A glorious eight-day springtime feast of piano-playing awaits the Canberra public as the Australian National Eisteddfod launches into its piano section this weekend.

All eyes will be on the piano championship and 18 years sections on Saturday and the gala Open Piano Championship on Sunday, with the children sections following from Tuesday.

With 14 entrants so far, the Sunday Open Championships will see entrants competing for prizes of $5000, $2000 and $1000, donated by longtime sponsor of the event, Dianne Anderson.

A trained church organist, Anderson has been involved with the Eisteddfod for nearly 40 years, firstly entering her bands and choirs as a conductor, then as the convenor of the choirs division for many years.

Other sponsors are Jennifer Rowland, Faye and Peter Grant, the Klavier Music Association and the ACT Keyboard Association.

According to convener Di Miley, the cash prizes are a key attraction to Canberra’s open event, with entrants so far from Tasmania, Victoria, NSW and Canberra with young pianist Alexey Shcherbakov, from Mawson, in the line-up.

The demands are rigorous. In the Open Piano Championships heats, for instance, entrants will play for five to eight minutes each and must play one Chopin piece, after which the four pianists selected by adjudicator for the finals will play for 25 minutes each.

The adjudicators this year are Dr Paul Rickard-Ford, of Sydney Conservatorium of Music, a Liszt expert, and Katherine Austin, head of piano studies for the University of Waikato Conservatorium of Music in NZ.

Having such distinguished judges and one from so far away, Miley believed, was another key attraction for competitors.

2024 Piano Eisteddfod Program, Australian National Eisteddfod, the Mansfield Room, Wesley Music Centre, Forrest, August 24-September 1. 

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