The Jury of the 20th Santander International Piano Competition, having met after the fourth of Semi-final recital sessions of the Competition, held from 29 July to 1 August at the Palacio de Festivales de Cantabria’s Sala Pereda, has unveiled the names of the 6 participants that will pass on to the final stage of the competition.
The names and biographies of the finalists are the following:
- Yu Nitahara – Japan
- Marcel Tadokoro – France / Japan
- Matyáš Novák – Czech Republic
- Xiaolu Zang – China
- Domonkos Csabay – Hungary
- Jaeden Izik-Dzurko – Canada
The Final will be held on 3 and 4 August, included within the 71st Santander International Festival (FIS), and will consist of the 6 pianists selected by the Jury, accompanied by the Radiotelevisión Española Symphony Orchestra (RTVE) under the baton of its Chief Conductor, 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.
Tomorrow, 3 August, Yu Nitahara will perform Brahms’ Concerto for Piano and Orchestra Op. 15 No. 1 in D minor; followed by Prokofiev’s Concerto for Piano and Orchestra Op. 26 No. 3 in C major, performed by Marcel Tadokoro, and once again, Brahms’ Concerto for Piano and Orchestra Op. 15 No. 1 in D minor will be performed, this time by Matyáš Novák.
On Thursday, 4 August, it will be the turn of Xiaolu Zang with Tchaikovsky’s Concerto for Piano and Orchestra Op. 23 No. 1 in B flat minor; followed by Domonkos Csabay with Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 3 in E major, Sz. 119, BB 127 by Bartók, and closing the Finals, Jaeden Izik-Dzurko and Rachmaninov’s Concerto for Piano and Orchestra Op. 30 No. 3 in D minor.
El Diario Montañés has sponsored the First Stage; Grupo Tirso, Café Dromedario, Universidad de Cantabria and Cámara de Comercio de Cantabria have sponsored the concerts of the Semi-final; Fundación Botín and Fundación Banco Santander, will respectively sponsor the two concerts of the Final with the Symphony Orchestra; and El Diario Montañés will sponsor the cocktail in honour of the Laureates.
The Santander Competition contains important cash prizes -nearly 90,000 Euros, to be distributed between the First, Second and Third Prize, the Great Prize of Santander, the Audience Award, Laureates Prizes and Diplomas. It also offers the winner and finalists a number of performances in prestigious halls around the world. Given their number and relevance, these performances go beyond being a springboard for their careers, they constitute a first solid stage of their professional career. In addition to these prizes, a recording of a CD under Naxos label will be granted to the First Prize winner, and the laureate of the “Special Award to the Best Chamber Music Performer”, who will be selected among all those participating in the Semi-final, will win a performance along Cuarteto Casals.
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.
