Kawai Musical Instruments Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

Italian pianist Alexander Gadjiev has been awarded the 1^st prize by a panel of judges at the 9^th Hamamatsu International Piano Competition (held in the city of Hamamatsu, Japan, from 22^nd November until 8^th December), following a series of performances playing the Shigeru Kawai SK-EX full concert grand piano. The SK-EX was also selected by a number of other prize-winning contestants and finalists.

9^th Hamamatsu International Piano Competition: Final Results

Kawai has provided instruments for official selection in the Hamamatsu International Piano Competition since the inaugural event was held in 1991, with top prize winner Victor Liadov selecting the EX concert grand piano at the 2^nd competition held in 1994. A record 449 pianists from around the world applied to compete at this year’s 9^th competition, with 72 participants selected to perform. Following three stages of qualifying, the final round was contested by 6 participants, with the first prize awarded to Italian pianist Alexander Gadjiev, who selected the Shigeru Kawai SK-EX full concert grand piano throughout the competition. Speaking after the final, Mr Gadjiev, who also received the competition’s Audience award, explained that he had selected the SK-EX for its supremely colourful tone, allowing a great range of musical expression to be achieved.

Third place prize winner Alexei Melnikov (Russia), Fourth place prize winner and Chamber Music award winner Florian Mitrea (Romania), and Diploma of Outstanding Merit award winner Miura Kenji (Japan) also selected the Shigeru Kawai SK-EX throughout each round of the competition.

As one of three piano manufacturers' instruments available for official selection, the Shigeru Kawai SK-EX proved extremely popular among contestants throughout the competition. In the first round, 24 of the 72 participants selected Kawai, followed by 11 out of 24 contestants in the second round. Of the remaining 12 participants that reached the third round, 7 pianists selected Kawai, while the final was contested by 6 individuals, 3 of whom performed using the SK-EX.

About the Hamamatsu International Piano Competition

Established in 1991 to commemorate the 80^th anniversary of Hamamatsu’s inauguration as a city, the Hamamatsu International Piano Competition is held every three years, and seeks to promote the unique musical history and tradition of the region. The competition provides an opportunity for young pianists from all corners of the globe to exhibit their technical skill and artistic ability, while advancing international exchange through world music culture.

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.