Kawai Musical Instruments Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

The Epinal International Piano Competition 2023 was held in Epinal, France from March 18 to 26, and the Shigeru Kawai SK-EX full concert grand piano was chosen as the official piano for the competition.

Held every two years, the Epinal International Piano Competition is one of the major musical events in France. Kawai has provided the Shigeru Kawai SK-EX full concert grand piano in recent years.

Epinal International Piano Competition 2023: Final Results

Comments from top three prize winners

■ Stefan BONEV

- How do you feel about winning the 1st prize?

I feel extremely grateful and happy, although still quite surprised.

- What are your impressions of the SK-EX full concert grand piano?

The keyboard felt extremely comfortable, allowing for a very light touch and responding to very slight color changes. I particularly liked the bass, which gave a necessary depth in the interpretation of works such as the Waldstein Sonata and the Liszt Sonata.

■ Leo DE MARIA

 - How do you feel about winning the 2nd prize?

I feel very good, happy and it is a big honor to be rewarded a prize in such an old, prestigious and great competition.

- What are your impressions of the SK-EX full concert grand piano?

The Shigeru Kawai piano never disappoints. It was very comfortable to play, as always, the colours of this brand are pleasant and extremely colourful. I really enjoyed playing this wonderful instrument.

■ Nanaho ISHIKAWA

- How do you feel about winning the 3rd prize?

I still can't believe it, but I'm really happy to have received the third prize. I had wanted to challenge at the Épinal piano competition since before the COVID-19 pandemic, so being able to reach the final and play all the prepared pieces without losing my focus has been an incredible experience, and has provided a view of the world that I have never seen before.

- What are your impressions of the SK-EX full concert grand piano?

The Shigeru Kawai SK-EX had a beautiful sound that always felt like it was in the perfect distance, not too close and not too far away. I think that is why I was able to express myself in various ways with my approach.

About the Epinal International Piano Competition

The Epinal International Piano Competition was founded in 1970 by Suzanne Chevalier and became biennial in 1972. It gained worldwide recognition after receiving the agreement of the World Federation of International Music Competitions of Geneva in 1979. The competition aims to provide an opportunity for competitors to start their international career and is held every two years in late March. The event is also an opportunity for music lovers in Epinal and young pianists in contact with piano schools from around the world. The competition has been supported by the City of Epinal, the Département des Vosges, and the Région Lorraine. The current president of the competition is Olivier Moulin, a former prizewinner of the competition.

Official website: https://www.concours-international-piano-epinal.org/

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.