Hotchkiss hosts first annual International Piano Competition

Young pianists ages 10 to 18 from the United States, Thailand, South Korea, China, Canada and Azerbaijan gathered on the The Hotchkiss School campus for the inaugural International Piano Competition.

Competitors performed May 15-17 before an international jury — Gloria Chien, Olga Kern, Leonel Morales, Álvaro Teixeira Lopes, Fabio Witkowski and Gisele Witkowski — and audiences in the school’s Katherine M. Elfers Hall at the Esther Eastman Music Center.

At the awards ceremony Sunday, May 17, finalists received certificates and the top three winners in each category performed solo. The competition awarded $25,000 in cash prizes and concert opportunities.

First-place winners were:

• Category A (ages 10-12): Sylvie Chiu

• Category B (ages 13-16): Brendan Li

• Category C (ages 17-18): Jamil Sadizadeh