Masterful performances at PIANO! 2023
Three worthy prizewinners demonstrated their skills to an astonished audience at the final concert of PIANO! 2023 on September 10. And if, as happened, the international jury, made up of top-class piano teachers, conductors and concert organizers, is just as impressed as the audience and unanimously states that "we would not have expected such a high level", then things must have gone well.
Fifteen international applicants between the ages of 18 and 36 were selected in a preliminary video round and invited to Münster. In the two live competition rounds at the Musikhochschule on September 8 and 9, four of them prevailed and won attractive prizes. The first prize, endowed with 5,000 euros in prize money and a professional video production, was won by 27-year-old Korean GyuTae Ha. The fact that this is already his 24th competition win comes as no surprise to anyone in view of his stage presence. His temperament, at times daredevil, at times soulful, was a wonderful match for the "Carnaval" by Robert Schumann, which he performed. A valuable watch, donated as a special prize by Freisfeld Jewelers, will also be a lasting reminder of the competition in Münster.
Second place, endowed with 3,000 euros, was awarded to the Japanese pianist Asami Yoshihara. The critics praised her selection of 24 Préludes by Frédéric Chopin for its "sense of sound, romantic mood and virtuosity", which was "hypnotically captivating". Third place, and with it 2,000 euros, went to her compatriot, Tatsushi Yamakawa, whose performance of the Schubert Allegretto D 915 and four Brahms fantasies demonstrated not only technical ability but also artistic maturity. Another special prize of 1,000 euros for the best performance of virtuoso etudes was awarded to the Korean pianist SoYeon Chang.
Once again, the quality of pianistic training in NRW was evident: the first prize winner comes from the Folkwang UdK in Essen, while the second and third prizes remain in Münster, or more precisely, in the piano class of Prof. Michael Keller. And, of course, everything went according to international standards in the awarding of the prizes: No jury member knows what points the others have awarded, and the jury chairmen, Prof. Keller and Prof. Peter von Wienhardt, abstained from voting because of the competition participation of their own students.
After a slow start in 2021 due to the pandemic, PIANO! 2023 is now in great shape. Despite midsummer temperatures on the competition weekend, the auditions and especially the winners' concert in H1 were well attended. Local partnerships with Freisfeld, Pianohaus Micke and Hotel Kaiserhof anchor the competition in the city of Münster. We cannot thank the Münster Foundation of Sparda-Bank West enough for its commitment to the promotion of culture and young talent and for continuing to pursue these goals with the Münster Music Academy and the PIANO! piano competition! - We are already looking forward to PIANO! 2025, it will be even bigger!
We are happy to share both the live recording of the prizewinners' concert and the video production of the first prizewinner with the public on the Münster University of Music's YouTube channel.
The winners of PIANO! 2023
Drei Hauptpreise und zwei Sonderpreise wurden bei PIANO! 2023 vergeben.
GyuTae Ha (1st prize + special prize Juwelier Freisfeld)
© privat Korean pianist GyuTae Ha (b. 1996) began playing the piano at the age of six.
In the summer of 2011, he participated in the Boston University Tanglewood Institute (BUTI) Tanglewood Music Festival and was selected for the BUTI Young Piano Artists Concert at the Yamaha Salon in Seoul. That same summer, he participated in Edward Auers Tribute to Beethoven Workshop at Steinway Hall in New York. He attended Sunhwa School of Art and completed his bachelor's degree with Professor Young-Ho Kim at Yonsei University, Seoul. He has won numerous awards at national and international competitions, such as First Prizes at Korean Liszt Competition and Steinway Competition in 2010, International Chopin Competition for Young Pianists in Moscow in 2012 , Kawai International Competition in 2013, Cooper International Competition in 2014 and Samson Francois Competition in 2023. In 2016, GyuTae Ha won the Special Prize at the International Piano Competition in Sydney, and in November of the same year, he won the Second Prize and Special Prize at the ISANG YUN Competition, Seoul.
Since these numerous awards, GyuTae Ha has led an active concert life. He has performed in Singapore, China, Korea, Japan, the United States, Germany, Poland and Russia with orchestras such as Baroque Chamber Orchestra, Yonsei Symphonic Orchestra, Incheon Philharmonic Orchestra, Tongyeong Festival Orchestra and Gyeonggi Philharmonic Orchestra. He is currently a Yamaha Scholar and studies at Folkwang University of the Arts with Prof. Hisako Kawamura.
