Pictured: ArtistSeriesConcerts first place winner 2024 statewide piano competition Yance Zheng. Photo courtesy of Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota.

Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota recently held a statewide piano competition for students between the ages of 17 and 22. Ten applicants from four schools participated. The first-place prize ($2,000) went to Lynn University Conservatory student Yance Zheng of Boca Raton, FL; second place ($1,500) was awarded to Le Phuong Pham from Fort Myers, FL studying at Florida Gulf Coast University; and Quang Vo of Fort Myers, FL, also studying at Florida Gulf Coast University, took third place ($1,000). The winners will perform a concert during Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota’s 2024-2025 season. Participants were required to submit a 25-minute video performance of contrasting styles and various periods of music. The judging criteria included technique, rhythm accuracy, interpretation, and presentation. The judges were Sylvia Reynolds Eckes, a professor emerita from Ohio University who has performed hundreds of concerts around the world; Kevin Robert Orr, a Steinway Artist and professor of piano and director of the School of Music at the University of Florida; and Grigorios Zamparas, a concert pianist, recording artist, active clinician for piano competitions, and a professor of music and head of the piano program at the University of Tampa. Part of the mission of Artist Series Concerts is to support young musicians in as many ways as possible. This recent statewide piano competition was an important process for participants to prepare repertoire and present it for judging. In addition to performance competitions, Artist Series Concerts offers awards to assist with tuition and instrument repair and to purchase instruments. For more information about Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota, visit ArtistSeriesConcerts.org or call (941) 306-1200.

Pictured: ArtistSeriesConcerts first place winner 2024 statewide piano competition Yance Zheng. Photo courtesy of Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota.