by Henri and Lisa Polgar
And the winners are!!!!!!……..
The finalists have been chosen for the 18th WIPAC piano competition. In several hours three pianists will join the “pantheon” of WIPAC’s finalist award recipients. The judges were faced with some tough choices as they made their decision on who should advance. There were some pleasant surprises, all of whom are worthy finalists.
Chosen to advance to the finals were Vincent Phillips, Yun Liang, Esfir Ross, Irene Longacre-Whiteside, Joseph Lipare and Melinda Morse.
Of the pianists in the semi finals, it was Joseph Lipare and Irene Whiteside who dazzled the audience with technical tours de force, with the Bach-Busoni Chaconne, and the Chopin Polonaise, respectively. Yun Liang captured the audience’s hearts in her foreboding and pensive Schubert Sonata and Rachmaninoff Moment Musicaux. Esfir Ross displayed great musicality in her performance of Leybach and August Durand, and performed as though she was one with the piano giving life to every note…. a ballet performance at the piano.
In this final round, the audience will hear such repertoire as Beethoven’s Pathetique Sonata, and Astor Piazzolla’s Adios Nonino, played by Joseph Lipare. Melinda Morse has chosen to play the music of Heitor Villa -Lobos. Dr. Vincent Phillips, will play works by Ginastera, Ravel ,and Mozart, and Esfir Ross will perform Jules Massenet , Haydn and Chopin. Irene Whiteside will perform Prokofiev, Ravel, and Chopin, and finally for Dr. Yun Liang, her choice will be Chopin’s Sonata No 2.
It will be another great day for WIPAC’s audience to bask in the music performed by these talented performers during the finals at the Cosmos Club.
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