(New Orleans, La. – July 1, 2022) Next month, the Musical Arts Society of New Orleans, known as MASNO, presents the 28th New Orleans International Piano Competition at Loyola. Twelve of the world’s top emerging pianists have been invited to New Orleans from July 17 – July 24 to compete in the university’s renowned Roussel Hall for cash, performance and recording prizes valued at more than $75,000.
“Returning after four years due to the pandemic, the New Orleans International Piano Competition received an enthusiastic response with the preliminary round garnering a record number of applicants at an extraordinary level,” said Carol McCool Wolf, executive and artistic director. “This proves again that the NOIPC continues to put New Orleans on the map in the world of classical piano and the arts, and is highly regarded as playing an integral role in the careers and livelihoods of many top artists.”
The 12 semi-finalists were carefully selected from over 200 international auditions to compete. They are: Sergey Belyavsky, Yedam Kim, Davide Ranaldi Alexey Sychev, Rachel Breen, Minsung Lee, Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner, Zihao Wu, Tatiana Dorokhova, Jonathan Mamora, Elia Cecino, and Seho Young.
Prizes include concerto performances with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra, the Acadiana Symphony Orchestra; a solo concert at New York City’s Merkin Hall, a solo concert at the University of New Orleans Musical Excursion Series. Steinway & Sons, now the premier sponsor of the competition, will provide the gold medalist with a studio recording on the Steinway & Sons label.
“It’s thrilling to host an international competition of this stature every year at Loyola,” said Kern D. Maass, dean of the College of Music and Media at Loyola. “Loyola has been an anchor institution for the creative economy in New Orleans for more than 100 years and it’s wonderful to be part of this tradition, which brings top talent and profound learning experiences to the university.”
The competition is held concurrently with the New Orleans Piano Institute and Keyboard Festival, an award-winning intensive and solo performance program designed for top-flight junior high school, high school and college pianists performing at the intermediate and advanced levels. Participants enjoy masterclasses, guest lectures and discussions and perform in a Student Showcase recital open to the public. Participants may also observe the competition throughout the week, with no additional costs beyond their tuition.
Guest artist Antonio Pompa-Baldi, former gold medalist of the Cleveland International Piano Competition and former silver medalist of the Van Cliburn International Piano competition, will open the Keyboard Festival on July 17 with an afternoon recital featuring works of Bach-Busoni, Howard Ferguson, Roberto Piana, and Franz Lizst. Pompa-Baldi’s program explores a wide range of pieces from varying countries and eras that exemplify Pompa-Baldi as an internationally renowned artist through his interpretations.
For more information, to enroll in NOPI or to purchase tickets, visit www.masno.org.
Source: http://www.loyno.edu/news/jun-30-2022_masno-presents-annual-international-piano-competition-loyola