A month before the 1987 Casadesus Competition, Steve Glaser’s hand was injured in an accident. He told a reporter he was relieved. “‘Psychologically it’s released me from the pressure of competing in an international piano competition. I’m looking forward to it’” (Daily Jeffersonian, Cambridge Ohio, Aug. 14, 1987).
Piano competitions can be fierce, especially at the international level. The stakes are higher and the players at their best, and for many, the pressure is no less. But these events can hold more for competitors to experience than simply stress. From planning outings, to parties, to arranging for host families, CIPC has always aimed to make the pianists’ two weeks in our city as enjoyable as possible, both at the piano and away from it. To learn more about our competitors’ experiences, we conducted a survey of all our past medalists. Here, I share some of the responses along with newspaper reports to celebrate the environment our organizers have worked hard to foster over the last 50 years.
Encouraging a positive environment is important for fostering relationships. Adele Arno, who competed in 1987 and returned in 1991, told Elaine Guregian of the Beacon Journal that she “made an exception to her usual policy of never attending the same competition twice to return to Cleveland. Why? For one thing, the friendly atmosphere” (“Signed contract the real prize,” Aug. 1991). In a September 1995 letter to Karen Knowlton (then executive director), competitor Adrian Oetiker wrote, “In no other competition I felt treated as well as in Cleveland—so despite the rather discouraging result I do have very happy memories!”
This friendly atmosphere wasn’t exclusive to the late 1980s and early 1990s, and it left a lasting impact on many of our medalists. Even with the pressure of meeting a high bar in 1979, the whole group of competitors was incredibly friendly. Dan Newman, who took First Prize that year, told a reporter of The Dayton Daily News that “There was absolutely no animosity, no ill will. A lot of tears were shed when the group broke up.” Roberto Plano, First Prize in 2001, also told reporters that getting on with the other pianists made the hot weather more bearable. He “had fun getting acquainted with other pianists in the dorm, which is not air-conditioned. ‘It was very hot… but it was good to be together’” (Plain Dealer “Biggest surprise”).
Medalists have formed valuable personal and professional relationships in the competition. Our Third Prize medalist of 2003, Konstantin Soukhovetski, wrote to us that the competition “forged life-long friendships with colleagues” that positively impacted his career—friends like Kotaro Fukuma and Soyeon Kate Lee (who won First and Second Prize that year respectively). Laura Silverman, a local Clevelander who won Fourth Prize in 1977, told us that the competition led her to an important relationship with Herbert Strawbridge, the late president of the board of The Cleveland Orchestra. “He and his family became a great friend and supporter of me.” Several competitors wrote about their relationships with Gaby Casadesus. Beatrice Long told us, “Madame Casadesus gave me several valuable lessons, especially on Ravel and the music of Robert Casadesus. She also introduced me to Olivier Messiaen while we attended an opera together in Paris! Her mentorship inspired me to explore music for solo and duo piano.”
Some years, host families have housed the pianists or taken them on outings, to dinner, and the like. Many of our medalists wrote that their hosts were essential to their competition experience. Niel Rutman, the Fourth Prize medalist in 1985, became close friends with his host family. He told us that he “visited them as recently as two months ago in Asheville, North Carolina,” which would have been in early Autumn of 2023—a relationship that has lasted nearly forty years and is still going strong. Thierry Huillet, our First Prize medalist in 1987 and a juror in 2003 and 2011, shared similar sentiments about his host family. When asked if he formed any important relationships in the competition, he responded, “My dearest Connie and Dick Manuel, who were my hosts when I entered the competition, then again when I came to play in the USA. I was lucky to have some time with them again when I was a juror. I always have them in my heart.”
Medalists spoke about their positive musical experience as well. Our Second Prize medalist in 1995, Marina Lomazov, wrote to us about her fellow pianists: “I was so impressed with every other competitor and thought I was the worst one compared to everyone else.” Dan Riddle, who took second in 1981, wrote that “the staff and jury of the competition in 1981 were all so incredibly supportive and nurturing. It allowed all of us to perform to the best of our abilities.” Soukhovetsky remembers applying for CIPC specifically for an opportunity to play with The Cleveland Orchestra. Being the first year of the partnership, he was one of our first competitors to play with them, and his excitement was matched by the “super-enthusiastic local audience.”
