Spotlight International Piano Competition

22/07/2024

Congratulations to the Young Artist Category Semifinalists of the 2024 Spotlight International Piano Competition!

22/07/2024

Congratulations to the Senior Category Semifinalists of the 2024 Spotlight International Piano Competition!

22/07/2024

Congratulations to the Junior Category Semifinalists of the 2024 Spotlight International Piano Competition!

22/07/2024

The semifinalists in the Spotlight International Piano Competition will have the opportunity to receive one-on-one private lessons with world-class masters: Nancy Weems, pianist, has established herself as both a performer and a noted pedagogue across the nation and the world. She has performed extensively in the United States, Europe, Asia, Mexico, Central America, and Russia to wide critical acclaim. A graduate of Oberlin Conservatory and the University of Texas, her solo appearances include concerts in over fourteen foreign countries, in addition to the U.S. As a United States Artistic Ambassador, Ms Weems was invited to concertize in Iceland, Norway, Denmark, Russia, Mexico, Jamaica, Trinidad, Costa Rica, and Taiwan. After a recital in Reykjavik, Iceland, one critic called her "a rare treasure... Nancy Weems is an extraordinary pianist, grand in scope, and powerful in her interpretation, possessing fantastic technique” Additional international tours followed, to the United Kingdom, Korea, Malaysia, and the People’s Republic of China. After her solo debut recital at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., The Washington Post praised her “powerful technique" and "delightful mix of strength and flexibility." And the music critic of the Houston Post reported, "Nancy Weems put an amazing display of energy and keyboard technique into a recital that went from strength to strength."
‍
As a respected pedagogue, Nancy Weems has given master classes in music schools and conservatories in the United States, Europe, Asia, and the West Indies. Ms. Weems was an exchange professor and guest performer at the Royal Academy of Music in London, England; Sungshin Women's University in Seoul, Korea; and for the International Piano Master Class Series of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In 2016, Ms. Weems performed and taught in a four-city tour of China.
‍
Nancy Weems is now retired from her position at the University of Houston Moores School of Music in Houston, Texas, a post that she held for over three decades. During her tenure there, she was a Madison Endowed Professor and Coordinator of the piano area. Her students have won top awards in many national and international competitions including top prizes in the MTNA Collegiate Artist Competition, the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, the Leeds International Piano Competition, the Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition, the Sydney International Piano Competition, the Hastings International Piano Competition, the Bach International Piano Competition, the Dallas International Piano Competition, the New Orleans International Piano Competition, the Corpus Christi Young Artist Competition, and the Nena Wideman National Young Artist Concerto Competition. Many of her current and former students now hold positions in music schools and universities worldwide, and many have successful performing careers under professional artist management. A dedicated teacher, she was named the Outstanding Collegiate Teacher in l99l by the Texas Music Teachers Association, and received a University of Houston Teaching Excellence Award in 1995.
‍
Professor Weems regularly presents lectures, recitals and teacher workshops and has been a featured MTNA convention artist for the states of New York, Washington, Minnesota, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Wyoming, Louisiana, South Carolina, Mississippi, Arkansas, North Dakota and Texas. In addition, Ms. Weems has been a frequent presenter at the Music Teachers National Association Convention and the World Piano Pedagogy Conferences, and has served as a frequent adjudicator of national and international piano competitions.
‍
Ms. Weems has recorded for the Albany and the Bay Cities labels. The recording, "Classical Hollywood" was nominated for a Grammy award in 1990. In addition, she has been featured in recordings of American composers Arnold Rosner, Chris Theofanidis, and David Ashley White. Her career was recently highlighted in a cover article by Clavier Companion entitled “A Legacy of Excellence.”

