THE 2nd China Shenzhen International Piano Concerto Competition, Shenzhen’s top-level competition in the arts sector, will be held at Shenzhen Concert Hall from Oct. 24 to Nov. 5.

    The competition is one of three international piano competitions approved by the Chinese Government and the only concerto competition in China.

    “The competition will be a precious opportunity for gifted young pianists from around the world to play concertos with a professional symphony orchestra,” said Chen Xinliang, deputy director general of the municipal culture, sports and tourism administration.

    “It aims to promote international exchange and collaborations, and discover promising young artists.”

    A concert will be held to mark the beginning of the competition Oct. 23. Two first-prize winners from the last competition will perform at the concert.

    The award ceremony and winners’ concert will be held Nov. 5.

    Preliminaries will be held from Oct. 22 to Oct. 23.

    From Oct. 24 to 27, the jury will see 12 contestants reach the semifinal. Rehearsals for qualified candidates will be held Oct. 28-29, while jury members give master classes. Semifinals will be held Oct. 30-31, when the jury will advance six contestants to the final. Rehearsals for qualified candidates will be held Nov. 1, while jury members give master classes. The finals will be held Nov. 2-4. Participants are required to perform concertos from the preliminaries through the finals.

    “In order to attract more citizens to watch the competition, tickets will be sold at very low prices,” said Chen.

    Zhou Guangren, noted pianist, educator, professor emeritus of the Central Conservatory of Music, will be the chairman of the jury, which is composed of 14 well-known pianists from worldwide.

    Forty-five pianists from all over the world have been shortlisted for the competition, including 24 from overseas. Participants include students from well-known schools such as the Royal College of Music.

    The 1st China Shenzhen International Piano Concerto Competition was held in 2006. The competition will continue to be held in the city once every three years. (Helen Deng)