March 21-22, 2008


At the request of many teachers and students, the festival will be held during the academic year on March 21-22 (Friday & Saturday), 2008 with a "kick-off" presentation on Thursday evening, March 20th.

Mesa State College
Department of Music 
Moss Performing Arts Center
1221 N. 12th St. 
Grand Junction, Colorado 81501

Please visit this site again as we gradually post updated details.



• Eligibility (revised):  
  Pianists up to age 19 as of 3/21/08 from anywhere in the world (see eligibility).  
  
  
• Applications (see online application): 
• Early applications will be accepted at any time.
• February 1, 2008 is the postmarked deadline (earlier if enrollment has peaked).
• Later applications will be accepted if space permits, with a $10 late fee ($60 application fee total).
  
  
• Participants:  
  Approximately 20 students.  
  
  
• Repertory and Attendance Requirements:
  Students play up to 15 minutes of repertory (any style, for solo piano or concerto movement), and the judge(s) write constructive feedback and determine for which prize(s) the repertory may qualify.
  
  To qualify for First Prizes, all students must attend the Winners Recital & Awards Ceremony and at least one of the preceding evening concerts.
  
  Students who cannot meet all attendance requirements may, at the discretion of the Director, qualify for honorable mention prizes. Contact Dr. Houle.


• Philosophy and unique educational mission:  
  This festival is the only competition of its kind in the world, combining both classical and jazz idioms in a constructive educational setting. Students compete for standard baroque through contemporary repertory prizes, as well as for novel prizes that promote neglected but important creative skills and repertory -- e.g., original concerto cadenzas & classical embellishing/improvisation (skills demonstrated by nearly all great composers yet all but forgotten today), versatility (needed to survive in today's competitive market), lyricism (usually overshadowed by "loud and fast" playing), original compositions (few venues exist for young serious composers), works by female composers, tasteful arrangements/transcriptions (often disallowed in other venues), etc. 
   
  We seek to foster diverse and well-rounded musicianship that goes beyond the mere "autonomic wizardry" featured in most other competitions. Above all, pianists are urged to develop and showcase their unique talents and perform with individuality, personality, exuberance, originality and spontaneity. 
   
  The festival has been cited on NPR, in a major article in the April 2003 issue of Clavier, and in other music publications such as Piano & Keyboard, Piano Today, and the London-based Piano magazine. Sponsors have included many piano dealerships at the local and corporate level. Please patronize our generous sponsors.
  
  
• Judges/clinicians:  
  World-class artist/teachers adjudicate students and provide (along with other master clinicians) educational forums throughout the festival for students, teachers and the general public. Adjudicators are experts in both classical and jazz/pop styles as well as all forms of improvisation. This combination of skills is rare; furthermore, judges are chosen for their ability to work well with young people and provide useful, learned and positive feedback, both verbally and in writing. 
  
  
• Featured adjudicator, 2001-2004 and 2008: John Salmon.
  We are pleased to announce that two other distinguished judges will join Dr. Salmon for the 2008 festival: Monte Atkinson and Anthony Olson.
  

• Donations: 
  We need and appreciate your generous support!
  Donations are tax-deductible, payable to Mesa State College Music Department. 
  IMPORTANT: Please indicate "piano festival" in the memo portion of checks.
  
  Mailing address for donations:  
       Dr. Calvin Hofer
       Chair, Department of Music
       Mesa State College Moss Performing Arts Center
       1221 N. 12th St.
       Grand Junction, CO 81501
  

• RESULTS OF THE 2004 FESTIVAL:
  
  The 2004 festival was held at the Esther Simplot Performing Arts Academy, 516 South 9th St, Boise ID 83702.
  
  Fourteen-year-old Jonathan Keith from American Fork, Utah, scooped a record
  four First Prizes for versatility, original composition (his own highly
  sophisticated piece, titled "Daydreams") and jazz transcription (stunning
  improvisations on "Piano Man" by Billy Joel and "Satin Doll" by Duke
  Ellington).  Jonathan demonstrated a wide range of ability by also playing
  music of classical elegance (Mozart) and bravura technique (Liszt).
  Jonathan was also a First Prize winner in the 2003 festival.
  
