ANNOUNCMENT FROM THE COMPETITION CHAIR:
RESULTS OF THE 2024 WIC FOR PIANO

Finalists Pictured Above (L to R): Dominic Doutney, Yu Lei, and Derek Hartman

The live rounds of the 2024 WIC for piano, which took place the weekend of May 25-26, ended on a spectacular note with our six finalists performing their programs in the Terrace Theater at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. After performances that were alternately electrifying and hushed, passionate and tender, the distinguished jury panel, Wael Farouk, Olga Kern, and John O’Conor awarded the prizes. 
  • First Prize, The George Manos Memorial Award ($10,000): Dominic Doutney, United Kingdom
  • Second Prize, The N. Meyer and Sarah Sugar Baker Memorial Award ($5,000): Yu Lei, China
  • Third Prize, The Ann Schein and the George L. Shields Foundation Award ($3,000): Derek Hartman, USA
  • Three Finalist Prizes, The Louis A Potter Memorial Award ($1,000 each): Seth Schultheis, USA; Jonathan Mak, Canada; and Youjin Kim, South Korea
  • Audience Prize, Viola Musher and Amelia Stieglitz Wishner Award ($1,000): Dominic Doutney, United Kingdom

The Foundation owes an enormous debt of gratitude to our wonderful jury, especially to Wael Farouk, who joined the panel on less than 24-hours’ notice after Santiago Rodriguez was taken ill. Thank you, Dr. Farouk, for helping us out in our hour of need and for doing so with such professionalism, grace, and enthusiasm.

Finalists From L to R: Seth Schultheis, Youjin Kim, Dominic Doutney, Derek Hartman, Jonathan Mak, Yu Lei

Judges from L to R: Wael Farouk, Olga Kern, John O’Conor

Congratulations to the finalists and also to our other semifinalists, all of whom performed to the highest standards: 
   
    Bo Zhang, China
    Xiaoya Wan, China
    Shangru Du, China
    Piaoru Li, USA
    Filivos Gkatzios, Greece
    Jihee Moon, South Korea
    Ilya Shmukler, Israel
    Fangzhou Ye, China
    Dohyun Lee, South Korea
    Po-Hsiang Chang, Taiwan

Finally, our sincere appreciation goes out to all 135 young artists who participated in the competition and made it possible. Additionally, we thank our wonderful preliminary round judges–Frank Conlon, Vyacheslav Gryaznov, Elissa Miller-Kay, Anna Ouspenskaya, and Ryo Yanagitani; our hardworking volunteers and our generous host families; the Friday Morning Music Club and its President, Leslie Luxemburg; the FMMC Foundation Trustees; our competition Assistant Chair, Yuri Chayama; and above all, the Director of the FMMC Foundation, Grace McFarlane, who worked tirelessly and with the utmost dedication to make the competition the huge success that it was. This truly was an event to remember!

 

Simon Finlow, 2024 WIC Chair
Yuri Chayama, 2024 WIC Assistant Chair
Grace McFarlane, FMMC Foundation Director

From L to R: Judges John O’Conor, Olga Kern, Wael Farouk; Finalists Dominic Doutney, Youjin Kim, Derek Hartman, Jonathan Mak, Seth Schultheis, Yu Lei; Competition Organizers Yuri Chayama, Simon Finlow, Grace McFarlane

Dates and Information

The 2024 Washington International Competition (WIC) for Piano is underway. Between September 15, 2023, and February 15, 2024, applications were selected from young artists around the world, ages 18 to 30 (as of the date of the competition), to compete in the Preliminary Round of the competition.

The Friday Morning Music Club Foundation is pleased to announce that the semifinalists for the 2024 WIC for Piano have been selected by our five preliminary round judges. Sixteen extraordinary pianists have been invited to join our distinguished panel of jurors for the semifinal round, to be held in the Benjamin T. Rome Music Hall at George Washington University on Saturday May 25, 2024.

Six finalists will then be selected to perform in the Terrace Theater at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Sunday May 26, 2024. Admission to all sessions of the live competition is free. This is a chance to see and hear several of the finest young pianists in the world competing for cash prizes and other awards.

