Sadly, the strange days we find ourselves living in means the Sydney International Piano Competition has been postponed until 2021. But just because the four-yearly key-tinkling celebration isn’t happening IRL does not mean you have to go without.
Instead, the event will present a 60-hour digital marathon that will have you hitting all the high notes. Stretching across the weekend of July 23-26, which would have been the finals of this year’s competition, the competition will stream footage from the 2016 event, so you can revel in the fine finger prowess of some of the world’s most talented young musicians.
The Sydney 2016, as it's affectionately known, showcased 32 pianists from across the globe who competed in three stages, whittling the field down to six, who got to perform alongside the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. This free webcast allows you to see the whole shebang.
And it’s not just a welcome re-run. There will also be specially created new content from 2016 laureates Andrey Gugnin, Arseny Tarasevich-Nikolaev, Moye Chen, Kenny Broberg, Oxana Shevchenko and Jianing Kong, who took the top prizes four years ago. Plus special performances by the folks who were primed to take part in 2020 and some special guest of the competition.
Chief executive Marcus Barker said, “This is the time our audience and competitors would have been in the midst of our thrilling final rounds of the 2020 competition, and though we can’t be together physically right now, we’re looking forward to bringing everyone together online to re-experience our last competition.”
The celebratory stream tunes up on Thursday, July 23 at 7:30 pm and soars through to Sunday, July 26 around 2pm. You can check it out on the Sydney’s website for free, but if you feel so inspired, consider chucking a few dollars its way.
This article is supported by the Judith Neilson Institute for Journalism and Ideas
