Audience Favorite to Perform at Opening Ceremony
Leonid Nediak may have been the ultimate expression of the spirit of the 2015 Young Artists competition. Barely 12 years old at the time, he looked to many like a small boy about to perform in his first recital. Within seconds of the start of his first performance, however, the impression was quickly dispelled. Young Leonid was thoroughly in command of the keyboard, as well as a daunting repertoire of Haydn, Chopin, Rachmaninoff, and Beethoven. He went on to win second prize in the Junior Division and, not surprisingly, the audience favorite prize.
CIPC is delighted that Leonid accepted an invitation to perform at the opening ceremony for the 2018 Cleveland International Piano Competition for Young Artists, which will be held on Wednesday, May 30, 7:00 pm at the Cleveland Institute of Music (Kulas Hall). He will perform solo works, then collaborate with Cleveland’s Contemporary Youth Orchestra to present the first movement of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2. Liza Grossman will conduct.
At the intermission, WCLV’S Robert Conrad will introduce all of the 2018 contestants and a reception will be held immediately following. Tickets for the concert and reception are $35 and can be purchased by calling 216-707-5397 or clicking here.
Prodigies Return!
Right on cue for spring, the brightest young talent from music schools and conservatories worldwide will soon arrive in Cleveland to compete in the 2018 Cleveland International Piano Competition for Young Artists. This 11-day event made its debut as an international counterpart to CIPC in 2015, with the sensational young pianists demonstrating skill, poise and a joy in performing that quickly captured the hearts and minds of all in attendance.
The young artists will compete for prizes and engagements in two age groups: Juniors (age 12 to 14) and Seniors (age 15 to 17). The first three rounds will be held in Mixon Hall at the Cleveland Institute of Music. An international jury of renowned pianists will vote to advance a diminishing number of contestants until three finalists in each age group remain. The finalists will then perform with the Canton Symphony Orchestra in the Maltz Performing Arts Center at Case Western Reserve University to determine the winners. Gerhardt Zimmermann will conduct. The announcement of the winners at an award ceremony, followed by encore performances by the winners and a celebratory party, will conclude the event on a festive note at the Cleveland Museum of Art.
Valentine's Day With Stanislav Khristenko and Tatiana Chulochnikova
Join us for a romantic evening with husband and wife duo Stanislav Khristenko, 2013 Mixon First Prize Winner, and Tatiana Chulochnikova, Concertmaster of the Washington Bach Consort.
Stanislav and Tatiana will present an enchanting program of works for duo piano and violin.
The event will be held on Saturday, February 17, 6:00 pm at Shaker Heights Country Club. Tickets are $100 per person and include the performance, a seated dinner with wine service, and valet parking. Please note that the Valentine's Day dinner concert is one of our most popular events and it sells out each year. Order your tickets now to avoid disappointment.
Click HERE to buy tickets or call 216-707-5397 for further information.
Best Wishes to Pierre van der Westhuizen
Pierre van der Westhuizen, who has served as CIPC’s President and CEO since 2011, has been named Director of the Irving S. Gilmore International Keyboard Festival and Awards. He will move to Kalamazoo, Michigan and begin his new duties on January 2. “It has been a pleasure and a privilege to be a part of the CIPC family for these seven years,” van der Westhuizen said. “I’ve been touched by the most wondrous music, the most dedicated individuals, and the most generous and supportive patrons one could possibly hope for. I extend my deepest thanks to all.”
Over the course of his tenure at CIPC, van der Westhuizen transformed the competition from a single event to a fully-fledged arts organization by developing a festival approach, which now includes the CIPC for Young Artists, the CIPC Concert Series, and ArtsConnect community outreach program. Activities include competition performances, guest artist recitals, lectures, master classes, films, chamber music, and orchestral performances. Van der Westhuizen has been a successful fundraiser for the CIPC, almost doubling the revenue for the competition and more than doubling corporate investment for the 2017 Concert Series.
All of us at CIPC will miss Pierre’s exemplary leadership and wish him the very best in his new position.
Nikita Mndoyants: Past, Present, and Future
Nikita Mndoyants had a year of exciting debuts, important milestones, and more than a few “homecomings” that kept the 2016 Mixon First Prize winner traveling almost constantly.
Among the highlights was a June debut at Carnegie Hall in New York, which Pianist magazine called “a stunning start for Mndoyants.” He also made his solo debut in the famed Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, performed at the Ruhr Piano Festival in Germany, and appeared as a guest artist with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, conducted by the great Charles Dutoit.
He returned to Cleveland to perform as part of the 2017 Concert Series, the Salle Cortot for a recital in Paris, and also to both the Chopin Festival in Poland and the International Music Festival in Wissembourg, France, where he serves as Artist-in-Residence.
Looking ahead, Mr. Mndoyants has numerous concert engagements in Europe, Russia, and the U.S., plus a tour of the U.K. with the State Academic Symphony Orchestra “Evgeny Svetlanov" and a solo tour of South Africa.
