An Exciting Opportunity for Many Young South Australian Pianists

In 2008 Recitals Australia hosted the first Yamaha Recitals Australia Showcase here in Adelaide. It was a one day event consisting of two Masterclasses and the Showcase concert.  This featured 7 scholarship pianists selected by Music Teachers’ Associations from each State and the Northern Territory. It was very successful. Yamaha Music Australia supported the whole venture which included a $750 scholarship for each of the 7 chosen pianists.  Yamaha changed format in order to move away from their previous competition based approach to encourage fine performance for its own sake.

In 2009 Recitals Australia, with Yamaha’s encouragement, has decided to expand the concept to include a second tier of piano performance activity. While this will be open to interstate participants it will be much more accessible to South Australian pianists and their teachers.

Over two days - Saturday & Sunday October 17 and 18 – the aim is to involve pianists in 3 age levels

• Up to 12 ( so quite young ones can be involved)
• From 13 to 16
• From 17 to 20 ( so early tertiary students can be involved )

                  in the following activities

• Duet
• Accompaniment
• Chamber Music
• Solo Masterclasses
• Concert Performance ( covering activities 1 to 4)
• Demonsration Discussions by Professionals ( 1 each day)

How can we manage so much?  We can!!  - by running sessions concurrently - mostly 3 at a time. Several rooms at the Conservatorium are booked with Bishop Hall the focus on Saturday and Elder Hall on Sunday. Basically – Saturday 17th  will cover activities 1, 2 & 3 plus a demonstration and 2 afternoon concerts covering activities 1 and 2. Sunday 18th  will involve 3 levels of Solo Masterclasses, one demonstration, and 2 concerts covering activities 3 and 4 with Showcase concert rehearsals through the morning.

The weekend’s activities will climax late Sunday afternoon with the Showcase Concert when 7 pianists selected from each State and the Northern Territory will perform.

Piano Teachers and Lovers of Piano Music – to make a success of this venture we ask you to encourage pianists and observers to be involved. Students will need guidance in preparing their parts for music to be work shopped in the 1st 3 activities then performed in the various concerts. Students don’t have to perform in all sections as they can learn much from observing others being tutored in workshops and masterclasses.  Those who love piano performance but who are not themselves performers have much enjoyment to gain by observing our young pianists in workshops, masterclasses and concerts.

What about all the associates needed in the Saturday sessions?
For duets - we will provide partners on the day for repertoire we select OR teachers may involve 2 of their students performing either the YRAS repertoire or their own choice repertoire.  
For accompanying and chamber music YRAS will provide both the repertoire and the other performers UNLESS pianists already have an associate for accompaniment or associates for chamber music.

The final details are not yet complete but we are giving teachers in particular early notice to prepare appropriate students for this exciting event. We want student pianists, teachers and music lovers to get together and celebrate playing the piano just like the flautists gather in huge numbers to celebrate flute playing!

Yamaha Music Australia, Recitals Australia and The MTASA are in this one together. We hope it becomes a regular South Australian fixture. However, to retain Yamaha’s sponsorship we’ll need to make this two day Showcase a success. So please help. Encourage performers and observers alike  to attend . We aim to provide this Showcase free to students and teachers with participating students charging only for observers and the audiences attending the concerts. 

Contact - let me know you are interested to support this venture and will encourage students and observers to be involved. I’m also on the look out for people to billet interstate YRAS scholarship holders (possibly with one parent) 
Details will also be available via the website in the near future.

Diana Harris