The Shigeru Kawai piano competition was born from the desire of the historic piano manufacturer Kawai to promote the career and musical life of young pianists around the world.
With the same desire and purpose, we once again announce the call for this competition for pianists of Italian or Spanish nationality or residents in one of these two countries at the time of registration.
It also has the purpose of promoting change thanks to important Mediterranean piano schools and the support in enhancing the brotherhood and rhythm among these two peoples and their cultures.
The competition is open to all pianists born between April 2nd, 1993 and April 1st, 2005 .
Jury
- President : Davide Cabassi (pianist, artistic director of Primavera di Baggio and Il pianoforte in Ateneo in Milan and Kawai in Ledro, Winner of the Cliburn competition in 2005, professor at the conservatory “G. Verdi” Milan).
- Ana Guijarro Malagón (concert player, former director of the Superior Conservatory in Madrid).
- Cristina Frosini (pianist, director of the Conservatorio di Musica “G.Verdi Milano).
- Giuseppe Devastato (pianist and composer, president of the WPTA in Spain, professor at Musical Arts Madrid Academy and at the European Musical Academy).
- Alessandro Marangoni (pianist, professor at the Cantelli di Novara Conservatory, artistic director of Almo Collegio Borromeo in Pavia and Forte Fortissimo TV).
Rounds
The contest is divided into four rounds.
1. Video selection
The contestant must execute a free program of no more than 15 minutes.
- All works must be recorded on the same day, in the same place, in a single take.
- The video cannot be modified or edited.
- The camera angle should be set so that the contestant’s face and hands can be seen simultaneously throughout the recording.
- The video must be recorded exclusively for the Shigeru Kawai Piano Competition.
- The date of the recording as well as its location must be indicated in the registration or in the recording itself.
The videos must be received at the time of registration no later than 25th September 2022 (11:55 p.m.).
The jury will select the 25 candidates who will participate in the live rounds.
2. First live round
24th – 26th October 2022 Shigeru Kawai Center in Corsico-Milan
Admitted candidates (maximum 25 pianists) must present a twenty-minute free program.
3. Live semi-final
27th and 28th October 2022 Shigeru Kawai Center in Corsico-Milan
Admitted contestants (maximum 10 pianists) must present a free program of 60 minutes.
The programs for the first two tests must include at least one Beethoven sonata, one or several works (composed after 1970), with a minimum duration of 10 minutes, and at least one work by Italian or Spanish composers.
Works recorded in the selection video can be performed, but the programs of the first and second live rounds must be completely different. Execution is not required to be from memory.
In the evaluation of the candidates, the originality and precision in the making of the programs, a show of artistic maturity and attention to the proposed repertoire will be taken into account.
4. Final Round
30th October 2022, Sala Verdi of the Milan Conservatory
Candidates (maximum 4 pianists) must perform one of the following concertos for piano and orchestra with second piano accompaniment (Maestro Yevgeni Galanov – rehearsals on the 29th of October)
- W. A. Mozart:
- Concerti K.271, K.413, K.414, K.415, K.449, K.450, K.451, K.453, K.456, K.459, K.466, K.467, K .482, K.488, K.491, K.503, K.537, K.595.
- L. van Beethoven:
- Concert op. 15, op. 19, op. 37, op. 58, op. 73
- F. Chopin:
- Concerto for pianoforte and orchestra n. 1 in e minor Op. 11
- Concerto for pianoforte and orchestra n. 2 in fa minor Op. 21
- R. Schumann
- Concerto for pianoforte and orchestra in la minore Op. 54
- F.Liszt
- Concerto for pianoforte and orchestra n. 1 in mi flat maggiore S. 124
- Concerto for pianoforte and orchestra n. 2 in la maggiore S. 125
- J. Brahms
- Concerto for pianoforte and orchestra n. 1 in D minor op. fifteen
- Concerto for pianoforte and orchestra n. 2 in b flat maggiore op. 83
- C. Saint-Saëns
- Concerto for pianoforte and orchestra n. 2 in G minor Op. 22
- Concerto for pianoforte and orchestra n. 5 in fa maggiore Op. 103 “Egitian”
- P. Tchaikovsky
- Concerto for pianoforte and orchestra n. 1 in B flat minor Op. 23
- S. Rachmaninoff
- Concerto for pianoforte and orchestra n. 2 in C minor Op. 18
- Concerto for pianoforte and orchestra n. 3 in D minor Op. 30
- M.Ravel
- Concerto for pianoforte and orchestra in sol maggiore
- S. Prokofiev
- Concerto for pianoforte and orchestra n. 2 in G minor Op. 16
- Concerto for pianoforte and orchestra n. 3 in do maggiore Op. 26
- B. Bartok
- Concerto for pianoforte and orchestra n. 3 Sz. 119
Awards
First prize
- 5000 euros – Awarded by Kawai- Italy and Spain
- Direct access, with travel and accommodation expenses sponsored by Kawai Japan, to the first phase of the IV Shigeru Kawai Contest to be held in Tokyo.
