2019 Arthur Fraser International Piano Competition Winners Announced!

It has been an exhilarating day of inspiring and thoughtful performances. After the jury’s deliberation, the long-awaited results were announced as follows:

First Prize – Jessica Zhang

Second Prize – Caleb Borick

Third Prize – Solomon Ge

Discretionary Awards:

– Josephine Chou

– Ben Hoang

– Shiv Yajnik

Young Jury Award – Caleb Borick

Best Solo Work – Caleb Borick

Best Contemporary Work (after 1990) – Shiv Yajnik

Congratulations to all participants for their incredible performances, hard work and dedication!

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2019 Arthur Fraser Int’l Piano Competition streaming live

The Arthur Fraser Int’l Piano Competition is streaming live.
Watch the competition live here on June 21, 2019.

Jury:
Yoheved Kaplinsky (The Juilliard School)
Alan Chow (Eastman School of Music)
Raymond Herbert (Professor Emeritus at the University of Missouri)
Morihiko Nakahara (Music Director, South Carolina Philharmonic)
Jon Nakamatsu (Gold Medalist, 1997 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition)

Young Jury:
Louie Hehman, chair
Nick Zehao Bai
Inhye Cho
Kelly Qin Ouyang
Natsumi Takai
Qiwen Wan

The single tickets are now on sale!

Single tickets are now on sale for the evening concerts!  The concerts sell out fast, so check out our amazing line-up in Concert Schedule and purchase your tickets today.  

As always, we open with immensely popular Piano Extravaganza Concert on Sunday, June 16, 4 P.M., in Johnson Performance Hall (Darla Moore School of Business).
June 17-20, Monday-Thursday, we are honored and proud to present Conrad Tao, Jon Nakamatsu, Alessio Bax and Lucille Chung and Marc-André Hamelin in evening concerts.  Each one of those names is a legend in the piano world.

Sunday, June 16, 2019 PIANO EXTRAVAGANZA The Southeastern Piano Festival opens with a traditionally sold-out  Piano Extravaganza Gala, featuring multiple pianos, piano faculty,  SEPF alumni and guests. 4:00 PM Moore School of Business, Johnson Performance Hall Admission: $20, $5 for students and free for children under 18 Monday, June 17, 2019 Piano X Inaugurating Concert CONRAD TAO Piano recital reimagined with a rising star of the New York City music scene. 7:30 PM Columbia Museum of Art Admission: $20, $5 for students and free for children under 18 Tuesday, June 18, 2019 ALESSIO BAX AND LUCILLE CHUNG Award-winning piano duo present classic and modern gems. 7:30 PM School of Music Recital Hall Admission: $20, $5 for students and free for children under 18 Wednesday, June 19, 2019 JON NAKAMATSU Gold Medalist, Van Cliburn International Piano Competition 7:30 PM Trinity Episcopal Cathedral Admission: $20, $5 for students and free for children under 18 Thursday, June 20, 2019 MARC-ANDRÉ HAMELIN World-renown piano virtuoso performs piano masterpieces. 7:30 PM Admission: $20, $5 for students and free for children under 18 Friday, June 21, 2019 ARTHUR FRASER INTERNATIONAL PIANO COMPETITION Sponsored by the Symphony League of South Carolina Morning Session: 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM Afternoon Session: 2:00 – 5:00 PM Evening Session: 7:30 – 9:00 PM Jury: VEDA KAPLINKSY, chair ALAN CHOW RAYMOND HERBERT JOHN NAKAMATSU MORIHIKO NAKAHARA School of Music Recital Hall Admission: Free Saturday, June 22, 2019 MASTERCLASSES 10:00 AM – Raymond Herbert 11:00 AM – Jon Nakamatsu 3:00 PM – Veda Kaplinsky 4:00 PM – Alan Chow School of Music Recital Hall Admission: Free Saturday, June 22, 2019 WINNERS RECITAL Performances by the winners of the Arthur Fraser International Piano Competition. 7:30 PM School of Music Recital Hall Admission: $10, $5 for students and free for children under 18

 

 

2019 SEPF Guest Artists Announced!

The Southeastern Piano Festival is delighted to announce 2019 Guest Artists Marc-André Hamelin, Yoheved Kaplinsky, Jon Nakamatsu, the piano duo of Alessio Bax and Lucille Chung, Alan Chow, and Conrad Tao.  Taking place June 16-23 on campus of the University of South Carolina and other concert venues in Columbia, SC, the festival serves a dual mission, to present world-renown pianists to audience across South Carolina and beyond and to provide a training platform for twenty of the most gifted pre-college pianists from across the United States.

Presenting evening concerts are Marc-André Hamelin, known worldwide for his consummate musicianship and brilliant technique in the great works of the piano repertoire; Jon Nakamatsu, an international artist known for the excitement and elegance of his solo, concerto, and chamber performances; the piano duo of Alessio Bax and Lucille Chung, whose careers as solo and duo pianists have taken them around the world; and pianist/composer Conrad Tao, dubbed a musician of “probing intellect and open-hearted vision” by the New York Times.

“We are thrilled to present world-class guest artists to audiences across the Southeast and the 2019 festival promises be an incredible week of music.”, says Artistic Director Joseph Rackers.  “These wonderful musicians bring virtuosity, artistry and insight to their performances and are sure to inspire audiences and students alike”.

