Concerto prize contest soon

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33085, 28 November 1972, Page 15

Concerto prize contest soon

The sixth annual national concerto competition, promoted by the Christchurch Civic Music Council has drawn 27 entries from young pianists all over New Zealand.

The preliminary sessions will be held on Monday and Tuesday, December 11 and 12, in the University Hall, Worcester Street. There will be three sessions each day, at 10.30 a.m., 2.30 p.m. and 8 p.m., all sessions being open to the public at a small charge. The three finalists will play their entire concertos with the Christchurch Civic Orchestra at a public concert in the James Hay Theatre in February, for prizes of $350, $lOO and $5O. The judges for the preliminary sessions will be Mr Vaughan Davies and Mr David Newbold, visiting examiners for The Trinity College of Music, London. Mr Davies was for many years music adviser to the Worcestershire Education Committee, and later for the Bristol Education Authority, and has directed and conducted many school festivals in various parts of the United Kingdom. Mr Newbold is professor of harmony at Trinity College, a member of the senior piano staff of the Watford School of Music, a music critic of the “Daily Telegraph,” and a frequent judge and accompanist at festivals. This year entrants were allowed to select the movements to be played, subject to a time limit of 20 minutes. They were also given the choice of using the services of Maurice Till as accompanist, or of providing their own. Sixteen entrants will be accompanied by.. Mr Till, two by Wallace Woodley, a well - known Christchurch teacher and accompanist, and one by Michael Houstoun, who won the piano concerto competition two years ago, and who recently joined Mr Till in a two-piano recital in the Town Hall. Seven competitors are from Christchurch, seven from Dunedin, six from Wel-

lington, and one each from Wanganui, Lower Hutt, Palmerston North, Papatoetoe, Nelson, Timaru and Balclutha. Eleven will play Mozart concertos, five Beethoven, and four the Schumann concerto in A minor. Bach, Chopin, Cesar Franck, Greig, Rachmaninov, Shostakovitch and Tchaikowsky will be represented by one entrant each.

During the six years of the competition public interest has steadily increased, and for the final last February competition, which was for instruments other than piano, the Civic Theatre was almost full.

However, because of the heavy cost of using the Civic Orchestra to accompany the finalists (and this is regarded by the music council as a most important feature, both for the sake of the players themselves and for the pleasure of the audience), the prize money, and promotional expenses, the music council has never succeeded in avoiding a loss.

Sponsorship is sought from local firms and individuals, and so far this year the music council has received financial assistance from Beath and Co., Ltd, Bon Brushes, Ltd, D. A. Lewis and Co., Ltd, Taylors Dry Cleaning, Ltd, the Christchurch branch of the Registered Music Teachers of New Zealand, and a number of individual subscribers. The ages of the 18 girls and nine boys entered in this year’s competition range from 13 to 24, and 16 of them are under 20. Previous judges, who have included such eminent overseas musicians as Arthur Fiedler, conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra, Dr Clyde Roller, conductor of the Houston (Texas) Symphony Orchestra, and the violinist, Alfredo Campoli, have all commented on the high standard of the finalists.