The Pianist of the Year competition aims to put live music back into the cafés, among the people.
For the fourth year now, pianists will come together, regardless of age or sex, to show their skills in captivating the concert hall. Anyone can apply to take part, whether he or she plays professionally, or for pleasure as an amateur. The competition will cover a variety of genres: not just classical, but also pop, folk and jazz.Competitors will also improvise.
The non-public selection stage took place on 22nd January 2016, when the expert jury selected fifteen competitors who will then show the measure of their talent in five public rounds. Each evening will have a specific musical theme; the competitors will be expected to win over both jury and audience in the allotted time. Voting will be open to the audience and people on the internet. Each round will comprise several competitors, one of whom will be given the chance to return to the competition on the strength of the internet vote. The finale between the five finalists will take place in the Suk Hall in the Rudolfinum in Prague.
Thanks to PETROF's generosity, competitors will once again be playing on a PETROF P210 Pasat.This is the most popular model of the championship series with its clear, singing tone, overshadowing with its sound parameters many pianos of greater dimensions. In the finale, competitors can look forward to playing a top-of-the-range PETROF AP 275, named after the company founder, and bearing the same name as the first instruments that came out of this first-class workshop.
The jury will have the same line-up as in previous years: Petr Malásek -the noted pianist, composer, arranger and producer, Jitka Fowler Fraňková – the much sought-after pianist and pedagogue, and RostislavČapek – the world-famous producer of stringed instruments and organiser of acoustic music concerts
The chief prize is a financial award of 30,000 crowns from PETROF and a guaranteed public performance. This year the competition will also be supported by Rádio Classic, Rádio Blaník, and Hudební Rozhledy magazine.
For further information go to www.pianist.cz or the competition facebook pages atwww.facebook.com/pianistaroku.