Competition program 1st round:
Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849): Polonaise Etude op. 25 No. 1
F. Franz Liszt (1811 - 1886): Transcendental Etude No. 8
W.A Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791): Piano Sonata No. 12 in F major KV 332 (1st Allegro)
Sergei Prokofiev (1891 - 1953): Piano sonata op. 28 No.3Competition program 2nd round:
Franz Schubert (1797 - 1828): Allegretto in C minor D 915
Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849): Polonaise op. 53 No.6
R. Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856): Carnaval op. 9
Maurice Ravel (1875 - 1937): Gaspard de la Nuit (3rd Scarbo)Asami Yoshihara (2nd prize)
© Yasuo Yamabuki Japanese pianist Asami Yoshihara (b. 1996) received her first piano lessons as early as 1999 and graduated from the Music High School in 2015 with a 1st place and distinction. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in 2019 and a master's degree in 2021 from the Musashino Conservatory of Music. During her studies, she was a multiple scholarship recipient and received numerous awards and prizes at national music competitions.
In 2015, Asami Yoshihara won the Golden Prize in the National Final and the Encouragement Prize in the Asian Final of the 17th Chopin International Competition in Asia, in 2019 she won the highest award at the 36th All Japan Junior Classic Music Competition, in 2020 she won the 1st Prize and Special Prize at the International Moscow Music Competition and other prizes in Poland and Japan. In 2021 and 2022, other competition prizes followed, such as 1st prize at the New York Golden Classical Music Awards International Competition. She has a busy concert schedule. Currently, Asami Yoshihara is preparing for the concert exam at the Münster Conservatory in the piano class of Prof. Michael Keller.
Competition program 1st round:
Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873 - 1943): Etudes-Tableaux Op.39 No.1 in C minor
Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873 - 1943): Etudes-Tableaux Op.39 No.9 in D major
Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849): Polonaise in F-sharp minor, Op.44Competition program 2nd round:
Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849): 24 Preludes Op. 28
Sergei Prokofiev (1891 - 1953): 4 Etudes Op.2
Franz Schubert (1797 - 1828): Allegretto C minor D 915Tatsushi Yamakawa (3rd prize)
© Interfoto, Wien Japanese pianist Tatsushi Yamakawa (*1991) has been playing the piano since the age of five. After his high school years majoring in piano, he studied at Kyoto Municipal University of the Arts, where he completed his bachelor's degree in 2015. He then transferred to the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, where he studied concert piano (with a focus on accompaniment) in the class of Prof. Stefan Arnold. He graduated there with a Master of Arts degree with a grade of 1.0 and distinction. In 2021, he received the special prize for the best performer of contemporary music at the Ibiza Int. Piano Competition and the 2nd prize at the La Nucia Franz Liszt Center Int. Piano Competition. His musical activities range from numerous concert contributions, solo or in chamber ensembles, to his accompaniment of studies at the Musikhochschule Münster. Since 2022, Tatsushi Yamakawa has been studying at the Münster University of Music in the piano class of Prof. Michael Keller in the certificate course Concert Examination.
Competition program 1st round:
Franz Liszt (1811 - 1886): "Études d'exécution transcendante" No.10 in F minor.
Einojuhani Rautavaara (1928 - 2016): Etude Op. 42 No. 6
Alexander Scriabin (1872 - 1915): Piano Sonata No. 6 Op. 62Competition program 2nd round:
Franz Schubert (1797 - 1828): Allegretto in C minor D 915
Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897): Fantasies Op. 116
György Ligeti (1923 - 2006): 2 Capricci
Sergei Prokofiev (1891 - 1953): Piano Sonata No. 8 in B flat major Op. 84SoYeon Chang (Special prize "Best virtuoso etudes")
© privat Korean pianist SoYeon Chang (b. 1991) studied at Seoul National University after graduating from schools with an artistic focus, where she earned a bachelor's degree in the piano class of Ick Choo Moon in 2014 and a master's degree in the piano class of Aviram Reichert in 2021. Performances have taken her from South Korea to Italy and Israel, where she played with the Raanana Symphony Orchestra in Tel Aviv. YoYeon Chang is a prize winner of national and international competitions, living and working mainly in Seoul.
