Pierre van der Westhuizen to Appear on "Living the Classical Life"
CIPC President and CEO Pierre van der Westhuizen will appear this fall on Living the Classical Life, hosted by pianist Zsolt Bognár. The program features in-depth interviews and one-of-a-kind performances with the people who are shaping the world of today’s classical music. Watch our e-newsletters and Facebook page for the release date. In the meantime, view past episodes of this outstanding program HERE.
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CIPC Throwback! Watch Your Favorite Performances Now!
Thanks to the hard work of CIPC summer intern Christopher Brinich, dozens of performance videos from past competitions are now available on YouTube. Watch winning performances from Stanislav Khristenko, Alexander Schimpf, Martina Filjak, and more – including the fantastically entertaining performance of Lavignac’s Galop-Marche performed by the four 2013 winners. More videos are being added every week, so check back often right HERE.
In Memoriam
Constance Curtiss Manuel, known to her many friends at the CIPC as Connie, died in June at the age of 96. She was a sixth generation Clevelander, descended from the earliest settlers of our nation. Mrs. Manuel attended Laurel School in Shaker Heights, Simmons College in Boston, and Western Reserve Medical School. She completed her residency and internship at University Hospitals in Cleveland, specializing in endocrinology and internal medicine. She taught at Western Reserve University and University Hospitals, and served for many years on the boards of several local hospitals.
In 1960, she married Richard A. Manuel, and the two enjoyed a lifetime of happiness together. They shared a love of travel and music, joining in support and leadership of the Cleveland International Piano Competition for many years. They endowed the CIPC’s third prize cash award and have provided significant support for the Knowlton Second Prize. Mr. Manuel, who passed away in 2014 at the age of 97, served on the board of directors and Mrs. Manuel was named an honorary director.
All of us at the CIPC remember them both with great fondness and are deeply grateful for their years of support. They will be missed.
Catch Up With Our Artists
2013 Mixon First Prize winner Stanislav Khristenko has recently returned from an overseas tour that took him to London and Korea for performances with the Milton Keynes City Orchestra (Rachmaninoff No. 2) and the Suwon Philharmonic Orchestra (Beethoven No. 3). Late July and August is a very busy time, marked by recital appearances at Kent State University, the New Orleans Keyboard Festival, the Ravinia Festival (Chicago), and the International Keyboard Institute and Festival in New York City.
Stanislav has two new CD releases planned for 2015/16, including an album of Antonio Soler’s sonatas on the Naxos label, and the first volume of the complete works of Ernst Krenek’s piano music for Toccata Classics.
Yuanfan Yang and Jae Hong Park, first prize winners of the senior and junior divisions (respectively) of the 2015 CIPC Young Artists Competition, also have been enjoying a very busy summer.
Yuanfan performed in recital at the prestigious Classic FM Live concert in Cardiff, Wales on June 30, sharing the stage with Venezuelan-American pianist Gabriela Montero, operatic pop hero Aled Jones, and renowned British cellist Julian Lloyd Webber. He also appeared at the Barletta Piano Festival in Italy on July 19.Read more
Free Summer Concert Series Returns
CIPC's hugely popular Summer Concert Series at the Beachwood Community Center will return with its first concert on Thursday, June 18 at 6:15 pm. This first in a series of nine concerts, all of which will be held at the same time on consecutive Thursday nights, will feature Ariel Clayton (violin), Andris Koh (cello), and Emily Grabinski (piano).
The series is a collaboration between the City of Beachwood and CIPC ArtsConnect, the music outreach program of the Cleveland International Piano Competition, which works with top-tier musicians throughout the year to bring concerts to nursing homes, hospices, community centers, and schools. Steinway Piano Gallery of Cleveland is providing the pianos for every concert.Read more
Yuanfan Yang and Jae Hong Park win Young Artists Competition
Eighteen-year-old Yuanfan Yang from the UK (Senior Division) and 15-year-old Jae Hong Park from South Korea (Junior Division) were named first-prize winners of the CIPC Young Artists competition. The jury selected the winners from a field of 25 candidates who performed over a ten-day period in May.Read more
CIPC to present free childrens' concerts
Lions, kangaroos, tortoises, elephants, and other exotic animals will enchant Cleveland school children early this summer in a very unexpected way, as the CIPC presents two free performances of Camille Saint-Saëns’ kid-friendly Carnival of the Animals.
