PianoArts Presents Great Young Pianists

Piano keys.

Professional careers for promising concert pianists include years of challenging competitions. Three of the best young pianists compete next week in Milwaukee as part of the PianoArts Biennial North American Competition. PianoArts began the competition in 1999. An emphasis on professional development has attracted strong performers.

The culminating concert features the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra in the Bradley Symphony Center on Wednesday evening, June 1. Resident conductor Yaniv Dinur will conduct. Event finalists will perform complete piano concertos by great composers of the past.

Godwin Friesen. Photo courtesy of PianoArts.

The finalists are Godwin Friesen, age 23, from Toronto, Ontario, performing Dmitri Shostakovich‘s Concerto No. 2; Solomon Ge, age 19, from San Jose, California, performing Ludwig van Beethoven‘s Concerto No. 1; and Ailun Zheng, age 23, from Shanghai, People’s Republic of China, performing Robert Schumann‘s Piano Concerto in A minor.

In the fall of 2019, contestants began rehearsing material they would record and submit in February 2020, the start of the Biennial Competition. A panel of judges reviewed the submissions that March to select nine semi-finalists to come to Milwaukee.

The pandemic changed things, as Piano Arts founder and manager Sue Medford notes: “I did not realize until I called (the semi-finalists in March 2020) what was going on.” Students around the country were being ordered out of their dorms as schools responded to the COVID-19 epidemic. Students on study visas from other countries were expected to leave the United States and go home.

The 2020 in-person competition was rescheduled for spring 2021. As spring 2021 approached, PianoArts adapted the process again. Each semi-finalist was expected to create an entire 45-minute recital video to be judged remotely. High standards were set so that the contestants could be compared fairly.

Finalists were selected, but the final stages of the competition were postponed again.

Solomon Ge. Photo courtesy of PianoArts.

Although time seemed to have stood still during the pandemic, life moved at a steady pace for the contestants. For example, Zheng continued her senior year at the Eastman School of Music from her home in Shanghai, then applied for graduate school remotely as well. Ge completed high school in San Francisco and began a freshman year at the New England Conservatory of Music. Friesen completed undergraduate studies at Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music and will be receiving his Artists Diploma this year.

On Memorial Day weekend of 2022, the final stages of the “2020” competition continue in person. Pianists compete for cash prizes and other awards totaling more than $20,000.

Milwaukee audiences only see a part of the work of PianoArts. During the rest of the year, PianoArts provides educational programs for schools and arranges opportunities for contestants to return to Milwaukee as fellows, performing and talking at Milwaukee schools. Opportunities may continue for many years. Aleksandra Kasman, the emcee for key events next week, was a contestant in 2014 and has returned to Milwaukee several times.

The 2022 Festival runs over several days. A series of public and semi-private events showcase the talent of competitors.

A few times a year, Milwaukee audiences have the opportunity to hear stellar professional pianists in concert with the Milwaukee Symphony. The PianoArts Festival offers a unique showcase, dramatizing the bright future for a new generation of piano artists.

Ailun Zheng. Photo courtesy of PianoArts.

The scheduled events are detailed online.

Saturday, May 28 – Free. Community Concerts at various locations around the city. Details will be posted online.

Sunday, May 29, 7:30 p.m. – $15 at the door. Piano Promenades at Charles Allis Museum featuring the three winners of the 2018 Competition.

Monday, May 30, 2:30 p.m. – Free. Master classes at the Milwaukee Catholic Home. The competition jury coaches three students who participated in 2019 in the Wisconsin Youth Biennial Competition.

Tuesday, May 31, 7:30 p.m. – $15 at the door. Duo recital competition at United Methodist Church of Whitefish Bay. The three finalists perform sonatas with Milwaukee Symphony musicians Dylana Leung and Scott Tisdel.

Wednesday, June 1, 7:30 p.m. – $25 and $15. Culminating concert featuring Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and awards ceremony. Purchase tickets at the MSO box office. (414-291-7605)