Memphis International Piano Festival + Competition
October 17-19, 2024
The Memphis International Piano Festival and Competition exists to celebrate the piano through concerts, masterclasses, and competitive and non-competitive performance events. Students and music lovers of all ages are encouraged to attend and participate in events. Enjoy a weekend filled with concerts, masterclasses and other events!
Congratulations to our 2024 Memphis International Piano Festival Winners
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Bright Juniors
Honorable Mentions
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Young Stars
Honorable mentions
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Young Artists
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Collegiate
Honorable mentions
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FESTIVAL DIRECTORS + COMPETITION COORDINATOR
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| Dr. Artina McCain Associate Professor of Piano Area Coordinator of Keyboard Studies |
Dr. Jonathan Tsay Assistant Professor of Piano |
Natalia Vanegas Escobar Competition Coordinator |
SPONSORS:
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CIRCLE MUSIC |
Information
Dr. Leah Claiborne is an Assistant Professor of Music in the Division of Arts and Humanities in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of the District of Columbia. Pianist, scholar, and educator, Dr. Claiborne promotes diversity in the arts by championing piano music by black composers in her performances, research, and teaching. In 2017, Dr. Claiborne was the first pianist to be awarded the Rackham Predoc Fellowship at the University of Michigan, which allowed her to further her research in compiling, editing, and recording piano music by black composers.
Dr. Claiborne has performed across the United States, as well as in Germany, Italy, and the Czech Republic. Most recently, she performed at Hiroshima University in Japan with the Asia/American New Music Institute. Dr. Claiborne received her undergraduate degree from the Manhattan School of Music, where she received the Josephine C. Whitford graduation award. She received her Master’s of Music and Doctorate of Musical Arts degrees from the University of Michigan. In the fall of 2018, Dr. Claiborne will teach Piano and Music of the African Diaspora at the University of the District of Columbia.
Since his concerto debut at the age of 16 with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Taiwanese-American pianist Brian Hsu has gone on to establish himself a pianist of great energy and unusual communicative ability. Critics have described his performances in surperlatives, noting his “breadth of expression and technical ability.” Mr. Hsu has performed throughout the US, Europe, Asia, and South Africa. He has appeared as concerto soloist with such ensembles as the Philadelphia Orchestra, Taiwan National Symphony, Juilliard Orchestra, Sendai Philharmonic, and University of Michigan Symphony Orchestra. He has also been a guest on WQXR radio station in New York and performed in various music festivals including Amalfi Coast Music Festival, Gijon International Piano Festival, Eastern Music Festival, Banff Festival. His US debut solo recording, Night at the opera: Part I, which consist of opera transcriptions for solo piano, was released in the fall of 2018. An avid chamber musician and collaborator, Mr. Hsu frequently perform with colleagues throughout the music world. In 2011, Mr. Hsu participated in the world premiere of Paul Schoenfeld’s Piano quintet with members of the Pro Arte’s quartet in 2014 and recorded for Albany Records. In 2016, He premiered Logan Skelton’s Letters to Santa with voice alumni of Loyola University New Orleans. He also premiered Skelton’s Gershwin song transcriptions for two pianos earlier this year. His piano trio, Ensemble Peri, completed its inaugural tour in Korea during the summer of 2019. Mr. Hsu served as a staff accompanist at Juilliard, Yale University, University of Michigan, and Eastern Music Festival. He also served as staff pianist, faculty, and assistant to the director at Amalfi Coast Music Festival in Italy. He frequently performs, presents, teaches at colleges and universities throughout the U.S. and Asia, and collaborated with various artists and faculty. Mr. Hsu’s primary piano professors include Logan Skelton, Peter Frankl, Jerome Lowenthal, Yoheved Kaplinsky, Wha-Kyung Byun, He received his degrees from The Juilliard School, Yale School of Music, and University of Michigan. He is associate professor of piano at the University of Oregon. Mr. Hsu’s future engagements can be found on www.brian-hsu.com
Dr. Mario Ajero is Professor of Piano at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas where he teaches applied piano lessons, group piano classes, and piano pedagogy and serves as the Keyboard Area Coordinator. He also is Director of the SFA Summer Piano Institute. Internationally recognized as an authority in incorporating technology in piano pedagogy and music education, Dr. Ajero has presented at every major piano pedagogy conference in the United States and has been invited to perform and present in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, and Germany.
