48 pianists representing 17 nations visit Shreveport to compete in Wideman Competition on Fri, Dec 5 through Sun, Dec 7 at Centenary College

Wideman Piano Competition contestants, Shreveport
Originally uploaded by trudeau

If you see unusually cool young people at gatherings around town this week, be aware that 48 young pianists from around the globe are here for the Wideman Competition. The 2008 Wideman Piano Competition will be held Friday, Dec. 5 through Sunday, Dec. 7 in the Anderson Auditorium of the Hurley School of Music, located on the Centenary College campus, says Lester Senter Wilson. The event is free and open to the public with contributions accepted at the door for the final round.

Sponsored by the Shreveport Symphony Guild, the competition includes 48 contestants representing schools from across the United States as well as 16 other countries. Schools represented include the Boston Conservatory, Eastman School of Music and The Juilliard School. The competition will be judged by nationally and internationally known pianists and conductors.

Preliminary rounds begin at 10:45 a.m. and run until 6 p.m. Friday and begin at 9:15 a.m. Saturday with each contestant playing for 15 minutes. For the final round, held on Sunday, each finalist will perform a complete concerto. The starting time will depend on the number of selected finalists.

Winners will be chosen in the final round. The gold medal winner will perform with the Shreveport Symphony at the 2009 opening concert, the Bell Concert Series at Millsaps College in Jackson, Miss., the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series in Chicago and the Phillips Gallery in Washington D.C.

Competition awards include the gold medal, the $5,000 William Peyton Shehee and Virginia Kilpatrick Shehee Award; the silver medal, $2,500 F. Thomas Siskron III Family Award; the bronze medal, $1,500 Martha Jones Rice Award given by Mr. and Mrs. Marshall Carl Rice; honorable mention, $1,000 Dr. Jack E. and Carroll Bright Carlisle Award given by Mr. and Mrs. Jack E. Carlisle Jr., Dr. and Mrs. Joseph F. Carlisle, Mr. and Mrs. William Hancock; and special awards including the $1,000 Raymond Morris Award, $500 Glenda Lee Harrison Award given by Stephen Harrison and $500 Lester Senter Wilson/Marcille Young Award.

The Nena Wideman Piano Competition, which began in 1950, has been held annually the first weekend of December, at Centenary College-Hurley School of Music.