Minnesota International Piano E-Competition

Yamaha keyboard sponsored a piano competition on July 14, 2009, the so-called Minnesota International piano E-Competition which attracts a number of high caliber piano performers. The first-place winner receives $25,000 and a Yamaha Pro 6’1″ Disklavier grand piano with an ebony finish.

The top prize went to Alessandro Taverna, an Italian 26-year-old in this fourth edition of the Minnesota international competition.

Runners-up and five finalists include Pavel Yeletsky, from Belarus; Helene Tysman, from France; Eric Zuber and Howard Na from the United States; and Grace Eun Hae Kim from South Korea.

Yamaha Corporation will also sponsor Alessandro on a recital tour in New York as well as release a CD on the Ten Thousand Lakes label.

The Minnesota International Piano e-Competition is a very prestigious event where auditioners are selected by invitation only. Tryouts for the competition are generally held in Beijing, Paris, Moscow, New York City, and Los Angeles where approximately 71 pianists are screened in from among a talent pool of young pianists from around the globe.

Interestingly these competitions are not held on an acoustic piano but rather a digital piano that is provided by Yamaha Corporation of America.

Performances are recorded on digital video as well as the MIDI data from digital piano performances are captured on Yamaha Disklavier Pro concert pianos.

Judges select the winner by reviewing the digital video and playing back the MIDI data on another Yamaha concert grand digital piano. So in essence the competition is held virtually and the reason why it is called an e-competition.