The 61st Wideman Semi-Finals were held on December 4, 2011 at Centenary College in Shreveport, Louisiana
The Wideman International Piano Competition is held each year at the Hurley School of Music at Centenary College.
Our competition draws talented pianists from all over the world. We hope that you will consider joining us!
View Results
Upcoming Events:
Shreveport Symphony Feb 25, 2012
"Go for the Gold" Finals
2011
Wideman
Finalists
Finalists (The three finalists will perform on February 25, 2012)
Name Birthplace School Concerto
Yue Chu China Curtis Rachmaninoff, No 3 in D minor, Op 30
Yejin Noh Korea Indiana Rachmaninoff, No 2 in C minor, Op 18
Xixi Zou China New England Prokofiev, No 2 in G minor, Op 16
Honorable Mention & First Alternate
Shen Lu China New England Chopin, No 1 in E minor, Op 11
Honorable Mention
Mikhail Berestnev Russia TCU Tchaikovsky, No 1 in B minor, Op 23
John Siliang Chen China TCU Tchaikovsky, No 1 in B minor, Op 23
Kyle Orth California TCU Saint-Saëns, No 2 in G minor, Op 22
Shijun Wang China Julliard Rachmaninoff, Rhapsody on a Theme
by Paganini, Op 43
Special Recognition
Christie Cho New York Indiana Beethoven, No 5 in E, Op 73 (Emperor)
Scott Cuellar Illinois Julliard Rachmaninoff, Rhapsody on a Theme
Nazomi Iwai Japan TCU Beethoven, No 4 in G, Op 58
Samuel Oram Massachusetts Rachmaninoff, No 3 in D minor, Op 30
Reed Trezloff Minnesota Mannes Liszt, No 2 in A, S 125
Website:
Wideman Competition Piece:
Prokofiev, Piano Concerto No 2 in G minor, Op 16
Short Bio:
Anna Bulkina was born in Krasnovodsk, Turkmenistan and displayed musical talent from an early age. She received her first piano lessons from her mother at age 5. Two years later, their family moved to Rostov-on-Don where she began to study with Nataliya Zaitseva, and later continued with Professor Rimma Skorokhodova at the Sergej Rachmaninoff Conservatoire.
http://khristenko.com/
Rachmaninoff, Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini
Stanislav Khristenko, piano was born in Kharkov (Ukraine).
From 1992 till 1998 he studied piano at the Childrens Musical School N13 in Kharkov with Larisa Oschepkova. In 2003 he graduated from the Moscow Chopin College of Music and entered the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory. Stanislav Khristenko graduated with honors from Moscow Conservatory in 2008. He is currently pursuing his Artist Diploma at Cleveland Institute of Music majoring in piano with Sergei Babayan.
Bartok, Piano Concerto No 2
Canadian pianist Fehlauer studied at the national Royal Conservatory of Music in both piano and violin and holds degrees in music from the University of British Columbia, where she studied with Jane Coop, and the University of North Texas, where she studied with Pamela Mia Paul. She was the 2006 winner of the University of North Texas Concerto Competition and in 2006 was voted Most Outstanding Graduate Piano Student by the faculty of UNT, the largest music school in North America
http://www.yoonjunghan.com/
Liszt, No 1 in E-flat
South Korean Yoonjung Han has been widely acclaimed as a rising star in the piano world. At age 26, she has won top prizes from distinguished international competitions and the highest accolades for her poetic performances in major concert halls in the USA and around the world.
Yoonjung Han made her solo debut at age 13, performing the Beethoven 3rd Piano Concerto with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. She recently performed as a soloist with the Buffalo Philharmonic, Helsinki Philharmonic, Houston Symphony, Banff Festival Orchestra, I Pomeriggi Musicali di Milan, Mississippi Symphony, Fort Collins Symphony, and Shreveport Symphony, under such maestros as Joann Falletta, Leif Segerstam, and Lior Shambadal. Ms. Han has appeared on WQXR New York and National Public Radios Young Artist Showcases, as well as WHYY Philadelphia, Houston Public Radio, WFMT Chicago, WRR Dallas, TV-Polmusic in Poland, and CBS, EBS in Korea.
