PIANO STUDENTS TUNE UP FOR CLASSIC PERFORMANCES AT YMFE SCHOLARSHIP FINALS
Following a record number of entries, ten students representing some of the UK’s leading conservatoires have been chosen to perform at the finals of the annual Yamaha Music Foundation of Europe Scholarship awards to be held at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance on February 8th 2011 and three finalists from the Royal Irish Academy of Music and Cork School of Music at the Royal Irish Academy of Music on 16th February 2011.
The finalists will have their performances judged by a panel of world-class artists and tutors with the four winning finalists (three in the UK and one in the Republic of Ireland) each receiving £2000 to assist the furthering of their studies and classical music careers. The awards also offer a high profile opportunity for publicity as the winners embark on their musical careers and Yamaha is delighted to announce a very special additional prize at the finals for one of the YMFE scholars who will be selected by the Manager of the Milton Keynes City Orchestra to perform Mozart’s Piano Concerto No.15 with the MKCO on 28th May 2011.
This year the selected discipline is Piano and with the awards scheme in its 21st year, the scholarships have established an international reputation for showcasing the finest emerging talent and boast particularly strong alumni, many of whom are now enjoying successful careers. These include saxophonist Amy Dickson, euphonium player David Childs and pianists Sasha Grynuk and Eduard Kunz.
This year’s awards are no exception attracting a record level of entries from students in full time music education from all over the UK and Republic of Ireland.
Preliminary judges Deniz Gelenbe and Douglas Finch from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance reported an exceptionally high standard and unanimously agreed upon the 2011 finalists who had submitted unedited recordings of two contrasting works. At the final, the finalists will each perform a programme of 30 minutes duration where the final judging panels for UK and Republic of Ireland will include:
UK - Chairman and Head of Keyboard at Trinity Laban, Deniz Gelenbe; Christopher Elton, Head of Keyboard at the Royal Academy of Music; Aaron Shorr, Head of Keyboard at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama; Ronan O'Hora, Head of Keyboard at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama; and Graham Scott, Head of Keyboards at the Royal Northern College of Music.
Republic of Ireland - John O'Conor, Director of the Royal Irish Academy of Music, and Eleanor Malone for Cork School of Music.
The Yamaha Music Foundation of Europe is a charitable trust launched in 1989 with a remit to assist talented young musicians. It currently operates in 31 countries and since its foundation has provided over 850 scholarships amounting to in excess of €1 million. The awards are open to UK and Republic of Ireland students born after 1st January 1986 and currently studying on a full-time music course at a higher education institution.
Each year the instrument emphasis rotates between Piano, Brass & Woodwind, Orchestral Strings, Percussion and Voice. Last year was dedicated to Orchestral Strings.
Bill Martin, Education Liaison Manager at Yamaha Music Europe GmbH (UK) stated, "We are looking forward to some outstanding performances in the finals. Each year the standards seem to get higher and we are delighted to be able to offer these scholarships in order that these immensely talented musicians can further their studies."
The 2011 finalists are:
UK
Miss Julia Chaplina RCM
Ms Soo Jung Park RAM
Mr Ji Liu RAM
Mr Mihkel Poll GSMAD
Mr Oles Klok RSAMD
Mr Gen Li RCM
Mr Qiaojing Dai RAM
Mr Evgeny Genchev RAM
Miss Jiaqi Li RNCM
Miss Julia Hamos RAM
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND
Ms Soo Jung Ann RIAM
Mr Alexander Bernstein RIAM
Mr Conor Palliser CSM
For further information on YMFE visit www.ymfe.yamaha-europe.com
ENDS
David Jones / DJPR (0)1604 842104 / 07857 024202 david@djpr.co.uk
Samantha Turner / Yamaha 01908 369221
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