The Snowy Range Piano Competition provides a unique opportunity

Dr. Shirley Pfeifer, co-creator of the Linford Pfeifer Foundation, said the concept for this competition was developed with the support of Dr. Theresa Bogard, senior piano professor at the University of Wyoming, and with a partnership with the Linford Pfeifer Foundation.  

The Linford Pfeifer Foundation’s main focus is to support science and the arts, in particular, those who want to study in the Rocky Mountain region.  Pfeifer said the foundation’s involvement in this event is to promote classical piano performance in the Rocky Mountain region.  Pfeifer added, this competition is unique for this region of the country because the pianists play solo instead of taking part in a concerto competition like other regional competitions.  

In the regional conference, students compete in three rounds: the preliminary round, semi-final round, and final round.  The semi-final round was closed to the public and took place on Saturday at the Linford Foundation Facility.  Five of the nine pianists from the semi-final round moved forward to the final round.  The semi-final and final rounds are live performances from memory with music from the Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Impressionist periods, with each performance lasting 25-35 minutes in length.  Only ten minutes of music that was performed in the semi-final round is allowed to be used in the final round.  Cash prizes of $5000, $2500, and $1000 are given to the first, second, and third place winners of the final round, respectively.   Pfeifer said the prize amount is comparable to international competitions.  The awards ceremony took place onstage after the final round of the competition.  Afterward, the judges gave the pianists feedback.  

To be eligible to compete, pianists must be from Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Texas, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico.  Elizabeth Crecca, an 18-year-old high school student, is the only person from Wyoming that competed. Pfeifer said, “This year is the first year we have had a pianist from Wyoming (compete in this division).”  Pfeifer said all pianists in the competition perform at a professional level and she felt the first place prize could be won by anyone.  Bogard said that all pianists in the competition play at a level comparable to those in a master’s program at a university.  Bogard added the pianists generally practice five to seven hours each day and most of the seniors go on to pursue music as a profession.  The seniors in the competition have been accepted to highly credited universities and music schools such as the Peebody Institute, Weber State University or Michigan State University in the case of Crecca.

 The final round competitors were Ellen Pavlisk, San Antonio, Texas; Alie Yorgason, Salt Lake City, Utah; Verina Chen, Salt Lake City, Utah; Sam Hong, Fort Worth, Texas; and Zoe Lu, Ogden, Utah.  Pavlisk studies under Kenneth Thompson, Yorgason under Yong Hi Moon, Chen under Irene Peery Fox, Sam Hong under John Owings, and Zoe Lu under Yu-Jane Yang.  The final round competitors ranged in age from 16 to 19 years old.  Yorgason has competed in the competition three times and will be ill-eligible to compete next year.  The first, second, and third place winners were Hong, Pavlisk, and Yorgason, respectively.

 Unlike the competitors, the judges must reside outside of the Mountain West States. Each judge ranks each pianist individually, without discussing his/her ranking with the other judges.  This year’s regional division semi-final and final round judges are James Giles from Northwestern University, Jane Magrath from University of Oklahoma, and Kevin Robert Orr from the University of Florida.  All judges have extensive experience in a variety of musical styles, been involved in prominent musical associations, and are reputable accomplished musicians. Bogard said that judging at this level of competition is not solely based on the pianists playing the right notes of the musical piece because it is obvious that the pianists can.  Bogard added, the judging is based more on musical interpretation and style.

For more information, http://www.snowyrangepiano.org.

Email: Sara Davis