Competition program 1st round:
Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873 - 1943): Etudes Tableaux Op. 33 No. 6 in E-flat minor
Nikolai Kapustin (1937 - 2020): Etude Op. 40 No. 1
Igor Stravinsky (1882 - 1971): The Firebird Suite (arranged by Guido Agosti)Competition program 2nd round:
Franz Schubert (1797 - 1828): Allegretto in C minor D 915
Maurice Ravel (1875 - 1937): Gaspard de la Nuit
Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856): Carnaval Op. 9
Alexander Scriabin (1872 - 1915): Fantasy in B flat minor, Op.28The jury members of PIANO! 2023
Eight internationally renowned jury members will decide on the awarding of the prizes. The jury will be chaired by Prof. Michael Keller and Prof. Peter von Wienhardt from the Münster University of Music and Performing Arts.
© MHS 
© MHS, Hubertus Wittmers PIANO! 2023
International Piano Competition at the University of Music MünsterOn Friday and Saturday, 8 and 9 September, young pianists will face an international jury in the PIANO! 2023 piano competition in the concert hall of the Münster University of Music. 15 applicants have qualified for participation in a video preliminary round and will play for attractive prizes in two live competition rounds. The competition will come to a festive conclusion with the prize-winners' concert on Sunday, 10 September, at 5 p.m. in Lecture Hall H1. The public is welcome to attend all parts of the competition, admission is free.
No less than six prizes can be awarded at PIANO! 2023: The first prize is endowed with 5,000 euros and a professional video production, the second and third prizes are awarded with a still considerable 3,000 and 2,000 euros respectively. An additional special prize may be awarded for the best performance of virtuoso etudes, another for the best programme concept in the final round. Internationally renowned jury members - themselves pianists, professors, conductors or concert organisers - decide on the award. Another special prize in the form of a high-quality timepiece will be donated by Freisfeld jewellers and awarded to one of the finalists. We would like to thank him and the other local partners, Pianohaus Micke and Hotel Kaiserhof, for their support! PIANO! 2023 is equipped and made possible in the first place by the Münster Foundation of the Sparda-Bank West, which is committed to promoting art, culture and education in general and young talent in particular. - Many thanks for this commitment and the trusting cooperation with the Musikhochschule Münster!
In 2021, the premiere of the competition still took place under pandemic conditions, in 2023 we are looking forward to a happy and exciting piano festival with a lot of audience! The planned additional competition round for piano-loving amateurs will not take place due to lack of demand, but the main competition will shine all the more with outstanding participants.
Be there and join in the excitement!
What - when - where
On Friday, 8 September, the 20-minute auditions for the first round of the competition will take place in the concert hall of the conservatoire from 13:00 to 16:00 and from 17:30 to 20:00. The order of the participants will be drawn by lot the evening before. The jury will decide and announce who will be admitted to the final round immediately afterwards on Friday evening.
In the second round on Saturday, 9 September, also at the Musikhochschule, the six finalists will perform their one-hour competition programmes, freely designed around the compulsory piece Franz Schubert Allegretto in C minor D915, at 11:00, 12:00 and 13:00, 15:30, 16:30 and 17:30. Afterwards, the prize winners will be announced.
On Sunday, 10 September, at 5 p.m., the competition will end with the ceremonial awarding of prizes and the concert of the prize-winners in the H1 on Schlossplatz. This concert will also be broadcast live via YouTube.
© MHS PIANO! 2023
PIANO!, the piano competition at Münster University of Music, brings young professional pianists to Münster from September 8-10 and is open for the first time to the best amateurs from Münsterland.
Until August 6, one can apply for participation by submitting a video. The best from this digital preliminary round will be invited to the live competition, where professionals and amateurs will play publicly in separate competition rounds.
The first round of competition on Friday, Sept. 8, and the final round on Saturday, Sept. 9, will be held all day in the Concert Hall of the Academy of Music. The final round of the amateur competition will be held on Sunday, September 10, at 11:00 a.m. in the Academy of Music.
The winners of the main and amateur competitions will receive their prizes on September 10 at 5:00 p.m. on the big stage of the H1 and present themselves together in concert. In addition, this prize winners' concert will also be broadcast live via YouTube.
