Photo by Pat Robinson
Godwin Friesen
Godwin Friesen performing with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra in the 2022 North American Competition.
PianoArts is a non-profit organization whose mission is “to develop innovative ways to foster appreciation and performance of classical music.” One way to meet this goal is through the biennial piano competition and festival they host in partnership with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. PianoArts was founded in 1995. The competition is open to pianists, ages 17 -22, currently residing or studying in North America. This year the semifinalists are Lucas Amory, Wanqing Jiang, Tanner Jorden, Benjamin Keating, Angeline Ma, Emma Taggart, Taylor Wang and Vanessa Yu. They were selected by the preliminary jury chaired by Robert Weirich and including Pallavi Mahidhara, and Melinda Masur. The judges for final rounds are Peter Takács, Aaron Wunsch, and Sean Chen.
The competition will treat Milwaukee to a wonderful week of piano music. Two of the previous winners, Godwin Friesen and Solomon Ge, return for a Prelude Concert: Contemporary Connections to the Classics on Thursday, May 30 at 7:30 pm.
According to Friesen, “The PianoArts Competition stands out from so many others because of the audience engagement element--they even have a special prize that goes to the competitor who gives the best verbal introductions of his/her pieces during the semifinal round. Speaking to the audience is an extremely rare requirement in music competitions, but this is an important value of cofounder Sue Medford… This kind of audience engagement wasn't something new for me, but it was great to be encouraged in that area.”
Solo Recitals: Semifinal Round, Friday, May 31, 1– 9:30 p.m. Each of the eight semifinalists offer a 45-minute solo recital reflecting their personalities and how they communicate with an audience, two other aspects of the PianoArts mission.
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Duo Recitals: Semifinal Round will convene Saturday, June 1, 9:30 a.m.–6 p.m. Each pianist will be paired with a member of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra to showcase their collaborative skills. The finalists will be announced after this program has concluded.
An additional program, Concert by the Masters, including all three members of the PianoArts jury, will be presented on Monday, June 3, 7:30 p.m. Aaron Wunsch and Wisconsin Conservatory pianist Stefanie Jacob open with Schubert’s “Fantasie in F minor.” Peter Takács performs Beethoven’s “Trio in E-flat Op. 70 No. 2” with MSO violinist Paul Hauer and cellist Madeleine Kabat. Brahms’s “Horn Trio” with Sean Chen, MSO First Associate Concertmaster Ilana Setapen, and Principal Horn Matthew Annin concludes the program.
All of the above programs will be hosted by the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, 1584 N Prospect Ave.
The festival and competition conclude on Tuesday, June 4, 4:30–11 p.m. at the Bradley Symphony Center beginning at 4:30 p.m. Here, the finalists will have the opportunity to perform with a major orchestra, another goal of PianoArts.
“I am privileged and honored to have worked with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, to continue partnering with them, and to have such great support from our community and board of directors,” says Sue Medford, founder and artistic director of PianoArts. “ I’m pleased to also say that we now have international support for our competition ”with a difference.” I suppose it all started when I was a teenage pianist who played for a bassoon player in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at a summer music camp. It’s hard to put into words the feeling of transitioning from the student world to the professional. Now that we see our former PianoArts competitors thriving as professionals, I believe that they had the same experience with PianoArts. This season, we have expanded these opportunities for our competitors. I have every confidence that we’ll have a bright, creative future in the arts with the leadership of the young artists performing in Milwaukee in 2024.”
Below is a listing of the many programs taking place on the competition’s final day, June 4.
4:30 p.m., Concerto Conversations: Meaghan Heinrich, well known for her extensive insights about music and her presentation skills, will present an overview of the concertos to be performed during the competition’s Final Round featuring three finalists and the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra.
5 p.m. Meet the North American Competition Finalists: Meaghan Heinrich introduces and interviews the finalists.
5:30 p.m. Piano Promenades: Semifinalists perform their favorite piano solos prior to the Final Round & Awards Ceremony.
7:30 p.m. The Grand Finale:Finalists perform concertos with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and Conductor Yaniv Dinur.
9 p.m. Rewarding Excellence: At the conclusion of the performances and their deliberation, the jury presents the 2024 prizes, awards, and fellowships for Milwaukee residencies that lead to significant music careers.
10 p.m. 25th Anniversary Champagne Toast
Ticket information and more can be found at pianoarts.org.