  Jonathan's four awards were for the following categories:
      - MOST VERSATILE PIANIST
      - BEST DEMONSTRATION OF SPONTANEITY AND/OR IMPROVISATION IN A JAZZ, POP,
  GOSPEL OR RAG STYLE WORK
      - BEST ORIGINAL COMPOSITION PERFORMED BY ANY CONTESTANT
      - BEST PERFORMANCE OF A TASTEFUL TRANSCRIPTION OR ARRANGEMENT (IN ANY
  STYLE, ORIGINAL OR NOT) FOR PIANO SOLO
  
  Another top winner was twelve-year-old Boise pianist Stephanie Sherwood, who
  won multiple First Prizes for three consecutive years.  Stephanie's
  combination of traditional and contemporary music - including a remarkably
  mature original composition entitled "Ilmen Lindele" - earned her a total of
  three First Prizes:
      - MOST CREATIVE OR VERSATILE IDAHO PIANIST
      - BEST ORIGINAL COMPOSITION PERFORMED BY AN IDAHO CONTESTANT
      - BEST PERFORMANCE OF A COMPOSITION IN ANY STYLE BY A FEMALE COMPOSER
  
  Jessica Roderer (Wellsville, Utah) took First Prize in two categories -
      - BEST PERFORMANCE OF A PRE-BAROQUE, BAROQUE, OR CLASSICAL PERIOD WORK
      - BEST PERFORMANCE OF A ROMANTIC PERIOD WORK
  
  Other First Prize winners were:
  :   - Jessica Wu (Boise, ID), BEST PERFORMANCE OF AN IMPRESSIONISTIC OR
  CONTEMPORARY WORK
      - Jaymeson Pon (Meridian, ID), BEST IDAHO PIANIST IN REPERTORY
  EXCELLENCE
      - Eric Sater (Meridian, ID), BEST PIANIST FROM THE IDAHO TREASURE VALLEY
      - Bethany Sigurdson (Nyssa, Oregon), BEST DEMONSTRATION OF EMBELLISHING
  AND/OR IMPROVISING IN A CLASSICAL WORK
      - Josh Wright (Sandy, UT), BEST PERFORMANCE OF A LYRICAL AND
  PREDOMINANTLY SLOW WORK.
  
  Five students won Honorable Mentions:
      Morgan Bailey, Emily Black, Chris Doudy, and Tiffany McKain (all from
  the Treasure Valley), as well as Amanda Nelson from Salt Lake City, Utah.
  
  The "Creative Teaching Incentive Award" was awarded to Mary Lou Koto, who
  teaches in Fruitland, Idaho, and is a 1973 graduate of Albertson College.
  
  We are grateful to the many volunteers who helped make this year's festival
  a great success.  They include Cathy & Joshua Archibald-Seiffer, Mary &
  Morgan Bailey, Julie Barson, Halimah Brugger, Cathie Doudy, Juli Draney,
  Nancy Galvin, Sheryl Hillman, Azam Houle, Kim Hovren, Fran McKain, Ai Chin
  Pai, Gay Pool, the Richards family (Andrea, Sarah & Paulette), Nancy
  Sherwood, Linda Sigurdson, Dave Tacher, Johann Vargas, Myako Yamamoto and
  many others we have doubtless inadvertently failed to mention.
  
  We are also grateful to our very special perennial judge, Dr. John Salmon from
  the University of North Carolina-Greensboro, and to all our expert
  clinicians and recitalists from Oregon, Colorado and Boise State University:


• Dr. Matt Cooper, Chuck Smith, Dr. David Wohl, Dr. Del Parkinson, Marion Corron, David Tacher, Justin Nielsen, Halimah Brugger, Nancy Galvin, and Dr. Arthur Houle

Last but not least, a hearty thanks to:
- Mrs. Esther Simplot, for the use of the Simplot Academy
    - Tom Tompkins, man-for-all-tasks at the Performing Arts Academy
    - Robert and Merlyn Hendren, who initiated the original piano festival
from which this evolved
    - Albertson College & the Gladys Langroise Piano Fund, for support in
launching this festival
    - Dunkley Music, for the use of the pianos
    - The Idaho Federation of Music Clubs (IFMC)
            Luann Fife, IFMC President
            Judy Prescott, IFMC Treasurer
    - The Boise Tuesday Musicale and Idaho Music Teachers Association, whose
many members lent support, directly or indirectly
    - Thorn Parking Service
    - Barbara Stuart, manager of the Best Western Safari Inn, for providing
complimentary lodging for our judge and Dr. Matt Cooper
    - All our generous sponsors and contributors, past and present
    - Piano tuner/technician Paul Schiller
    - Webmasters John Britschgi & Dar Houle
    - Festival G-Clef logo designer Gina Heideman, ACI alumna & former
Houle student

    We could not have done it without all of you!

        --  Arthur Houle, Founder and Director

_____

Please note: All terms of this festival are contingent on fund-raising and subject to change.

Thanks to Gina Heideman for her design of the IFCP logo at the top left corner of the page.
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