ƽ and the Chicago College of Performing Arts are pleased to announce that the University has been selected as a host site for the . This marks the first time that the university has partnered with the competition, and ƽ will serve as the competition’s only host site in North America. The first phase of the competition will take place at the university from March 16-17, and will continue through April and May in Orléans, France and Shanghai, China, respectively.
Dr. Winston Choi, associate professor and director of the CCPA piano program, will serve as an adjudicator for the duration of the competition. Dr. Choi, the 2002 winner of the competition, says this of the upcoming event:
“The International Piano Competition of Orléans is one of the most prestigious of its kind, with a distinct vision to showcase the 20th and 21st century repertoire to contemporary classical music audiences. Participants are tasked with innovative programming that justifies its inclusion in the non-typical competition. The choice to highlight more recent works is central to the mission of “Orléans,” as the competition strives to bring classical music to contemporary audiences while celebrating innovation from its competitors. Since 1994, the International Piano Competition of Orléans has been “one of the only contests in the world that focuses exclusively on the contemporary repertoire, is internationally recognized and has been set as a unique and exemplary model by the World Federation of International Music Competitions.”
Kevin Hampton, dean of the Chicago College of Performing Arts, had this to say about the partnership:
“ƽ’s Chicago College of Performing Arts is honored to be chosen as one of three host sites for the prestigious “Orléans.” The competition rounds will be held in historic Ganz Hall in the Auditorium Building on ƽ’s campus. It is thrilling to think of the legendary pianists that have performed in Ganz Hall where, under the aegis of the competition, we will soon welcome a new generation of world class pianists to Chicago, a city well known for its world class arts organizations and institutions.”
The Chicago College of Performing Arts will simultaneously present a spring piano festival on March 14, 15 and 18, featuring performances from students, faculty and visiting guest artists to commemorate the first round of competition taking place on ƽ’s Chicago campus. On March 14, “Orléans” jury members Maroussia Gentet and Wilhem Latchoumia will present a lecture recital entitled :The Augmented Piano" in Ganz Hall. This recital is underwritten through the generosity of John and Consuela Skosey. On March 15th, CCPA piano faculty Michal Drewnowski and Adam Neiman will perform works by Chopin, Kisielewski, Neiman, Ravel and Tansman. March 18 promises to be a very special evening in which CCPA piano faculty and students will present a recital "Music Inspired by Korean Poetry." This concert is sponsored through the generosity of Veritas Musicae and Ebb and Flow Arts. All PianoFest events will be in Ganz Hall at 7:00 p.m., and tickets are available at .
Most recently, the Chicago College of Performing Arts launched a “Piano Improvement Project,” with plans to invest more than $750,000 in new pianos over the next academic year, funded through donor gifts. A new Yamaha DCFX concert grand was added to Ganz Hall’s piano roster in October of 2023. This instrument is currently one of two second generation concert Disklaviers in the United States. CCPA piano faculty and students collaborated in a virtual masterclass with piano faculty and students from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign on January 29, 2024. The instrument in Ganz Hall was connected via the internet to a similar Yamaha DCFX on the University of Illinois campus. Performances were given in real time; the piano in Ganz Hall replicated the sound, key stroke and pedaling from the piano in Urbana, and vice versa. Faculty and students were linked via video simultaneously for interactive conversation and performance assessment. The DCFX is Bluetooth compatible and has a USB port to which smart devices can be connected. Additional hybrid Avant Grands have been added to CCPA’s roster and placed strategically throughout the college in performance, classroom and rehearsal spaces, giving students and faculty greater flexibility to incorporate technology during instructional and performance processes.
Tickets for the upcoming “Orléans” competition and Piano Festival can be found .