Hanoi hosts international piano competition

The first Hanoi International Piano Competition will kick off on Sept. 5 at the Vietnam National Academy of Music (VNAM).
The first Hanoi International Piano Competition will kick off on Sept. 5 at the Vietnam National Academy of Music (VNAM).

The event will continue until September 13 with the participation of63 contestants from the Republic of Korea , Japan , Malaysia ,Thailand , Indonesia , the Philippines , Canada , Russia , Taiwanand host Vietnam .

The biennial competition, withcategories for pianists aged 10-13, 14-17, and 18-25, is beingco-sponsored this year by Techcombank and Vietnam Airlines, said VNAMdirector Ngo Van Thanh.

"Contestants in the youngestage group who make it to the final round will have to play a piece byChopin, followed by the first, second and third movements of sonatas byeither Mozart, Haydn, or Kuhlau," Thanh said.

Pianists in the 14-17-year-old group will play two 15-20-minute piecesby Chopin in addition to one work by a romantic or 20th centurycomposer, while the oldest contestants will have to compete playingChopin's Concerto No 1 or No 2 with Polish conductor Jacek Rogala andthe Hanoi Philharmonic Orchestra.

The winner in eachcategory will receive a cash prize of 1,000 USD, 1,500 USD and 2,000USD, respectively, with lesser awards for second and third placefinishers. The youngest contestant in the final round will also receive aspecial prize.

"The competition can be regarded asthe largest in the region," said VNAM faculty member Tran Thu Ha, whowill chair the jury panel. "Playing an entire concerto in 30-40 minuteswith a conductor and an orchestra is really a challenge for an artist".

Ha has served on the juries of several regionalpiano competitions. She graduated from the Kiev Conservatory in Russiain 1975 and earned a doctorate from the Tchaikovsky Conservatory inMoscow in 1978.

Many of her students have beenwinners or finalists in competitions in Italy , Australia , Indonesia, Japan and the Republic of Korea .

Theremaining members of the jury include Michel Bourdoncle ( France ), HaeWon-chang (the Republic of Korea ), Teruko Hakuta ( Japan ), KyungheeLee ( Australia ), Ruvim Ostrovsky ( Russia ) and Snezana Panovska(Macedonia/Malaysia).

Vietnamese pianist Dang ThaiSon, the first Asian to win a gold medal at the International ChopinPiano Competition in Warsaw in 1980, will be the competition'shonourable president and art director.

Son hasserved on the juries of a number of Chopin competitions in 2010, markingthe 200th birthday of the Polish composer. In this competition, thebest performer of Chopin's music will receive a special prize.

Competitions are open to the public and will take place at 9am-2pmeveryday during September 6-12 at VNAM, 77 Hao Nam street , inHanoi . The competition winners will perform at a gala concert onSeptember 13 at the Hanoi Opera House./.

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