BY CHRISTOPHER WAINWRIGHT
Australia’s longest and most significant prize celebrating the art of collaborative piano performance, The Geoffrey Parsons Award, will now become a truly national competition.
The Accompanists’ Guild of South Australia has presented Awards for Accompanists since 1984 and The Geoffrey Parsons since 2006, the year after celebrated collaborative pianist Geoffrey’s death. In 2015, the guild set in motion a review of the award aiming to maximise the prize’s profile on a national scale.
While there have been several interstate winners in the past, to make it simpler for applicants living beyond South Australia who are 36 years or under, applicants will now submit the first stage as a live-filmed audition. Interstate applicants selected for the Finals will be eligible for a $200 grant toward travel costs. Private accommodation will be provided by SA Guild members as needed. Interstate Guild colleagues (Queensland and New South Wales) have been approached seeking support for any of their members reaching the Final.
Each finalist will present a 20 to 25 minute recital, which includes the works submitted in Round 1 with their chosen associates plus two Brahms Lieder to be performed with acclaimed South Australian mezzo soprano Elizabeth Campbell.
The Jury for the Final of the Geoffrey Parsons Award will be chaired by the renowned collaborative pianist, soloist, and educator Timothy Young. Timothy is Head of Piano at the Australian National Academy of Music. In judging the $6000 Award, Timothy will be joined by guest artist, Elizabeth Campbell and respected Adelaide educators and collaborative pianists, founder of the Guild, Diana Harris OAM and recently retired Elder Conservatorium of Music lecturer Diana K Weekes. To prevent any conflict of interest, any applicant who in the previous two years has studied with any of the judges may not enter the award.
Geoffrey Parsons was one of the world’s finest collaborative pianists. After successfully performing Schubert’s Winterreise with Gerhard Hüsch, he quickly became in-demand by leading singers of the day, including Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Victoria de los Angeles, Rita Streich, Birgit Nilsson, Hans Hotter, Janet Baker and Jessye Norman. Although best known as a vocal accompanist, he also joined many of the great instrumentalists of the day such as violinists Nathan Milstein, Wanda Wilkomirska and Ida Haendel and cellist Paul Tortelier.
Application Forms and Information about the 2017 Geoffrey Parsons Award are now available on the Accompanists’ Guild of SA’s website. Written Applications close: Midnight CST, 1 July 2017.
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