The "New" Art of "Digital" Technology
by Silvester Vicic

Musical competitions have been around for centuries, some presented in a formal way, where a large number of players come together to be judged and to ultimately prevail with one on top of the heap; others, less formal, and more along the lines of duels, Mozart vs. Clementi, Vivaldi vs. Corelli, that kind of thing. There is the notion of competition for competition’s sake, but music competitions are not necessarily like a version of the Super Bowl, or the World Series. It is the individual who is pushing his or herself forward, for the challenge, the educational experience and perhaps, most of all, for the opportunity to be heard on a wider stage. The International Piano e-Competition is a first in many ways. There’s never been an international music competition of this scale in Minnesota before. It’s the first competition that takes advantage of digital technology, providing a live performance equivalent to two members of the jury who will be in a hotel room in Tokyo listening to the same player that the judges in St. Paul will hear, at the same time. It’s probably the first time that one can experience these young pianists live, new discoveries awaiting those who are ready to listen. Minnesota Public Radio is recording all of the concerts for the opportunity it gives our listeners to hear the latest in “digital” technology, the awesome, finger-busting, virtuosity of people who live, eat and breathe music at the piano. It’s an exciting event that has been spearheaded by Professor Alexander Braginsky at the University of Minnesota, who sought to create a new kind of piano competition, one that would be less subject to the prejudices and controversies that have dogged many other competitions. Time will tell if this approach is successful, but for now sample some of these terrific pianists as they look forward to creating a career of worldwide breadth.

For more information about the International Piano E Competition please visit the official website at www.piano-e-competition.com

Recording Engineers: Michael Osborne and Alan Stricklin
Production Assistance: Rex Levang, Valerie Kahler and Lauren Rico
Web Producer: Preston Wright

Finalist biographies and downloadable MIDI files

Official Results
Click a name to hear an excerpt of their performance.

1.Mei-Ting Sun, USA
2.Victoria Korchinskaya-Kogan, Canada
3. (not awarded)
4.Edisher Savitski, Georgia
5.Tatiana Kolessova, Russia
6.Wen-Yin Chan, Taiwan

RealAudio (See How to Listen)

Listen to the other Performers

Biographies and downloadable MIDI files of the 24 semi-finalists.

Top