DATES: March 13 – 18, 2023
AGE: 13 through 17
LOCATION: Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, USA
COMPETITION PIANOS: Steinway & Sons graciously provides the grand pianos for the Competition and its related events. The Steinway grand piano Model D will be available to the 2023 competitors for action testing on March 7 at the Round I and Round II competition venue.
COMPETITION ROUNDS: The 2023 Hilton Head International Piano Competition will consist of three rounds of competition.
- Round I 20 Competitors
- Round II 20 Competitors
- Round III – Finals 5 Competitors
COMPETITOR SELECTION JURY: The Competitor Selection Jury will evaluate, without discussion, all video audition files on the basis of commonly accepted musical criteria. The Jury will then select twenty (20) competitors to compete in the 2023 Hilton Head International Piano Competition. The Jury will also provide the competition administration with a rank ordered list of alternates. The Jury’s decision is final.
COMPETITOR SELECTION JURY:
- Jane Coop– Canada
- Douglas Humpherys – USA
- Janice Weber – USA
COMPETITOR ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE DATES: All competitors are expected to arrive on either Thursday, March 9 (for those traveling from international locations), or Friday, March 10 (for those traveling from U.S. locations) and to depart on Sunday, March 19, 2023.
CHAPERONES: Competitors under the age of 15 must be accompanied by a chaperone. Competitors 15 to 17 years of age may choose to come unaccompanied or be accompanied by a chaperone. Any competitor 15-17 who elects to come unaccompanied must have his/her parent or guardian sign a waiver which will be provided by the Competition office.
HOST FAMILY ACCOMMODATIONS: Each competitor and his or her chaperone will stay in the home of a Host Family from arrival on March 9 or 10 to departure March 19, 2023, who provides lodging, food, all local transportation, and a grand piano for practice. If a competitor wants to stay in the Hilton Head area for any days falling before or after the period of March 9 – 19, they will be responsible for arrangements and payment for their own lodging, food, and transportation for those extra days.
TRANSPORTATION: The Competition will reimburse up to $500 in travel costs for each of the twenty (20) competitors. Chaperones must travel to and from Hilton Head at their own expense.
MARCH COMPETITON JURY:
- Alvin Chow, USA (Chair)
- Eteri Andjaparidze, Georgia/USA
- Arnaldo Cohen, Brazil
- Lucille Chung, Canada
- Yoshikazu Nagai, Japan
2023 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
- Saturday March 11: Action testing of competition piano
- Saturday, March 11: welcome party for competitors, chaperones and host families; drawing for performance order
- Monday and Tuesday, March 13 & 14: Round I
- Wednesday and Thursday, March 15 & 16: Round II
- Friday, March 17: Master Classes and School Ambassador Program; rehearsals with the HHSO for the finalists
- Saturday, March 18: One-on-One Conversations with the Judges in the morning;
- Saturday, March 18: Round III Finals (Awards Ceremony & Reception)
PRIZES
First Prize: $10,000 US cash prize, plus:
- Concerto performance with the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra (2023-2024 Season)
- Other offered engagements, subject to arrangements with presenters
Second Prize: $5,000 US cash prize
Third Prize: $3,000 US cash prize
2 Medalists: $1,000 US cash prize each
Sascha Gorodnitzki Memorial Prize: $1,000 judges’ discretionary cash prize
Peter Takács Classical Sonata Prize: $1000
The Takács Prize will be given for the best performance of a sonata by Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven or Schubert.