USC celebrates 10th annual music competition with prestigious lineup
It’s not every year that USC piano professor Marina Lomazov’s students a get a one-on-one master class session with international music titans like former Leningrad Conservatory pianist Natalya Anatonova.
Then again, this is no ordinary year for the Southeastern Piano Festival. USC School of Music and the South Carolina Philharmonic are honoring the tenth anniversary of the prestigious music celebration with ground-breaking performances from renowned pianists and once-in-a-lifetime training opportunities for both undergraduate and pre-college music students.
The celebration began with a kickoff extravaganza concert Sunday afternoon, featuring a powerful concerto performance of “Mars the Bringer of War” played on five full-sized Steinway grand pianos by Lomazov, fellow USC faculty Charles Fugo and Joseph Rackers, and guest performer Phillip Bush from the University of Michigan. The performance gained a standing ovation from the full house at the Koger Center for the Arts, leaving Lomazov in particularly good spirits.
“It was an exhilarating experience,” said Lomazov, who has been artistic director of the festival since its start in 2002. “It’s rewarding to know that what we do reaches many, many different audiences, especially young audiences. We’re very privileged that people have embraced the festival and hope to continue to bring fresh young talent to Columbia for many years to come.”
Each year, 20 of the world’s most talented pre-college pianists are chosen to participate in the festival’s rigorous training program. This year’s participants, who range from ages 13 to 18 and come from as far as Australia, are practicing up to five hours a day, learning from USC piano faculty and visiting international guest artists, including Anotonova, Peabody Institute Piano Department Chair Boris Slutsky and Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient Alessio Bax.
The week will end in the highly anticipated Arthur Fraser International Concerto Competition, the winner of which will receive a $3,000 scholarship from Rice Music House and perform a complete concerto with the South Carolina Philharmonic.
The Southeastern Piano Festival is about more than competition, however. This celebration also features performances from past Arthur Fraser winners, including Leo Svirsky and Sean Yeh, as well as international prodigies. Sixteen-year-old George Li, winner of the 2012 Gilmore Young Artist Award and member of the New England Conservatory’s Vivance Trio, performed at Rising Star Showcase at the Koger Center Tuesday evening.
“One of the most significant things about reaching the 10-year mark is being able to bring back so many young emerging pianists who have gone through the program and who are now forging their careers in music,” Lomazov said. “For us to bring them back and present them to the audience is a testament [to] how much they have grown and how much they are contributing to the music world.”
One former participant included in this week’s showcase is third-year piano performance student Andrew Sohn. A former Arthur Fraser participant himself, Sohn said his two years in the competition influenced his decision to study music at USC, which he and other students consider a “hidden gem” of the music world.
“It was definitely a deciding factor in my becoming a musician,” Sohn said. “This festival is quickly becoming one of the most prestigious among young artists, and just the name itself being associated with USC is something to show off.”
More information about Southeastern Piano Festival events, special guests and the Arthur Fraser International Concerto competition can be viewed at http://sepf.music.sc.edu/.