Dr. Ajero’s engagements include being a keynote presenter at the Australasian Piano Pedagogy Conference, featured presenter at the Summer Summit at The Royal Conservatory, and being invited to present on technology to teach keyboard remotely for The Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Ajero has authored articles for Piano Magazine, American Music Teacher, and Piano Inspires Kids Magazine. He has presented at the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) National Conference and National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy. Dr. Ajero was also featured in a series of webinars from The Frances Clark Center for Keyboard Pedagogy entitled Teaching in the Time of COVID-19: Resources for Online Instruction. His piano pedagogy students have also given presentations at the Texas Music Teachers Association Conference and MTNA National Conference. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Music from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA and earned his Ph.D. in Music Education with a concentration in piano pedagogy from the University of Oklahoma. Dr. Ajero has served as Coordinator of Class Piano for Temple University’s Music Prep Division and served as Lecturer in Piano for Temple University’s Boyer College of Music and Dance.
Jasmine Harry is a doctoral candidate in piano pedagogy at the University South Carolina. She received her masters degree in piano pedagogy at Michigan State University and her bachelor degree in piano performance at Stetson University. She is part of national organizations including MTNA, NFMC, Golden Key International Honor Society, and the Pi Kappa Beta Society. She has served as President of Stetson University Collegiate Chapter and currently serves as Vice President of University of South Carolina Collegiate Chapter.
MIPFC Rules and Prizes
Categories/prizes:
Bright Juniors (7-10)
- First Prize: $100 AMRO Gift Card
- Certificates awarded to Second and Third Prize winners
Young Stars (11-14)
- First Prize: $100 cash + $100 AMRO Gift Card
- Second Prize: $100
- Third Prize: $50
Honorable mentions may be awarded at the judges' discretion.
Young Artists (15-18)
- First Prize: $300 cash + $100 AMRO Gift Card
- Second Prize: $200 cash
- Third Prize: $100 cash
Honorable mentions may be awarded at the judges' discretion
Collegiate Artists (18+) This category will be held remote and in person*
- First Prize: $1,000 cash
- Second Prize: $500 cash
- Third Prize and Honorable mentions may be awarded at the judges' discretion.
Location + Deadlines:
- All live performances will be held at the Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music at the University
of Memphis, 3775 Central Ave., Memphis, TN 38111.
- The Collegiate and Young Artist jury panel will be located worldwide and connected to the University of Memphis campus via Disklavier. Live performances will be broadcast from the University of Memphis Disklavier to the judges.
- Final deadline for completed entries: September 23, 2024 - 2 PM CST
- Competition date - Friday, October 18 (remote) and Saturday, October 19, 2024 (in person)
Competition Rules
IMPORTANT DEADLINES
- Repertoire- the competition program for all categories, competitive and non-competitive,
requires a “contrasting program.” This is a free choice of pieces that must include
at least two different periods of music (baroque, classical, romantic, impressionist,
20th century, or 21st century). Competitors must have music memorized unless the work
is written post-1955. Entrants who are non-competitors are not required to memorize
their programs.
Detailed repertoire information is required - movement numbers, titles of movements and exact timings. Contestants should bring purchased, clean scores for the judges, except for public domain pieces. For programs over the allocated time, judges will ask for portions of the repertoire at their discretion. No changes in the repertoire are allowed after the final deadline for completed entries listed above.
Blossoming Beginners, Bright Juniors and Young Stars may also enter duet repertoire (from the above musical periods) with partners who are not their primary teacher or parent. Duets are non-competitive only. - Performance time limit: 3 minutes for Blossoming Beginners, 5 mins for the Bright Juniors, 10 mins for the Young Stars, 15 mins for the Young Artists, and 20 mins for the Collegiate Artists. Students may include pieces that exceed the time limit, but they will be stopped when the maximum time is reached.It will not affect the competition results if a competitor is stopped or asked to perform part of a program.
