Dallas Chamber Symphony Invites Pianists to Compete at Dallas International Piano Competition March, 2015

Annual competition for young professional and pre-professional pianists will be adjudicated by all-star jury panel, offers solo concert engagement and thousands in cash prizes. Applications due by Dec. 15, 2014. dcspianocompetition.org

Young professional and pre-professional pianists from anywhere in the world are invited to participate in the third annual Dallas International Piano Competition. The four-day event will be held March 11-14, 2014 in Dallas, Texas. It will consist of three rounds of competition before a distinguished international jury panel, as well as expert training and career-building guidance. Applications and video submissions are due by December 15, 2014, and quarter-finalists will be announced on January 10, 2015. Guidelines and eligibility information, as well as the online application can be found at dcspianocompetition.org. The event is a community partnership between the Dallas Chamber Symphony and the Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University.

“This annual event has been very well received these last two years both in Dallas and in international musical communities,” says Richard McKay, Artistic Director of the Dallas Chamber Symphony. “As awareness about the competition grows, so too does the talent of our contestants, as well as the caliber of our adjudicators and Master Class instructors.”

The First Prize Winner of the Dallas International Piano Competition will perform a piano concerto with the Dallas Chamber Symphony during its 2015-2016 season at City Performance Hall in downtown Dallas, bringing widespread recognition to launch the career of an aspiring artist. Additional winners will receive cash prizes.

The Dallas International Piano Competition places an emphasis on education and the responsible development of young pianistic talent. While the competition engages some of the most promising musicians from around the world, it also offers a forum where these pianists, as well as  others who do not participate in the competition rounds, can receive advice from experts on how to further their careers. At the SMU Meadows School of the Arts, many will participate in public master classes and private lessons with world-renowned musicians.  

The event’s jury panel includes David Korevaar, a renowned pedagogue at the University of Colorado at Boulder and extensively recorded performing artist; and Ran Dank, who received, First Prize at the Hilton Head International Piano Competition, Mr. Dank is also a laureate of the Naumburg Piano Competition and the Sydney International Piano Competition; and Marina Lomazov, Professor of Piano at the University of South Carolina School of Music where she is Founder and Artistic Director of the Southeastern Piano Festival. The faculty for the event’s Master Classes will include with renowned performers and pedagogues Alessio Bax, Joaquin Achurarro and Dr. Carol Leone.

The competition is the first professional international piano competition to accommodate pianists with smaller hands by providing Steinbuhler reduced-size actions to pianists who wish to use them during the competition rounds and master classes.

For additional event details, schedules and judges’ biographies, visit dcspianocompetition.org.

ABOUT DALLAS CHAMBER SYMPHONY

Named Best of Big D 2014 by D Magazine, and Best Classical Music Addition 2013 by the Dallas Observer, the Dallas Chamber Symphony is one of the most exciting and innovative professional performance ensembles in North Texas. Led by Artistic Director and Conductor Richard McKay, it is comprised of 40 musicians, all dedicated to performing a balance of programs that include underrepresented and standard repertory, contemporary music, staged works, and pieces with extra-musical elements, such as film, actors, and dancers.

The DCS performs at the gorgeous new City Performance Hall in the Dallas Arts District, and provides educational and community programming, including an annual International Piano Competition at SMU, field-trip concerts for area school districts, and Sight of Sound, an annual International Film Competition. For more information, visit dallaschambersymphony.org

About the Meadows School of the Arts

The Division of Music in the Meadows School of the Arts is a professional, comprehensive master’s institution devoted to the advancement of music performance and scholarship, to the preparation of the next generation of music professionals, and to service in the artistic life of our community, our nation, and the world.

The approximately 300 students in the Meadows Division of Music pursue a broad range of undergraduate and graduate degree options, including the Bachelor of Music degree (professional focus), the Bachelor of Music Education degree (teacher preparation focus), the Bachelor of Arts degree (liberal arts focus), the Master of Music degree (professional focus, advanced studies), the Performers Diploma and Artist Diploma (elite performance focus). All degrees and diplomas offered by the Division of Music are accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music. smu.edu/meadows