XIII. Edition of Peter Toperczer International Piano Competition Košice 2013
Peter Toperczer International Competition (PT IPC) Košice, which this year celebrates its 20th founding anniversary (1993), has successfully entered its XIII. edition. Its announcer is the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic. and the organiser is Mária Hemerková Elementary School of the Arts in 68 Main Street in Košice. It is the only international competition for young pianists under 17 (the XIII. edition has seen the introduction of the 4th age category – under 17) in Slovakia, and it is held in four age categories – under 11, 13, 15 and under 17 – in two rounds. It is organised under the auspices of the mayor of Košice MUDr. Richard Raši, PhD., MPH.
XIII. edition of International Piano Competition Košice 2013, 18-21 April 2013, was held in the concert hall of Mária Hemerková Elementary School of the Arts /2nd and 3rd category/ and in a Great Studio of Slovak Radio and Television /1st and 4th category/.
55 children from 16 countries of Europe and Asia (Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, China – Macao, Czech Republic, Georgia, Croatia, Lithuania, Hungary, Germany, Poland, Russia, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine, Slovakia) registered for the competition; they were evaluated by the 10-member international jury composed of renowned piano artists and pedagogues:
- Alena Vlasáková – Czech Republic /chairperson of the jury of 2nd and 3rd category/,
- Peter Toperczer – Czech Republic /art director of the competition/,
- Melánia Hermanová - Slovakia,
- Stephan Möller - Austria,
- Marian Sobula – Poland,
- Mária Dravecká – Slovakia, /chairperson of the jury of 1st and 4th category/,
- Judita Debreová - Slovakia,
- Éva Csipkay - Hungary,
- Viola Samborska - Ukraine,
- Venceslava Ilievska – Bulgaria.
The art director of the competition of the XIII. edition of the competition, bearing an honourable name after its long-standing guarantor, a deceased professor Peter Toperczer, has become his son Peter Toperczer jr. The main media partner of the International Piano Competition Košice has been in all its editions Slovak Radio and Television.
In the first round of the competition the compositions from the period of barocco and romanticism are performed, in the second round there are the compositions from the period of classicism and 20th, respectively 21st century, within the minute duration determined by the age category. Playing from memory is a requirement.
In the first category won an 8-year-old girl Ieong Neng from China – Macao, being the youngest participant of the competition; the second place went to Tsotne Sidamonidze from Georgia, in the third place finished Júlia Bakos from Hungary.
The winner of the second category became Kamila Sacharzewska from Poland, in the second position finished Martin Chudada from Slovakia, who concurrently obtained Prize of the President of the Slovak Republic for the best finishing participant from Slovakia and Prize of the mayor of Košice, also for the best finishing participant from Slovakia; in the third position finished Mariam Chankvetadze from Georgia.
In the 3rd category won Robert Aleksander Maciejowski from Poland, the second place went to Kamil Beniamin Pacholec from Poland, who was also awarded the EMCY prize, and in the third position finished Matyáš Novák from the Czech Republic.
In the 4th category won Onuté Grażinyté from Lithuania, in the second position finished Ádám Zsolt Szokolay from Hungary, who at the same time won Prize of Stephan Möller – Scholarship at the VIP Academy Vienna Austria 2013, the third place went to Paula Ropuš from Croatia.
Financial rewards and giveaway prizes were awarded to 5 contestants in each category,
- - Prize of the Director of the State Philharmonic Košice was awarded to Arsen Dalibaltayan from Croatia,
- - Prize of the Czech Music Fund for the best interpretation of a current Czech composition /Klement Slavický: Burleska/ was awarded to Anna Sofie Mojzešová from the Czech Republic,
- - Prize of the Slovak Music Fund for the best interpretation of a current Slovak composition /Eugen Suchoň: Toccata/ was awarded to Balázs Fazekaš from Slovakia,
- - Prize of Stephan Möller – Scholarship at the VIP Academy Vienna Austria 2013 – was awarded to Ádám Zsolt Szokolay from Hungary,
- - Prize of Marian Sobula – participation in a piano course within a series of musical courses – Master and students – was awarded to Onuté Gražinyté from Lithuania,
- - Prize of the President of the Slovak Republic for the best finishing participant from Slovakia was awarded to Martin Chudada from Slovakia,
- - Prize of the mayor of Košice for the best finishing participant from Slovakia was awarded to Martin Chudada from Slovakia,
- - Prize of the mayor of Košice for the youngest contestant was awarded to Ieong Neng from China – Macao.
Contestants who will be supported in the future by European Union of Music Competitions for Youth (EMCY) are Ieong Neng from China, Kamila Sacharzewska from Poland, Robert Alexander Maciejowsky from Poland, Onuté Gražinyté from Lithuania and the winner of EMCY prize is Kamil Benjamin Pacholec from Poland.
The accompanying event of the International Piano Competition Košice 2013 was the concert of laureates of the IV. and IX. edition of the competition from the years 1996 and 2005 - Jakub Sládek from the Czech Republic and Marian Sobula from Poland, who as the first of former laureates of the competition was also a member of the expert jury. Extraordinary artistic performances of both interpreters captivated all present spectators. At the concert also performed a school orchestra of Mária Hemerková Elementary School of the Arts - Musica Iuvenalis – conducted by Mgr. art. Igor Dohovič, PhD.
The climax of Peter Toperczer International Piano Competition Košice was the Concert of winners of the XIII. edition of the competition and the prize award ceremony on the premises of Palace of Arts.
Peter Toperczer International Piano Competition Košice 2013 has once again maintained top professional standard, there has been a highly positive response from the both the professional and lay public as for the whole competition proceedings and organisation.
A great debt is owed to all donors and contributors who helped organisers to prepare the competition at international level.
Judging by reactions of participants the city of Košice has justifiably won the title of European Capital of Culture in 2013.
Jana Fričová
Director of Mária Hemerková Elementary
School of the Arts and chairperson of the
IPC committee