The work, which is a musical depiction of animals engaging in their own high-spirited parade, is hugely popular and will immediately sound familiar to many in the audience. It has been featured in movies such as Disney’s Fantasia 2000 and Charlotte’s Web, as well as a cartoon featuring Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. It is a time-honored and thoroughly entertaining way to introduce young children to classical music.Read more
CIPC Young Artists Winners to Perform in Sold Out NY Debut
Yuanfan Yang and Jae Hong Park, the first prize winners of the 2015 CIPC Young Artists Competition, will perform in a sold out recital at The Frick Collection on Thursday, July 13 at 7:30 pm. The concert is being presented by the Cleveland International Piano Competition as part of the Young Artists prize package.
Mr. Yang, 18, won his prize in the senior division of the Young Artists Competition. He has won top prizes at other major international competitions over the past several years and is a prolific composer. In New York he will perform works by Schubert and Prokofiev, as well as two of his own pieces, Prayers of the North and The Haunted Bell. He performed the latter work at the CIPC Young Artists Competition in May, earning the praise and respect of the jury.
Mr. Park, 16, won in the junior division of the Young Artists Competition. In addition to his win in Cleveland, Mr. Park has won top honors at several prestigious international competitions. He will perform works by Schubert, Liszt, and Bartók. Following his performance in New York, Mr. Park will participate in the International Junior Piano Academy, presented by the International Franz Liszt Piano Competition in Amsterdam. While there he will perform in Amsterdam’s beautiful Amstelkerk.
CIPC extends its thanks to Michael Horvitz and Martha H. Hale for their generous support of this event.
Professional Musicians Available Through CIPC
CIPC ArtsConnect, the music outreach program that provides top-level musical performances to communities, schools, and health care facilities, works with an amazing roster of dedicated artists who are based in Northeast Ohio. World-class jazz, classical, and cabaret-style instrumentalists and vocalists provide their time and talent to ArtsConnect, in between their own professional engagements and, in many cases, teaching careers.
Virtually all of these artists are available for performances in private homes and other private or corporate events. Anyone looking for classically trained artists that are a cut above the rest, may contact Sophié van der Westhuizen, Director of ArtsConnect, events@clevelandpiano.org.
CIPC Young Artists: The Latest News
New York Debut Announced for First Prize Winner, Senior Division
The first prize winner in the Senior Division will be awarded a cash prize of $25,000, presented by CIPC Board of Directors member Zoya Reyzis. In addition, the winner will receive a debut recital at The Frick Collection in New York, one of the most respected concert venues in the city. The concert will be held on August 13, 2015. CIPC is grateful to Michael Horvitz for his support of this very special event. CLICK HERE for more information about CIPC Young Artists prizes.
Contestants
CIPC received an overwhelming response from an exceptional field of candidates for the first international iteration of the CIPC Young Artists Competition and Institute. Six continents were represented, with applicants from countries as wide ranging as South Africa, China, Mexico, and Australia. The task of selecting 25 contestants from this long list of hopefuls will fall to three individuals: Paul Schenly, Artistic Director of the CIPC and Professor of Piano at the Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM); Kathryn Brown, Head of the Piano Department at CIM; and Thomas Rosenkranz, Associate Professor of Piano at Bowling Green State University (Ohio). The three jurors will meet over a three-day period in late February to review application forms and performance recordings. The announcement of the contestants invited to Cleveland will be made on the CIPC website and Facebook page by March 15.Read more