It is thanks to the main sponsor of the competition, the Sparda-Bank Münster Foundation, that this high-class event can be staged and provided with attractive prizes. Local partners provide additional support: the perfect tuning of the concert grand pianos is in the capable hands of Pianohaus Micke, and the members of the top-class jury are provided with excellent accommodation at the Hotel Kaiserhof. On top of that, the jeweler Freisfeld will donate a high-quality timepiece as a special prize for one of the finalists.
The public is welcome to attend all parts of the competition in the Musikhochschule and in the H1 without restrictions. Admission is always free.
Detailed information on participation in the competition, the prizes and the international jury as well as the course of the competition can be found below.
Announcement Main Competition
The PIANO! Piano Competition will take place from September 8 - 10, 2023 in Münster, Germany and is open to pianists from all over the world aged 18 - 36.
AGE LIMIT
Eligible to participate are those born after 08.09.1987 and before 08.09.2005.APPLICATION
Applications must be submitted via the online application portal of the Münster University of Music. The deadline for applications is August 6, 2023. You will receive feedback in a timely manner, as to whether you will be invited to the competition. The pre-selection jury will decide on admission to the competition. A maximum of 20 - 24 pianists* will be invited.The application fee is 100 EUR. Payment is made during the application process via the online portal. The application fee will not be refunded. Participation fee can be waived for those who are from Ukraine and do not have sufficient financial means in the wake of the Russian war of aggression. Please contact the competition secretariat for this purpose.
The application must be accompanied by:
- Your curriculum vitae (PDF)
- The link to your pre-selection video (e.g. YouTube link)
- Scan of an identification document (ID card / passport)
- a current, high-resolution portrait photo, which may be used free of charge in any form in connection with PIANO! as well as naming the photographer/originator
- the exact specification of your competition profile
PRIZES
1st prize: 5.000 EUR & video production
2nd prize: 3.000 EUR
3rd prize: 2.000 EUROne of the finalists from the main or amateur competition will also receive a high-quality timepiece as a special prize donated by Freisfeld Jewelers.
In addition, the prize winners will be offered concert engagements.
PROCEDURE
06.08.2023 - Application deadline
short term - announcement of invited candidates07.09.2023 - Enrollment
08.09.2023 - 1st round (full day)
09.09.2023 - Final round (full day) - 6 to 8 participants10.09.2023 - winners concert (17:00) with award ceremony
COMPETITION REPERTOIRE
The competition repertoire must be stated in full with the application and cannot be changed after the application deadline. The repertoire is deliberately free and should give you room for artistic self-presentation.Video selection (min. 20 minutes, max. 30 minutes)
- one virtuoso etude by Frédéric Chopin
- one virtuoso etude of free choice
- any movement of a sonata from the classical period (incl. Franz Schubert)
- one work of free choice
The etudes of the pre-selection may not be repeated in the later competition program.
1st round (max. 20 minutes)
- two virtuoso etudes of free choice
- further works of free choice
Final round
Conception of a 60-minute recital including the compulsory piece: Franz Schubert Allegretto C minor D915.Works already played in previous rounds may not be repeated.
The program should be based on a coherent concept, which will be considered by the jury. Participants are free, but not obliged, to explain the concept in writing or orally.
JURY
Ah-Ruem Ahn, Gábor Farkas, Michael Keller, Daniel Gyu-Seo Lee, Sofia Inês Ribeiro Lourenço da Fonseca, Till Schoneberg, Catherine Vickers, Peter von WienhardtPre-selection jury and jury chair: Michael Keller, Peter von Wienhardt
TRAVEL AND FOOD EXPENSES
The competition does not cover travel or meal expenses.PRACTICE FACILITIES AND INSTRUMENTS
During the competition, sufficient practice facilities will be available on the premises of the Münster University of Music. The competition rounds will take place in the concert hall of the Münster University of Music. There you will have the choice of two different Steinway D grand pianos.LEGAL PROCESS AND ACCEPTANCE OF THE CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION
With the application, the respective candidate fully accepts the conditions of participation as well as all decisions of the jury. These decisions do not require any justification. Legal recourse is excluded.MEDIA EXPLOITATION
The PIANO! competition will be exploited in the media on numerous channels. The competition and its organizers have the right, without payment to the participants, to make sound, video and photo recordings, including a live stream, throughout the competition, especially during the musical performances, and to commission third parties to make them. These recordings may be used without restriction, including for advertising purposes, without limitation as to content, space or time.Announcement Amateur Competition
For the first time, amateurs from the Münsterland region can also apply for participation in a separate competition round with a video. The best from this preliminary round will be invited to Münster. The final round of the amateurs will take place publicly on September 10 at 11:00 a.m. in the concert hall of the Musikhochschule. The competition will end on Sunday at 5:00 p.m. with a large joint prize-winners' concert in Auditorium H1, which will also be broadcast live via YouTube.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
Anyone who is not a full-time pianist or musician is eligible to participate. There is no age limit.APPLICATION
Applications must be submitted via the online application portal of the Münster University of Music. The deadline for applications is August 6, 2023. You will receive feedback in a timely manner, as to whether you will be invited to the competition. The pre-selection jury will decide on admission to the competition. A maximum of 4 - 6 participants will be admitted.The application fee is 100 EUR. Payment is made during the application process via the online portal. The application fee will not be refunded. Participation fee can be waived for participants who are from Ukraine and do not have sufficient financial means in the wake of the Russian war of aggression. Please contact the competition secretariat for this purpose.
