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)
