July 3, 2020 •Chuck Johnson
(above) The 2019 Winners Concert Celebration at Symphony Hall Boston. The 2020 Steinway Society Competition was held virtually.
2020 Steinway Society Piano Virtual Competition Winners Announced
Eleven winners will receive certificate, cash prize, and be featured in a summer/fall streamed concert series.
M. Steinert & Sons is proud to be the lead sponsor of the Steinway Society of Massachusetts, a non-profit dedicated to the promotion great music in the Bay State. This year’sSteinway Society Piano Competition was held virtually despite the cancellation of many piano competitions due to Covid-19. This prominent competition has been held each year in Boston for local young pianists ranging from ages five to 18. What usually is a live event held over the span of weeks was conducted virtually for the first time.
Division I Winners
First place is awarded to Ian Lin.
Second place is awarded to Masanobu Pires.
Third place is awarded to Sophia Popescu and Eunha Basu.
Honorable mentions for this division are Hanna Suzuki, Kailin Zhang and Claire Huang.
Division II Winners
First place is awarded to Chloe Tan.
Second place is awarded to Sara Tardif.
Third place is awarded to Norman Lu.
Honorable mentions for this division are Adalia Wen, Maxwell Huang, Bingye Ren and Emily Zhou.
Division III Winners
First place is awarded to Maxine Park.
Second place is awarded to Michael Karshis.
Third place is awarded to Meghan Tan and Gaeun Lee.
Honorable mentions for this division are Elizabeth Zhang, Sofia Marina, Danika Dai and Alessandra Mariano.
Steinway Society of Massachusetts would like to thank all 90 participants in this year’s competition as well as M. Steinert & Sons for their support of the competition, and the judges, Dr. Lisa Cleveland, Prof. Konstantinos Papadakis and Prof. Michael Kramer for their dedication to music as artists and educators.
Each contestant sent in an audition video performing two contrasting pieces for solo piano from different eras of Western classical music: the Baroque or Classical era and the Romantic or Twentieth/Twenty-first Century era. All music was performed from memory and in concert dress. No editing was allowed.
The Steinway Society of Massachusetts Artistic Director Christina Dietrich said she is incredibly impressed with the level of performance and each performer’s dedication. “Congratulations on your accomplishments,” Dietrich said when referring to speaking to participants, “Under normal circumstances what you have done is amazing. Under these circumstances, to come up with this level of performance is just astounding.”
Dietrich said she is thrilled beyond belief to be a part of the Steinway Society. “It is incredibly important, during Covid-19, for the Steinway Society to show our support for young artists and their efforts within their community,” she said.
The winners will each receive a cash prize, medal, and certificate. Due to the global health crisis, the Steinway Society of Massachusetts is planning to recognize the winners with an online concert series performed by the winners themselves More information will be released as performer schedule is determined. Congratulations to all!