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SHIGERU KAWAI "EX" CONCERT PIANO
IS THE CHOICE OF 8TH SYDNEY FIRST PRIZE WINNER |
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| Having selected the Shigeru Kawai EX Concert Piano as his competition “voice,” John Chen of New Zealand was judged the First Prize Winner at the 8th Sydney International Piano Competition held in July. Just 18-years-old, Chen won over the judges with his captivating interpretation of Rachmaninov's Third Piano Concerto performed in the Sydney Opera House. |
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| John Chen was one of 36 contestants chosen from more than 250 pianists who auditioned in venues around the globe hoping to receive an invitation to compete in the Sydney – one of the world’s most prestigious piano competitions. Chen’s victory marked the first time that any performer from Australia or New Zealand has won the Competition since its inception. |
Held every four years, the Sydney International Piano Competition was inaugurated in July 1977 and was admitted as a member of the Federation of International Music Competitions in 1978. It is presented under the auspices of the Cladan Cultural Exchange Institute of Australia in association with the University of Sydney and with the cooperation of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. All stages of the Competition were broadcast live throughout Australia and New Zealand and worldwide on the Internet.
John Chen began piano at the age of three and has studied with Rae de Lisle for the past ten years. He is currently completing his third year of a Bachelor of Music degree in piano performance at the University of Auckland. In 2003, Chen won the Lev Vlassenko Piano Concerto Competition in Brisbane, Australia, also selecting the Shigeru Kawai EX Concert Piano. Also in 2003, he performed the Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 3 with Orchestra Victoria (under the baton of Vladimir Verbitsky) and enjoyed other performances with the New Zealand Symphony, the Auckland Youth Orchestra and the Auckland Philharmonic Orchestra.
As the first prize winner of the Sydney Competition, Chen received a cash award of $25,000.00, numerous performing engagements and a recording contract with Naxos Records (ABC Classics). In addition, he was awarded several Special Prizes for Best Performance of a work by Beethoven ($5,000.00), Best Performance of a 19th or 20th Century Concerto ($5,000.00), Best Performance of a work by Mozart ($3,000.00), and Best Performance of a work by Shubert ($2,500.00). |
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