Early Monday morning, May 8, at Bourgie Hall in downtown Montreal, André Bourbeau, president of the jury, named the six pianists advancing to the final round of the 2017 Montreal International Musical Competition.
In alphabetical order, they are:
- Stefano Andreatta (25, Italy)
- Albert Cano-Smit (20, Spain/Netherlands)
- Zoltan Fejervari (30, Hungary)
- Giuseppe Guarrera (25, Italy)
- Yejin Noh (30, South Korea)
- Jinhyung Park (21, South Korea)
The pianists are competing for more than $125,000 in prizes, including a first prize of $80,000 — $30,000 offered by the City of Montreal, plus a $50,000 career development grant supplied by the Azrieli Foundation and named in honour of competition cofounder Joseph Rouleau.
The finalists were chosen from a field of 12 semifinalists following a round of 60-minute solo recitals that took place at Bourgie Hall in downtown Montreal. Each finalist will play a piano concerto on May 9 or 10 at La Maison symphonique with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra under guest conductor Claus Peter Flor. The top three prize winners will be announced following the performances on May 10; the remaining special prizes will be awarded at a gala concert to be held Friday, May 12.
The competition's jury comprises Idil Biret (Turkey), Dang Thai Son (Canada/Vietnam), Alain Lefèvre (Canada), Hélène Mercier (Canada), Pedja Muzijevic (Bosnia), David Owen Norris (U.K.), Cristina Ortiz (Brazil), R. Douglas Sheldon (U.S.), Gabriel Tacchino (France) and André Bourbeau (Canada, jury chair).
All performances at the 2017 Montreal International Musical Competition are webcast on CBC Music and the performances are archived on the competition's YouTube channel. Join the online discussion about the competition on Twitter via #CMIM2017.
Explore more:
Webcast: watch the Montreal International Musical Competition
Here are the 12 semifinalists at the Montreal International Musical Competition