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Press Releases

2019 Claudette Sorel Competition live streams final round Nov. 3rd, offers new Fellows program

September 3, 2019 | By Grant Communications
 
The Claudette Sorel Piano Competition
For 15 - 18 Year-Old Pianists

 Final Round On November 3, 2019 To Be Streamed Live

New Piano Fellows Program To Run Concurrently

Last Call:
Entry Deadline Is September 15, 2019
 
 
Now in its fourth year, The Claudette Sorel Piano Competition is open to young pianists of all nationalities ages 15 - 18. Created specifically for young pianists who are passionate about piano performance and repertoire to encourage their growth in a healthy, competitive environment, and designed to allow them to demonstrate their own artistic vision, the competition takes place on the campus of the State University of New York at Fredonia, New York.   
 
Participants perform on a Steinway D Concert Grand piano in SUNY Fredonia's state-of-the-art Juliet J. Rosch Recital Hall. All participants will receive a live recording and a copy of the judges' written notes. First Prize is a $2,500 cash purse. An additional $1,250 in cash awards will be awarded at the discretion of the judges. The Final Round on November 3rd will be streamed live.  
 
As part of The Claudette Sorel Competition, pianist Tony Caramia will perform in concert on  Friday, November 1, at 8:00 PM in Rosch Recital Hall. The recital, Celebrating the Music of Women, will feature works by Lili Boulanger, Germaine Tailleferre, Dana Suesse, Cheryl Frances- Hoad and other women composers from the 20th and 21st centuries. Caramia will perform solo on the first half of the concert, and will be joined by SUNY Fredonia jazz faculty member Nick Weiser in the second half.
 
Named for pianist and late SUNY Distinguished Professor Claudette Sorel, who made more than 2,000 concert, recital, and festival appearances and played with 200 major orchestras including the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, NBC Symphony, and London Philharmonic, the Competition is supported by an organization she founded.
 
Judges for the 2019 Competition include: internationally renowned pianist and Competition Director Eliran Avni, Freedonia piano faculty members Mary Cobb, Fr. Sean Duggan, Phyllis East, and Anne Kissel. 
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS:
  • a high-quality video of a performance of a piece you are passionate about (7-10 minutes). Video and audio quality matters; please submit the highest quality video possible. All music must be performed from memory. (Competitors may choose different repertoire for the video and recital rounds.) Competitors are strongly encouraged to submit two contrasting works (style, tempi, mood, etc).
  •  [NOTE: If selected as a Finalist, competitors will present a fifteen-minute recital. The repertoire for this stage, as in previous competitions, is left to the discretion of the competitors but should show a thematic connection or idea, such as a favorite composer, period, thematic connection, etc.]
  • a short biography (100 word limit), which may be used in competition promotions and/or printed program.
  • answers to three short questions: Why are you passionate about the piano? Why did you choose this recital program? What composers do you like to perform?
  • Headshot (does not need to be professional, but WILL be used in publicity materials)
  • Photo/video release form
  • Applications are submitted online via the getacceptd.com portal.
Students currently enrolled at the State University of New York at Fredonia are ineligible to apply, as are previous Claudette Sorel Piano Competition First Prize Winners. Competitors from previous editions of the Competition who did not receive First Prize may enter.
 
International applicants should ensure the Visa process in their country of origin can be completed within the following time frame: Finalists will be notified by October 1, 2019.  LIVE Final Round will take place on November 3, 2019.  Please contact the competition director with any questions or concerns.
 
PIANO FELLOWS PROGRAM
 
Friday, November 1 - Sunday, November 3, 2019
Invited Fellows will attend on full scholarship (personal/travel expenses not included).

New this year, the Piano Fellows program will be held in conjunction with the piano competition and is designed for talented pianists (ages 15-18) who are serious about their craft and are looking for an intensive musical experience, but who may not yet be ready for the competition circuit. Highlights: evening concert, individual lesson, master class, perform on Fellows recital, behind-the-scenes competition experience, and more. The Fellows Program also  is an excellent way to prepare for college/conservatory auditions.

Applicants may apply for the Competition, the Fellows program or both, with the caveat that finalists in the Competition may not be in the Fellows program.

View the video of the competition here.
ABOUT THE CLAUDETTE SOREL PIANO COMPETITION
 
Born in Paris of French-Hungarian parentage, Claudette Sorel was trained in the United States under famous teachers as Olga Samaroff Stokowski, Rudolf Serkin and Mieczyslaw Horszowski.  A child piano prodigy, she is the youngest graduate of The Juilliard School completing her degree at age nine.  At the age of 10, she made her New York Town Hall debut and the following year performed with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra at Carnegie Hall.  
 
Her scholastic honors include graduating high school in three years as valedictorian, and simultaneously attending The Juilliard School with complete fellowship. She graduated from there with highest honors and as its youngest graduate. Upon the death of Mme. Samaroff, the Curtis Institute of Music granted her a five year fellowship and she received its Artist Diploma with highest honors. This was accomplished while Miss Sorel was also a student at Columbia University from which she received a Mathematics Degree-Cum Laude. At Columbia she studied musicology with Mitchell, Ussachevsky and Beeson.  
 
Miss Sorel made more than 2,000 concert, recital, and festival appearances and has played with 200 major orchestras including the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, NBC Symphony, and London Philharmonic. One hundred of those performances were as soloist in the MacDowell Concerto No. 2 which is featured on a CD. She recorded for RCA Victor, Monitor and Musical Heritage. Miss Sorel gave the premiere performances of works by Lukas Foss, Harold Morris, Paul Creston, Peter Mennin and others.
 
Her numerous awards and citations from the time she was 12 include the Ford Foundation Concert Artist Grant and the National Federation of Music Clubs Young Artist Award (as its youngest winner). She judged for countless international and national music competitions.
 
Chairman of the the State University of New York's piano department for 13 years, Sorel was designated by the Trustees of SUNY the youngest and only woman "Distinguished University Professor," among a faculty of 30,000.She also held professorships at the University of Kansas, and Ohio State University.
 
Claudette Sorel passed away in 1999.  
ABOUT PIANIST TONY CARAMIA
Tony Caramia is Professor of Piano at the Eastman School of Music, where he is Director of Piano Pedagogy Studies and Coordinator of the Class Piano Program.   
 
In May 2003, he was a guest on Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz on NPR.  Her 1927 Steinway is now housed in his Eastman studio.  In September of 2007, he was privileged to perform in the dedication concert on the new "Sorel" Steinway at SUNY Fredonia, in honor of his former teacher, Miss Claudette Sorel. He received the 2010 Outstanding Achievement Award from SUNY Fredonia.
 
Caramia is known for his recitals being tied to a theme: an opportunity to discover unfamiliar music, and to share his passion for whimsy and serendipity. As we approach the centennial of the Nineteenth Amendment giving women the right to vote (August 20, 2020), this program highlights key women composers - including living English composer Cheryl Frances-Hoad, well-known Rochester jazz pianist, Laura Dubin, and a junior jazz major at Eastman, Yvonne Rogers.   
COMPETITION SPONSOR 
The Elizabeth & Michel Sorel Charitable Organization Inc., established in 1996 by their daughter, Claudette Sorel, is a 501©(3) private foundation. Through our Medallion program The Sorel Organization intends to create opportunities for women in composition, conducting, piano, voice, and film scoring. Our mission is to keep musical excellence alive and to help stretch the boundaries for women in music.
Press Contact, please contact: 
Laura Grant: TEL: 917.359.7319; E-mail: Laura@grant-communications.com

 

 
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