NEWSLETTER
The Sydney International Piano Competition of Australia
and the
Friends of The Sydney International Piano Competition of Australia

Editor: Daniel Mitterdorfer
March 2009


From the President | What they are doing now | 2008 Competition CDs | Feedback from 2008 Prize-winners’ Tours
Konstantin Shamray’s 2009 Tour Dates | Ups and Downs - a new book from Claire Dan

From the President



 Since the last Newsletter in September 2008, the first three Prize-Winners, Konstantin Shamray, Tatiana Kolesova and Ran Dank have completed the 57 concerts that were given in all mainland states, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory with outstanding success. It is not a surprise that there have been many requests for return tours.

In this Newsletter, you will find a selection of the letters and emails that came to the Competition Office following the completion of these tours. Plans are well advanced for return tours in 2009 and 2010. The set of four CDs Solo Highlights from the 2008 Competition have been a great success in Australia. In addition, one of the critics from the New York Times uses these and earlier Competition CDs to demonstrate to his classes in New York. I am very pleased to advise that the second set of four CDs with Chamber Music, Mozart Concertos and 19th/20th Century Concertos will be available in March, 2009. I am sure that these will also be extremely successful.

We hear from many former competitors of their further studies and also their numerous concerts – in many cases, tours in other countries as well. Some of this information is found in What They are Doing Now in this Newsletter.
Claire Dan
AM, OBE

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What they are doing now

In October, Jayson Gillham was the winner of the Australian National Piano Award for 2008. As a result of this, he will have two concerts in Melbourne including the Chopin Piano Concerto No 2 with the Victorian College for the Arts Orchestra and performances in the Bangalow Music Festival. He will also perform Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No 1 with the Queensland Youth Orchestra. In June 2009, he will come with his chamber music ensemble The New Holland Trio for a concert tour of South-East Queensland with performances in Brisbane, Toowoomba, Jimbour House near Dalby, the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast.
Overseas engagements include performance with the Trio in June in St James in Picadilly, London, St John’s in Notting Hill, London, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London. He will perform the Mozart Piano Concerto KV 414 in the Quintet version at Goodenough College, London, also in June.

In 2008, Martina Filjak won the 1st Prize in the Maria Canals Competition in Barcelona and will have some exciting performances ahead and a debut CD for Naxos later in 2009.
This summer she will have performed in festivals in Passau, New York, Dubrovnik, Berlin and Barcelona and was awarded the Orlando Prize for the Best Performance at the Dubrovnik International Summer Festival.

The 2008/2009 Concert Season will take her to Italy, Germany, Spain, France, South Korea and China. On 24th September, 2008 she performed the Ravel Piano Concerto in G with the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra conducted by Christian Zacharias.

In October, 2008 she was one of 6 students selected to participate at courses in the Como Piano Academy on Lake Como in Italy There were masterclasses held by renowned pianists such as Leon Fleischer, Dimitri Bashkirov and Martha Argerich.

In July 2008, Spencer Myer won 1st Prize in the 20th New Orleans International Piano Competition and also the Debussy Prize. As a result he will have concerto engagements with the Louisiana Philharmonic, Baton Rouge and Arcadian Symphonies in the 2009/2010 Concert Season. He will have a solo recital debut at Wigmore Hall in London. In the present season, he looks forward to debuts in America with the Tucson, Wyoming, Knoxville and Richmond Symphonies.

Sergei Saratovsky is now in the 3rd Year of his Doctorate of Musical Arts Studies (DMA) and is continuing with this degree. He recently (October, 2008) had two performances with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra performing Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No 3.

He is preparing for a solo recital on 15th January 2009 at Douglas College as part of their series Art at One in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada. In August 2009, he will participate in the Festival Vancouver giving a solo recital in their series Piano Passion series. In their 2009/2010 season, he will undertake a tour of Canada of 20 concerts or more organized by Jeunesses Musicales of Canada.

