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15th International Volodymyr Krainev Competition for Young Pianists: Shigeru Kawai SK-EX concert grand piano chosen as the official piano for the competition
The 15th International Volodymyr Krainev Competition for Young Pianists was held in Zurich, Switzerland, from February 6 to 10, and the Shigeru Kawai SK-EX full concert grand piano was chosen as the official piano for the competition.
Following the war in Ukraine and a four-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the competition took place for the first time in Switzerland. Sigrist, our official dealer in Switzerland, sponsored the event, and as part of their involvement, they provided their Shigeru Kawai SK-EX full concert grand piano for the competition. Kawai also joined as a sponsor, and Tatsuya Murakami from Shigeru Kawai Piano Laboratory participated as the MPA (Master Piano Artisans), that is to say, Kawai’s most esteemed piano technician.
15th International Volodymyr Krainev Competition for Young Pianists: Final Result
Category Debut C-Group (Under 11 years old)
| 1st Prize | Felix Suo | Australia |
| 2nd Prize | Nora Kostenko | Ukraine |
| 3rd Prize | Oleksandr Kostyshyn | Ukraine |
Category Debut D-Group (12-13 years old)
| 1st Prize | Savva Zolotarov | Ukraine |
| 2nd Prize | Matthea Zhao | UK |
Category Debut E-Group (14-15 years old)
| 1st Prize | Avtandili Vartagava | Georgia |
| 2nd Prize | Jonathan Ng | Switzerland |
| 3rd Prize | Celina Höferlin | Germany |
Category Young Master A-Group (14-17 years old)
| 1st Prize | Ivan Petrenko | Ukraine |
| 3rd Prize | Jeffrey Dong | Australia |
| Anke Chen | China |
Category Young Master B-Group (18-21 years old)
| 1st Prize | Janick Cech | Germany |
| 2nd Prize | Collins Tanujaya | Indonesia |
| 3rd Prize | Ben Lepetit | Germany |
Category Debut C-Group (Under 11 years old)
1st Prize
Felix Suo, Australia
2nd Prize
Nora Kostenko, Ukraine
3rd Prize
Oleksandr Kostyshyn, Ukraine
Category Debut D-Group (12-13 years old)
1st Prize
Savva Zolotarov, Ukraine
2nd Prize
Matthea Zhao, UK
Category Debut E-Group (14-15 years old)
1st Prize
Avtandili Vartagava, Georgia
2nd Prize
Jonathan Ng, Switzerland
3rd Prize
Celina Höferlin, Germany
Category Young Master A-Group (14-17 years old)
1st Prize
Ivan Petrenko, Ukraine
3rd Prize
Jeffrey Dong, Australia
Anke Chen, China
Category Young Master B-Group (18-21 years old)
1st Prize
Janick Cech, Germany
2nd Prize
Collins Tanujaya, Indonesia
3rd Prize
Ben Lepetit, Germany
Comments from prize winners (Category Young Master B-Group)
■ Janick Cech
I would also love to mention the Shigeru Kawai piano which I played on in both the first and final rounds. It was my first time to play on that instrument and I instantly fell in love with it. It really felt like I was able to create anything I wanted in terms of sound. I can absolutely understand why Maestro Michail Pletnëv is traveling from concert hall to concert hall together with his own Shigeru Kawai as his loyal companion.
About the International Volodymyr Krainev Competition for Young Pianists
The first Volodymyr Krainev Competition for Young Pianists was held in March 1992 in Kharkiv on the initiative of the teaching staff and personally the director of the Kharkiv Secondary Specialised Music Boarding School (now the Kharkiv State Music Lyceum – Steinway School) Valery Altukhov, who was warmly and sincerely supported by the outstanding pianist of our time, People’s Artist of the USSR and Ukraine, professor at the Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media, winner of international competitions, Volodymyr Krainev, whose childhood years were spent in the Kharkiv School.
Official website: https://kharkivmeetszurich.ch/
About the Shigeru Kawai SK-EX full concert grand piano
Unveiled in 2001 as the flagship instrument of the Shigeru Kawai line, the SK-EX concert grand piano is hand-crafted in limited numbers following a unique ‘prototyping’ creation process. In order to achieve the supreme range of expression required in a concert piano, each instrument utilises a variety of carefully selected materials, with premium aged spruce soundboards. Shigeru Kawai instruments adopt the advanced Millennium III keyboard action, featuring extended wooden keys and advanced ABS Carbon action parts, providing superior speed and responsiveness than conventional wooden action parts, allowing pianists to express a greater range of feeling and emotion in their performance.
Shigeru Kawai official website: https://www.shigerukawai.jp/en/