Piano Cleveland Creatively Reimagines the Presentation of CIPC for Today’s World

CLEVELAND, OH – MARCH 26, 2021 After a year-long postponement due to the challenges presented by the pandemic, Piano Cleveland welcomes the return of one of the world’s most renowned international classical music competitions, the Cleveland International Piano Competition (CIPC). The 2021 CIPC has been creatively reimagined, adapting the traditional competition model to the new digital era by offering a hybrid virtual and in-person format for audiences to enjoy, with the Semi-Final and Final Rounds taking place in Cleveland with The Cleveland Orchestra. Thoughtful artistic decisions have been made for local and international audiences to experience breathtaking musical performances both in-person and through virtual presentations. The globally recognized competition will present the pinnacle of classical piano artistry from July 8 - August 11, 2021.  

“The Cleveland International Piano Competition is prestigious for being an important milestone in our pianists' musical journey, opening the door for once-in-a-lifetime career opportunities,” said Yaron Kohlberg, President of Piano Cleveland. “As an organization whose backbone is built on protecting the future of piano music, it has never felt more important than now to innovate the performance landscape with a hybrid structure that creatively solves many safety challenges and allows us to create a path of opportunities for young artists to share their music with the world.” 

The organization continues to establish Cleveland as an international piano destination by presenting innovative programming and opportunities for young artists. Providing a platform for the contestants selected to compete in the 2020 competition was crucial to the organization’s commitment to bringing excellent musicians to Cleveland. Furthermore, with so many musicians today missing out on the opportunity to perform, compete and advance their career, Piano Cleveland felt passionate about welcoming back all 28 contestants selected for the 2020 competition to compete for the Mixon First Prize of $75,000, a New York performance debut, management services, and a recording on the Steinway & Sons label.  

Due to the pandemic's impact on travel as well as the safety of all involved, the organization has worked with partners across the globe to record the First and Second Round from nine different locations, including Cleveland (Mixon Hall at Cleveland Institute of Music), Boston (Burnes Hall at New England Conservatory), Brazil (Estudio Monteverdi), Hamburg (Miralles Saal at Staatliche Jugendmusikschule Hamburg), Israel (Clairmont Hall at Buchmann-Mehta School of Music), Moscow (Organ Hall at Gnessin Academy), Paris (Salle Cortot), Tokyo (Tokyo College of Music Grand Hall), and Beijing (Forbidden City Concert Hall and Central Conservatory). The high-quality virtual broadcast of the First and Second Rounds will take place Thursdays through Sundays, July 8 - July 25, 2021, and will be free and available over the course of three weeks to provide the greatest possible access for classical music enthusiasts of all levels to enjoy the competition.  

The eight Semi-Finalists, chosen by the international jury of renowned pianists, will be welcomed to Cleveland to perform solo recitals of 40-minutes at Gartner Auditorium in the Cleveland Museum of Art, including popular music transcriptions commissioned specifically for CIPC, July 29 - August 1. In addition, for the first time in any major solo competition, Semi-Finalists will pair up to collaboratively perform two-piano works. Four pianists will move on to the Final Round, first performing chamber music alongside the Escher String Quartet at the Cleveland Museum of Art, August 3-4.  The Final Round, August 6-7, will conclude at Severance Hall, with the four Finalists getting the opportunity to perform with one of America’s finest orchestras, The Cleveland Orchestra. Piano Cleveland is working together with The Cleveland Orchestra to follow all COVID-19 policies to ensure that safety guidelines are being met to protect all musicians; the repertoire performed will reflect these policies.  

Piano Cleveland has taken an innovative and collaborative approach in putting together a Competition Jury that honors the diverse and well-respected voices in the music world without travel being a restriction. For the first time in the competition’s history, the jury will conduct in a hybrid-format including five in-person jurors and three virtual jurors. The 2021 Cleveland International Piano Competition Jury includes Chairman, Matti Raekallio (Finland), Professor of Piano at The Juilliard School; Michelle Cann (United States), Piano Faculty at the Curtis Institute of Music; Noriko Ogawa (Japan), Professor of Piano at Guildhall School of Music and Drama; Linda Petríková (Czech Republic), Vice President, Artist Management at IMG Artists; Nimrod David Pfeffer (Israel), Assistant Conductor at The Metropolitan Opera; Margarita Shevchenko (Russia), 1995 CIPC First Prize Medalist; Balázs Szokolay (Hungary), Professor at Franz Liszt Academy of Music Budapest and Weimar; Mira Yevtich (Serbia/Australia), Co-Founder of the Mariinsky International Piano Festival.  

In honor of the upcoming competition, the organization will be hosting an array of events and activities for the communities to participate in, including: 

• Virtual Listening Series: May 5, 12, and 19 at 7:30pm  
  The inaugural Listening Series, Prelude to Piano, is a free virtual three-part series designed to help music fans of all types take their musical interest and knowledge to a higher level in the comfort of your home. The series, postponed from 2020, is generously sponsored by the Leonard Krieger Fund of the Cleveland Foundation.  

• Master Classes: July 31 - August 5 at the Cleveland Institute of Music and The Music Settlement  
  Local piano students are invited to participate in several master classes with some of the world-renowned jurors that come to Cleveland to participate in CIPC.  

• CIPC Watch Party: July 8 at 7:00pm at The Van Aken District
  Enjoy performances under the stars and on the big screen with a  socially distanced broadcast of the Cleveland International Piano Competition like you’ve never seen before!  

• Family Fun Day: July 11 at The Music Settlement 
  Families are invited to celebrate the 2021 CIPC with a free day of musical events! Enjoy live musical performances, fun activities, local face-painting, and balloon artists, and goodie-bags.  

• PianoKids Day: July 28 and July 29  
  Cleveland-area students are invited to enjoy a musical day camp participating in various hands-on learning activities led by local teachers such as Dalcroze eurhythmics, a drum circle, and interactive workshops.  

• Bravo Piano Gala presented by KeyBank: August 8 – 11 at Shoreby Club  
  This well-loved tradition has been creatively reimagined for our current times and will take place over four evenings from August 8 – 11, 2021, at the beautiful lakeside Shoreby Club. This unique, outdoor format allows for small, socially-distant groups to gather and celebrate Cleveland’s support for the pinnacle of classical music artistry. Enjoy cocktails, dinner, and spellbinding performances by our four new medalists, including the 2021 Mixon First Prize Winner's debut performances.  

Tickets for the Cleveland International Piano Competition will be available in May for Piano Cleveland donors, and available for the public in June. Competition performances will be broadcast on Piano Cleveland’s website and social pages. More information on tickets, contestants, competition schedule, and additional events surrounding the CIPC will be available on pianocleveland.org in the coming weeks.