American Pianists Awards 2021 to take place in May-June

Tuesday, May 11, 2021

This year’s American Pianists Awards will be held during May and June, culminating in live chamber music and concerto performances in Indianapolis, Indiana over the weekend of 25-27 June.

The article originally appeared in International Piano magazine.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, finalists Kenny Broberg, Dominic Cheli, Michael Davidman, Sahun Sam Hong and Mackenzie Melemed have each recorded a private adjudicated recital that will be streamed online via Facebook over five consecutive Sundays, commencing 23 May.

The five pianists will return to Indianapolis for the finals with the Dover Quartet and Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Gerard Schwarz. All finals weekend performances will be hosted by two–time Grammy award–winning vocalist Sylvia McNair.

The five finalists were announced in March 2020. Three months later, they were each awarded a cash prize of $50,000 by competition organiser APA (American Pianists Association) in an unprecedented move prompted by the pandemic.

This year’s winner of the American Pianists Awards will receive the Christel DeHaan Classical Fellowship, valued at more than $100,000, including the previously announced $50,000 plus career support and publicity for two years, performance engagements worldwide, an artist-in-residence post at the University of Indianapolis, and a recording contract with the Steinway & Sons label.

The 2021 competition features a new commission by Laura Kaminsky that will be included in each finalist’s solo recital. Previous commissions include works from Judith Zaimont, Lowell Liebermann, Augusta Read Thomas, Earl Wild, Lisa Bielawa and Missy Mazzoli.

The American Pianists Awards were launched in 1981 and are held every two years to discover the country’s best aspiring pianists aged 18–30. This year’s participants were selected via blind audition from more than 40 nominations during the preliminary round in March 2020.

Streaming schedule

Solo recitals

Finals

  • 25 June (8:00pm EDT/1:00am BST) Chamber performance with Dover Quartet
  • 26 June (8:00pm EDT/1:00am BST) Concerto with Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra
  • 27 June (3:30pm EDT/8:30pm BST) Final concert and winner announcement