Han received her Bachelors degree from the Curtis Institute of Music and Master of Music degree from The Juilliard School. She is currently completing her Doctor of Musical Arts at SUNY Stony Brook and Artist Diploma at Université de Montréal.
Saint-Saen Piano Concerto No. 2 in gm
Born in Seoul, Korea, in 1986, Ko-Eun Lee began her piano studies at the age of 3. At age 7 she entered the preparatory division of the Korea National University of Arts School of Music and at twelve, she attended the Yewon Arts middle school in Seoul where she studied under Choong Mo Kang. She later attended Walnut Hill School and New England Conservatory's prep school and studied with Wha-Kyung Byun. From 2004-2010, she studied with Jerome Lowenthal at the Juilliard school and enrolled Bachelor of Music as well as Master of Music
The three finalists selected from each competition will perform with the Shreveport Symphony on Saturday, February 25, 2012 at 7:30 PM.
Visit Shreveport Symphony's website to purchase tickets for this world class event.
The Gold Medalist selected will be scheduled to perform the following engagements
Welcome Page - Important Dates
2011 Gold Medalist Engagements
Recitals / Winners' Spotlight
The Nena Wideman Piano Competition, which began in 1950, has been held annually the first weekend of December, at Centenary College-Hurley School of Music.
Outstanding pianists from throughout the United States and foreign countries and from major music schools have been attracted to the Competition. Nationally and Internationally known pianists and conductors are chosen to be judges.
Nena Wideman, a former member of the Centenary College piano faculty, was the guiding spirit of the first competition and continued with unwavering enthusiasm until her death in 1983. In 1982, an Endowment was created by the Shreveport Symphony in honor of Mrs. Wideman and established the permanence of this annual event.
Since Mrs. Wideman's death, Dr Lester Senter Wilson has been Executive Director. Maestro John Shenaut, Conductor Emeritus of the Shreveport Symphony and Mrs. Clayton Young have been Co-Chairmen of the Competition.
Mezzo soprano Lester Senter has appeared with leading opera companies, festivals and symphonies across America as well as abroad, including Spoleto USA, Glimmerglass, Des Moines, Dallas, New Orleans, Denver, Milwaukee, Sarasota, Grand Rapids, Knoxville, Birmingham, Mobile, Amarillo, Shreveport, Jackson, Mississippi, Guadalajara, Mexico and Dublin, Ireland.
Miss Senter has a D.M.A. in piano and voice, the first double major presented by the University of Texas in Austin. In August 2004 she received The Mississippi Honored Artist Award from the National Museum of Women in the Arts. In 2001 Miss Senter was the recipient of the Governors Award for Excellence in the Arts, presented by the Mississippi Arts Commission. In 2002 she played Orfeo in a specially mounted production of Orfeo ed Euridice to commemorate her twenty-fifth anniversary with the Mississippi Opera. In 2011, she received the Jefferson Davis Historical Gold Medal for research and performance. Senter has been the Executive Director of the Wideman Competition since 1985.
Miss Senter is represented by Anthony George Artist Management of New York.
No application is complete and will not be accepted until a non-refundable application fee of $100.00 has been received.
If requested on the application form, an accompanist will be provided by the Competition for an additional $100 * , paid directly to the Wideman Piano Competition upon notification of competitor selection
Please make check or money order payable to the Wideman Piano Competition and send it to the address indicated below.
WIDEMAN PIANO COMPETITION
c/o Dr. Lester Senter Wilson
1200 Meadowbrook Road #39
Jackson, Mississippi 39206
Each contestant must make provisions for an accompanist.
If requested on the application form, an accompanist will be provided by the Competition for an additional $100, paid directly to the Wideman Piano Competition upon notification of competitor selection
*In the event that you decide you will provide your own accompanist, please contact us, as the fee will become
non-refundable after November 15, 2011
All Contestants must be at least 18 years of age and not older than 28 years of age by December 1, 2011.
Former first place winners of the Wideman Competition and students of acting judges of this year's Competition are ineligible.
The Competition limits the number of contestants per teacher to three.
