FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — A dozen of the world’s top young classical pianists will compete in the first Fulbright Concerto Competition March 29-31 at the Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville. The J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas is sponsoring the event, along with the city of Fayetteville and the North Arkansas Symphony.

The Fulbright Concerto Competition begins at 9 a.m. Thursday, March 29, in the Starr Theater. Each of the 12 semi-finalists will perform a 40- to 45-minute solo recital. The semifinal round is free and open to the general public.

A three-judge panel will select three finalists, and its decision will be announced Thursday evening at a private reception hosted by the Fulbright College at University House.

The three finalists will then perform with the North Arkansas Symphony at the Walton Arts Center at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 31. Tickets are $35 and $40 each and can be purchased at the Walton Arts Center box office. The Concerto Competition finals also feature an American Idol factor: Audience members get to vote for their favorite performer, and the audience total will count in the final decision. The audience favorite will also receive a $1,000 cash prize.

A total of 139 pianists from 29 countries entered the competition last fall by sending recordings of their performances, along with their resumes, to the selection committee. Artistic Director Jura Margulis says it was an overwhelming response to a first-time classical music event.

“None of us anticipated this kind of response from so many young pianists from all over the world. It was extremely difficult to select the 12 semifinalists. And, among that 12, there were no clear-cut finalists. Each is outstanding in his or her own way and any one of them could take home the prize. Our region will see and hear the best of the best,” said Margulis, himself a renowned concert pianist.

The 12 semifinalists, ranging in age from 18 to 28, represent nine different countries and several well-known music schools including Juilliard, the Curtis Institute, the Royal Academy of Music in England and the Moscow Conservatory in Russia.

Margulis believes he knows why so many musicians wanted to enter the competition.

“The three judges: Paul Badura-Skoda, Ignat Solzhenitsyn, and Tamás Ungár are legends in the music world. This was why we had so many outstanding young artists apply. Every single one of our original group of 139 applicants knew that these three judges will judge with integrity on true artistry versus surface flash.”

In addition to the quality of the judges, the musicians probably were also attracted by the prizes to be awarded in the competition.

The first-place winner will receive a cash award of $5,000 and will be offered a piano recital tour of seven venues:

• Fayetteville Fine Arts Festival

• Little Rock, Ark., Bechstein Hall

• Chicago, Fine Arts Building, PianoForte

To include a live broadcast on WFMT 98.7, Chicago’s only classical station

• Freiburg, Germany, PianoFest

• Berlin, Germany, Stilwerk

• Hamburg, Germany, Bechstein Hall

• Woerde, Netherlands, Bechstein Hall

The second-place performer will receive $3,000, and the third-place finalist receives $1,000. The nine additional semifinalists will each receive an honorarium of $300. In addition, all eligible semifinalists will be offered $12,000 in undergraduate scholarships or graduate assistantships at the Fulbright College of the University of Arkansas.

"Fayetteville is pleased to host this international competition of world class pianists,” said Fayetteville Mayor Dan Coody. “The Fulbright Concerto Competition continues Fayetteville’s long tradition of embracing the highest quality in art and music.  We look forward to an outstanding series of performances that everyone will enjoy."

Additional sponsors for the Fulbright Concerto Competition include KUAF and C. Bechstein. For more information on this event please go to www.fulbrightconcertocompetiton.org.  

Fulbright Concerto Competition semi-finalists

Corbin James Beisner — U.S.A.

Sonia Chan — Canada

Zlata Chochieva —Russia

Inna Faliks — U.S.A. (born in Russia)

Abdiel Antonio Vazquez Fortozo — Mexico

Gabriela Martinez — Venezuela

Esther Park — U.S.A. (born in Korea)

David Schmidt — Germany

Young-Ah Tak — Korea

Victor Valkov — Bulgaria

Moises Fernandez Via — Spain

Lio Kuok-Wai — China

Paul Badura-Skoda is one of the important pianists of the 20^th century. A legendary artist who has been heard in all the world’s greatest concert halls, performed with legendary conductors such as Karajan and Furtwängler, and for years was the pianist who had the largest number of records available in the market. Margulis calls him “one of the most influential voices on classical music in the 20^th century.”

Ignat Solzhenitsyn is recognized as one of today’s most gifted artists, with an active career as both pianist and conductor. His lyrical and poignant interpretations have won him critical acclaim throughout the world. Solzhenitsyn is in his third season as music director of the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia. He has also been featured on many radio and television specials, most recently CBS Sunday Morning and ABC’s Nightline.

Tamás Ungár has earned worldwide acclaim for his powerful performances and innovative programming.  A regular guest artist at numerous music centers in this country, he also performs and teaches frequently all over the world. He is the founder and executive director of PianoTexas International Academy and Festival and a faculty member at Texas Christian University. In 2006, he was appointed artistic director of the China Conservatory International Piano Festival in Bejiing.

Jura Margulis as artistic director for the Fulbright Concerto Competition will also serve as the chair of the jury. Margulis has an international performance and recording career. He has won prizes in more than a dozen international competitions and is also a recipient of the esteemed Pro Europa prize awarded by the European Foundation for Culture.