“The five virtuoso pianists who are traveling to the Circle City this week have Carnegie Hall and glamorous international performances on their resumes. But what they seek can only be found in Indianapolis,” writes Domenica Bongiovanni in Tuesday’s (6/22) Indianapolis Star. “The city is home to the prestigious American Pianists Awards…. The biennial competition offers the winner a cash prize, career assistance, publicity, performance engagements, an artist-in-residence post at the University of Indianapolis and a recording contract…. ‘Just because you graduated from … wherever you graduated from doesn’t mean everybody in the world knows who you are,’ said Joel Harrison, the American Pianists Association’s artistic director and CEO. ‘How do they know to call you for concerts?’ … Starting Friday, the finalists—Sam Hong, Dominic Cheli, Kenny Broberg, Mackenzie Melemed and Michael Davidman—will begin the last leg of the 2021 classical awards by performing with the Dover Quartet, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, and solo. The winner will be announced Sunday.… The awards alternate between choosing classical and jazz winners between ages 18 and 30…. ‘We’re … looking for a pianist who’s really got that X-factor … a presence that the audience immediately … leans forward and is intrigued,’ [Indianapolis Symphony Director of Artistic Planning Katie] McGuinness said.”
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