The Competition will give eight of the world’s finest young pianists (ages 18-25) an opportunity for artistic and entrepreneurial growth, and it will kick-start the career of its most deserving competitors. While many music competitions focus solely on the pianistic merits of the competitors, today’s developing market demands a more diverse set of skills for an outstanding career. The Charles Wads
worth Piano Competition will encourage these skills by providing the competitors with the opportunity to showcase their skills in creative programming, chamber music performance, and traditional solo recital repertoire. The first will be a preliminary round, conducted by video submission. Eight semifinalists will be accepted based on their video submissions, resumes, and letters of recommendation. The semi-finalists will travel to Newnan, GA for the semi-final and final rounds, which will be adjudicated by an esteemed group of jurors. Semi-finalists will perform a 40-50 minute program of their choosing, featuring at least one work written after 1985. They will also play a recital featuring one solo sonata of Mozart, Haydn, or Beethoven (Op. 23 or earlier), and a Beethoven violin or cello sonata alongside a member of the award-winning Ae**us Quartet. The three finalists will perform a Romantic-era concert piece of their choosing, as well as a piano quintet in collaboration with the Ae**us Quartet. The finalists will compete for the three top prizes of $15,000, $7,500, and $5,000. The five semi-finalists who do not advance to the final round will receive a cash award of $1,000, and all eight competitors will be considered for the Contemporary Music Award and Chamber Music Award, each valued at $1,000. All travel expenses incurred by competitors will be reimbursed by the Competition.
