Yamaha Education Projects

Dudley International Piano Competition

Pictured here: Emmanuel Despax, winner of the £4,000 first prize from Yamaha for the 2009 Dudley International Piano Competition in October 2009. (Photo: Clive Barda.)

Yamaha is a proud supporter of the Dudley International Piano Competition, providing a world-class CFIIIS hand-crafted grand piano for the competition, which received much praise from performers and audience alike. Yamaha also provided the winning prize fund of £4,000 which in October 2009, was awarded to Emmanuel Despax after the piano concerto finalists' event with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Michael Seal. Emmanuel's energetic but well measured performance of Brahms' Piano Concerto No 1 in D minor was a favourite among the 2009 judging panel who were: Gordon Fergus-Thompson, John Humphreys, Margaret Fingerhut, William Fong, Mark Bebbington and Michael Seal.

The £2,000 second prize, donated by 'The Friends of Music in Dudley', was awared to Meng Yan Pang and her spirited and characterful performance of Liszt's Piano Concerto No 1 in Eb Major. Meng also won the audience prize worth £250. The third prize went to Royal Northern College of Music Yamaha piano scholarship recipient, Maya Irgalina, for her cool and well-measured interpretation of Mozart's Piano Concerto No 27 in Bb major.

Yamaha is delighted to support this prestigious event, which chimes with its aim of nurturing and supporting talented young musicians as they make the leap into professional musical life.

The next Dudley International Piano Competition will take place in October 2011.

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(posted: October 2009)