19/07/2024

The semifinalists in the Spotlight International Piano Competition will have the opportunity to receive one-on-one private lessons with world-class masters:Robert Roux - Emeritus Professor Rice University
Dr. Roux's performances include appearances at the White House, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and Library of Congress in Washington, DC., Merkin Concert Hall in New York, Stude Concert Hall in Houston on the Horowitz Steinway, St. Petersburg Conservatory of Music, Villa Pignatelli in Naples and the Salle Cortot in Paris.He has toured as recitalist and concerto soloist in sixteen countries; Nuremberg Nachrichten, Germany's third largest daily newspaper, deemed him '...a smart interpreter of Viennese classicism whom we should bear in mind.

17/07/2024

The semifinalists in the Spotlight International Piano Competition will have the opportunity to receive one-on-one private lessons with world-class masters: Igor Resnianski: Formally trained in Russia and the USA Steinway Artist, Igor Resnianski, is a prize winner of numerous international piano competitions including the First Prize in New Orleans International Piano Competition, the Silver Medal in World Piano Competition, Bronze Medal in Nena Wideman International Piano Competition, Fifth Prize in the First China International Piano Competition, and the Second Prize In All-Russia Piano Competition Sodrujestvo. He extensively performed in Russia, USA, South America, China, Hong Kong, etc. His performances were televised and broadcasted in Russia and the USA including the PBS/WHYY Y-Arts television channel and WRTI 90.1 FM Classical Music Radio.

Named 2016-2023 Top Teacher by Steinway & Sons and 2012 Teacher of the Year for the state of Pennsylvania by the Pennsylvania Music Teaches Association, Dr. Resnianski teaches master-classes in the USA and abroad judges local, state, national, and international piano competitions. His students were winners of many local, state, national, and international piano contests. They appeared with many orchestras including the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Fort Worth Symphony. Since 2014 Dr. Resnianski is a director of the annual New Orleans Piano Institute. In October 2023, Dr. Resnianski was inducted to Steinway & Sons Teacher Hall of Fame. Dr. Resnianski is an Assistant Professor at West Chester University of Pennsylvania and also teaches at the Nelly Berman School of Music in Haverford PA.

17/07/2024

The semifinalists in the Spotlight International Piano Competition will have the opportunity to receive one-on-one private lessons with world-class masters:
Pianist Rebecca Penneys is a renowned recitalist, chamber musician, orchestral soloist, educator, and adjudicator. With over six decades of acclaim, she has performed across continents, representing the United States on cultural tours. As an International Steinway Artist, she has been honored in The Steinway Teacher Hall of Fame. Rebecca has taught at the Eastman School of Music for 37 years and the Chautauqua Music Festival for 34 years, and she continues to teach at the Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival. Her students have won international competitions and hold teaching positions worldwide.

15/07/2024

Semifinalists will receive one-on-one private lessons with world-class masters. Introducing - Christopher Harding

Christopher Harding is an internationally acclaimed pianist known for his substantive interpretations and mastery. He has performed solo, concerto, and chamber music at prestigious venues worldwide, including the Kennedy Center, Suntory Hall, and the National Theater Concert Hall. He has collaborated with notable orchestras like the National Symphony and Tokyo City Philharmonic, and with artists such as clarinetist Karl Leister and flautist Andras Adorjan.

Harding has recorded for Equilibrium and Brevard Classics and published editions of works by Debussy and Mozart for Schirmer Performance Editions. He has presented master classes and lectures in the U.S., Asia, Israel, and Canada, and held Fulbright senior specialist roles at Sichuan Conservatory and Seoul National University.

He teaches at the University of Michigan School of Music and the Indiana University Summer Piano Academy, and regularly participates in festivals like Chautauqua Institution and Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival.

15/07/2024

The semifinalists in the Spotlight International Piano Competition will have the opportunity to receive one-on-one private lessons with world-class masters. Over the next few days, we will introduce these masters one by one:
Alan Chow
A Steinway Artist, Alan Chow has performed to critical acclaim in recital and in concert in such major venues as New York’s Lincoln Center and Merkin Hall and Chicago’s Symphony Center and Ravinia and with orchestras in the United States and Asia, included concerto performances with the National, Pan Asian, Utah, Oakland, Kansas City, and Omaha Symphonies and the Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Tulsa Philharmonics. Chow won First Prize at the Concert  Artists Guild International Competition and the Silver Medal and Audience Favorite Prize at the Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition, and was formerly a member of the artist faculty at Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music.

