San Antonio International Piano Competition: LIVE!

Use this link to watch the San Antonio International Piano Competition, live this weekend from the campus of Trinity University:

Watch live streaming video from saipc at livestream.com

Moonlight

The Beethoven Festival has a few more events - the San Antonio Symphony wrapped up their portion this weekend with THREE performances of the Choral Symphony, but the next event is tomorrow night (Valentine's Day) with the San Antonio International Piano Competition.


American pianist Richard Dowling has been praised throughout the world for his elegant and charismatic style of pianism. The former SAIPC Gold Medalist will perform one of Beethoven's most beloved and well-known works: the Sonata in C-sharp Minor known as Moonlight.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 7:30 PM
Christ Episcopal Church
Sonata No. 2 in A, Op. 2, No. 2 
Sonata No. 9 in E, Op. 14, No. 1 
Sonata No. 16 in G, Op. 31, No. 1 
Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp Minor, Op. 27, No. 2, "Moonlight"

Myer plays Beethoven's Theresa

From SAIPC, Spencer Myer plays the Sonata #24 by Beethoven


There's more tonight and this weekend with the SA Symphony, YOSA, Musical Bridges Around the World and SOLI Chamber Ensemble!

SAIPC shines with Myer

From SAIPC last night, Spencer Myer plays part of the Waldstein Sonata by Beethoven:


Next Tuesday, January 24th, Christopher Guzman plays more of the sonatas, and talks with host John Clare about the concert on this week's Classical Spotlight, Thursday afternoon at 1pm on KPAC & KTXI.

Beethoven Festival: Hammerklavier

SAIPC began their complete sonatas for Piano last night at Trinity University:

The Envelope please...

The contestants have played their best and the judges have cast their ballots and the winners of the 2009 San Antonio International Piano Competition have been determined. On the Piano this Sunday afternoon we hear some highlights from the finals competition and announce the winners. To celebrate, performances from the Winner's Recital recorded at Travis Park United Methodist Church. Hear the Piano Sunday afternoons at 5 on KPAC & KTXI.

host, Randy Anderson

More great performances left!

One thing that can be said about the most recent San Antonio International Piano Competition is there was no lack of great contestants. On the Piano this Sunday another performance of Alberto Ginastera's Sonata No. 1. There is also a Ballade of Chopin, a taxing virtuoso Etude called Superstar by Aaron Jay Kernis and a rarity in the concert hall, Johannes Brahms First Piano Sonata.

Hear it all on The Piano, this Sunday afternoon at 5 on KPAC and KTXI.

host, Randy Anderson

The contestants are in the backstretch...

On this Piano this Sunday you can hear more finals action from the recent San Antonio International Piano Competition. There are 5 distinguished contestants left and they play late music of Beethoven and Brahms at the height of their creativity, as well as the competition test piece, Ivory & Ebony by Joan Tower. The Piano this Sunday afternoon at 5 on KPAC and KTXI.

host, Randy Anderson

The Treasures Continue...

For the last seven weeks KPAC has been presenting performances from the recent San Antonio International Piano Competition. The recordings are dynamic and the caliber of the contestants is very high. This Sunday we come to the end of the Semi-Finals and there are more great offerings from these talented pianists, including music of Alberto Ginastera, more Chopin and two etudes of the Russian composer Nikolai Kapustin.

Hear it all on the Piano this Sunday afternoon at 5 on KPAC and KTXI.

host, Randy Anderson

A Competition Rarity

It is interesting to watch piano competitions through the years and see the fashions of classical music. One can be lulled into a mindset that since the notes haven't changed the music is eternal. That is partially right, but just listen to the Beethoven Symphonies from the war years as conducted by the musical dictators of the era, Toscanini, Furtwangler and Mengelberg. The works are militant, powerful and at times hysterical. Interpretations have calmed over the years and for better or worst, reflect a more peaceful world. Piano competitions have there fashions; consider the glut of late Beethoven Sonatas or Gaspard del la Nuit and authentic versus transcribed Bach. On the Piano this Sunday a competition rarity, Schubert's late c minor Sonata brilliantly performed as well as Bach in transcription and Chopin.

The Piano this Sunday afternoon at 5 on KPAC and KTXI.

host Randy Anderson

Treasures Galore from the SAIPC

The Piano is into the 5th week of highlights from the recent San Antonio International Piano Competition. On the program two twentieth century Russian Piano Sonatas, another Ballade of Chopin, a scary song of Schubert transcribed by Liszt and Karl Czerny's variations on La Ricordenza.

The Piano, Sunday afternoons at 5 on KPAC and KTXI.

host, Randy Anderson

San Antonio International Piano Competition

Imagine sitting down to play the piano and there is a hall full of people and on top of that five internationally known pianists are there to judge your performance. All the years of study and practice were done to get you to this moment. So what do you do? If you were the nine semi-finalist of the 2009 San Antonio International Piano Competition, you play your heart out. And KPAC was there to record every minute of it.

This Sunday more semi-final action featuring fantasies by Schumann and Brahms, a Mozart sonata and one of the Goyescas of Enrique Granados.

The Piano this Sunday afternoon at 5 on KPAC and KTXI.

host, Randy Anderson

Man your Pianos!

The semi-final action from the San Antonio International Piano Competition continues this Sunday on KPAC.

On the program, Busoni's transcription of J.S. Bach's Chaconne from the Violin Partita No. 2, Mozart's Piano Sonata in D from 1777 and Chopin's first Ballade and his B-flat minor Piano Sonata "Funeral March" this Sunday afternoon at 5 on KPAC and KTXI.

host, Randy Anderson

Tomorrow's Piano Titans, Today!

Young musicians from all over came to the Alamo City to compete in the 10th San Antonio International Piano Competition this last October. Thanks to the artists competing and board of directors of the SAIPC, KPAC is pleased to present these performances Sunday Afternoons through January.

The Piano will feature different performers starting with the Semi-Final competition and this Sunday the contestants will play three piano sonatas by Haydn, Scriabin and Beethoven.

The Piano, this Sunday afternoon at 5 on KPAC and KTXI.

host, Randy Anderson

SAIPC Day 2

Day two was as exciting as day one at the San Antonio International Piano Competition. At the conclusion, five finalists were named to continue, watch the announcement:

SAIPC Finalists from Classical Spotlight on Vimeo.

They are:
Christopher Atzinger, USA
Ran Jia, China
Andrea Lam, Australia
Ryo Yanagitani, Canada
Dizhou Zhao, China

SAIPC Day 1

The San Antonio International Piano Competition got underway today at Ruth Taylor Recital Hall on the Trinity University campus. Five semifinalists performed today and four will perform tomorrow (one contestant canceled last Friday due to illness and there wasn't time to alert an alternate) starting at 2pm.

Programs today had Chopin (three pianists chose his works, including an all Chopin recital of the Ballades plus the Rondo, opus 16), Debussy, Scriabin, Brahms, Barber, Ginastera, Haydn, Granados and Bach-Busoni.

Tomorrow it begins at 2pm-5pm, returning at 7:30pm; and the five finalists will be announced around 9pm. They'll perform in the finals starting Friday afternoon at 2pm, again at Ruth Taylor Recital Hall.

Attendance was good for this round, and more are expected over the next few days.

Host John Clare spoke with president Anne Johnson about today: mp3 file

Clare also spoke with vice president Deborah Moore about the competition: mp3 file

Each contestant also has their own bench (shown left) that is adjusted to their height. Evidently one was quite squeaky during today's round!