National Piano & Violin Competition set to make a return with live performances
Registration for Singapore’s most prestigious music competition opens on 2 May
Singapore, 8 February 2023 — Organised by the Singapore Symphony Group (SSG), the highly anticipated National Piano & Violin Competition (NPVC) returns in its 14th edition this year. Held at the Victoria Concert Hall and the Esplanade, the biennial competition is a much-loved platform to discover Singapore’s best classical music talents.
Spread over nine days from 25 November to 3 December, the NPVC comprises 24 live performance rounds from four categories of piano and violin, before culminating with the Prize Winners’ Concert & Prize Presentation Ceremony on the last evening.
Participants will have the opportunity to perform before world-class musicians across a diverse panel of adjudicators, including Christopher Park, Marianna Shirinyan, Noriko Ogawa for piano, and Erik Heide, Kevin Lin, and Yu-Chien (Benny) Tseng for violin. The top three winners in each category will stand to receive trophies, certificates and cash prizes.
For the first time since COVID-19, the competition will see the return of the NPVC Orchestra on stage to perform alongside the Artist piano and violin finalists. Participants from the Senior and Artist categories for both piano and violin will perform set pieces composed by Singaporean composer Terrence Wong.
Mr Kenneth Kwok, Chief Executive Officer of the Singapore Symphony Group said, “Nurturing musical excellence remains an integral part of our mission at the SSG, and we are excited to present the 14th run of this national competition. We look forward to uncovering the next generation of musicians in Singapore and providing them with a stage to shine.”
Notable past winners of the NPVC include young Singaporean violinist Chloe Chua, who has since gone on to win joint First Prize in the Junior category of the prestigious Yehudi Menuhin Competition in 2018. As an acclaimed soloist, she has won hearts around the world with her innate musicality. Chloe was appointed as SSO Artist-In-Residence for the 2022/23 season which began in July 2022, the youngest artist with the title in the orchestra's history.
All performances will be livestreamed on Singapore Symphony and Singapore National Youth Orchestra’s YouTube channels. In addition, the public can enjoy free admission to most live competition rounds. Tickets to the Artist Finals on 2 & 3 December and Prize Winners’ Concert on 3 December will be available at $10 each. Dates to purchase tickets will be announced on NPVC’s official page.
Registration for the NPVC 2023 opens on 2 May and will close on 10 July at 5pm. For more information, please visit www.sso.org.sg/npvc.
APPENDIX
About the National Piano and Violin Competition
1) Started in 1997 by the National Arts Council, the biennial competition helps identify and develop young musical talents by providing them with the opportunity to perform before established local and international adjudicators. It also aims to improve musical standards and performance levels of piano and violin in Singapore. The 2023 competition will mark its 14th edition and is organised by the Singapore Symphony Group.
2) The competition is open to pianists and violinists ages 25 years and below. Registration opens on Tuesday, 2 May 2023, at 10am and closes on Monday, 10 July 2023, at 5pm.
Categories
1) The competition consists of Piano solo and Violin solo categories. Participants will compete in the Quarter-Final, Semi-Final and Final rounds in the following age categories:
(i) Artist — 25 years and below (born in or after 1998)
(ii) Senior — 21 years and below (born in or after 2002)
(iii) Intermediate — 15 years and below (born in or after 2008)
(iv) Junior — 11 years and below (born in or after 2012)
2) The Artist category is open to Singapore citizens, Permanent Residents (PRs) and foreigners studying, working or residing in Singapore. The Senior, Intermediate and Junior categories are open to Singapore citizens and PRs only.
3) The NPVC Orchestra, made up of professional musicians including SSO musicians, will return to the Finals of the Artist Category to provide participants with a chance to play alongside an orchestra.
Schedule of Competition Sessions
- Selected rounds of the competition are open to the public. Ticketing information will be released on the NPVC’s official page.
- All competition rounds will be livestreamed on SSO and SNYO’s YouTube channels.
25 Nov – 3 Dec
Event: Piano Competition
Venue: Victoria Concert Hall & Esplanade Recital Studio
28 & 29 Nov
Event: Violin Competition
Venue: Esplanade Recital Studio
30 Nov – 3 Dec
Event: Violin Competition
Venue: Victoria Concert Hall
2 Dec
Event:
Masterclasses
Artist Finals
Venue: Victoria Concert Hall
3 Dec
Event:
Masterclasses
Artist Finals
Prize Winners’ Concert & Prize Presentation Ceremony
Venue: Victoria Concert Hall
Awards
- The top three winners will receive trophies, certificates, and cash prizes.
- Cash prizes for some categories have been increased by $400 - $1,000.
Artist
- 1st - $5,000
- 2nd - $3,500
- 3rd - $2,000
Senior
- 1st - $2,500
- 2nd - $2,000
- 3rd - $1,500
Intermediate
- 1st - $1,800
- 2nd - $1,400
- 3rd - $1,000
Junior
- 1st - $1,200
- 2nd - $1,000
- 3rd - $800
Adjudicators
1) The Adjudicating Panel will be made up of international musicians. A panel of three adjudicators will judge each instrument category for all stages of the competition. They are:
Violin
· Erik Heide
· Kevin Lin
· Yu-Chien Tseng
Piano
· Christopher Park
· Marianna Shirinyan
· Noriko Ogawa
ABOUT THE NATIONAL PIANO & VIOLIN COMPETITION
The National Piano & Violin Competition is Singapore's oldest and most prestigious music competition. In its 14th edition, this biennial competition celebrates music excellence and serves as a platform to identify music talent, as well as to develop and nurture young musicians by providing them with the opportunity to showcase their performing skills and musicality before international adjudicators.
ABOUT THE SINGAPORE SYMPHONY GROUP
The Singapore Symphony Group manages the flagship Singapore Symphony Orchestra, the Singapore Symphony Choruses, the Singapore National Youth Orchestra, and the VCHpresents Chamber Music series, the Singapore International Piano Festival and the biennial National Piano & Violin Competition. The Group also represents the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) in Singapore.
The mission of the Group is to create memorable shared experiences with music. Through the SSO and its affiliated performing groups, we spread the love for music, nurture talent and enrich our diverse communities.
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