56 international pianists compete in Cambridge
Boston Piano Amateurs, Boston, MA. The Boston Piano Amateurs Association (BPA) is a tax-exempt non-profit organization which was founded in. Chesapeake Chamber Music Competition (Maryland, US) 1. Boston’s innovative “wide tail” design permits a 5'10' Boston grand the same soundboard area as a typical 6'2' grand piano, creating the power, richness and feel of playing a much larger instrument. Superior wood, excellent sound. Each Boston soundboard is crafted of solid Sitka spruce, long proven to be the most resonant material available.
MCGRATHPR.com – Boston Piano Amateurs Association (BPAA) celebrates its 10th Boston International Piano Competition from June 5 through 8 at Longy School of Music’s Edward M. Pickman Concert Hall, 27 Garden Street Cambridge. The four-day biennial event draws top talent competitors from around the globe. Competition rounds and awards presentations are open to the public, under the leadership of Competition Director Robert S. Finley.
BPAA’s Boston International PianoCompetition attracts highly talented adult amateur pianists age 30 and abovefrom across the globe, passionate as performing artists, second to their maincareers. Contestants are often highlysuccessful doctors, engineers, lawyers, teachers, accountants or flightattendants, in addition to performing as technically adept and musical pianoamateurs with truly magnificent skill. Many have multiple accolades on their competition resume, havingperformed in recital and with orchestras locally and internationally. The 2019 roster boasts 56 competitorssummoning from Japan, China, Russia, Germany, France, Ireland, the UnitedKingdom, the Netherlands, Canada and from across the United States, some localto Boston.
NEPTA also offers competitions for Middle School and High School students, with awards for High School competition performances of a required 20th/21st Century piece and for the best performance of a Romantic piece. Donating to NEPTA supports these opportunities as well as our teacher Enrichment Program and general operations. A: Boston Piano Amateurs Association Inc. (BPAA), the creator of the Boston International Piano Competition, is a nonprofit organization founded in 2001 to organize piano competitions for highly. The Steinway Junior Piano Competition, open to young pianists ages 18 and under and held at Steinway showrooms throughout the United States and Canada, is an extension of our unwavering commitment to the pursuit of superior artistic expression through piano performance.
“It is gratifyingto witness how much our competition has grown, and how highly regarded it hasbecome, attracting wonderful pianists from all over the world, inspiring and motivating all of us to improve our levelof performance to the highest standard possible,” shares DirectorFinley. “Itis a joy to contribute to enriching the cultural life of Boston and to interestfans new and old with classical music and exceptional piano performance.”
The BostonInternational Piano Competition is divided into gold and silver “streams”.The silver stream features two rounds, preliminary and final, with 15-minutesmaximum of repertoire from each competitor in each round. The jury listens tosilver stream contestants and selects several to progress to the final round.The jury then listens to the finalists and selects first, second and thirdprize winners.
The gold stream is athree-round competition with preliminary, semifinal and final rounds of 15, 15and 30-minutes in duration. The jury listens to the preliminary roundcontestants, selects semifinalists, listens to select the finalists, and thenlistens to the finalists to select the grand prizewinner, second and thirdprize winners.
Following the competition, an awardsceremony is held on Saturday where prize winners, including the grand prizewinner, are announced. Special prizes forthe best performances of romantic, classical, baroque, modern piano pieces areawarded, as well as an audience prize, selected by audience ballot.
The competition venue at Longy’sEdward M. Pickman Hall features an exceptional Steinway instrument andexcellent acoustics for the mutual appreciation of audiences and performingartists alike. The competition iswebcast live to a worldwide audience, judged by five world renowned concertpianists and professors of piano from New England Conservatory, the BostonConservatory and Boston University, and the Longy School of Music at BardCollege, including Michael Lewin (Chairman), Eri Nakamura, Jonathan Bass,Wayman Chin, and Gila Goldstein. Competitionwinners are awarded cash prizes, and the grand prize winner performs in recitalthe following calendar year.
10thBoston International Piano Competition Schedule:
Preliminary Round: Wednesday, June 5 and Thursday, June 6,12:15 pm to 8:30 pm
Silver Stream Finals, Gold Stream Semifinals: Friday, June7, 1:30 pm to 8 pm
Gold Stream Finals: Saturday, June 8, 1:30 pm to 5 pm
Boston Piano Amateurs Association,founded in 2001, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the visionof promoting Boston as a center for non-professional pianistic excellence, andenriching its cultural life; interesting and educating the public in classicalmusic and piano playing; providing performance opportunities, masterclasses andworkshops for adult non-professional pianists of all levels, to help improvetheir playing; and offering biennial piano competitions for outstandingnon-professionals.
All rounds of the BostonInternational Piano Competition are open to the public, admission is free. Tolearn more, visit Boston Piano Amateurs Association at bostonpianoamateurs.org,follow Boston Amateaurs Association on Facebook, or contact the CompetitionDirector at 508-393-6740. For moreinformation about the event venue at Longy School of Music of Bard College’sEdward M. Pickman Hall, visit longy.edu.
