MSIPC Judges Named

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 20, 2008

Vivian Leon

(417) 625-9755

JOPLIN, MO (MSIPC) - Five judges have been selected for the upcoming Missouri Southern International Piano Competition (MSIPC) scheduled for April 21 – 26. They hail from Armenia, France, Hong Kong, Texas and New York.  They teach, they perform, they lecture, they record, they give masterclasses and workshops.   Their biographies read like a Who's Who of today's world of classical music.

Nancy Weems

Nancy Weems was on the jury for the 2006 competition and returns this year as Senior Judge.  Ms. Weems will perform the Opening Concert of the competition on Monday, April 21.  She will present works of Bach, Schumann, Gershwin, and William Albright.She is Professor of Piano at the University of Houston Moores School of Music in Houston, Texas. 

 

As a teacher she has received numerous awards for excellence, including having been named Moores School of Music Faculty of the Year in 2004.  As a concert pianist, Ms. Weems has performed extensively throughout the Americas, Europe, Asia, Mexico, and the former Soviet Union. 

 

Her recording, "Classical Hollywood," was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1990. Critics have called her "a rare treasure, an extraordinary pianist, grand in scope, and powerful in her interpretation, possessing fantastic technique."

 

Evelyne Crochet

Evelyne Crochet was born and educated in Paris, France, won First Prize at the Paris Conservatory as a student.  She studied with Edwin Fischer in Switzerland, and, in Bern, was invited by Rudolf Serkin to study with him in the United States.  This exceptional sponsorship resulted in her emigration to the U.S., and she now makes her home in New York City. 

 

She has held artist-in-residence and faculty positions at Brandeis, Rutgers, Boston, and Georgia State Universities and has served on the faculty at the New England Conservatory in Boston.   Her vast repertoire spans over three centuries, and her recordings include works of Bach, Debussy, Schubert, Gabriel Faure, and Erik Satie.

Erna Gulabyan

Erna Gulabyan chaired the judging panel for the 2002 MSIPC.  She returns as a member of the panel for 2008.  She is a native of Armenia, where her musical training began at the Yerevan Central Music High School for especially gifted children. 

 

She continued her training at the Moscow Conservatory and later immigrated to the United States, where she now teaches at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.  She has a special interest in training young concert artists, and many of her students have won local, national, and international competitions.

Gabriel Kwok

Gabriel Kwok was born in Hong Kong and studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London from 1972 to 1978.  He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music in 2003.  He joined the faculty of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts in 1984 and has been Head of Keyboard Studies there since 1989.  Mr. Kwok has served as visiting faculty at a number of musical institutions outside Hong Kong, including several in the United States.  He has collaborated with many distinguished artists in concerts and given masterclasses in cities in Asia, Britain, Germany, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand.

Barry Snyder

Barry Snyder has been Professor of Piano at the Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester, New York, since 1970.  He won three major prizes at the 1966 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, and since then has recorded nearly 40 CDs and given concerts worldwide, spanning over four decades.  He is a founding member of the Eastman Trio, whose recordings of the complete chamber music of Schubert and Russian "Romantic" trios have received critical acclaim. 

 

He is well known as a chamber music collaborator, having recorded complete works of Stravinsky for violin and piano, complete Schumann and Brahms violin and piano sonatas, and complete music for cello and piano of Gabriel Faure.

 

On Saturday, April 26, Mr. Snyder will present a lecture entitled "What it Takes to be a Modern Musician."  The lecture will be presented to the public and especially to music students who are preparing for careers in music.

MSIPC is a 501(c)3, tax-exempt, nonprofit corporation funded by contributions from businesses, foundations, and individuals.  For details, contact the office at (417) 625-9755.

The 12th Missouri Southern International Piano Competition will be held April 21-26.  Competition rounds are free of charge and open to the public.  Evening concerts are free to students and seniors, who may obtain a pass by contacting the MSIPC office.

 

-- Article/Photos Courtesy MSIPC

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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