SALT LAKE CITY — After two weeks of intense competition spread over two lengthy rounds, the 10 judges at the Gina Bachauer International Artists Piano Competition have selected six participants who will continue on to the final round.
They are: Yunjie Chen, 29, China; Kotaro Fukuma, 27, Japan; Lukas Geniusas, 19, Russia; Dmitri Levkovich, 31, Ukraine; Serhiy Salov, 31, Ukraine; and Zhang Zho, 21, China.
The six who made the cut were chosen from a field of 37 competitors representing 17 countries, including five from the United States. None of the Americans reached the final round. The finals will be held in Abravanel Hall, and the six will be required to play a full length concerto, accompanied by the Utah Symphony under the baton of guest conductor Lawrence Leighton Smith.
The program for the final round will consist of concertos by Sergei Rachmaninoff, Frédéric Chopin, Robert Schumann and Johannes Brahms.
The finals will go over two evenings. Three competitors will play on June 30 and the remaining three on July 1. The start time for each concert is 7 p.m.
After the July 1 performance, the rankings of the six will be announced immediately after the jury has had a chance to deliberate. The audience is invited to remain in the hall for the awards ceremony.
There are generous awards for the six finalists. First prize is $30,000 in cash, second prize includes $15,000 in cash and third prize will have a $10,000 cash award.
Fourth prize is $8,000 in cash, fourth prize is $7,000 and sixth prize is $6,000.
In addition to the money, the top three awards also include a CD recording session as well as recital and concert engagements.
Tickets for the final round cost $25 per night and are available by calling ArtTix at 801-355-2787 or 888-451-2787 or online at arttix.org.
For more information log on to the Gina Bachauer website at bachauer.com.
e-mail: ereichel@desnews.com