The World Piano Competition announces a series of major events that will take place throughout the Greater Cincinnati area between March 17 and March 19, 2014.
These events feature Jin Uk Kim, Silver Medalist at the sold-out 2013 World Piano Competition, held at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), and Igor Pancevski, an artist diploma student who is currently studying piano with Awadagin Pratt at CCM.
Since 1956, the World Piano Competition (WPC) has been producing classical piano competitions and concerts featuring world-class performers who have appeared in the semi-finals and finals of its annual competition. These competitions feature 24 of the world’s finest pianists age 18-32 who compete for prize money, recital appearances and a recording contract. The organization also produces a series of dinner concerts that take place in multiple locations around the city, as well as two educational outreach programs – The Bach Beethoven Brahms (BBB) concerts for children and a new series of concerts geared towards senior citizens. The children’s concerts are offered in local schools, at the Jarson Kaplan Theater, and most recently at the Mayerson Jewish Community Center. The concerts for seniors generally take place at retirement communities throughout the area.
On Monday March 17, 2014 at 10:00 a.m., Jin Uk Kim will perform in a Bach Beethoven Brahms Educational Outreach Program for children at the Aronoff Center’s Jarson Kaplan Theater. Twenty-nine year old Jin Uk Kim is a successful international pianist whose playing has been called “a combination of muscle and poetry” by The Baltimore Sun. A multiple award winner, Mr. Kim recently received 1st prize honors at the Hilton Head International Piano Competition and 2nd prize honors at the William Kapell International Piano Competition. Mr. Kim has enjoyed a promising orchestral career, including performances with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Music Academy of the West’s Festival Orchestra and the Suwon Philharmonic Orchestra in Korea. In 2012, he made his solo debut in Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall. He has been a featured performer on NPR’s Performance Today and WQXR’s McGraw-Hill Companies Young Artists Showcase in New York.
Jin Uk Kim completed his undergraduate studies at Hanyang University and earned a master’s degree and a graduate diploma from the New England Conservatory of Music, where he is currently pursuing his doctorate. He has been awarded the Joseph C. Beaudoin Piano Scholarship and the Josephine L. Murray Scholarship.
William White will serve as emcee for the Bach Beethoven Brahms performance on March 17. Mr. White is currently Assistant Conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and Conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra. He holds degrees from Indiana University (M.M. Orchestral Conducting) and the University of Chicago (A.B. Music). Prior to his positions in Cincinnati, he served as Music Director of the Hyde Park Youth Symphony in Chicago, Illinois. Mr. White has long-standing associations with a number of musical organizations, including the prestigious Pierre Monteaux School for Conductors in Hancock, Maine, which he first attended as a student in 2004 and where he now serves as Conducting Associate. Since 2008, he has regularly given pre-concert lectures for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Mr. White hails from Bethesda, Maryland, where he began his musical training as a violist. He maintains a significant career as a composer, writing works for concert, film and theater.
The March 17 BBB program is FREE to the public and provides an opportunity for elementary age students to hear performances by professional artists in a concert hall setting. The artist performs pieces from the three main periods of classical music (Baroque, Classical and Romantic) while the emcee discusses the lives of the composers, the evolution of the piano, and historical events taking place in the world of art, literature and society. The audience also has a chance to participate in the discussion with a question and answer/meet-the-artist segment at the end. The concert will last approximately one hour. FREE bus transportation will be provided for groups of 25 or more. Space is limited and reservations will be taken on a first-come first-served basis. Contact Laura Bock (513) 744-3501 for reservations.
On Monday March 17 at 6:00 p.m., Jin Uk Kim will perform at a dinner concert held at The Queen City Club. This is a ticketed event and is open to the public. The evening begins with a reception and cocktail hour at 6:00 p.m. and is followed by a 45-minute solo piano recital at 6:45 p.m. Dinner follows at 7:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online with the CSO Box Office. For reservations and additional information, please contact Laura Bock at The World Piano Competition office (513) 744-3501.
On Tuesday March 18 at 7:00 p.m., Jin Uk Kim will perform in concert at Deupree House, a retirement and assisted living facility located in Hyde Park. This performance is part of The World Piano Competition’s new outreach program to senior citizens in the Greater Cincinnati area. This performance is open to residents and invited guests only.
On Wednesday March 19 at 7:30 p.m., Igor Pancevski will perform a recital at Twin Lakes, a Life Enriching Community for Seniors, located in the Montgomery area. Mr. Pancevski is a native of Skopje, Republic of Macedonia and started playing the piano when he was 8 years old. Early in his studies, he was admitted to the special piano program for talented young artists at the National Music School of Macedonia. He pursued further education at the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan with Stephen Perry and Yoshikazu Nagai. He received his bachelor’s degree from Oberlin College, where he studied with Angela Cheng. Mr. Pancevski has won several prizes at national and international competitions, including 1st prizes at Gorizia International Competition and Petar Konjovic International Piano Competition and 2nd prizes at the 14th Biennial Beethoven Piano Sonata Competition and the Heida Hermanns International Piano Competition. He has performed with the Interlochen Arts Camp and Academy Orchestras, as well as the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. He received a professional studies diploma from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and is currently pursuing an artist diploma at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, where he is a student of Awadagin Pratt. This performance is open to residents and invited guests only.
The 2014 World Piano Competition will take place at The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music from June 23 to June 28. The early rounds are June 23-24, during which time each of the 24 competitors will perform a 40-minute solo recital. The semi-final rounds take place June 25-26. Each of the 6 semi-finalists will perform a 60-minute solo recital. On Saturday June 28, the 3 finalists will perform a complete piano concerto with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in CCM’s Corbett Auditorium. Tickets can be purchased at the CSO box office or on-line at www.cincinnatisymphony.org. For additional information about the 2014 World Piano Competition, please call the office (513) 744-3501 or visit the WPC website www.cincinnatiwpc.org.
For information on any of these events, please contact Laura Bock at The World Piano Competition headquarters – wpc@cincinnatiwpc.org or call (513) 744-3501.
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