Local audiences have long been able to hear great
performances from established pianists who collaborate with the Rochester
Philharmonic Orchestra in concert. Now in its 14th iteration, the Eastman Young
Artists International Piano Competition also gives classical music fans the
chance to witness emergent pianists from throughout the world. The 2015
competition will take place Sunday, July 12, through Saturday, July 18, at
Eastman School of Music.
During the course of the competition, 24 participants,
ranging in age from 15 to 18, will perform solo repertoire, including
compositions ranging from the Baroque period to present-day, in two preliminary
rounds, as well as a master class session held by a member of the International
Jury.
Founding Director and Eastman Piano Department Chair Douglas Humpherys is quick to note the importance of giving the
competitors ample opportunity to present their craft over the course of
multiple rounds as opposed to a simple “one-and-done” scenario. The role of
education in the competition is also vital. “It’s sort of unusual to have the
masterclasses within the context of a competition, and I like that just because
it puts the educational component in it as well,” Humpherys
says.
The competition is truly international in nature, with
musicians from the United States, China, Russia, Italy — and for the first
time, Australia and England — all vying for three prizes, including a Gold
Medal prize with a full undergraduate scholarship to the Eastman School and a
debut concert this fall in New York City as part of DiMenna
Center Piano Concert Series.
Pianist and incoming Eastman doctoral student Yen-Yu (Jenny)
Chen — a 2010 Silver Medalist at the competition who will perform a Laureate
Concert at Hatch Recital Hall at 7 p.m. on Friday, July 17 — thinks fondly of
her experience as a participant in the competition. “The artists grow together,
learn together, and then compete together,” Chen says.
But what will the artists need to do in order to impress the
judges? “Of course, you’re looking for someone who has an individual voice and
who has something musical and interesting to say; is distinctive in the way they
communicate or express music; but also you’re looking for someone who is very
serious about observing the intentions of the [composers],” Humpherys
says.
He goes on to explain the paradoxical responsibility of the
young performers to balance adherence to tradition with a fresh interpretation.
“It’s a very thin line to walk for this generation of pianists because on the
one hand, everyone wants them to be individual, and on the other hand, everyone
wants them to do exactly what Beethoven or whichever composer they’re playing
marked in the score,” Humpherys says. “So it’s
finding a way to observe the composer’s intentions and simultaneously having
their own voice and saying something with some depth and some expressive
quality. And I think the expressiveness is the part of the talent that the
world values the most.”
The competition will culminate in the final round on
Saturday, July 18, 7 p.m. at Kodak Hall, where five pianists will perform an
excerpt from a concerto with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, led by
conductor Neil Varon.
The concerto component was first included in the competition
in 2010, and Humpherys credits its inclusion, in
part, with the cultivation and growth of the event as a whole. “Certainly the
addition of finals with Rochester Philharmonic has been a huge help,” Humpherys says. “This is one of the few competitions for
the ages of 15 to 18 that is distinguished by a final-round concerto
performance with a major orchestra.”
The Eastman Young Artists International Piano Competition
will open with a concert featuring Andrey Gugnin on
Sunday, July 12, 3 p.m. in Kilbourn Hall. Tickets are
$10-$20.
Preliminary rounds run 1:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m., and 7:30 p.m.
each day, Monday through Friday, in Kilbourn Hall.
These performances are free.
The competition’s final round takes place Saturday, July 18,
7:30 p.m. in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre. Tickets are $25.
This article appears in Jul 8-14, 2015.
