May 15 has been the printed date for the sixth Seattle International Piano Competition deadline. The SIPF announces the change to June 30. Participants still have all of May and June to make preparations for entry.
Free of specific programming requirements, this two-round competition offers developing artists of all ages the opportunity to make a truly personal mark on the concert stage. Round one consists of a recording submittal of any repertoire the pianist chooses. If invited to Seattle as a finalist, a competitor may select a short program of solo works that defines oneʼs unique strengths and allows his or her most eloquent artistry to shine through. All rules and application materials may be found online at www.seattlepianocompetition.org.
Open to all ages, competitive participants need only prepare up to twenty minutes of music during the final round. Competitors perform before a panel of distinguished international jurors for cash prizes, future performing opportunities, and other distinctions. Finalists perform in the beautiful and prestigious Illsley Ball Nordstrom Recital Hall at Benaroya Hall, in downtown Seattle. The final round of the 2015 Seattle International Piano Competition takes place during the events of the Festival, October 16-19.
New since 2013! The directors of the competition took a look back to other screened competitions from decades past and made a decision to bring back this tradition. The SIPF is now one of the world’s few piano competitions in which the judges are seated behind a screen while the audience is free to see the finalists.
PRIZES
- Youth, ages 9 and under 9 — 6 unranked gold medalists
- Outstanding Amateur — 6 unranked gold medalists
- Youth, age 10-13 — gold medal, $800 cash; silver medal, $400 cash; bronze medal, $250 cash
- Youth, age 14-18 — gold medal, $1,000 cash; age 14-18″ silver medal, $500 cash; bronze medal, $300 cash
- Collegiate — gold medal, $2,000 cash; silver medal, $1,000 cash; bronze medal, $750 cash
- Professional — gold medal, $2,000 cash; silver medal, $1,000 cash; bronze medal, $750 cash
ADDITIONAL PRIZES
- PRESIDENTʼS ARTIST PRIZE ($1,000 cash, and a feature recital in 2017) for the best performance of a work by Frederic Chopin by a professional or collegiate artist.
- PRESIDENTʼS YOUTH PRIZE ($500 cash) for the best performance of a work by Frederic Chopin by a youth artist.
- RCMFS PRIZE ($500 cash) for the best performance of a work by Sergei Rachmaninoff by a professional or collegiate artist, and thanks to the Russian Chamber Music Foundation of Seattle.
- PLUS other non-cash prizes, including audience favorite (in each category), teachers’ favorite (in each category), and best performance of a work by a specific composer or genre (to be announced in June).
AUDIO
Participants must prepare .mp3 file audio that conforms to our specifications for upload.
Competition Rules page
Competition application form
