The Intercollegiate Piano Competition of Jaques Samuel Pianos

The Competition

• has taken place annually since 1996

Since 2006 it was my responsibility to organise it.
 

• is open to piano students of London's four main music academies

(Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Royal Academy of Music, Royal College of Music and Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance)
 

• is sponsored
 

Locations:
Heats: at Jaques Samuel Pianos.

Semi-Final: at St. James's Church Piccadilly, known for their regular lunchtime and evening concerts.

Final: at Wigmore Hall, a well-known concert venue in London. During the last four years the final was streamed live on youtube.

Prize

• A solo recital at Wigmore Hall and at the Fazioli Auditorium, Sacile, Italy

• 500 professionally produced CDs.

• Two of the winners also appeared on BBC Radio 3 – In Tune.

• Four entrants play a solo lunchtime recital at St James's Piccadilly.

Adjudicators
The adjudicators are piano professors from the music academies, but also the sponsors, a pianist of name and the director of Wigmore Hall.

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The Final 2016

(the whole final at Wigmore Hall on youtube)

Oda Voltersvik

Finalist 2016

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Impressions of two annual events I organised during the last years

The Junior Department Piano Festival of Jaques Samuel Pianos

• The piano festival took place from 2007 to 2015.
   

• It was open to students from the junior departments of London's main music academies (Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Royal Academy of Music, Royal College of Music and Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance).
   

• The participating students ( 8 to 17 years old) all played in front of one or two adjudicators on the festival day.
   

• Up to 20 were then selected to perform in a lunchtime concert at Wigmore Hall.

The pictures are taken from a documentary that was filmed on December 9th 2012 by pianist and author Melanie Spanswick.