- Participants Age: There are five age groups for the Festival and International Competitions:
Blossoming Beginners (4-6), Bright Juniors (aged 7-10), Young Stars (11-14), Young
Artists (15-18), and Collegiate Artists (18 – up). Ages will be calculated based on
the day of competition. In the exceptional cases of an 18 year-old attending high-school
(or equivalent), or a 17-year-old attending college, they may choose which Competition
they prefer to enter.
Applicants for the Collegiate Artists category should be aged 18 as of the day of the competition, except for cases that fall under the previous exception. Students must be enrolled as a full-time student in a College, University or Conservatory in order to compete. Students should bring a Student ID, teacher verification, or a recent transcript when they check in. - Contestants may choose to participate on a non-competitive basis in any category. They will receive certificates of participation and adjudicator comment sheets.
- Exceptional performances will be nominated to perform in a masterclass during the festival or a later date at the Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music.
- Winners agree to the use of their photographic image to be used in social media and website content related to the competition and the University of Memphis Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music unless otherwise expressed.
- Contestants and allocated performance times may be limited. Please register early. No late applications are accepted.
Rules and Procedures for Collegiate Artists - 2024
- New for MIPFC 2024, Collegiate Artists can elect to participate remotely via Internet MIDI or Disklavier Remote Session on Friday, October 18, 2024.
- Collegiate Artist jury panel will be located worldwide and connected to the University of Memphis campus via Disklavier. In-person live performances and remote recordings will be broadcast from the University of Memphis Disklavier to the jury panel.
- Applicants must specify whether they will perform remotely (10/18/2024) or in-person on the University of Memphis campus (10/19/2024).
- A form will be sent to remote competitors after registration to establish which type of connection will be used.
- For Collegiate Artist competitors who elect to participate remotely (October 18, 2024):
- Equipment and Setup
- Remote competitors are responsible for their own setup, including:
- A MIDI-compatible keyboard connected to their computer.
- Proper setup for Internet MIDI.
- Proper setup for Microsoft Teams.
- A stable internet connection.
- Remote competitors will need to use Internet MIDI (https://timewarptech.com/shop/music-software-apps/software/internet-midi)for the competition. If needed, a license code for a discounted copy of Internet MIDI will be provided upon registration ($25, regularly $39.50).
- It is strongly recommended to test all equipment and software prior to the competition to ensure smooth performance. Time extensions will not be given to performance windows.
- Remote competitors are responsible for their own setup, including:
- Performance Window
- Competitors who elect to participate remotely will perform their competition round for a remote monitor. Monitors will record performances using Internet MIDI and attest that all performances are live and unedited.
- Competitors’ MIDI data will be broadcast to judges and reproduced on Yamaha Disklaviers.
- Each competitor will be assigned a 30-minute window in which they must:
- Establish a connection over Microsoft Teams and Internet MIDI with their remote monitor.
- Perform their competition program.
- The 30-minute window includes setup time, so competitors should be prepared to start their performance promptly. No extensions on the 30-minute performance window will be given.
- Programs that are incompletely performed due to time limitations will be judged solely based on the material recorded and will not be penalized for incompleteness.
- Equipment and Setup
Registration
- Final deadline for completed entries: September 23, 2024 - 2 PM CST
- Competition date - Friday, October 18 (remote) and Saturday, October 19, 2024 (in person)
- Student and teacher names and contact information are required at the online registration.
- A valid credit or debit card is required for online registration fee - fees must be received by the final deadline for completed entries.
Fees:
- $100 Collegiate category
- $50 for all other categories
Hotel Accommodations:
If you need overnight accommodations, you can view nearby hotels. The closest to the Memphis International Piano Festival and Competition is the Holiday Inn-University of Memphis - just a short walk across the parking lot to the Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music and campus.
Test
2025 Schedule
(All events in schedule subject to time change)
Friday, October 18, 2024
5 PM - Recording of remote competitors (collegiate category only)
Saturday, October 19, 2024
9 AM - Beginning of competition rounds
12 -1:30 PM - Masterclass/Teachers’ Workshop with Drs. Artina McCain and Jonathan Tsay
3:30 PM - Winners’ Recital
Congratulations to our 2023 Memphis International Piano Festival Winners
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Bright Juniors
Honorable Mentions
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Young Stars
Honorable mentions
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Young Artists
Honorable mentions
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Collegiate
Honorable mentions
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