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8th Sendai International Piano Competition: All finalists select Shigeru Kawai SK-EX full concert grand piano
At the 8th Sendai International Music Competition Piano Section held from June 11th to 26th, 2022, in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, all six finalists performed using the Shigeru Kawai SK-EX full concert grand piano.
Held every three years, the Sendai International Music Competition Piano Section is one of the most prestigious international piano competitions in Japan. At this year's 8th competition, each of the six finalists performed two piano concertos with the Sendai Philharmonic Orchestra, and 10 of 12 pieces were played on the Shigeru Kawai SK-EX full concert grand piano. In addition, the top three prizewinners, LUO Jiaqing, Jonas AUMILLER and OTA Shion selected the Shigeru Kawai SK-EX throughout each round of the competition.
8th Sendai International Music Competition (Piano Section): Final Result
| 1st Prize | LUO Jiaqing | China | Mozart: Piano Concerto in C major, K503 | Shigeru Kawai SK-EX |
| Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No.2 in G minor, op.16 | Shigeru Kawai SK-EX | |||
| 2nd Prize / Audience Prize | Jonas AUMILLER | Germany | Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.3 in C minor, op.37 | Shigeru Kawai SK-EX |
| Brahms: Piano Concerto No.1 in D minor, op.15 | Shigeru Kawai SK-EX | |||
| 3rd Prize | OTA Shion | Japan | Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No.3 in C major, op.26 | Shigeru Kawai SK-EX |
| Mozart: Piano Concerto in C minor, K491 | Shigeru Kawai SK-EX | |||
| 4th Prize / Audience Prize | Jeonghwan KIM | Germany | Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.3 in C minor, op.37 | Shigeru Kawai SK-EX |
| Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No.3 in D minor, op.30 | ||||
| 5th Prize / Audience Prize | KIM Song Hyeon | South Korea | Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.5 in E flat major, op.73 "Emperor" | Shigeru Kawai SK-EX |
| Mozart: Piano Concerto in D minor, K466 | Shigeru Kawai SK-EX | |||
| 6th Prize | George HARLIONO | U.K. | Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.3 in C minor, op.37 | |
| Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No.1 in B flat minor, op.23 | Shigeru Kawai SK-EX | |||
| Special Jury Prize | KAMBARA Masaharu | Japan | Mozart: Piano Concerto in F major, K459 (Semifinal Round) | Shigeru Kawai SK-EX |
1st Prize
LUO Jiaqing, China
Mozart: Piano Concerto in C major, K503 (SK-EX)
Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No.2 in G minor, op.16 (SK-EX)
2nd Prize / Audience Prize
Jonas AUMILLER, Germany
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.3 in C minor, op.37 (SK-EX)
Brahms: Piano Concerto No.1 in D minor, op.15 (SK-EX)
3rd Prize
OTA Shion, Japan
Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No.3 in C major, op.26 (SK-EX)
Mozart: Piano Concerto in C minor, K491 (SK-EX)
4th Prize / Audience Prize
Jeonghwan KIM, Germany
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.3 in C minor, op.37 (SK-EX)
Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No.3 in D minor, op.30
5th Prize / Audience Prize
KIM Song Hyeon, South Korea
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.5 in E flat major, op.73 "Emperor" (SK-EX)
Mozart: Piano Concerto in D minor, K466 (SK-EX)
6th Prize George HARLIONO, United Kingdom
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.3 in C minor, op.37
Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No.1 in B flat minor, op.23 (SK-EX)
Special Jury Prize
KAMBARA Masaharu, Japan
▲ LUO Jiaqing
Kawai has provided instruments for official selection in the Sendai International Music Competition since the inaugural event was held in 2001, with four out of the six finalists in the 2nd competition held in 2003 selecting Kawai. At the 4th competition held in 2010, Marianna Prjevalskaya was awarded the 3rd prize, while at the 6th edition held in 2016, Evan Wong was awarded the 2nd prize, with both pianists selecting the Shigeru Kawai SK-EX concert grand piano for their prize-winning performances.
About the Sendai International Music Competition
The Sendai International Music Competition was established by the City of Sendai in 2001 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the city, and is held every three years. The SIMC emphasises the importance of the concerto, with contestants performing with a full orchestra in both the semi-final and final rounds.
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.