Yesterday was a full day at the International e-Piano Junior Competition. Each of the remaining 12 contestants presented a 30 minute solo recital. The playing began at noon and lasted for nine hours, with a short dinner break. At the end of the day, Alex Braginsky, artist director and founder of the competition, announced the names of the nine contestants who would move on to the next round. As things turned out, two of the three who were eliminated are the youngest contestants (12 and 13). Perhaps they just need time to mature as players and make a little more sense of the difficult music they're playing.
I'm happy to report that one of the contestants who did advance to the Semi-Final Round is Evren Ozel from Minneapolis. Evren is 14 and a student of Paul Wirth. When he competes tomorrow he'll play Chopin, Mendelssohn and Debussy.
Today, there's a break in the action. Word has it a trip to the Mall of America is planned for those who don't stay behind to practice. Of course, parents (and their wallets!) are invited, too.
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