Masterclasses will be presented by Yoheved Kaplinsky, Chair of the Piano Department at the Juilliard School in New York; Alan Chow, who has won First Prize in the Concert Artists Guild International Competition and is professor piano at the Eastman School of Music; and Raymond Herbert, former Chair of the piano department at the University of Missouri and teacher of prizewinning students across the country.  The festival culminates with the Arthur Fraser International Piano Competition on June 21, 2019.

A new unique initiative at the 2019 Piano Festival is Piano X. This initiative aims to explore and showcase new voices, new formats and the new direction the piano can take as a solo and collaborative instrument in today’s live music scene.  Headlined by Conrad Tao, who will perform an evening recital on Monday, June 17, the initiative will also include presentations, workshops, and open panel discussions by David Cutler, a composer, pianist, author and a leading figure in the bourgeoning field  of music entrepreneurship, Leo Svirsky, past winner of the festival, and a pianist and composer with unique and innovative voice, and Susan Zhang, also past winner of the festival, who together with her partner, Nick Luby, co-founded “The Concert Truck”.  “This new endeavor has been in the development for several years.”, says Artistic Director Marina Lomazov. ” The ‘X’ in Piano X stands for ‘unknown factor’, and it also stands for exploration, experimentation. excitement.  The festival is eager to showcase and support those who find new paths or see the familiar through a different lens.”

For more information, please visit our website, or browse our Facebook or Instagram pages. To watch performances from previous Southeastern Piano Festival guest artists and competitors, visit our Youtube page.

2018 Arthur Fraser International Piano Competition Winners Announced!

It has been an exhilarating day of great performances and emotional highlights.  Finally, the jury came out of deliberations to deliver the following results to a great cheer from the crowd.

First Prize – Yerin Yang

Second Prize – Jason Lin

Third Prize – Keona Rose

Discretionary Awards:

– Christian Chiu

– Isabelle Lian

– Jessica Zhang

Young Jury Award – Yerin Yang

Best Solo Work – Yerin Yang

Best Contemporary Work (after 1990) – Jason Lin

Congratulations to all participants for their incredible performances, hard work and dedication!

2018 Arthur Fraser International Piano Competition will be streaming live this Friday

The week of the piano festival always goes by too fast and before we know it, it’s time for the participants to showcase their talents and skills in the Arthur Fraser International Piano Competition.  As in years past, it will be streamed live on Friday – just visit our SEPF Youtube page. Below is the order and times of the performances for the participants.  Their names and repertoire will be displayed on the stream.

Southeastern Piano Festival wishes all participants best of luck in their preparations and performances.  We are all looking forward to hearing you perform!

KonZert KidZ@SEPF

KonZert KidZ, an initiative begun in summer of 2016, became a full-fledged movement over the past two years with over 300 children and adults attending concerts at the Southeastern Piano Festival and during regular concert seasons, with free tickets for  kids and reduced ticket prices for adults.  Designed to attract young audiences to concert halls, KonZert KidZ gives children the foundation for a life-long appreciation of the concert experience. The program is back this June for the Southeastern Piano Festival, June 17-23, with family-friendly concerts, all week long.

Sign up here to receive all the benefits of being a KonZert Kid

• Receive one HALF-OFF adult ticket when you register 2 children under 18 to each concert and one FREE adult ticket when you sign up three children to attend an event.
• Receive KonZert Kid certificate
• Collect 5 starts on your certificate to receive a prize
• come backstage and shake hands with the artist, take a picture with them or get their autograph
• be a star – try out a Steinway grand on stage (Extravaganza Concert only)

To claim your tickets, visit the Will Call table before each performance and present the confirmation email you receive after registering.  After the concert, be sure to get your free certificate or collect another star at the merchandise table!

In a week that transforms Columbia into an international piano center, become a KonZert Kid at this year’s piano festival!

Upcoming Konzert Kidz concerts are:

PIANO EXTRAVAGANZA

Sunday, June 17, 4:00 PM

Johnson Performance Hall, Moore School of Business, University of South Carolina

The 2018 Southeastern Piano Festival kicks-off with five pianos on stage featuring SEPF faculty Marina Lomazov, Joseph Rackers, Charles Fugo, and Philip Bush, festival alumni Aleksandra Kasman, Hugo Kitano, Vanessa Haynes and special guests. Children will be invited to join us on stage afterwards.

LERA AUERBACH

Monday, June 18, 7:30pm 

USC School of Music Recital Hall
Russian-American composer and concert pianist Lera Auerbach is one of today’s most sought after and exciting creative voices, and has published more than 100 works for opera, ballet, orchestra, and chamber music.

 

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CHARLIE ALBRIGHT

Tuesday, June 19, 2017, 7:30pm

USC School of Music Recital Hall
Winner of the 2011 Louis Sudler Prize in the Arts from Harvard University, Albright was also named Artist-in-Residence for Harvard University’s Leverett House, a position last filled by cellist Yo-Yo Ma.

ALEKSANDRA KASMAN and HUGO KITANO

Wednesday, June 20, 4:30pm

USC School of Music Recital Hall

An afternoon concert filled with piano masterpieces. Free!

ANTONIO POMPA-BALDI

Wednesday, June 20, 7:30pm

Trinity Episcopal Cathedral

Mr. Pompa-Baldi appears regularly at the world’s major concert venues including New York’s Carnegie Hall, Paris’ Salle Pleyel, Milan’s Sala Verdi, Shanghai’s Grand Theatre, and Boston’s Symphony Hall.

Marina Lomazov, SEPF Artistic Director, at 2016 SEPF Piano Extravaganza with KonZert KidZ