About the Boston International Piano Competition
Founded in 2001 by the Boston PianoAmateurs Association, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, Boston Piano Amateurs Association(BPAA), founded in 2001, is a tax-exempt non-profit organization dedicated tothe vision of promoting Boston as a center for non-professional pianisticexcellence, and enriching its cultural life; interesting and educating thepublic in classical music and piano playing; providing performanceopportunities, masterclasses and workshops for adult non-professional pianistsof all levels, to help improve their playing; and offering biennial pianocompetitions for outstanding non-professionals.
Boston Piano Competition
The Boston International PianoCompetition (BIPC) debuted in 2001 at Boston Conservatory of Music and SandersTheatre in Cambridge. The biennial competition originated from a committeeof piano musician enthusiasts, out of their mutual appreciation for amateurpiano competitions, under the leadership of Competition Director Robert S.Finley.
BIPC attracts highly talented adultamateur pianists over the age of 30 from across the globe, passionate asperforming artists, second to their main careers. Contestants are often highly successfuldoctors, engineers, lawyers, teachers, accountants or flight attendants, inaddition to performing as technically adept and musical piano amateurs withtruly magnificent performances. Manyhave multiple accolades on their competition resume, having performed withorchestras locally and internationally. The 2019 roster of competitors summon from Japan, China, Russia,Germany, France, Ireland, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Canada and fromacross the United States, some local to Boston.
Celebrating its 10thbiennial competition in 2019, BIPC now helms from Longy School of Music’sEdward M. Pickman Hall, featuring an exceptional Steinway instrument andexcellent acoustics for the mutual appreciation of audiences and performingartists alike. The competition iswebcast live to a worldwide audience, judged by five world renowned concertpianists and professors of piano from New England Conservatory, the BostonConservatory and Boston University. Competition winners are awarded cash prizes, and the grand prize winnerperforms in recital the following calendar year.
All rounds of the BostonInternational Piano Competition are open to the public, admission isfree. To learn more, visit Boston Piano Amateurs Association at bostonpianoamateurs.org,follow Boston Amateaurs Association on Facebook, or contact the CompetitionDirector at 508-393-6740. For moreinformation about the event venue at Longy School of Music of Bard College’sEdward M. Pickman Hall, 27 Garden Street, Cambridge, visit longy.edu.
BU School of Music offers the best of both worlds: an immersive music program and the diverse opportunities of a major research university. So dive deep. Be transformed not only as an artist but as a leader, entrepreneur, advocate, and thinker.
Piano study at Boston University is designed to inspire and prepare young artists for the exciting and varied opportunities that await them in today’s musical world. Be a part of a rich pianistic tradition, represented historically by great artists associated with Artur Schnabel, Isabelle Vengerova, Grigory Ginzburg, Heinrich Neuhaus, Claudio Arrau, Bela Nagy, and others. This tradition continues today, with the faculty strongly representing the German, Polish, Italian, and Russian schools of piano artistry.
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Degrees Offered
- Bachelor of Music
in Performance, Music Education, Composition & Theory, or Musicology - Master of Music
- Performance Diploma
- Doctor of Musical Arts
- Artist Diploma
By the numbers
Faculty
Tanya GabrielianAssistant Professor, Piano; Chair, Piano
Gila GoldsteinLecturer in Music, Piano
Linda Jiorle-NagySenior Lecturer in Music, Piano
Pavel NersessianAssociate Professor of Music, Piano
Boaz SharonProfessor Music, Piano
Curriculum
Applied Study
In keeping with its long history of world class instruction, the piano department offers BM, MM, DMA degrees in Piano Performance, as well as the Performance Diploma and Artist Diploma. Our graduate students hail from the best universities and conservatories around the world.
Boston Piano Competition 2020
At BU, discover and foster your goals and strengths working closely with one of our internationally recognized faculty-artists who guides your pianistic development.
Sit down at one of our 160 pianos and let our 119 state-of-the-art practice rooms be your laboratory to learn repertoire, build technique, and experiment musically. Fortify ideas and test yourself through our ample performance opportunities in both formal and informal settings.
Undergraduate piano students can participate in the Piano Forum, in which recitals, conversations, and special events take place
Chamber Music
BU School of Music is dedicated to the study of chamber music at all levels. Our program instills in students the professional skills and entrepreneurial spirit necessary to have chamber music be a meaningful part of their careers. Chamber music and collaborative projects are strongly encouraged by the Piano Department, both within the School of Music as well as throughout the university.
Piano Pedagogy
We offer and recommend our highly innovative piano pedagogy courses. Upon completion of two of these courses, students have an opportunity to be selected for practical experience teaching students at BU. In addition, several BU piano students have performed and gained coached teaching experience at Boston University Tanglewood Insititute (BUTI). BUTI is associated with the Tanglewood Music Festival in the lovely Berkshire Mountains of western Massachusetts. The Young Artists Piano Program takes place for 6 weeks each summer.
