by Mike Telin
Following the conclusion of the Semifinal rounds on Sunday afternoon, August 1, Piano Cleveland announced that Byeol Kim (South Korea), Yedam Kim (South Korea), Lovre Marušić (Croatia), and Martín García García (Spain) would advance to the Finals of the 2021 Cleveland International Piano Competition.
The first phase is the Chamber Music Round which continues tonight at 7:00 pm in Gartner Auditorium at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Lovre Marušić and Martín García García both perform Shostakovich’s Piano Quintet in g, Op. 57 with the Escher Quartet. In-person and virtual tickets are available here.
On Monday morning the finalists were invited to select either a New York or Hamburg Steinway for their Chamber Music Rounds. The Hamburg won three to one. After their selections were made, I had the opportunity to sit down with each contestant for one-on-one conversations in Wade Oval.
Today we hear from Lovre Marušić and Martín García García. Their responses have been edited for clarity.