Young Artist Piano Competition & Masterclasses
Saturday, January 25 & Sunday, January 26, 2025
ECU School of Music
Apply Online
Announcing the 2025 East Carolina University Young Artist Piano Competition & Masterclasses! In addition to the annual competition and masterclasses, we are thrilled to present an acclaimed pianist, Eric Zuber (prizewinner, Arthur Rubinstein, Cleveland, Sydney, and Dublin international piano competitions) in a guest artist recital.
All events for the 2025 edition will take place in-person at the ECU School of Music.
The piano competition (Saturday, January 25) is open to students aged 11-18 from the District of Columbia, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.
The masterclasses with ECU faculty (Sunday, January 26) are open to both competing and non-competing students (pre-college and college students, ages 11-26). There is no residency requirement.
*We will accept the first 16 competition applicants for each division and the first 12 applicants for the masterclasses.
Guest Artist:
Eric Zuber
Hailed as an “irresistibly fluid” and “illuminating” pianist by the New York Times and the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Eric Zuber has established himself as one of the leaders of a new generation of American pianism. His recent debut album, The Young Chopin, featuring a collaboration with the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, has received critical acclaim, with Gramophone magazine praising his “comprehensive technical command… and bravura approach which is never garish or manipulative with careful voicing and subtle gradations of color.”
During a period of just a few years, Dr. Zuber was a recipient of major prizes from twelve of the world’s most prestigious international piano competitions including Arthur Rubinstein, Cleveland, Seoul, Sydney, Dublin, Hastings, Honens, and the Piano-e-Competition, and was named a Laureate of the American Pianist Association Classical Fellowship Awards.
Eric Zuber Guest Artist Recital
Sunday, January 26, 3pm
Fletcher Recital Hall, ECU School of Music
Masterclass Instructors:
Keiko Sekino
Associate Professor of Piano
B.A., Yale University, M.M., Yale School of Music, D.M.A., Peabody Institute. Studies with Peter Frankl, Robert McDonald, and Elisso Virsaladze.
Kwan Yi
Associate Professor of Piano
B.M., Curtis Institute, M.M., Juilliard School, A.D. Peabody Institute. Studies with Leon Fleisher and Robert McDonald.
Schedule on Saturday, January 25, 2025:
9am-5pm Competition Adjudication
6pm Announcement of Winners & Winners’ Recital
Schedule on Sunday, January 26, 2025:
12:30pm-2:30pm Masterclasses with ECU piano faculty
3:00pm Guest Artist Recital by Eric Zuber
Eligibility:
Young Artist Piano Competition
- The piano competition is open to pre-college students between the ages of 11 and 14 (Junior Division) and 15 and 18 (Senior Division), who are residents of the District of Columbia, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia or who have studied with a teacher residing in that area for at least six months prior to the date of the competition. The Division each contestant should enter is determined by his/her age on the date of the competition, in this case, January 25, 2025.
Masterclasses with ECU Faculty
- The masterclasses are open to both competing and non-competing students (pre-college and college students, ages 11-26). There is no residency requirement.
Competition Rules:
- Current students of the judges in their division are not allowed to enter the competition.
- Contestants will be assigned a number and will not be referred to by name.
- Former first place winners may not enter in the same division.
- By submitting the online application form, the contestant agrees that the director of the competition may use the submitted video recordings in future media broadcasts or in advertising for the competition without compensation to the contestant.
- All judges’ decisions are final.
- All competitors are required to be present at the Lunch & Showcase Performance as well as the Announcement of Winners & Winners’ Recital.
Junior Piano Division – Specific Rules & Prize Information
Senior Piano Division – Specific Rules & Prize Information