Apply Now for the 2018 Southeastern Piano Festival

With a line-up that includes evening concerts, masterclasses, and lectures by some of the finest pianists across the country, the 2018 Southeastern Piano Festival promises to be the most exciting and exhilarating one to date! Guest artists and faculty for 2018 include Charlie Albright, Simone Dinnerstein, Lera Auerbach, Rebecca Penneys, Sasha Starcevich, Antonio Pompa-Baldi, John Perry, Charles Fugo, Philip Bush, and Marina Lomazov and Joseph Rackers who are the artistic directors of the festival.

Prizes for the Arthur Fraser International Piano Competition include a $5000 First Prize and the opportunity to perform a concerto with the South Carolina Philharmonic.  The festival, which takes place June 17-23, holds a special place in the South Carolina musical and cultural community. The festival provides an opportunity for pre-college students to perform, learn, network, and most importantly become part of a large family which holds the best interests of its participants to a very high standard.

The festival has become a platform for many aspiring performers and has enhanced the study and careers of many competitors and participants, including Daniel Szefer. “Rarely does one get to attend a festival so intense and immersive like the Southeastern Piano Festival. Not only do you get to hear excellent musicians every night, you also get to interact with other very passionate young pianists. I will never forget Sergei Babayan’s masterful performance of Bach’s first volume of Preludes and Fugues. The whole experience of the Festival was extremely inspiring and motivated me to continue onward towards music and further develop my craft as a pianist and musician.” says Szefer. In June 2016, Szefer was a top prizewinner at the Arthur Fraser International Piano Competition. In the same month he was offered scholarship and admission to the Advanced Performance Program at the

Mount Royal University Conservatory in Calgary, CA. In July 2017, he was a finalist and prize winner of the international “Prix Orford Musique” in Quebec, Canada.  David Hou, the first-prize winner in 2016 later became a semifinalist in the 2016 Cooper International Piano Competition, and a contestant in the 2017 International E-Competition.

Apply now to become a part of the wonderfully diverse and special Southeastern Piano Festival family! For more information, please visit our website. You can also follow the festival on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.