- If the contestant who wins the first prize is unable to attend the Tokyo contest, he will transfer his participation to the contestant who wins the second prize.
- You can consult the conditions of participation in Tokyo by following the following link https://skipc.jp/en/
- A professional recording sponsored by Pianoforte Italia Srl. KAWAI Distributor for Italy and DRAX AUDIO: https://draxaudio.com/ at their studios in Madrid.
- Concerts for the seasons of Primavera de Baggio (Milan), Il piano en Ateneo (Milan), Kawai en Ledro, Teatro del Ateneo in Madrid, Shigeru Kawai Center in Madrid.
Second prize
Awarded by NAEKO – Logistics operator of Kawai in Italy and Spain
- 2500 euros
- Shigeru Kawai Center concert in Milan and Madrid (Season 2022-2023)
Third award
- 1000 euros
Critics Award
1000 euros offered by Primavera di Baggio to a contestant voted by a special jury made up of music critics.
Regulation
- The Jury’s decisions are unappealable.
- It is not permitted for any member of the jury to have or have had any ongoing educational relationship with the contestants. If proven otherwise, the contestant will be immediately disqualified. Each jury will sign a statement certifying their relationship with the contestants.
- By registering, the contestant declares to accept the regulation in all its parts and the decisions of the jury, waiving any claim.
- The official pianos for this contest are the Shigeru KAWAI concert pianos.
- Contestants are responsible for their own insurance for health, accidents, fire, theft and damage to their personal belongings.
- The personal information provided at the time of registration will be stored and used properly by the organization in accordance with the data protection regulations in Italy and in Spain.
- The organization may use the information provided to send useful data to the contestants.
- Each contestant will accept the publication of the jury’s votes on computer platforms.
- All performances, transmissions, recordings, videos and photographs taken during the contest and the concerts related to the contest belong to Pianoforte Italia Srl and Bilbao Trading SL: KAWAI Distributor for Italy and Spain. Consequently, the contestants will not be able to claim rights over them under any circumstances.
- Italian and Spanish regulations and legislation will apply to any problem that may arise in relation to these rules
- The general guidelines of the contest may be subject to change due to unavoidable circumstances.
Test execution order
- The selected contestants will receive by email the information about their participation in the contest and then their passage to the live tests.
- The order of participation of the contestants will be drawn before the first live test (the rest of the contest will follow the same established order).
- If the candidate is unable to participate in the draw or arrives late for urgent reasons communicated in advance, the organization will undertake to include them in the draw anyway.
- The results will be published at the end of each phase after the time necessary for the jury’s deliberation. All the votes of the jury will be made public on the computer platforms.
Performances during the competition
- All performances during the contest may be uploaded to the Internet by the organization or by authorized collaborators. The organization will reserve the image rights throughout the contest.
- The contest is open to the public until all seats are taken.
Rehearsals
- The organization will provide the Kawai pianos and the appropriate place for the rehearsals two hours before their performance.
Participation requirements
- This contest will be open to contestants of Italian or Spanish nationality or residents or domiciled in Italy or Spain at the time of registration and during the contest.
- Contestants must have been born between 2nd April 1993 and 1st April 2005.
- Entries with videos for the selection test must be sent before 25th September (23.55)
- The registration fee: €100. In case of suspension of the contest by the organization before or during it, it will be returned to the contestant.
- For minors, the authorization of their parents or legal guardians will be required at the time of registration.
- The legal regulations of Corsico – Lombardy Region will be applied taking into account the Covid-19 situation during the live rounds.
To participate in the contest, candidates must register through this website by completing the form available on the “registration” page, where they must attach:
- Personal information
- A good quality video -maximum 15 minutes- recorded expressly for this preselection, made entirely on the same day, in the same place and in a single shot, where hands and face can be clearly seen. The recording cannot be edited. A link may be attached.
- Recent photograph.
- Receipt proving payment of the registration fee. Do not forget to write name and reason (SK 2022 Contest) in the bank transfer: Account: ES92 0049 1838 1923 1039 4481 SWIFT BSCHESMMXXX
- The repertoire that the contestant chooses to perform described in detail.
