The SEMI-FINALS will be held from 29 July to 1 August, at the Palacio de Festivales de Cantabria’s Sala Pereda, with free entry until full capacity is reached. The twelve semi-finalists are eligible for the “Special Award to the Best Chamber Music Performer”
The 20th Santander International Competition Jury, having met following the third recital session of the First Stage of the Competition, celebrated from 25 to 27 July at the Palacio de Festivales de Cantabria´s Sala Pereda, has announced the names of the 12 participants that will pass on to the next competition stage.
The names of the selected pianists are the following:
- David Khrikuli – Georgia
- Hao Wei Lin – Taiwan
- Callum McLachlan – United Kingdom
- Yu Nitahara – Japan
- Matyáš Novák – Czech Republic
- Mariamna Sherling – Norway
- Alexandra Stychkina – Russian Federation / Greece
- Marcel Tadokoro – France / Japan
- Xiaolu Zang – China
- Jiarui Cheng – China
- Domonkos Csabay – Hungary
- Jaeden Izik-Dzurko – Canada
From 29 July, at 4 p.m., the Semi-final of the Competition will be taking place, and the audience will be able to enjoy the solo recitals of the 12 young musicians, as well as the chamber music concerts alongside the guest artist, Cuarteto Casals.
Lastly, the Final on the 3 and 4 August, included in the 71st Santander International Festival, will have the six pianists chosen by the jury accompanied by the Radiotelevisión Española Symphony Orchestra led by Maestro Pablo González.
All stages of the competition will be broadcast live on RTVE Play and the YouTube Channel of the Competition. The Final will be retransmitted in Radio Clásica of Radio Nacional de España and TVE’s La 2. Also, the Awards Gala will be broadcast on TVE2.
In this competition stage, the twelve Semi-final pianists are eligible for the “Special Award to the Best Chamber Music Performer”, valued on 3,000 Euros and a concert with the Cuarteto Casals members. An award that will also be granted at the Closing Ceremony Gala on 5 August.
The Jury that will select the participants in each stage and grant the prizes, is formed by great international figures, with
- Joaquín Achúcarro taking the lead;
- Claudio Martínez Mehner and Rena Shereshevskaya (vice presidents);
- Péter Csaba,
- Barry Douglas,
- Akiko Ebi,
- Ana Guijarro,
- Márta Gulyás and
- Hüseyin Sermet.
The First Stage is sponsored by El Diario Montañés; Grupo Tirso, Café Dromedario, Universidad de Cantabria and Cámara de Comercio de Cantabria sponsor the concerts of the Semi-final; Fundación Botín and Fundación Banco de Santander, respectively sponsor the two concerts of the Final with the Symphony Orchestra; and El Diario Montañés sponsors the cocktail in honour of the Laureates.
The Santander Competition holds important cash prizes. In addition to the already mentioned “Special Award to the Best Chamber Music Performer”, there are also First, Second and Third Prizes, the Grand Prize of Santander, the Audience Award, Laureate Awards and Diplomas -all together reaching the sum of 90,000 Euros- and the recording of a CD under Naxos label granted to the First Prize winner. Furthermore, the Competition offers the winner and finalists a series of performances in prestigious concert halls all over the world. Given their number and importance, these performances go far beyond the notion of a springboard and constitute an entire first part of a professional career.
Bergé will sponsor the Second Prize for the second time, and Canon España the Audience Award, which was granted for the first time in 1998 and is given based on the voting of the public in the Palacio de Festivales’ Sala Argenta. The audience will be able to decide on the winner after each of the concerts that constitute the Final of the Competition, on 3 and 4 August. The voting will take place in the hall.
The Santander Piano Competition enjoys the collaboration of several public and private institutions: Ministry of Culture and Sports (INAEM); Cantabria Regional Government; Santander City Council; Fundación Albéniz; Fundación Banco Santander; Fundación Botín; Fundación EDP; Editorial Cantabria; El Diario Montañés; Santander International Festival; Universidad de Cantabria; Cámara de Comercio de Cantabria; RTVE; Bergé; Grupo Planeta; Canon España; Naxos; Bannatyne Joyeros; Café Dromedario; Grupo Empresarial SADISA; Hoteles Santos; Hotel Real; Grupo Tirso; Veolia; Volvo; Yamaha; Hinves Pianos; Steinway & Sons; Colegio de España in Paris; Palacio de Festivales de Cantabria; Sociedad Regional Educación, Cultura y Deporte S.L.; Agua de Solares and Selective Motor, as well as those private sponsors that prefer to remain anonymous.
The participants’ biographies can be found here and those of the Jury members here.
COMPETITION CALENDAR
Palacio de Festivales de Cantabria, Santander
SEMI-FINAL
29 JULY – 1 AUGUST
- 12 participants from 4.00 to 11.30 p.m.
- Recitals and Chamber Music with Cuarteto Casals
- Broadcast by RTVE Play and the Competition´s YouTube Channel
- Concerts sponsored by Grupo Tirso (29th), Café Dromedario (30th), Universidad de Cantabria (31st) and Cámara de Comercio de Cantabria (1st)
Sala Pereda
FINAL
3 – 4 AUGUST
- 6 participants from 7.00 to 10.00 p.m.
- Symphonic Concerts
- RTVE Symphony Orchestra
- Pablo González, Conductor.
- Included in the programme of the 71st Santander International Festival
Broadcast by TVE’s La 2, Radio Clásica of RNE, RTVE Play and the Competition’s YouTube Channel
Concerts sponsored by Fundación Botín (3rd) and Fundación Banco Santander (4th)
Sala Argenta
AWARD CEREMONY AND GALA CONCERT
5 AUGUST 6.00 p.m.
- Broadcast live by TVE’s La 2, RTVE Play and the Competitio’s YouTube Channel
- In collaboration with Bergé, Canon España and Grupo Planeta
