Unisa International Piano Competition 2024
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Unisa International Piano Competition 2024
January 22 - February 3
The Unisa International Piano Competition 2024 will run from 22 January to 3 February 2024 in Pretoria, South Africa.
- Classical and jazz pianists of all nationalities may enter.
- The age limit is 30 years. Applicants must have been born on or after 4 February 1994.
- Previous winners of the Unisa International Piano Competition are not eligible to enter again.
- A maximum of thirty (30) competitors (15 classical pianists and 15 jazz pianists) will be selected for the competition.
- The competition will be held in the ZK Matthews Hall, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Building, Unisa Muckleneuk Campus, Pretoria.
- All live rounds are open to the public.
The competition consists of five rounds:
— A Qualifying Round per online video submission.
— A 1st and 2nd Round after which the first elimination of candidates will take place.
— A Semi-Final Round consisting of a classical/jazz recital.
— A Final Round consisting of a recital with orchestra (for classical pianists) or performance with rhythm section (for jazz pianists).
The Unisa Music Foundation presents national music competitions in exactly the same format than its international music competitions with the specific aim to accustom young South African musicians to the stringent standards applied internationally. So far a national organ, two piano and one string competition preceded the Unisa International Music Competitions in which the first prize winner and runner-up competed against a selected number of young overseas musicians.
The first International Music Competition (for piano) was held at Unisa in Pretoria in 1982. The winner of this event a Canadian pianist Marc-André Hammelin has since then established himself as a sought after international pianist. Other prize winners at Unisa include sopranos Renée Fleming and Sumi Jo, tenors Johan Botha and Kobie van Rensburg, cellists Alexander Knyazev, and Jerôme Pernoo, violinists Benjamin Schmidt, Dmitri Makhtin. Famous judges include Guido Agosti, Georgy Sandor, Marie Claire Alain, Maria Kliegel, Martina Arroyo, John O’Connor, Sergey Dorensky etc.