As a chamber musician, he has collaborated with the America, Pacifica, and Miami String quartets and been a guest artist at numerous festivals. Chow regularly tours Asia with performances in Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, and China, where he also presented master classes and lectures at major conservatories. In addition, he appears in recital in the Cheng-Chow Trio with pianists Angela Cheng and his twin brother Alvin.

Chow has given master classes throughout North America and Asia at conservatories, universities, and summer festivals and is active as a juror for many piano competitions.  He has served as guest professor at the Central Conservatory in Beijing, honored visiting professor at the Shenyang Conservatory, and Visiting Associate Professor at Oberlin Conservatory. His former and current students have been winners in international piano competitions.

Chow’s awards also include First Prize in the UCLA and Palm Beach Invitational International piano competitions, and he was a prizewinner in the William Kapell International Piano Competition.

10/07/2024

Congratulations to the 2024 Semi-Finalists!
We are happy to announce that the 2024 Spotlight International Piano Competition welcomed more than 100 contestants from 14 counties, including Australia, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Russia, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, the USA, and Vietnam. A heartfelt thank you to all the participants and their dedicated teachers for their incredible support.
‍
Regrettably, we cannot advance all participants into the Semi-Final Round. However, we deeply appreciate everyone’s efforts and encourage you to continue honing your skills for future opportunities!

06/07/2024

The semifinalists in the Spotlight International Piano Competition will have the opportunity to receive one-on-one private lessons with world-class masters. Over the next few days, we will introduce these masters one by one:
Canadian-Israeli pianist, Michael Berkovsky, made his New York debut at Avery Fisher Hall and has toured as a soloist in Ireland, Costa Rica, Japan, Italy, Israel, Canada, and the United States. He has won numerous international piano competition awards and has performed under the baton of Vladimir Feltsman, Stefan Sanderling, Leon Fleisher, William Noll, among others. His recordings were featured on 96.3 Classical FM and CBC Radio. He has most recently recorded for the RCM piano syllabus due to be released in 2022.Michael maintains a competitive studio, in which numerous of his students have been awarded top prizes in national and international piano competitions such as Van Cliburn Junior, Cleveland International, Bösendorfer-Yamaha, Canadian Chopin, Canadian Music Competition, among others. Graduates from his studio went on to study at top schools such as the Juilliard School, Yale University, New England Conservatory, among others.Michael frequently collaborates with numerous chamber groups and award-winning musicians, including Jasper string quartet and musicians from the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Toronto Opera Company. Michael is involved in the cultural life of his community in Toronto and often performs with local groups like the Kindred Spirit Orchestra, York Symphony Orchestra and many others. In addition he is also actively engaged in piano duo recitals with his wife, Coral Berkovsky-Solomon.Michael serves as artistic advisor for the Canadian Music Competition and is regularly invited to adjudicate competitions around the country, as well as for masterclasses and teacher workshops. Most recently, he has served as president of the Canadian chapter of the George Enescu International Music Festival. He was a guest artist at numerous international festivals, including Arts Naples and Music Niagara Festival. He received his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees from The Juilliard School and Doctoral degree at the Peabody Conservatory.

