Honens Piano Competition Reveals 2015 Quarterfinalists

The Quarterfinals / International Audition Round takes place in New York (March 25 and 26 at Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Music Center), Berlin (April 10 and 11 at the Konzerthaus) and London (April 15 and 16 at The Guildhall School of Music & Drama). Each pianist performs a 40-minute solo recital made up of repertory of his or her choice. Performances are open to the public. Admission and schedule information is available at honens.com.

These 50 public performances are recorded on video for review by the First Jury, which is made up of both pianists and arts professionals: Inon Barnatan (pianist, Israel), Stewart Goodyear (pianist, Canada), Noriko Ogawa (pianist, Japan) and Mary Sigmond (President, The Frederic Chopin Society, Minneapolis-St. Paul, United States). The First Jury evaluates the performances during deliberations at The Banff Centre in May and June. Ten pianists will be chosen to advance to the Semifinals in Calgary.

Honens discovers, nurtures and presents Complete Pianists-21st century artists for 21st century audiences. Calgary philanthropist Esther Honens dreamed of discovering and launching the careers of the world's most promising pianists. In 1991, she established the Honens Foundation with a gift of $5 million, creating a legacy for musicians and music-lovers around the world. Today, the Honens Piano Competition takes place every three years as part of the Honens Festival-Canada's International Festival of Piano. The Honens Prize for Piano-$100,000 CAN and an artistic and career development program valued at a half million dollars-is the largest prize of its kind.

The 2015 Honens Piano Festival & Competition is presented by Nexen Energy, a CNOOC Limited company; Lead Partners are TD Bank Group and TransAlta; Supporting Partner is RBC Foundation. Other Partners include: Arts Commons, Canadian Natural Resources Limited, Enbridge Inc., WAX Partnership Inc., Deluxe Design Group, ecentricarts inc., Calgary Herald, Pattison Outdoor Advertising, The Banff Centre and The Fairmont Palliser. Honens also thanks Masters Gallery, Renaissance Wine Merchants Ltd., Nicole Gourmet Catering; and industry partners Travel Alberta, Tourism Calgary and Calgary Downtown Association. Piano partners: Fazioli, Michael Lipnicki Fine Pianos, Steinway & Sons and Steinway Piano Gallery Calgary. Public and Foundation Partners include Alberta Foundation for the Arts, Alberta Lottery Fund, Calgary Arts Development Authority / City of Calgary, The Calgary Foundation, Sir Jack Lyons Charitable Trust and the Rozsa Foundation. The Competition culminates with the Semifinals and Finals in Calgary, Canada from 3 to 12 September 2015.

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