Alexey Yemtsov gave the final concert at the 2008 Tyalgum Festival on the 7th September….. “the Prokofiev [Piano] Sonata No 7 in B flat came to a hysterical and frenzied crescendo under the hands of Alexey Yemtsov. The audience rose as one to give yet another standing ovation.” (Murwillumbah Weekly – 14 -20 September 2008).

Alexey was soloist with the Canberra Symphony Orchestra conducted by Nicholas Milton on the 29th and 30th October in the refurbished Llewellyn Hall at the Canberra School of Music. He performed the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No 1 and was given a standing ovation on both nights. Following this, he travelled to Ballarat to give a solo recital there.

Since the Competition, Takashi Sato has been busy with solo recitals, in Odate, Kyoto, Yokkaichi and Hamamatsu in Japan and Herdecke, Bochum, Schwerte, Ratingen and Kamen in Germany. Duo recitals with Shunske Sato (violin) in Kobe and Koshigaya in Japan and a tour in Japan with Shunske Sato (violin) from the 16th to 22nd December 2008. Also performed Grieg’s Piano Concerto in Kawaguchi, Japan.

Engagements in 2009 include duo recital with Kyoko Yonemoto (violin) in Hamamatsu and Kiryu in Japan and also in Paris, France. Also, a duo recital with Kaori Joan Yamagami (cello) in Yaizu, Japan and with Emilie-Anne Gendron (violin) in Paris, France.

He recorded a CD of Schubert’s works in October in Germany, released in December 2008 and two CDs of Chopin’s works for release in 2009. Takashi continues his studies at the Hochschüle für Musik und Theater in Hannover with Arie Vardi.

In October 2008, Konstantin Shamray had a most successful performance in Moscow with a violinist in the Concerto for Piano and Violin by Mendelssohn, who composed this when he was a mere 14 years of age.

In February 2009, he will perform in Krasnoyarsk (Siberia) Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No 1, on 18 September 2009 in Jena, Mozart KV595 with Chief Conductor Nicholas Milton and in October 2009, in Belgrade, Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No 3. Shortly after his tour in Australia in 2009, he will perform in the Ruhr Festival on the 20th June in Düsseldorf.
Details of Konstantin’s tour of Australia in March, April, May and June 2010 will be included in the September Newsletter.

Alexei Volodin continues with a very impressive number of concerto and solo performances. In November 2008, he toured Japan giving 7 concerts, performing Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No 3 with the London Symphony conducted by Gergiev, and giving two solo recitals. In December he performed in Berlin with conductor Fedoseyev – Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No 3. In January 2009, another tour to Spain and the Canary Islands with the Mariinsky Orchestra conducted by Gergiev, again with Prokofiev’s No 3 and Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No 3. Also recitals in Belgium and Italy in January 2009.

In February 2009, he will give concerts with the Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Frübeck de Burgos in Liszt’s Piano Concerto No 1. Also works by Rachmaninov – Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini, and his Piano Concerto No 4 and Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No 1 in Germany, Russia and Italy. In March 2009, he has a major tour in USA with the London Symphony conducted by Gergiev performing Prokofiev Piano Concertos Nos 4 and 5, Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No 5 and a recital in New York – Metropolitan Museum. In April 2009, in Spain with the Solisti Veneti conducted by Schimone – Bach’s Keyboard Concerto in D minor BWV1052 and then recitals in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In May 2009, he tours with the Casals Quartet in Portugal, Spain and the Netherlands. In addition, he will perform all five Beethoven concerti in Lisbon on the 21, 23 and 24 May.

Nicholas Young completed his HSC Examinations in 2008 and obtained 100% for University Admissions Index rankings. In January he was invited to give a full recital in Gisborne, New Zealand. The person who invited him had heard his performances in the Finals of the 2MBS FM Competition in early 2008, and was greatly impressed. In February 2009, he gave a recital for the Roseville Music Club.