01/07/2024

🎹✨ Registration for the 2024 Spotlight International Piano Competition is now officially closed! We’re thrilled to announce that we’ve received over 100 applications this year from talented participants in Australia, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Russia, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, the USA, and Vietnam. A heartfelt thank you to all the participants and their dedicated teachers for their incredible support. We will begin the judging process soon and look forward to discovering and celebrating the outstanding talent this competition always brings. Stay tuned for updates! 🎶🌟

01/07/2024

🎹✨ Registration for the 2024 Spotlight International Piano Competition is now officially closed! We're thrilled to announce that we've received over 100 applications this year from talented participants in Australia, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Russia, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, the USA, and Vietnam. A heartfelt thank you to all the participants and their dedicated teachers for their incredible support. We will begin the judging process soon and look forward to discovering and celebrating the outstanding talent this competition always brings. Stay tuned for updates! 🎶🌟

05/06/2024

Huge congratulations 🎈🎉🎊 to Taige Wang, for receiving the recognition and invitation to become one of the youngest Steinway Artists!
Taige was the 1st Prize Winner (youngest in Junior Category) in the inaugural Spotlight International Piano Competition.

31/05/2024

2024 Spotlight International Piano Competition - Internationally acclaimed jury 🌟 Roberto Plano

29/05/2024

We are thrilled to share the latest news about pianist Wilson Liu, our Elementary 1st Prize Winner of the 2022 Spotlight International Piano Competition!

Nine-year-old pianist Wilson Liu, a student at the Juilliard Pre-College program, performs Prokofiev Prelude.STREAM FULL EPISODE: https://www.pbs.org/wnet/gp...

06/05/2024

Prizes and Awards >

06/05/2024

Repertoire Requirements for Preliminary and Semi-Final Round >

06/05/2024

Frequently Asked Questions>

01/05/2024

Attention! 📣 Today the Registration Portal opens for the 2024 Spotlight International Piano Competition! Submit your entry today for the opportunity to be heard by the best of the Classical piano world - Enrico Elisi, Olga Kern, and Roberto Plano! Qualifying contestants will also be able to schedule convenient one-on-one coaching sessions with renowned musicians Alan Chow, Michael Berkovsky, Christopher Harding, Rebecca Penneys, Nancy Weems, Igor Resnianski, and Robert Roux! Register Now: www.tsacf.org 🥳🎹👏

25/01/2024

Introducing the Judges of the 2024 Spotlight International Piano Competition! We take immense pride in consistently involving the most accomplished and esteemed musicians and artists worldwide to be a part of our team, ensuring a fair and world-class experience for our competitors.

12/01/2024

Attention! 📣 We are super excited to announce that the 2024 Spotlight International Piano Competition is underway! This year's competition will be led and judged by three world-renowned musicians—Enrico Elisi, Olga Kern, and Roberto Plano! The contestants' favorite private coaching program is also here to stay! Applications will open on May 1. 🥳🎹👏The website is now updated with the 2024 International Piano Competition information! www.tsacf.org

03/08/2022

During our live streaming of the Award Ceremony, our special guest Taige Wang, 1st Prize winner of the 2021 competition spoke to us about his experience with this competition. What an amazing kid with a truly genuine soul, no wonder his music is so undeniably touching! ❤️

03/08/2022

During our live streaming of the Award Ceremony, our esteemed 2022 coach Nancy Weems talks to us about what a judge might look for in a potential winner.

03/08/2022

During our live streaming of the Award Ceremony, our beloved judge from 2021, Christopher Harding talks to us about what a judge might look for in a potential winner.

03/08/2022

During our live streaming of the Award Ceremony, our esteemed 2022 judge Michael Berkovsky talks to us about what a judge might look for in a potential winner.

03/08/2022

Congratulations to the winners of 2022 Spotlight International Piano Competition! 🎉🎉🎉 We are very proud of every contestant and sincerely appreciate their amazing teachers!
, ,

30/07/2022

We are so looking forward to tomorrow night's Live Streaming of the Award Ceremony on our YouTube channel at 8PM ET! We will reveal the Audience Prizes, Special Prizes for each category, as well as our 2022 top prize winners! We will also be joined with special guest Taige Wang, who was the 1st Prize Winner of the Junior Category from 2021! But now, here are the name of this year's outstanding Finalists!!