Others have raved about our audiences to reporters. In 2001, Minsoo Sohn (who won Second Prize that year) told The Plain Dealer, “The audience was amazing… they were really focusing, even in the 20th century music,” and Gilles Vonsattel (who won fourth) continued, “In some competitions, they come to watch you do a tightrope walk… This audience was great from the first round” (“Biggest surprise was to the finalists in the Cleveland piano competition,” Aug. 11, 2001).
The medalists also discussed how their wins impacted their careers. Nikita Mndoyants, our 2016 Mixon First Prize winner, wrote that it “was the most important thing that busted and launched my career in the USA, in my homeland Russia, and also in Europe.” For Lomazov, “Things did not change immediately. But winning the silver medal has validated me as a pianist personally and professionally and I owe my career to that win.” And for Plano, the competition was part of a changeful time. “In 2001, I met my wife Paola just a month before entering the competition, so I can easily say that that year and Cleveland changed my life on all its aspects… Paola and I now have three daughters, and we currently live in Italy but we lived in the US for 7 years (where we became US citizens).”
We also asked our medalists to share some of their favorite memories of their competition experiences. Here are some of their answers:
- Spencer Myer: “Having grown up in Cleveland and witnessing the competition as an audience member and aspiring pianist, one of my life goals was to enter and reach the finals of my “hometown” competition. To this day, reaching the finals and performing the Beethoven 4th Concerto with the Cleveland Orchestra was my ultimate dream come true and the highlight of my life.”
- Yuko Nakamichi: “The time I spent with my host family. The visit to the lake with my host family was an unforgettable relaxing moment during the competition.”
- Antonio Pompa-Baldi: “Too many to choose from! My wife and I got married two weeks before the start of the competition, we literally came to Cleveland on our honeymoon. We did not speak a word of English, but immediately met so many wonderful people, all ready to help and support us. I’d say the warmth of everyone we met is perhaps the best memory, and it played a crucial role in our decision to move to Cleveland, less than a couple of years later.”
- Markus Pawlik: “The ‘crazy’ day of the 2nd round: Played well in the morning—went for a walk and got mugged—passed to the Semi-Finals—went to a restaurant with my host lady to celebrate and had to evacuate because of a roof fire!”
- KyuYeon Kim: “I moved to Cleveland to study with Sergei Babayan at CIM after this competition. One of our hot spots, “Starbucks” near our dorm during the competition became my homework-doing place. It was a great memory!”
- Marina Lomazov: “Meeting other competitors, some of whom became life-long friends. The competition also happened to be the first time I ever performed with orchestra.”
- Dan Riddle: “Meeting Madame Casadesus in Cleveland was a real thrill for me. I will always cherish her complimenting me for my performance of her husband’s cadenzas in the Mozart concerto. A few years later in 1984 I was lucky enough to have her as the chair of the jury in Paris at the Concours de Claude Kahn, at which I won the Premier Prix.”
- Francois Chaplin: “My best memory is the rehearsal with the orchestra before the finale of the Mozart concerto that I had chosen. I had never played with an orchestra before and Mozart, whom I revered, was for me a dream come true and I found the orchestra excellent.”
- Roberto Plano: “There are so many incredible memories, it’s hard to choose… my arrival in Cleveland (1st time in the Usa!), the time I spent with my host mother, Virginia DiPadova, the moment they announced the name of second prize and I understood that I won the competition… unforgettable memories that will never fade away.”
It would be a challenge to pick a favorite memory from CIPC’s 50 years, but the competitors and their experiences are certainly a highlight. Highlighting them is a fitting way to wrap up this dive into the archives. As we rapidly approach the 2024 competition, the staff at CIPC hopes that all future competitors find the experience as uplifting as it has been for half a century of world-class pianists.