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2008 Competition CDs

A set of four CDs, Solo Highlights from the 2008 Competition (shown left), is available from Anne Zimmer for $50.00 (inclusive of postage). You may contact her at 12/80 Elizabeth Bay Road, Elizabeth Bay NSW 2011 or Telephone: (02) 9300 9982 or Email: spidermusic@ar.com.au. A complete tracklist of each CD can be found here.

A second set of four CDs, Chamber Music and Concerto Highlights (ABC Classics 476 696 0) will be released by ABC Classics in March, 2009. When released, Anne will also have this set for sale at the same price.

CD 1: Mozart Piano Concerto No. 20 in d minor, KV466 – Tatiana Kolesova, SSO, Nicholas Milton; Mozart Piano Concerto No. 27 in B-flat major, KV595 – Konstantin Shamray, SSO, Nicholas Milton (Winner of the Mozart Concerto Prize)

CD 2: Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 2 in g minor – Konstantin Shamray, SSO, Kirill Karabits ( Winner of the 19th/20th Century Concerto Prize); Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Major – Ran Dank, SSO, Kirill Karabits (Winner of the SSO Prize)

CD 3: Beethoven ‘Archduke’ Trio in B-flat Major, Op. 97, No. 7 – Charlie Albright, Dimity Hall, Julian Smiles; Brahms Piano Trio in B Major, Op. 8 – Ran Dank, Helen Ayres, Timothy Nankervis.

CD 4: Ravel Piano Trio in a minor – Tatiana Kolesova, Helen Ayres, Timothy Nankervis (Winner, Chamber Music Prize); Mendelssohn Piano Trio No. 1 in d minor, Op. 49 – Hoang Pham, Dimity Hall, Julian Smiles.

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Feedback from 2008 Prize-winners’ Tours

Konstantin Shamray

“……Shamray’s ultra-disclipined fingers and unwavering focus on whatever he played that evoked the great Russian composer pianist (Rachmaninov)…..Shamray’s program was [a] fiercely demanding compilation that featured some of the toughest challenges in the repertoire……The [Chopin] Êtude of the black keys, too, was a model of virtuosic brilliance. Crown of the set (Études Op 10) was No 8 in F, its rippling, dandelion-seed-light notes articulated to perfection…...Mozart that poses the greatest challenge to any musician…and this was triumphantly apparent in Shamray’s account of the Sonata in F, KV533….With a wondrously passionate interpretation of Scriabin’s Étude Opus 8 No 12 bringing the program to a close, hurricanes of applause elicited an encore; Landscape from Prokofiev’s Opus 59. Less than three minutes long but brimming with incident. It is “a world in a grain of sand” – it was presented to perfection by a worthy competition laureate. Bravissimo!” Part of the review by Neville Cohn from the West Australian on 15th August, 2008 after the concert in the Perth Concert Hall.

“The concert was an outstanding success and many of our members expressed the view it was the best concert they have attended.” Robert Coughlin – South Coast Music Society Inc. NSW

“Shamray appears deceptively still at the piano, yet playing with great passion and mastery of technique that creates multiple voices within often complex pieces. The sonic effect is amazing with the various melodies clearly evoked with astounding touch and dynamics. Quite simply he makes a piano sound like it is rarely heard and creates a rich musical experience.” Jan Mitchell – South Coast Music Society Inc. NSW

“He played with excellent organisation and concentration and his huge hands and very resilient wrists are notable assets. His rhythm is particularly fine in the Scriabin and Rachmaninov Études, and he had the audience very much with him. Thank you for the opportunity to present Konstantin.” Stephen Savage – Queensland Conservatorium

“I must say how wonderful Konstantin’s concert was in Cairns. We had delighted audience members who responded very enthusiastically to Konstantin’s outstanding musicianship. The concert was a delight and he is a very likeable fellow as well.” Phil Finkelstein – Cairns Civic Theatre Queensland

“Everyone was on a high after the concert. Konstantin is a wonderful pianist, the music sings.” Valda Silvy – Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre, Penrith, NSW