The application must be accompanied by:
- Your curriculum vitae (PDF)
- The link to your pre-selection video (e.g. YouTube link)
- Scan of an identification document (ID card / passport)
- a current, high-resolution portrait photo, which may be used free of charge in any form in connection with PIANO! as well as naming the photographer/originator
- the exact specification of your competition profile
PRIZES
- 1st prize: 2.000 EUR
- 2nd prize: 1.000 EUR
- 3rd prize: 500 EUR
One of the finalists from the main or amateur competition will also receive a high-quality timepiece as a special prize donated by Freisfeld Jewelers.
In addition, the winners will take part in the prize-winners' concert and award ceremony.
PROCEDURE
06.08.2023 - Application deadline
short term - announcement of invited candidates10.09.2023 - Final round (from 11:00 a.m.)
10.09.2023 - Winners concert (17:00) with award ceremonyCOMPETITION REPERTOIRE
The competition repertoire must be stated completely with the application and cannot be changed after the application deadline. The repertoire is deliberately free and should give you room for artistic self-presentation.Video selection (max. 20 minutes)
- one virtuoso etude of free choice
- further works of free choice
The program of the pre-selection may not be repeated in the later competition program.
Final round (approx. 20 minutes)
A program of your choice.JURY
Ah-Ruem Ahn, Gábor Farkas, Michael Keller, Daniel Gyu-Seo Lee, Sofia Inês Ribeiro Lourenço da Fonseca, Till Schoneberg, Catherine Vickers, Peter von WienhardtPre-selection jury and jury chair: Michael Keller, Peter von Wienhardt
TRAVEL AND FOOD EXPENSES
The competition does not cover travel or meal expenses.PRACTICE FACILITIES AND INSTRUMENTS
During the competition, sufficient practice facilities will be available on the premises of the Münster University of Music. The competition rounds will take place in the concert hall of the University of Music Münster. There you will have the choice of two different Steinway D grand pianos.LEGAL PROCESS AND ACCEPTANCE OF THE CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION
With the application, the respective candidate fully accepts the conditions of participation as well as all decisions of the jury. These decisions do not require any justification. Legal recourse is excluded.MEDIA EXPLOITATION
The PIANO! competition will be exploited in the media on numerous channels. The competition and its organizers have the right, without payment to the participants, to make sound, video and photo recordings, including a live stream, throughout the competition, especially during the musical performances, and to commission third parties to make them. These recordings may be used without restriction, including for advertising purposes, without limitation as to content, space or time.Contact
PIANO! is organized by:
Münster University of Music
Department 15 of the University of Münster
Ludgeriplatz 1
48151 MünsterCompetition Office: piano.competition@uni-muenster.de
Promotion of culture and talent
© Stiftung Münster Sparda-Bank-West The competition is made possible and funded by the Münster Foundation of Sparda-Bank West. It is committed to promoting art, culture and education in general and young talent in particular. The University of Music would like to express its sincere thanks for the generous support and the accompanying appreciation of its level of performance!
Local partnerships
© Freisfeld/Micke/Kaiserhof We thank our local partners for supporting the PIANO! Piano Competition by donating a special prize, taking care of the concert grand pianos and accommodating the jury members!
