Los Angeles has reaffirmed its place in the international musical community with the creation of an American Paderewski International Piano Competition. The competition premiered from May 26-29, 2010 at the Colburn School in Los Angeles, California, commemorating the 150th anniversary of the birth of its namesake, Polish pianist and composer Ignacy Jan Paderewski. The Competition attracted 44 young keyboard artists from across the globe. Countries represented in the semifinals included Uzbekistan, Italy, China, Canada, Poland, Russia, Korea, Macedonia, and the USA.
24 gifted pianists were invited into the semifinals, where each musician was required to perform a 25-30 minute program, including a compulsory piece by Paderewski. Six winners emerged and went on to perform a 50-55 minute recital in the Final Round before the Competition Jury of five adjudicators. The esteemed Competition Jury was comprised of internationally acclaimed pianists and piano educators who brought a wide range of educational and performing experience to the competition. Dr. Wojcieh Kocyan, a former First Prize Winner of the Paderewski Piano Competition in Bydgoszcz Poland, is currently a Clinical Professor of Piano at Loyola-Marymount University in Los Angeles. Evelyne Brancart is a professor and Chair of the Piano Department at the Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University in Bloomington. Jon Kimura Parker is a professor at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, and Margarita Shevchenko is an internationally recognized performer who also serves on the faculty at Cleveland Institute of Music. Professor Adam Wibrowski sits on and directs several notable musical organizations, including the Board of Directors of the Paderewski Music Society in Los Angeles, which organized this competition.
Members of the jury listened for masterful performances that partnered accurate articulation and interpretation with sincere artistry and musical vision. Though the 24 semifinalists demonstrated an impressive command of difficult literature, the Jury elected the six most compelling performers of an already impressive cohort to compete in the final round. Those selected for awards succeeded not only because of their obvious musical talent and technical ability but also because of their gripping presence on stage.
The First Place prize of $5,000 was awarded to Piotr Kosiński, age 21, of Poland. Mr. Kosiński, while conservative in both his stage manner and interpretation, used this no-frills approach to great effect, presenting his considerable musical abilities unveiled by any embellishments. His playing was intense and virtuosic, leaving no doubt regarding his technical mastery of each piece. His final performance included the Scarlatti Sonata in G Major K. 13 and Sonata in b minor K. 27, Chopin’s Polonaise-Fantasie in A flat Major Op. 61, Granados’ El Pelele, and Ravel’s Gaspard de la Nuit.
Gloria Campaner, age 23, of Italy won the Second Place award of $2,500 with her own distinctive interpretations of Chopin, Ravel, and Rachmaninoff. Exhibiting a confident and striking stage presence, she used her glamorous visual presentation to embody the music in a highly expressive manner. Unorthodox and vibrant, her performance was poetic, captivating, and even sensual at times—an inarguably exciting experience. This vibrancy was especially evident in the piece she shared with Kosiński, the Chopin Polonaise-Fantasie. Campaner was unapologetically romantic while Kosiński would be better described as a ‘controlled’ romantic, though both interpretations were certainly performed in style. It is here that the judges’ necessary subjectivity showed preference for Kosiński’s more reserved and conventional approach. Besides the Chopin, Ms. Campaner’s final performance featured Ravel’s Valses Nobles et Sentimentales and the Rachmaninoff Moments Muicaux Op. 16 nos. 1-4. Ms. Campaner was also honored with a $1,000 prize for the best performance of Chopin, awarded by the L’Association Chopin `a Nohant, France.
Leonard Gilbert, a 19-year-old pianist from Canada, placed third, winning $1,000. Though one of the younger competitors and the youngest finalist, Mr. Gilbert has already received many honors and accolades, which his performance proved to be well-deserved. Mr. Gilbert had a remarkable musicality and beautiful sound. His performance produced the most intimate aura of the three awardees, and as his educational career unfolds, much will rightly be expected of him. His final performance presented captivating interpretations of the Scarlatti Sonata L.449 in b minor and Sonata L.431 in E Major, Beethoven’s Sonata in C Major No. 21 Op. 53 “Waldstein”, and Chopin’s Sonata no. 3 in b minor Op. 58.
All three, mentioned above, performers received also the ex-aequo prize of the Paderewski Music Society for the best performance of Paderewski. Mr. Hsiang John Tu received a $1,000 prize for the best performance of Leschetyzki, awarded by the Leschetyzki Music Society of Warsaw, Poland. Additionally, Mr. Nicolas King received the Jury's Choice Award, presented by Henryk Martenka, the Director of the International Paderewski Piano Competition un Bydgoszcz, Poland - the Award is a weeklong participation in the masterclasses with orchestra in Bydgoszcz-Ostromecko, Poland in August 2010.
Of particular note beyond the excellent performance of the competitors was the establishment of the competition itself. The Paderewski Music Society of Los Angeles is a non-profit organization which was only able to establish such an impressive competition through the help of private donors and modest ticket fees. The event organizers also contributed much of their time and talent free of charge. The labor of these donors and organizers truly bore fruit in this competition, which fostered both musical excellence and international learning by providing a forum for these gifted young artists to meet, listen, and learn from each other.
But the last word must be given to those who studied, prepared, and performed at this competition. In an age where performing artists often gain notoriety based on skillful image and marketing techniques, the finalists at the Paderewski Competition proved that there are many talented young artists who gain their recognition and attention here in the United States and ultimately in the world based purely on their exceptional musicality and command of their instrument. The first American Paderewski Piano Competition was extremely well organized and maintained the high level of standards. A solid foundation has been laid and the competition plans to return in three years. Music aficionados, please take note and mark your calendars for 2013: you will not want to miss hearing these young artists who will someday be performing on the finest international stages. Andreas Eckstein