“We had a great recital with Konstantin in Rockhampton and would like very much to be included in his return visit tour in 2010 - what a talented (and likeable) young
man.” Peter Owens – Pilbeam Theatre, Rockhampton, Queensland

“Last night in Busselton was a memorable occasion. There were tears in the eyes of many present at the sheer skill of this young Russian pianist who in the years to come will be a master of his craft almost without peer.” Cr Wes Hartley – Uniting Church Performance Centre Busselton WA

Tatiana Kolesova

“May I just say what an absolute triumph Tatiana’s performance was last Sunday. She brought light, life and incredible passion to the repertoire, with many listeners commenting on the Stravinsky particularly.” Graham Sattler – Orange NSW Regional Conservatorium

“We were delighted at Tatiana’s recital last night. She did three generous encores – received a standing ovation and was besieged by autograph hunters. As well as being a fabulous artist, she is a very lovely young person.” June Howarth – Roseville Music Club NSW

“We were delighted at Tatiana’s recital and also delighted to meet her – she has a very engaging personality as well as being an immensely fine pianist.” Stephen Champion – Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre NSW

“Tatiana wowed the capacity audience with her technical brilliance, formidable musicianship and generous spirit. Her well-developed communication skills ensure that each and every listener felt a personal involvement with her music.” Jane Robertson – Tamworth Regional Conservatorium of Music NSW

Ran Dank

“We very much enjoyed having Ran here. He is an extremely talented pianist and a very personable young man.” Graeme Russell – Horsham Regional Community Arts Office VIC

“Tremendous concert yesterday - our audience was enthralled. Ran received ovations at the end of both halves of the concerts.” Alan Ziegler – Mosman Music Club NSW

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Konstantin Shamray’s 2009 Tour Dates
Konstantin Shamray
Australian String Quartet
Thursday 30 April Solo Recital Elder Hall, University of Adelaide 7.30pm
Thursday 7 May Melbourne Recital Centre 7.00pm
Friday 8 May* City Recital Hall, Angel Place (Sydney) 7.00pm
Sunday 10 May* Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Noosaville Qld 7.00pm
Tuesday 12 May* Conservatorium Theatre, Brisbane 7.00pm
Thursday 14 May* Government House Ballroom, Perth 7.00pm
Saturday 16 May Solo Recital (Private Function) Adelaide Club, North Terrace 7.00pm
Monday 18 May* Adelaide Town Hall 7.00pm
Tuesday 19 May* Chafey Theatre, Renmark 8.00pm
Thursday 21 May* Brenton Langbein Theatre, Tanunda 8.00pm
Friday 22 May* TAFE Performing Arts Centre, Noarlunga 8.00pm
Sunday 24 May* Ngeringa Farm Concerts, Mt Barker 3.00pm
Monday 25 May* Keith Mitchell Theatre, Port Pirie 8.00pm
Tuesday 26 May* Middleback Theatre, Whyalla 8.00pm
Wednesday 27 May* Nautilus Theatre, Port Lincoln 8.00pm
Saturday 30 May* Robert Helpmann Theatre, Mt Gambier 8.00pm
Tuesday 2 June Solo Recital at ‘Hermsley’ 25 Avila Rd, Curlewis, VIC 8.00pm
Wednesday 3 June Solo Recital at The James Tatoulis Auditorium, MLC, Barkers Rd, Hawthorn 7.30pm
Sunday 14 June Solo Recital at Coote Auditorium The Scots College, Bellevue Hill 3.00pm (NB: Special arrangements to avoid stairs)

* Indicates tour dates with the Australian String Quartet.


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Ups and Downs - a new book from Claire Dan

Claire Dan’s book of memoirs is still available to Friends of the Competition and others for $25.00 (softcover) or $30.00 (hardcover) plus packaging and postage $8.00 making a total of $33 or $38, depending on which cover you choose.

An order form is enclosed with this Newsletter.

All proceeds from the sale of the book will go to the Sydney International Piano Competition of Australia.

All proceeds from the sale of the book will go to the Sydney International Piano Competition of Australia.