In the afternoon of Nov. 26th, the finals of First President Career Award (Piano) competition sponsored by Central Conservatory of Music and award ceremony were held in recital hall at CCOM. Four contestants who belong to three different music conservatories came to the fore from twelve excellent piano contestants of six major music conservatories in China. They would carry on the contest in the finals.
"The President Career Award" sponsored by Central Conservatory of Music is an Annual music talents selective activity with authoritativeness and professionalism. This award aims at discovering music talents with great potentialities among the students of music conservatories through authorities' recommendation and appraisal. The committee expects to improve students' performing level through the competitions of "President Award" and also provide performance opportunities for winners to present their talents.
Every year, the committee of President Career Award (Piano) will be consisted of three current presidents of music conservatories with high reputations in music education circles. One of them must be chosen from abroad well-know music institutions. The contestants of this award competition will be selected from the students of nine major music conservatories in China (which include Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, China Conservatory of Music, Shanghai Conservatory of Music, Tianjin Conservatory of Music, Xi'an Conservatory of Music, Sichuan Conservatory of Music, Xinghai Conservatory of Music, Shenyang Conservatory of Music, and Wuhan Conservatory of Music) on all grades from affiliated elementary or middle school to college and graduate school. In addition, each contestant should be recommended by the president of his/her school to attend the competition. The number of candidates for each conservatory is limited to two.
In the finals of First President Career Award Competition, four contestants played Piano Concerto No.1 by Chopin and Piano Concerto No.2 by Rachmaninov respectively. Then, the three committee members of this award, namely Prof. Wang Cizhao, the President of CCOM, Dr. Robert Blocker, the Dean of Yale School of Music, and Prof. Yao Shengchang, the President of Tianjin Conservatory of Music, gave the final result after serious appraisal. President Wang Cizhao announced the order of winners:
First Place: Zhu Wanchen (Shanghai Music Conservatory, Piano Concerto No.2 by Rachmaninov);
Second Place: Chen Lei (Tianjin Music Conservatory, Piano Concerto No.1 by Chopin);
Third Place: Wang Chun (Music School attached to CCOM, Piano Concerto No.2 by Rachmaninov);
Forth Place: Fu Jingjing (Central Conservatory of Music, Piano Concerto No.1 by Chopin).
After the announcement, three presidents gave award certificates to the winners and extended their warmly congratulations. As an excellent concert pianist himself, Dr. Blocker, the Dean of Yale School of Music, praised that four contestants interpreted the compositions in different styles. Each contestant had strong points and stressed his/her personality.
In the interview after the finals, President Wang Cizhao emphasized that the President Career Award sponsored by CCOM based on fairness and justice. The activity aims at discovering excellent professional musicians among music conservatories in China and providing the opportunities for them to present their talents. Furthermore, as a display platform for presenting the level of Chinese music education as a unity, this activity also has an important responsibility to show the achievements of Chinese professional music education to the international music circles.
Let's highly expect the wonderful collaboration between the winners and EOS symphony orchestra in the concerto concerts at the beginning of 2008 and their outstanding performances in their own solo recitals in the music hall of National Centre for the Performing Arts.
