2012 NYIPC Contestants

NURTURING THE FUTURE
The Promise of The Stecher and Horowitz Foundation
Music Teachers National Association
January 14, 2012
By James Litzelman

In the community of piano teachers, one would be hard pressed to find two people who are more committed or passionate about nurturing young talented pianists than Melvin Stecher and Norman Horowitz. Continued…

THE SIXTH
NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL PIANO COMPETITION^®
JUNE 17-22, 2012    AGES 16-21

The Stecher and Horowitz Foundation presents The Sixth New York International Piano Competition in New York City, a biennial event open to pianists of all nationalities. Twenty-two young pianists, ages 16-21, from around the world, will gather for a week-long event, June 17-22, 2012.

Each young artist will compete for cash prizes and concert appearances. There is no elimination of participants during the competition’s four rounds. Each contestant will be judged by a jury of the most distinguished members of the international music community. In addition to the prizes awarded to the winners, the Foundation presents a cash award to each of the remaining contestants.

Rather than the traditional competition model where the focus is on winning, The New York International Piano Competition provides an opportunity for contestants to perform, network, exchange information and cultivate a support system that will carry them through their pre-professional years.

The competition is dedicated to providing artistic development, educational enhancement, seminars, master classes and performance opportunities. The New York International Piano Competition will be held at The Manhattan School of Music, with opening ceremonies at Steinway Hall. Steinway is the official piano of The New York International Piano Competition.

IMPORTANT DATES
May 2, 2011: The 2012 application will be available
December 6, 2011: Application deadline
March 7, 2012: Notification of acceptance or non-acceptance to applicant
June 17, 2012: Introductory meeting and drawing of the order of performance
June 18, 2012: Competition begins
June 22, 2012: Awards ceremony

“PIANISTS, ON YOUR MARKS”
The Christian Science Monitor
July 4, 2011

On a Personal Note is a poignant documentary about the New York Piano Competition, a five-day, no-elimination contest for 14-to-18-year-olds. The up-close filmmaking takes viewers inside a rarefied universe of aspiring classical performers and helps general audiences understand the mystery, the music, and the magic of serious piano performance. Continued…

by Melvin Stecher and Norman Horowitz

It takes a lifetime of experience to feel secure when preparing an article, short story, or commentary on a particular subject that could be interpreted as controversial, or possibly vindictive. We feel, however, that these adjectives do not apply to our particular argument.

As pianists, educators, composers, directors of a highly successful school of the arts for 39 years, and now founding/directors of the New York International Piano Competition since 2002, we feel compelled to comment on the state of piano competitions accessible to participants worldwide. Continued…

Winners of the 5th New York International Piano Competition
By Catherine Hampton
Publicist
June 28, 2010

June 28, 2010, New York City—16-year old pianist Kate Liu was awarded First Prize at the Fifth New York International Piano Competition, which was held at The Manhattan School of Music, June 21-25, 2010. Ms. Liu, born in Singapore and a resident of Winnetka, Illinois, received 6,000 for her accomplishment. In addition to winning First Prize, she was also singled out for her “Best Performance” of a required contemporary work, which this year was Avner Dorman’s Sonata No. 2: Il Agitato. Mr. Dorman, a noted Israeli composer, was on hand to present this award to Ms. Liu at the final awards ceremony. Continued…

Nobuyuki Tsujii Triumphs with John Musto’s Bluesy Counterpoint

Roger Evans Online /Music, Humane Letter and Media

Rogerevansonline.com

June 7, 2009

As noted here before (and by Anne Midgette elsewhere), the Thirteenth Van Cliburn International Competition has taken a fresh approach to its presentation of contemporary works. In the event, many of the competitors have told interviewers that they chose a work from the four possibilities based on what they thought they could learn in time. And who can blame them? John Musto’s difficult “Improvisation and Fugue” thus was played by only one of the semi-finalists, Nobuyuki Tsujii. But that twenty-year-old not only took a gold medal but won the large cash award for the best performance of a contemporary piece for his crystalline interpretation of the Musto work. That he learned it in a short time and played it with confidence is a great tribute to him, and his winning shows the good judgment of the jury. He had been a clear audience favorite throughout.

The young Japanese pianist did not choose the Musto as his only challenging work by any means. He played hours of major works (including, among many other things, the Hammerklavier Sonata, a Schumann quintet, and concertos by Chopin and Rachmaninoff). He has been blind from birth.

The new work, which was commissioned by the Stecher and Horowitz Foundation for their own Fourth New York International Piano Competition held last summer, where it enjoyed some brilliant performances, can be heard in Nobuyuki Tsujii’s prize-winning version on Cliburn TV (at Semifinal Archive for May 31), and played by the winner of the Stecher and Horowitz competition, Allen Yueh, here. You will want to compare the two quite distinct interpretations.

“Stecher and Horowitz Foundation Goes Global”
Musical America
December 12, 2008

The Stecher and Horowitz Foundation announces two major changes in its biennial New York Piano Competition (NYPC). For the first time the Competition will accept contestant applications from outside the United States effective January 15, 2009 for the summer of 2010, a change in the procedures of accepting applications only from students (American or foreign) who were pursuing studies in the United States. With this development the 2010 Competition will be known as the New York International Piano Competition. In addition, it will expand its age category upwards from 14-18 years to 16-21 years Continued…

“Norman Horowitz Interview”
American Express — Members Since 1958
December 1, 2008

What is/was your profession?
Concert pianist, educator, director of The Stecher and Horowitz Foundation, a non­profit organization. The flagship program is the New York International Piano Competition. Continued…