Tie-Dan Yao, 16, of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, was awarded first prize after the final round of the 2008 Eastman Young Artists International Piano Competition last night (Friday, Aug. 8) in Kilbourn Hall of the Eastman School of Music. As top winner of the weeklong event for talented 15-to-18-year-old pianists, Tie-Dan Yao receives a cash award of $4,000.
The second-place winner was Min-Soo Hong, 15, of Seoul, Korea, who received a cash award of $2,000. Peter Klimo, 17, of Northridge, Calif., took third place and $1,000. Each of the top three winners also receives a full-tuition scholarship to the Eastman School (upon satisfying all admission requirements). The remaining three finalists, Xue-Sha Hu, 15, of Beijing, China, Connie Kim-Sheng, 16, of La Crescenta, Calif., and Wan-Ting Zhao, 16, of Beijing, China, each received a $500 cash award.
Previously, Tie-Dan Yao won first prize in the 2007 Canadian Music Competition; first prize in the 2006 and 2004 Calgary Concerto Competitions; and third prize in the 2005 CFMTA (Canadian Federation of Music Teachers Association) National Piano Competition. He has performed with the Calgary Civic Symphony Orchestra, Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, and Regina Symphony.
The winners of the competition will present two concerts today (Saturday, Aug. 9), at 3 p.m. and at 7:30 p.m., in Kilbourn Hall. Tickets are $12 for the general public and $6 for University of Rochester faculty/staff with UR ID. Tickets will go on sale at the Ticket Window in the Main Hall of the Eastman School of Music one hour before concert time and are subject to availability.
This year, 23 competitors from the United States, Taiwan, Korea, China, Canada, and the Czech Republic took part in the Eastman Young Artists International Piano Competition. Each presented two solo programs of recital repertoire and participated in a master class led by either a competition jury member or an Eastman School faculty member. All performances were judged and the six finalists were announced after the completion of the preliminary rounds on Thursday night, Aug. 7.
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