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| Formation | 1956 |
|---|---|
| Dissolved | 2016 |
| Type | Not-for-profit Organization |
| Location | |
World Piano Competition, Inc. was a not-for-profit arts organization based in Cincinnati, Ohio, and was dedicated to the promotion of classical piano music.
History
The organization was granted their non-profit, tax-exempt status in 1985. The competition was "America’s oldest annual piano competition for both Artists and Young Artists" and had featured performers from across the globe since 1956. Their mission was, "to inspire and positively impact our diverse communities with the joy and power of piano music, and celebrate and support young artists, locally and internationally, as they begin their careers." The competition gained international traction when a photo of a bloody piano was shared nearly 4,000 times on Facebook. Jack Rouse, who was chairman of the board for the competition, hopes the competition would be able to eventually find its way back to a financially viable state. The competition was partnered with two musical organizations also located in Cincinnati: University of Cincinnati College – Conservatory of Music and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Both the international Artist Division and regional Young Artist Division competitions were held annually at the University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music, and winners in both competitions received cash prizes and recital opportunities in New York City. Finalists in the Artist Division competition perform with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Awadagin Pratt, an associate professor of music at the college-Conservatory of Music, was artistic director in 2012 and the grand prize in 2015 included $45,000 and a recital in New York.
24 competitors were heard in Cincinnati following a pre-screening round. Competitors were then expected to play a 40-minute recital and, if successful, a 60-minute recital if they advanced to the final round.
Due to the inability to raise the required $300,000 to continue the competition for the coming years, the competition was forced to discontinue the event after their 60th anniversary in 2016.
Competition Winners
| Year | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Marianna Prjevalskaya | Jin Uk Kim | Misha Namirovsky |
| 2014 | Moye Chen | ~ | Feng Bian / Reed Tetzloff |
| 2015 | Artem Yasynskyy | ~ | ~ |
References
- ^ "Cincinnati World Piano Competition, Inc". Guidestar. Retrieved 2020-10-14.
- ^ Yale School of Music July 14, 2013
- ^ "About". Cincinnati World Piano Competition. 2013-04-24. Retrieved 2020-10-14.
- ^ "A Pianist Played Until Her Fingers Bled – and the Internet Takes Notice | WQXR Editorial". WQXR. 14 June 2015. Retrieved 2020-10-14.
- ^ Gelfand, Janelle. "Cincinnati World Piano Competition won't play it again". The Enquirer. Retrieved 2020-10-07.
- Steinway and Sons press release.
- Official Site (Archived)
- Alink-Argerich Foundation Listing- Vroon, Donald R, "World piano competition: Searching out the talent, ages 5 to 30", American Record Guide 65.5 (Sep/Oct 2002): 30-31+.
- Hutton, Mary Ellyn. (March 3, 2013), "A New Day for Cincinnati's World Piano Competition", Music in Cincinnati. Retrieved June 23, 2013.
- iSPYCINC I, July 9, 2013
- Janelle Gelfand (June 30, 2014). "Chinese pianist wins World Piano Competition". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved August 27, 2020.