Mal And Barbara Mixon Increase First Prize Gift To $75,000
The winner of the next Cleveland International Piano Competition, which will be held in 2016, will be presented with a cash award of $75,000, up from $50,000, thanks to the generosity of prize donors Mal and Barbara Mixon. The Mixons, who have been donating the First Prize cash award of $50,000 since 2005, felt the time was right to up the ante.
“The CIPC attracts the highest caliber contestants, and is in the very top echelon of piano competitions worldwide,” Mr. Mixon said. “It is entirely appropriate that the First Prize cash award reflects the winner’s level of skill, as well as the international stature of this competition.”Read more
CIPC Young Artists Competition Expand in Size and Scope for 2015
CIPC’s Young Artists competition, which was launched in 2005 as a two-day Ohio event, has been expanded to follow the international, multi-round format of the CIPC itself.
The competition will be held May 13-22, 2015 at Baldwin Wallace University in Berea, Ohio. Contestants will participate in two age groups: Juniors (age 12 to 15) and Seniors (age 16 to 18). Pianists from any country are invited to apply; those who are accepted will be housed in dormitories on the Baldwin Wallace campus for the duration of the competition.Read more
CIPC’s New ArtsConnect Program Continues Mission of Access to the Arts
The indefatigable Graham Grund, one of the city’s grandest arts patrons, stood at the helm of Access to the Arts for more than two decades. It was an organization she founded at age 70, using mostly volunteer students from the Cleveland Institute of Music to bring music and joy to the residents of nursing homes across Northeast Ohio. CIPC also was a partner in the program, coordinating performances by CIPC contestants at the start of each Competition.
With Ms. Grund’s passing last year, the program was searching for a new direction. Then Jeanne Hoffmeyer, Special Projects Consultant at the Golden Age Centers, and Martha Towns, a CIPC Board member, had a rather brilliant idea.Read more
In Memory of Richard Manuel
Richard Manuel, a generous patron and longtime member of the Board of Directors of the Cleveland International Piano Competition, passed away on January 5, 2014.
Mr. Manuel began his involvement with the Competition in its early days, when it was known as the Robert Casadesus Piano Competition, beginning an association that lasted more than 30 years. He became a founding board member of the organization when it was renamed the Cleveland International Piano Competition in 1994, and served as a member of the Board of Directors since that time, most recently serving on the Advisory Board.Read more
2014 Concert Series Tickets Now on Sale
2014 Concert Series Presents World Class Musicians
The Cleveland International Piano Competition will present an extraordinary series of concerts in 2014 that will include a Gramophone Artist of the Year, an Israeli-Palestinian piano duo, an internationally acclaimed Baroque orchestra, and four CIPC medalists.
Presented collectively as the CIPC Concert Series, each of the four world-class performances will be held in vibrant University Circle venues, including the beautiful Reinberger Chamber Hall at Severance Hall.Read more
5 Questions for Stanislav Khristenko
Since Stanislav Khristenko won First Prize at the 2013 Competition, we have received many inquiries from orchestras and presenters around the U.S. who wish to engage him for an upcoming season. Venues that have presented CIPC winners for years, as well as those that are new, recognize Stanislav’s engaging personality and mastery at the keyboard. He will be very busy for the next three years!
In January, CIPC Executive Director Pierre van der Westhuizen and Artist Manager Della Homenik will introduce Stanislav at the annual conference of the Association of Performing Arts Presenters in New York. This important networking event is a must for building contacts and securing future engagements.Read more
Help Support the CIPC!
Looking back over the past two years, particularly the thrilling weeks of the 2013 Cleveland International Piano Competition, we are filled with gratitude by the support we have enjoyed from so many individuals in Northeast Ohio and beyond.
This support was evident in our largest and most successful Competition ever, held this past summer at the Cleveland Museum of Art and Severance Hall. A professional survey taken this year indicated that 87 percent of those responding rated their experience at the event “excellent.” We are very proud of this result, which reflects well on our entire community.Read more
Catching up with Alexander Schimpf
The new concert season has begun and Alexander Schimpf is off and running with the first of a series of tours that will keep him busy through the end of May. This one starts with a recital at Hiram College on October 30, and continues through November 24 with a performance of Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A Minor with the Canton Symphony.
On November 22 he will perform a special, not-to-be-missed concert for CIPC at Steinway Piano Gallery, the new home of Steinway Hall-Akron. The event is part of CIPC’s PianoPalooza Series, and will feature a fabulous Champagne and dessert reception – not to mention the opportunity to meet the artist! (Click here for all concert details.)Read more
5 Questions for Alexander Schimpf
First in a series of conversations with interesting people connected to the CIPC. Watch this space for more!
1. How did you first learn about the CIPC and what compelled you to apply?
The competition is well known anyway - again and again I had heard about friends and colleagues who took part, and I also heard about the results of the 2007 and 2009 competitions. I was already thinking about quitting the competition business - but I still wanted to take part in one in the United States - and Cleveland was the perfect choice as far as repertoire and timing were concerned.Read more
CIPC Presents an Evening with Alexander Schimpf
2011 First Prize winner Alexander Schimpf returns for a very special performance to launch CIPC’s hugely popular PianoPalooza series for 2013-14. The series is highlighted by fun and festive events featuring food, drinks, and entertainment in unique and distinctive venues.
Alexander will perform an intimate recital in the beautiful new recital hall of Steinway Piano Gallery, the new home of Mattlin-Hyde Piano Company and Steinway Hall-Akron. Meet new friends and old, mingle among spectacular instruments, and enjoy a fabulous champagne and dessert reception. Of course, Alexander will join the festivities to share news of his adventures since winning the Competition in 2011.Read more