmost care.

[Read more…]

CIPC Round 1, Session 1,
Thursday, July 8

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by Mike Telin

During the first round, contestants have 20 minutes to introduce themselves to the audience, and the four pianists in Session One used them to bring out their best musical personalities.

Kicking off the 2021 edition of the Competition was Lin Ye (28, China) who demonstrated his ample technical ability in Chopin’s Etude in A Minor, Op. 25, No. 11 (“Winter Wind”). His well-balanced chords in the opening led into the fast section that emphasized the virtuosic passages rather than the famous repeated theme. [Read more…]

The Cleveland International Piano Competition Returns This Week With Virtual 1st & 2nd Rounds

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by Mike Telin

The moment has arrived. After a year-long postponement, Piano Cleveland’s signature event — the Cleveland International Piano Competition (CIPC) — will take place from July 7 through August 11. The 2021 competition will be hybrid, including pre-recorded First and Second Rounds with Semi-Final and Final Rounds taking place in Cleveland.

This year twenty-six contestants between the ages of 20-32 and representing twelve countries, will compete for an opportunity to perform with The Cleveland Orchestra and to win the Mixon First Prize of $75,000, a New York performance debut, management services, and a recording on the Steinway & Sons label.

On July 7 at 7:00 pm, The Virtual Opening Ceremony will introduce the 26 contestants. The evening, hosted by CIPC artist director Yaron Kohlberg and Living the Classical Life‘s Zsolt Bognar, will also feature a special performance by 2016 Mixon First Prize winner Nikita Mndoyants (pictured below).

This time around, the Opening Ceremony, as well as the first and second rounds, will be made available free-of-charge and broadcast from Piano Cleveland’s website and YouTube channel. Semi-Final and Final Rounds are ticketed and feature virtual and in-person options. Click here for details. [Read more…]

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