Yamaha Education News

Public voting opens for amateur Chopin pianist competition

The limited edition Kemble Chopin piano - one of the competition prizes

The closing date has been reached and all the entries are in. So, who's got the 'C-Factor'? Now's your chance to look, listen and then cast your vote for the nation's most accomplished and passionate exponent of Chopin's music as voting opens in the 'Kemble Chopin piano e-competition for outstanding amateurs'.

With entrants aged from 18 to 77 and from all walks of life, including police officers, community support workers, a petrol station manager, a dental nurse and an eye surgeon, the public vote is expected to be highly popular. Organiser Kemble Pianos is now urging anyone passionate about piano music and Chopin to take part in the voting process by visiting www.kemble-pianos.com then clicking through to the Kemble Pianos YouTube channel where they can view and evaluate all performances before voting.

Voting is live until 3 October and organisers Kemble Pianos are expecting the site to attract large numbers of viewers. The Channel also features top Chopin-playing tips from professional pianists Freddy Kempf and Marina Nadiradze, alongside eminent piano professors, including Graham Caskie and Christopher Elton.

The public voting will determine the ten most popular entrants, who will then go through to the final professional judging panel which includes Kevin Kenner, Christopher Elton (head of keyboard at The Royal Academy of Music) and Classic FM magazine Editor John Evans.

The winner will be announced on 24 October and will be presented with a Limited Edition Kemble Chopin Piano, valued at over of £8000, plus a lesson with competition judge Kevin Kenner, who was awarded the top prize and The People Prize at the International Chopin Competition in Warsaw in 1990. The runner-up will also receive a private lesson from Kevin. All ten finalists will receive a year's subscription to Classic FM magazine.

Launched in April this year the competition was open to any UK or Republic of Ireland resident over the age of 18, the only stipulation being that entrants did not derive their principal income from piano playing or teaching.

Follow Kemble Pianos on Facebook.
For further information please visit Kemble Pianos.

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(posted: September 2010)