Performance Opportunities
With over 400 performances per year at the School of Music alone you will always be just a few steps from taking the stage.
In addition to individual private lessons, students participate in studio activities, perform in recitals and masterclasses, and also have the opportunity to compete in the annual BU Concerto Competition, several award winners of which have been invited to perform with the Boston Pops at Symphony Hall. In addition, our highly-competitive Richmond Competition, which is only open to BU piano students, offers a prize of $8000 and a prestigious appearance at the Tsai Performing Arts Center. Piano students are also active with the esteemed Boston University Center for Beethoven Research.
And don’t forget: this is Boston, a city where music matters. Our piano students are provided an exciting array of opportunities and having access to all that Boston offers means that students have an endless supply of musical events and inspiration right outside their door!
Recent Masterclasses
Play for an exciting roster of guest artists. In recent years, the piano program has had visitors such as:
- Jerome Lowenthal
- Dang Thai Son
- Robert Roux
- Marina Lomazov
- Andrius Zlabys
- Adam Neiman
- Joanne Polk
- Menachem Pressler
- Choong Mo Kang
- Anton Nel
- Douglas Humphreys
- John Perry
- Robert Levin
- James Giles
- Ian Hobson
- Asaf Zohar
- Janice Weber
- Dmitry Rachmanov
- Paul Barnes
- John O’Connor
- And many others!
Other Opportunities
- In addition to events on and around campus, the artist-faculty is extremely active with summer festivals, including Boston University Tanglewood Institute, Szechuan International Piano Festival, and the San Juan International Piano Festival. BU students have long participated in those summer festivals, as well as others facilitated by BU faculty in Russia, Luxembourg, Belgium, Italy, and China.
- Five-year program in Bachelor of Music, Performance and Master of Music, Education. Official admission to the program occurs during the sophomore year, but students can begin adding music education courses gradually to the performance degree program starting in the freshman year.
- An exciting and unique opportunity to study for a semester with the Royal College of Music in London, England through BU Study Abroad.
- Arts Administration Certificate program, through the BU Metropolitan College, offers courses for graduate students interested in futures in arts leadership and administration.
- Cross-curricular opportunities in the College of Fine Arts, including the Arts Leadership Minor, and access to the greater University’s liberal arts courses.
Notable Alumni
Recent graduates of BU have won major awards at the Hamamatsu, Jaen, Dallas and Moscow Liszt international piano competitions. Our students perform worldwide in festivals and concerts and have gone on in recent years to be on the piano faculty of such institutions as Beijing Normal University, China Conservatory, Seoul National University, Settlement Music School in Philadelphia, and other universities in the US and abroad.
- Anna Arazi (DMA ‘15)
Prize winner of the 2015 Dallas International Piano Competition (Third Prize), the American Protege 2014 (Second Prize). - Leon Bernsdorf (BM ‘14, MM ‘16)
Third Prize at the Fourteenth Liszt Ferenc International Piano Competition. - Lucy Chen (MM ‘11 DMA ‘15)
Assistant Professor of Piano at Edward Waters College. Founder, Keys on Parade group piano program, a quality, tuition-free group piano program serving underrepresented students in the Jacksonville urban core. - Heeyeon Chi (DMA ‘16)
Faculty New England Conservatory Prep. Prizes at International Keyboard Odyssiad Festival & Competition, Brandshaw & Buono International Piano Competition, Canadian Music Competition, Burnaby Clef Society Competition, and Burnaby Concerto Competition. Guest artist at Interlochen Center for the Arts and Boston University Tanglewood Institute Young Artists Program - Raquel Gorgojo (DMA ‘14)
Piano faculty Conservatorio Superior de Salamanca - Baekyu Kim (DMA ‘13)
Recitalist. Performed at Salle Cortot in Paris, Lille, and Strasburg in France, Freiburg and karlsruhe in Germany, the Sejong Art Center and YoungSan Art Center in Seoul, Kangwon University and the Mozart Hall in Korea. Winner 2008 Special Presentation Award from the Artists International Competition. 2009 Carnegie Hall debut. - Minjung Kim (DMA ‘15)
2nd prize, 2014 American Protégé International Music Competition, Performed at Weill Recital Hall - Alexia Mouza (AD ‘15)
First Prize at the International Piano Competition Delia Steinberg, Madrid (2015), Third Prize at the 9th Hamamatsu International Piano Competition (2015) and the Prize of the Academy of Athens (2015). - Moises Fernandez Via (PD ‘11)
Founder Arts | Lab @ BUMC. Winner, Scarlatti International Piano Competition, Naples. - Benjamin Warsaw (DMA ‘11)
Assistant Professor at Armstrong State University, Savannah, GA. Former faculty at Boston University Tanglewood Institute, Blue Lake Fine Arts, Chautauqua Institution, and is currently on faculty at Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival. - Thomas Weaver (BM ’13)
Faculty – Core Studies, Keyboard Studies, Supplementary Piano at Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia.