This year's Gina Bachauer International Artists Piano Competition promises to be one of the best in the event's 35-year history.
That's how founder and director Paul Pollei sees it.
"The playing should be on a very high level, thanks to the quality of the applicants," he told the Deseret News.
The competition's artistic quality is ensured through the Gina Bachauer Foundation's rigorous selection process.
"We had 250 people apply," Pollei said. That number was narrowed to 150 pianists who were asked to audition. They could either audition by sending in a CD to the Bachauer office or by participating in one of six audition venues in Moscow, London, Venice, Hamburg, New York City and Salt Lake City.
Of the 150 auditions, 38 pianists, representing 18 countries, were accepted and are coming to Salt Lake City to compete. Among them is one Utahn, Joshua Wright, who participated in the Bachauer young artists competition five years ago.
"We're excited to have at least one local pianist in the competition this year," Pollei said.
Four other pianists this year are alumni of either the young artists or the junior competitions in past years.
They are Lukas Geniusas, 19, from Russia, who won second prize at the 2005 young artists competition; Zho Zhang, 21, from China, who took fourth prize at the 2005 young artists competition and third prize at the 2000 junior competition; Kotaro Fukuma, 27, Japan, who won sixth prize at the 1997 junior competition; and Fazliddin Husanov, 31, from Uzbekistan, who captured second prize at the 1997 junior competition.
Also taking part in the competition is 31-year-old Ukrainian Serhiy Salov, who was part of the 2009-10 Bachauer concert series, where he played his transcription of Igor Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring."
"Just with people like that and others, the level is ever so high," Pollei said. "Any of them could be gold-medal winners."
Geniusas comes from musical royal blood, Pollei said. His grandmother, Vera Gornostaeva, who was his first teacher, is one of the most important and influential teachers in the piano department at the Moscow Conservatory. And she taught her grandson, and many other young pianists, well.
"Lukas has had big, big success all over, and he's considered one of the most promising young pianists in Europe."
One previous prize winner who impressed Pollei was Husanov. After the 1997 young artists competition, Pollei took Husanov under his wing and took him on a concert tour of Europe. After Husanov returned home to Uzbekistan, Pollei lost touch with him for several years. "When I found out that he now teaches at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, I contacted him to see if he wanted to be one of the judges at the auditions in London. But he told me he wanted to be in the competition instead. He auditioned and made it."
The format for this year's competition will be the same as it has been for several years. There will be two preliminary rounds with no elimination between them. Each participant will play both rounds. These take place in the Rose Wagner Center for the Performing Arts.
The first round, on June 17-19, consists of a 35-minute performance. For the second round, on June 22-26, each will play a 50-minute recital.
After the last competitor performs on June 26, six finalists will be announced. They will play a concerto with the Utah Symphony, under guest conductor Lawrence Leighton Smith, in Abravanel Hall. The final round runs over two evenings.
The first three finalists play on June 30 and the remaining three on July 1. The winnners will be announced on July 1 from the stage in Abravanel Hall after jury deliberations.
Judging the competition will be 10 internationally recognized pianists and pedagogues: Nelita True, chairwoman, U.S.; Hui-Qiao Bao, China; Bernadene Blaha, U.S.; Gennady Dzubenko, Russia; Douglas Humphreys, U.S.; Dae-Jin Kim, Korea; Yuko Ninomiya, Japan; Einar-Steen Nokleberg, Norway; Walter Ponce, Bolivia/U.S.; and John Roos, South Africa.
If you go …
What: Gina Bachauer International Artists Piano Competition
Where: Rose Wagner Center for the Performing Arts and Abravanel Hall
When: Round 1, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. and 7-10 p.m., June 17-19 (Rose Wagner); round 2, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. and 7-10 p.m., June 22-26 (Rose Wagner); final round with the Utah Symphony, June 30-July 1, 7 p.m. (Abravanel Hall); awards ceremony after July 1 performance
How much: Rounds 1 and 2, $15 general admission, $10 students; final round, $25 per night; competition pass, $150 (includes both nights of the final round)
Phone: 801-355-2787 or 888-451-2787
Web: www.arttix.org What: Gina Bachauer International Artists Piano Competition
e-mail: ereichel@desnews.com