November 21-22, 2009
- Pre-College Solo Piano Competition
- Recitals
- Masterclasses
Doug Humpherys, Guest Artist
Eastman School of Music
The Colorado Piano Festival will be held from Nov. 21-22, 2009 on the campus of the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colorado. With two days of concerts, masterclasses, workshops, and a pre-college solo piano competition, there will be exciting opportunities for music-lovers, pianists and students of all ages and levels.
2009 Colorado Piano Festival Brochure
Performances
World-renowned pianist, Douglas Humpherys, will present the Saturday night concert. On Sunday the artist-faculty from the University of Northern Colorado will perform a varied program of solo and chamber works.
Pre-College Solo Piano Competition
On Saturday morning semi-finalists will perform for a chance to compete in the finals the following day. In addition to cash prizes, the first place winner will be invited to return to UNC the following year for a special winner’s performance.
Masterclasses/Workshops
Interested festival participants will be given the opportunity to submit a recording for consideration for a masterclass performance. Masterclass and workshop presenters will include Prof. Humpherys and University of Northern Colorado faculty, Vergie Amendola, Caleb Harris, Errol Haun, Dana Landry and Lei Weng.
Guest Artist
Douglas Humpherys was the Gold Medalist at the inaugural Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition. Since then, his performance career has taken him across Asia, Europe, North America, and South America. In high demand as a teacher, he has taught literally hundreds of master classes at universities, conservatories, music academies, and festivals throughout the world. A frequent adjudicator, he has served on the jury of the Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition twelve times, and has also adjudicated many other competitions including the Cleveland International Piano Competition. His experience in this regard led him to create and direct the Eastman Young Artists’ International Piano Competition, which is held biennially in Rochester, New York. Mr. Humpherys completed graduate degrees at the Juilliard School (MM) and the Eastman School of Music (DMA), where he is currently professor of piano, and chair of the piano department. His major teachers have included Nelita True, Martin Canin and Robert Smith. In recent years, he completed appointments as Visiting Professor of Piano at the University of Michigan and at Yonsei University in Korea. Mr. Humpherys is listed on the Artist’s Roster of Steinway and Sons.
University of Northern Colorado Faculty
Vergie Amendola, Piano/Collaborative Piano, is the Head of the Keyboard Area at the University of Northern Colorado. In addition, Amendola is an active chamber musician who has performed in Thailand, Korea, Slovenia, Canada and throughout the United States. She has also adjudicated for the Music Teachers National Association and has taught numerous Master Classes across the United States, focusing on the unique role of the pianist in the collaborative process of making music.
Caleb Harris, Piano/Collaborative Piano, is the Coordinator of the Collaborative Piano Program at the University of Northern Colorado. Possessing a broad and comprehensive repertoire, he has performed throughout the USA, Austria, France, Italy, and Asia. In recent years, Harris has served as an orchestral pianist with the Tanglewood Festival Orchestra and appeared on many occasions as a concerto and solo performer. Harris has performed in many prestigious venues included Carnegie Hall, Seiji Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood, and the National Concert Hall in Taipei, Taiwan.
Errol Haun, Piano, is an active clinician and performer, touring extensively throughout the United States and abroad. He studied at the Vienna Academy of Music as a Fulbright Scholar and, as part of a piano duo, presented a concert tour of Micronesia sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts. Haun was a winner in the National Guild of Piano Teachers Biennial International Recording Competition and has received numerous awards.
Dana Landry, Director of Jazz Studies, teaches jazz piano and coaches the Northern Colorado Voices, UNC’s top vocal jazz group. Under his direction, UNC Jazz Lab Band I has received two IAJE invitations and two Down Beat Awards as “Best College Big Band” in the last three years. Landry has performed with recognized jazz artists in Europe, Canada, Australia, and throughout the U.S. His CD, Journey Home (Summit Records), featuring Gary Burton, received a Grammy nomination for its title track
Lei Weng, Piano, has performed throughout America and Asia, and has appeared as soloist with orchestras from Seattle, Cincinnati, Ft Worth, Indiana, Louisiana, Beijing, Tianjin and China National Symphony and Chorus. New York Concert Review hailed Weng on his Carnegie hall debut as “a colorist of exemplary control.” Weng has won national and international competitions and has collaborated with musicians from top American orchestras. Weng teaches talented students from the US, Asia and Europe at UNC.
Schedule
Location:
Hensel Phelps Hall, Union Colony Civic Center
701 10th Ave, Greeley, CO 80631
Saturday, November 21
Morning:
Pre-College Solo Competition
Semi-Final Round
Afternoon:
UNC Faculty Master Classes/Workshops
Evening:
Guest Artist Recital*
Douglas Humpreys
Sunday, November 22
Morning:
Pre-College Solo Competition
Final Round
Early Afternoon:
Douglas Humphreys Masterclass with UNC Piano Students
Late Afternoon:
UNC Piano Faculty Recital*
*Tickets for these events are available at the door for $8.00
Pre-College Solo Piano Competition
Competition Rules
Awards
- 1st place. Cash prize of $750;
solo performance at the Colorado Piano Festival in 2010,
or at UNC on a piano recital series. - 2nd place. Cash prize of $500.
- 3rd place. Cash prize of $250.
Eligibility
- All Contestants must be at least 10 and not older than 18 years of age on November 22, 2009.
- All contestants must be registered for the Colorado Piano Festival.
- Former first place winners of the CPF Competition are not eligible to compete.
- The pre-screening committee will choose semi-finalists to compete based on initial CD round applicants. All decisions of the Contestant Selection Jury and the Competition Jury will be final.
Application
In addition to the personal data furnished on the application form, each contestant must provide:
- One up-to-date resume in essay form
- One letter of recommendation addressed to the CPF Pre-College Competition
- Proof of date of birth (e.g. copy of driver's license, birth certificate or passport)
- CD or DVD of at least two contrasting solo piano pieces of applicant’s choice. Single movements from a multi-movement work are acceptable. The CD must have at least 10 minutes and not over 15 minutes of music.
Repertoire
A contestant may select any piano solo pieces from the standard repertoire. • Contestants must be prepared to perform the entire program from memory.
Deadline
All applications must be received no later than October 1, 2009; application materials are not returnable. Semifinalists will be announced and contestants notified by e-mail by October 15, 2009.