Additional details about the competition can be found below.

Semifinals

Saturday, May 25, 2024

  • Semifinals will take place at George Washington University’s Benjamin T. Rome Music Hall at 801 22nd Street, NW, on Saturday, May 25, 2024, starting at 9:00 am.

Finals

Sunday, May 26, 2024

  • Finals will take place on Sunday, May 26, 2024, at 2:00 pm in the Terrace Theater of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

2024 Semifinal and Final Round Judges

 John O’Conor
 Olga Kern
Santiago Rodriguez Wael Farouk

Prizes

  • First Prize: $10,000
  • Second Prize: $5,000
  • Third Prize: $3,000
  • Three Finalist Awards: $1,000 each
  • Audience Prize: $1,000

Performance Awards

Performance opportunities in Washington DC include a solo recital at the Terrace Theater of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (Alice Nagle Fund) and a solo appearance with the FMMC Avanti Orchestra.

Information For Interested Applicants

Eligibility

Applicants must be between the ages of 18 and 30 (as of the date of the competition). Proof of age will be required. Applicants must not be under professional management. Previous first-prize winners of the competition and current students of the judges may not apply.

Applications

All applications must be submitted through 2024 Washington International Competition for Piano | Acceptd (getacceptd.com). The application portal is now open.

  • For repertoire and general questions about the competition, please contact Competition Chair Simon Finlow or Assistant Chair Yuri Chayama at wicpiano@fmmc.org.
  • For questions about the online application process, please visit the Acceptd Help Desk.
  • We encourage applicants to read thoroughly and follow the competition guidelines and instructions carefully. Applications may be started, edited, and updated using the Acceptd portal at any time between now and the deadline for submissions. However, they must be completed and submitted by the deadline date.

Note: The deadline for preliminary round application submissions is February 15, 2024, by 11:59 pm EST.

Required Repertoire

  1. J. S. Bach: Any work. (Pieces with multiple sections or movements must be prepared in their entirety)
  2. An entire Classical Sonata by one of the following composers: Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven (excluding Op. 49), or Schubert
  3. A major work from the Romantic period
  4. A substantial work from the 20th or 21st century
  5. A piece of the contestant’s choice not to exceed 10 minutes
  • Applicants should be prepared to perform all submitted repertoire for the semifinal and final rounds.
  • All music must be performed from memory.
  • The submitted repertoire program should be a minimum of 60 minutes.

Application Video

All applicants must submit video recordings of up to 35 minutes total for the preliminary round. The music for the video submissions must be chosen from your required repertoire selections. The applicant’s hands and face must be visible at all times. The music selected for the recordings should present a representative sample of the applicant’s abilities and strengths.

Note: Please DO NOT include your name in the file names of your video recordings or in the videos themselves.

Regulations and Instructions

  1. All repertoire selections must be performed from memory, both in the audition video and in the live auditions.
  2. No changes to submitted applications will be permitted past the deadline date of February 15, 2024, 11:59 EST.
  3. Contestants should be prepared to perform all submitted repertoire in its entirety for the semifinal and final rounds.
  4. Repertoire for the preliminary round must be the same for the semifinal and final rounds.
  5. A separate preliminary round jury will review submissions and select approximately 16 semifinalists. 
  6. All applicants will be notified of the results by Mid-March 2024.
  7. Selected semifinalists will be sent further instructions after the results of the preliminary round have been made public.

Housing and Transportation

  • The WIC provides local housing for all selected semifinalists.
  • Local transportation and meals are also offered at the convenience of the hosts.
  • Housing is available for all semifinalists from May 24 to May 27, 2024.

Additional Information

  1. The FMMC Foundation assumes no responsibility for actions of or injuries sustained by applicants or their escorts during their course of stay in the Washington, DC area.
  2. All contestants are responsible for transportation to and from Washington, DC.
  3. The decision of the judges is final and not to be disputed. No contact with the judges is permitted until after the results have been announced.
  4. The WIC reserves the right to use any recordings or photographs originated during the competitions, or any photographs or recordings provided by the contestants.