2017 Concert Series Was Perfection From Start To Finish
Photo by Roger Mastroianni
For CIPC concert patrons, 2017 was a year to remember. Beginning with a sublime performance by renowned pianist Marc-André Hamelin, carrying on with Nikita Mndoyants – who reminded all in attendance of the mastery he displayed at the 2016 CIPC – and ending with a once-in-a-lifetime, sold-out performance by Martha Argerich and Sergei Babayan at Severance Hall, the series offered up many moments of sheer bliss for every music lover. Thanks to the generosity of Ms. Argerich and Mr. Babayan, we can share one of those moments with our readers. Please click HERE to enjoy an encore the duo performed at Severance Hall, the Waltz from Rachmaninoff’s Suite No. 2 for Two Pianos, Op. 17.
Cleveland Classical’s Daniel Hathaway called Marc-André Hamelin’s performance “a revelation.” Mark Satola, writing for the Plain Dealer, praised the “flawless technique” demonstrated by Nikita Mndoyants. And Donald Rosenberg, writing for Pianist magazine wrote that when Ms. Argerich stepped onstage with Mr. Babayan at her side “the audience welcomed her as a conquering hero.” Each of these nights will surely be remembered and cherished by all in attendance.
CIPC extends its deepest thanks to the artists who shared their glorious gifts on these three evenings. We are all made richer for the experience.
Staff Profile: Crystal Carlson
Crystal Carlson, CIPC’s Production Manager, has had a very interesting career trajectory since joining the organization in 2011. But we’ll get to that in a minute. Let’s start with her background.
Like most of the CIPC staff, Crystal is a musician. Her instrument is her voice, making her the only vocalist on the team. Born in Idaho, Crystal received her Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Capital University in Columbus, Ohio. She then moved to Cleveland, where she received a Professional Studies Certificate in voice at the Cleveland Institute of Music.
Having a self-professed love of performing, Crystal appeared in a number of local productions while teaching and working at Little Italy’s famed Corbo’s Bakery to help make ends meet. And then a friend suggested she apply for a temporary administrative assistant position at the Cleveland International Piano Competition.
It was early in 2011 and CIPC was staffing up for that year’s competition. Crystal was hired to help with the event (as was her future husband, but that’s another story altogether) and, as they say, she’s never looked back.
Nikita Mndoyants Releases New CD
2016 Mixon First Prize winner Nikita Mndoyants has released a new recording on the Steinway & Sons label. Available in multiple formats at Amazon and iTunes, the disc includes Schumann’s Davidsbündlertänze, Op. 6; Beethoven’s Bagatelles, Op. 126; and Prokofiev’s Sarcasms, Op. 17.
Mr. Mndoyants performed the first two of these works at his Carnegie Hall debut on June 7, earning outstanding critical reviews. “There comes a time when a rising talent comes onto the scene so polished that there isn’t much to say other than to simply applaud it,” wrote Donald Hunt for Pianist magazine. “Such is the case in the Carnegie Hall debut of Nikita Mndoyants, the winner of last year’s Cleveland International Piano Competition.” Mr. Hunt praised the Beethoven, in which the pianist “seamlessly made dynamic switches from technical flair to sensitive phrasing at the drop of a hat,” and the Schumann, during which “Mndoyants created extra space in each line that felt similar to the stylistic traditions of great jazz pianists of the past and present.”
The CD is included in the prize package presented to Mr. Mndoyants as the winner of the Cleveland International Piano Competition. Additional prizes include the Mixon First Prize cash award of $75,000, a Carnegie Hall debut, management services for four years, and concert engagements worldwide.
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Encore! Recap
Some 270 guests enjoyed a great dinner and fantastic performances by Nikita Mndoyants, Stanislav Khristenko, Dinara Klinton, and Leonardo Colafelice at the Encore! gala to benefit the Cleveland International Piano Competition on Saturday, August 5. Net proceeds of $60,000 were raised for the organization.
Young Artists Return in 2018
A little more than two years ago a select group of exceptionally talented young pianists surprised and delighted the audiences, critics, and jury members in attendance at the 2015 CIPC for Young Artists. The level of skill and poise displayed by the young virtuosos was, according to the Plain Dealer, “remarkable to behold,” and seasoned veterans of competition watching were captivated by their performances.
CIPC is pleased to announce that CIPC for Young Artists will be held again this year, presenting another opportunity for young pianists to hone their performance skills and audiences to catch an early look at rising stars.
The event will be held May 30 through June 9, 2018. Twenty pianists in two age groups will be invited to participate following a rigorous, worldwide preliminary screening round: ten in the junior division (ages 12 to 14) and ten in the senior division (ages 15 to 17). The opening ceremony, solo rounds, guest artist performances, and master classes will be held at the Cleveland Institute of Music. The final round, during which three finalists from each division will perform with the Canton Symphony Orchestra, will be held at the Maltz Performing Arts Center.
Contestants will be announced March 1.Read more