|
What do a Formula One racing car designer, a textile factory owner, a classroom teacher and a business consultant have in common? They happen to be incredibly talented amateur pianists that share a passion for playing the piano in their spare time. And now, they’re madly preparing to leave their living rooms and family fans behind to hit the big time and perform at London’s famous Cadogan Hall, having been selected from hundreds of amateur pianists from all over the country as they compete for the title of the UK’s most outstanding amateur pianist.
The second Competition for Outstanding Amateurs, presented by Yamaha and Pianist Magazine, will take place  at Cadogan Hall on Saturday 17 November 2007. The competition has captured the mood of musicians and public alike, wildly exceeding even the expectations of organisers Yamaha and Pianist Magazine. However, the inaugural event was an incredible success and a complete sell out, receiving huge media coverage too. This obviously had a knock on effect, as the response for this year’s Competition has been equally overwhelming, if not more so. As a result, Classic FM, theJazz and Jazzwise magazine have all come on board as media partners. Classic FM will broadcast the event after the Finals night.
What makes the Competition truly unique is that all participants must be over 30 years of age. There are also two categories – CLASSICAL and JAZZ – so there will be two winners! The Classical winner gets to perform a movement from a concerto of their choice with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Cadogan Hall in 2008, and the Jazz winner gets to play with Julian Joseph and his band at a top London jazz venue, also in 2008. A star studded jury awaits the finalists this year: Noriko Ogawa, Piers Lane, Martin Roscoe and Barry Wordsworth (Classical judges) and Jamie Cullum, Julian Joseph, Gwilym Simcock and Jason Rebello (Jazz judges).
Erica Worth, Editor of Pianist Magazine comments: “for any amateur pianist, to be given the opportunity to perform in a world class concert hall with a capacity audience is a dream come true. But then be invited to perform a movement from a concerto with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra or play with one of the hottest jazz bands in the world – well, that’s beyond even a dream! Our aim is to inspire the best amateurs to step out of the shadows and onto the concert stage. Rest assured, the standard of some amateur playing in homes up and down the country is world class. And it’s been totally hidden up till now.”
Jamie Cullum adds: “I’ve been involved with this event from the very beginning and the first event was AMAZING! These people who just play as a hobby and for their own pleasure are incredibly talented – I was blown away, and without doubt the entrants are world class and could be gigging every night. The idea of giving passionate amateurs such a high level platform is just inspiring.”
This year's Classical finalists are Gil Jetley - a Business Consultant from London, Tony O'Brien - an IT consultant from West Wickham, and Dominic Smith - a Race Car Aerodynamicist from Oxford. This year's Jazz finalists are Andy Quin - a Composer from Surrey, Will Michael - a Head of Music from Kent, and Howard Wolfin - Co-director of a textiles company from Middlesex.
Race Car Aerodynamicist and Classical Finalist Dominic Smith told us, “I'm extremely honoured to be able to play the music of two masters of the keyboard – Debussy and Chopin – in the Finals. Having an opportunity to play a concerto with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra literally would be a dream come true!”
Magic Circle member and Textile boss Howard Wolfin also described the opportunity as a ‘dream come true’, adding, “Playing the piano has been an integral part of my life ever since I was six, and while I would so love to win the final, as a tribute to my dear father for having passed down to me his passion and romance for the piano, the anticipation alone of performing in front of an audience at the Cadogan Hall is a prize in itself! “
The finals will take place at Cadogan Hall on Saturday 17th November 2007 at 7pm. Tickets priced £8 Adults and £6 Students/Senior Citizens are available from
www.cadoganhall.com or 020 7730 4500
For full details and further information please visit
www.thepianists.co.uk
October 2007
|
