SJIPC WINNERS CONCERT

Last night, I attended the SJIPC's last event for the piano competition. And with this, the San Jose International Piano Competition comes to an end! The Awards Ceremony and Winners Concert, followed by a lavish banquet, was an extremely pleasurable event to attend. Taking place at the Trianon Theater in San Jose, the 2019 Winners Concert was the grand conclusion to this weeklong endeavour. Performing at the event were all the winners of the SJIPC, not only the people who placed.

Alexey Trushechkin, 29 year-old pianist representing Russia, won First Prize at the SJIPC. He performed selections from Alexander Scriabin's Etudes, Op. 65, Franz Liszt's Paganini Etude in A minor, Theme and Variations, D. 141 no.6, and Sergei Prokofiev's Sonata No. 7 in Bb Major, Op. 83 II and III Mvts. Trushechkin was awarded First Prize, Public Prize, and Best Performance of Russian Music (sponsored by Violetta Bushueva of Edelweiss Music Studio). His performance at the Winners concert was magnificent and a joy to hear. 

Siqian Li, 26 year-old pianist representing China, won Second Prize at the SJIPC. She performed Claude Debussy's La Cathedrale Engoutie and Franz Liszt's Paganini Etude in G# minor, La Campanella, S. 141 no.3. Li was awarded Second Prize and Best Performance of Virtuoso Etude (sponsored by Yasha Ektefaie). Li's performance was absolutely beautiful and was a real treat for everyone who was lucky enough to be sitting in the audience.

Hugo Kitano, 23 year-old pianist representing the U.S., won Third Prize at the SJIPC. He performed Frédéric Chopin's Polonaise-Fantasie, Op. 61. Kitano was awarded Third Prize (sponsored and presented by Peter Jacobs), Best Bay Area Contestant (sponsored and presented by Damon Mah), Best Performance of Beethoven Sonata (sponsored by Celia Mendez), and Best Performance of Romantic Work. His performance at the Winners Concert was extraordinary, and was very nice to experience.

Honorable Mentions went to two performers, Sun-A Park, 31 year-old pianist representing the U.S., and Martin Kesuma, 23 year-old pianist representing Indonesia. Park performed Frédéric Chopin's Etude in B minor, Op. 25 no. 10, and Kesuna performed Franz Schubert/Franz Liszt's Litanei D. 343/S. 562. Daniel Tselyakov, 27 year-old pianist representing Canada, was awarded Best Performance of Contemporary Work (sponsored by Ava Ektefaie). 

If you would like to order videos of any of the ticketed events or the competition rounds, click HERE! 

Also, please consider donating to SJIPC. Here's a note from them: 

The Competition is made possible thanks to our generous supporters, sponsors and donors. Your presence here helps us to continue on our mission of providing excellence and education through competition and performance. Click HERE to donate.

It's been a while since I attended piano concerts, and so this was a wonerful treat for me after the entire school year. Thank you to President and Artistic Director Irina Prilipko-Morgan and Director of Operations Julie Poklewski for having me! Thank you also to Vice President Alex Poklewski, Board Member Irina Sadovnikova, and Vice President Emeritus Patric Nikolas.

Thank you to the Jury: Antonio Pompa-Baldi (President), Sofya Gulyak, Chih-Long Hu, Luis Magalhaes, and Namik Sultanov.