The Paderewski Festival in Paso Robles announces the winners of the 2020 Youth Piano Competition. Due to the pandemic, this year’s Youth Competition auditions were held virtually and participants were invited to submit their performance by video. The jurors—Cal Poly professors India D’Avignon and Paul Woodring, and Paderewski Festival Artistic Director and USC Polish Music Center Director Marek Zebrowski—individually watched the students’ performances and met by videoconference on October 17 to select the winners.
There were 10 contestants in the Junior Category (ages 10-14) and five contestants in the Senior Category (ages 15-18). Competitors came from the Central California region, including Fresno, Monterey, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. In both age categories, the jurors heard several promising young musicians who demonstrated very high levels of accomplishment.
The 2020 Youth Piano Competition finalists in the Junior Division are:
- Third Place and cash award of $200: Sela Yarbrough (Left, above), a 10-year old 5th grader from Fresno Co., and a student of Andreas Werz.
- Second Place and cash award of $300 each will be given to two contestants ex aequo: Suri Kim and Andy Shen (Center, above). Suri Kim is a 12-year old 7th grader from Santa Barbara County, studying with Lynne Garrett. Andy Shen is a 14-year old 9th grader from San Luis Obispo, studying with Alan Boehmer.
- First Place and cash award of $400: Noelle Hadsall (Right, above), an 11-year old 6th grader from Santa Barbara County, and a student of Pascal Salomon.
The 2020 Youth Piano Competition finalists in the Senior Division are:
- Third Place and cash award of $500: Isabella Osgood (Left, above), a 17-year old from San Luis Obispo County, and a student of Lynne Garrett.
- Second Place and cash award of $600: Aidan Purtell (Center, above), a 15-year old 10th grader from Fresno County, and a student of Andreas Werz.
- First Place and cash award of $750: Holly Hadsall (Right, above), a 15-year old 10th grader from Santa Barbara County, and a student of Pascal Salomon.
Because of the restrictions on public gathering, this year’s Youth Competition Winners’ concert will be broadcast on the Paderewski Festival YouTube channel on November 7 at 4 p.m. PST. The 2020 Youth Competition winners will be heard in a repertoire of works by Bela Bartók, Ludwig van Beethoven, Frédéric Chopin, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ignacy Jan Paderewski.
Event Details:
Saturday, November 7 at 4 p.m. PST
2020 Paderewski Festival Youth Piano Competition Winners’ Recital
This event is FREE and open to the public
Broadcast on: youtube.com/channel/UCgsZMTEEn1rDlVcAgGD7wuw
More information at: www.paderewskifest.com or (805) 235-5409
All events are subject to change
[Source: press release]