A selection jury comprised of Frank Weinstock, CIPC Artistic Director Paul Schenly and CIPC Executive Director Pierre van der Westhuizen has done the nearly impossible: narrowed a pool of hundreds of applicants to an elite group of 32 invited contestants.
According to Mr. Schenly the quality of this year’s applicants was higher than ever. “We were so saturated with great talent we strained the limit to fit in everyone we possibly could,” Schenly said. “We wish we could have taken many more, but it’s a matter of numbers.” In the end, the committee invited two more pianists than the planned 30.
Come July, audiences will be the great beneficiaries of this wealth of talent. “Audiences can expect to hear many styles of music and be moved by it in different ways,” Schenly said. “Emotions will be touched by the youthfulness, sensitivity, and brilliance of the pianists’ performances, and the pianists will in turn be touched by the listeners’ reactions. In this way the music will open a beautiful world of sentiment and feeling that may be shared by all.”
Click here to view the contestants who will share their gifts with us this summer. Full bios and repertoire will be posted in early June.