Dear piano teachers and students,
Welcome to the Sixth Annual Piano Festival/Competition on December 7th, 2013, at Mercer Island Presbyterian Church, sponsored by the Russian Chamber Music Foundation of Seattle. Our competition grows yearly, giving more students opportunities to perform in venues in the Seattle area and beyond. Last year’s winners performed at the “Keyboard Wizards” winners’ concert at Sherman Clay Pianos, a pre-concert recital at Benaroya Hall, and live on Classical King FM’s Northwest Focus show. This year’s winners will perform at the “Keyboard Wizards” concert at our new location, Mercer Island Presbyterian Church. Select winners will perform at the preconcert recital at Benaroya Hall, live on Classical King FM, and/or at our exciting new collaborative recital with the Emerald Ballet Theatre at Benaroya Hall. The previous (2012) year’s first prize winners are not eligible to win in the same category, but are encouraged to compete in a different category and with different repertoire. Adjudicators for this year’s competition will select winners from the following categories:
Solo:
Group A – 5-7 years (up to 4 minutes) – Fee $40
Group B – 8-10 years (up to 5 minutes) – Fee $45
Group C – 11-14 years (up to 7 minutes) – Fee $50
Group D – 15-18 years (up to 10 minutes) – Fee $55
Group E – 10-26 years Tchaikovsky’s The Seasons, Op. 37a
(1 selection, excluding March, April, June, and October) – Fee $50
Group F – 19-26 years (up to 13 minutes) – Fee $65
Group G – 27 years and older (up to 13 minutes) Fee $65
Ensemble:
Group H – Concerto (pre-college students up to age 18) – Fee $60
Group I – Chamber Music (all ages) – Fees $90 (duet), $135 (trio), $180 (quartet). Other ensembles, please inquire
for fee.
Prizes: First place winners will receive a trophy, second and third places will receive a medal, and honorable mentions will receive a certificate. First and second prize winners will perform at the “Keyboard Wizards” concert. Select winners will perform at the pre-concert recital at Benaroya Hall and/or on Classical King FM’s Northwest Focus. Multiple performers in the Seasons category will be asked to perform for the April 27th, 2014 Tchaikovsky’s Seasons event with dancers from the Emerald Ballet Theatre at Benaroya Hall. New this year for Groups A, B, C, and D are Teachers’ Choice Awards. Concerto winners will receive a recommendation letter for the Seattle Symphony Young Artists Auditions. Two winners will be chosen to receive $250 scholarships.
All repertoire must be composed by Russian or Soviet composers.
The application process is now entirely online: submit entries and fees (see rules for details) between September 1 and November 15, 2013 at www.russianchambermusic.org. No mailed entries will be accepted.
If you have questions, please contact Competition Director, Chelsea Bloomberg, at 425-344-1342 or cbloomberg@russianchambermusic.org.