July 27, 2012
The 4th Annual Washington International Piano Festival (WIPF) gets under way Sunday, July 29, at Catholic University, and runs through Saturday, Aug. 4.
More than 60 faculty, guest-artists, and participants from around the world are expected at this year's festival. All recitals, concerts, lectures, and master classes - which are open to the public - are held at the University's Benjamin T. Rome School of Music, Ward Recital Hall, except on Aug. 2 and 3, when two performances are set for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Millennium Stage. The Washington International Piano Festival is the first and only such festival in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 2009 by CUA's piano faculty members Nikita Fitenko and Ivo Kaltchev. During the festival, an intensive educational program for piano students, piano teachers, and piano amateurs is combined with a concert series presented by world-class classical pianists. All participants will have use of two new concert grand pianos at CUA's Ward Hall - a 9-foot Steinway and a 9-foot handcrafted CFX Yamaha.
Both co-directors and founders of the festival said they are excited about this year's lineup of concerts and classes.
"We're proud to bring such a successful international event to the University," said Ivo Kaltchev, associate professor and chair of the music school's piano program. Although the festival includes concerts by professional pianists, education is its primary goal.
"We want to inspire participants to careers in music and piano," said Kaltchev. "They meet professionals, learn from great teachers, and hear great music." He said they are working to make each year a little different "to be attractive to students and attendees." For example, opening this year's festival with a jazz concert "shows the piano is not just a classical instrument but can be used for jazz."
Planning for such an event takes months, said Nikita Fitenko, associate professor of piano. "It is a lot of work, but it is part of what we do at the University. Every year, on the last day of the festival, I want to cry, but these are tears of happiness. I'm so tired, and so proud."
He said he hopes the steady growth seen the last few years will continue. Fitenko also credits many volunteers on the festival board and in the music school for ensuring that things go smoothly.
Participants may work one-on-one in private lessons and may perform in and attend recitals, educational workshops, lectures, and master classes that focus on both piano solo and piano ensemble repertoire. Auditions to perform in two concerts at the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage (webcast live at www.kennedy-center.org ) will be held at Ward Recital Hall on Monday, July 30, from 2 - 5 p.m. and 7 - 9:30 p.m. Auditions are open to the public.
The participants come from all over the world and are of all different ages and skill levels. "Teaching piano is a unique type of teaching," Fitenko said. "Each person has different needs and the teacher must respond to those needs. I am challenged to give the best I can give to that person." Kaltchev echoed this, and added "we can teach without speaking the students' native language. We use the language of music to demonstrate what we're looking for."
Other performance opportunities are the Young Pianist Showcase concerts, featuring young pianists living and studying in the Washington, D.C., area who are prizewinners of local, national, and international piano competitions. The festival is cosponsored by Yamaha Co., Jordan Kitts Music Co., the Steinway Piano Gallery of Washington, and Catholic University.
The Young Pianist Showcase concerts are unique to this festival, said Kaltchev, who added that the chance to also perform at the Kennedy Center is a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity." "We want to attract and motivate teachers and students who may have never been to other festivals," he added.
Ticket prices to each event (except free admission as noted) are $20 for adults; $10 for seniors and students; and free admission for CUA students with valid student ID. Tickets for any of the Young Pianist Showcase Concerts also give admission to the evening piano recital on the same day. Tickets to all events can be purchased at the door or reserved by emailing washingtonpianofest@gmail.com . For more information, see www.washingtonpianofest.com .
The festival schedule is as follows:
Recitals/Concerts:
Sunday, July 29: • Young Pianist Showcase of competition prizewinners, 6:30 p.m.• Aaron Diehl, 2011 Cole Porter Fellow in Jazz of the American Pianists Association, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 31: • Young Pianist Showcase of competition prizewinners, 6:45 p.m.• Solo and Piano Duo, Ivo Kaltchev and Chongxiao Liu, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 1: • Young Pianist Showcase of competition prizewinners, 6:45 p.m.• José Feghali, Gold Medalist, 7th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday and Friday, Aug. 2 and 3: Concerts of selected WIPF participants atJohn F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Millennium Stage, 6 p.m. (Free admission each day)
Saturday, Aug. 4: • Closing concert of WIPF participants, 11 a.m. (Free admission)• Yoshio Hamano, 1st prize winner, 2011 Music Competition of Japan and other competitions worldwide, 3:15 p.m.• Alexander Kobrin, Gold Medalist, 12th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, 4 p.m.
Lectures/Master classes: Sunday, July 29: 2:30 p.m., Seymour Bernstein, "Pedaling -'The Soul of the Piano,'" lecture Monday, July 30: 9:30 a.m., Seymour Bernstein, master class Tuesday, July 31: 10 a.m., Atsuko Okada, "Performing Scriabin's Music: How to Achieve Scriabin's Distinctive Sound," lecture Thursday, Aug. 2: 10 a.m., José Feghali, master class Friday, Aug. 3: 11 a.m., Leon Fleisher, master class