All applications will be processed in the order received. The Competition reserves the right to limit the number of contestants to 40 applicants.
All decisions of the Contestant Selection Jury and the Competition Jury will be final.
Each contestant must make provisions for transportation to Shreveport, Louisiana. Several Airlines fly to the Shreveport Regional Airport
For assistance or further information, contact Dr. Lester Senter Wilson,
Executive Director
Dr. Lester Senter Wilson
Jackson, MS 39206-6109
Telephone 601-366-4843
FAX 601-510-9148
E-mail: WidemanPiano_widemanpiano.com
A contestant may select any piano concerto in the standard repertoire whose orchestral instrumentation does not exceed 3322-4231 -tmp+4-hp-str
Concertos must be memorized.
Upon notification of competitor selection, each contestant will be sent information on available accommodations in hotels or private homes.
Cash Prizes will be awarded to Gold, Silver, and Bronze Medalists as well as to Honorable Mentions as follows:
Gold $5000
Silver $2500
Bronze $1500
Honorable Mentions(5) $200
Audience Favorite $500
The Gold Medalist will also be awarded with several recitals/engagements including:
The Semi-Final Round will be Sunday afternoon, December 4, 2011.
The jury will select 5-8 contestants to perform a complete concerto in this round of the competition.
The Preliminary Rounds will be Friday and Saturday, December 2 & 3, 2011.
The forty contestants selected will participate in this round of the Competition.
Each contestant will play 15 minutes as directed by the jury. The accompaniment wll be by a second piano.
The top three finalists will have the opportunity to perform a complete concerto with the Shreveport Symphony on February 25, 2012.
Transportation expenses (from his or her school in the United States) and housing for the final round will be provided by the Competition.
Applicant/Contestant Checklist
- Submit Application with $100 fee, required documents, photo, and DVD no later than Oct. 3, 2011
- Receive notification of acceptance by Oct. 12, 2011 (and mail $100 accompanist fee if applicable)
- Preliminary Rounds will be Dec 2 and 3, 2011 (40 contestants)
- Semifinal Rounds will be Dec 4, 2011 (5-8 contestants)
- Three Finalists will be announced and Honorable Mention will be awarded on Dec. 4, 2011
- Finalists perform with Shreveport Symphony on February 25, 2012.
Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestra
South Arkansas Symphony Orchestra
Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series, Chicago Illinois
The Phillips Collection Sunday Concert Series in Washington DC
Chamber Concert with the West Edge String Quartet in Shreveport, Louisiana
Beethoven Choral Fantasy in C Minor op 80 with the Mississippi Chorus in Jackson, Mississippi
In addition to the personal data furnished on the application form, each contestant must provide:
All applications must be received no later than October 3, 2011; applications are not returnable.
Acceptances will be announced and contestants notified via a list on the website and by e-mail on Wednesday, October 12, 2011.
Gold Medal $5,000
(The William Peyton Shehee & Virginia Patrick Shehee Award)
Silver Medal $2,500
(F. Thomas Siskron III Family Award & Marcille Young, Marilyn King, & Amy Kirkland Award)
Bronze Medal $1,500
(The Martha Jones Rice Award given by Mr. & Mrs. Marshall Carl Rice)
Honorable Mentions (5) $200
(William and Martha Smith Award)
(The Pendley Piano Gallery Audience Favorite Award given by Sherry & Carl Pendley)
The Gold Medalist will also be awarded with several Gold Medalist Engagements
Donate
Please make check payable to:
Wideman Piano Competition
and mail to:
1200 Meadowbrook Road, No 39,
Jackson, MS 39206.
The continuance of the Competition would not have been possible without the loyal help over the years of those businesses and individuals who have supported it as Patrons Friends and Members of the Board. The Wideman Competition, under the umbrella of the Shreveport Symphony Guild, Inc. is exceedingly grateful for the generous support of the Guild. The Wideman Competition strives to promote excellence and encouragement to young pianists as they begin their careers.
All of your contributions to the Wideman Piano Competition are completely deductible since the Wideman is a program of the Shreveport Symphony Guild, a 501(c)(3) organization.
Jackson, MS 39206
(601) 946-2063
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