Taiwan's first international piano competition got underway yesterday after a muted fanfare earlier in the week, as the judges and entrants for the competition were publicized and the prizes were revealed.
The Council for Cultural Affairs is backing the two-week-long contest, which continues until next Sunday and is intended to stimulate the classical music palate of the masses and give local pianists a chance to dazzle on the international stage, as well as promote the name of Taiwan around the globe.
Under a program sponsored by the National Endowment for Culture and Arts called "Treasury of Young Musicians," the cultural affairs bureau has been cultivating home-grown talent for the past three years in the hope that one of the youngsters will attain the dizzying heights of virtuoso and bring back some reflected glory to the country.
It's an idea which isn't so far-fetched considering the success of pianist Chang Chiao-ying, 22, who reached the finals of the prestigious Leeds International Pianoforte Competition earlier in the week, having already been a prizewinner in international competitions in Ireland, Germany and London. In 2001 she was taken up by the Young Concert Artists Trust in England and moved there to study with the Royal Academy of Music.
Other Taiwanese musicians have benefitted from the endowment's grants and have started making an impact in regional and other competitions, said the Council of Cultural Affairs Chairwoman Tchen Yu-chiou (陳郁秀) .
"We are hoping that with the help of the government these youngsters will make it to the top and spread the good name of Taiwan in the process."
Chen said the council had gained some experience in how to put on an international piano event when it held the Asian audition for the Mauro Paolo Monopoli Prize international competition last year.
Auditions for the contest have been held in Vienna, Paris, New York and Taipei, as 160 qualifying artists from 21 countries were reduced to 32 pianists for the competition itself. The competitors will perform with the Salzburger Musici Quartett from Austria and the National Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Chien Wen-pin.
The first Taiwan International Piano Competition takes place at the National Concert Hall and National Recital Hall, 21-1 Zhongshan S Road, Taipei (
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