70th annual Wideman International Piano Competition begins Dec. 3 at Centenary College

Meredith G. White, Shreveport Times
·2 min read

The Wideman International Piano Competition will be holding its 70th annual piano concerto competition on Friday, Dec. 3 - Sunday, Dec. 5. This high-level competition will be held at the Anderson Auditorium at the Hurley School of Music at Centenary College.

Talented young pianists from all over the world who have attended premier music schools and conservatories will be showcasing their talents. Each pianist will play a portion of their self-chosen piano concerto before a jury of four judges, who interact with the contestants to give advice and encouragement and to fully test their musicianship and stage presence. The judges are compiled of conductors and music directors at notable symphony orchestras and music conservatories.

The Wideman was founded in 1951 by Nena Plant Wideman who was a highly regarded local piano teacher. Over the last several decades the Wideman has been overseen by Artistic Directors Lester Senter Wilson, a Shreveport native and famed mezzo-soprano, and then Alon Goldstein who was a Wideman gold medalist and had a notable concert career.

The finalists from Friday will be announced Saturday night and play their entire concertos Sunday afternoon starting at 1:30 p.m. and the winners will be announced later that afternoon. There are gold, silver and bronze medals to be given out as well as honorable mention winners.

The performances on Friday and Saturday will be free with tickets for Sunday will be $10 each. On Friday the Preliminaries will be from 1:30 - 4:30 p.m. and will continue at 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. Proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test will be required for entry each day and masks will be required.

For more information, visit the Wideman Piano Competition website.

More: Tribute concert for Wideman International Piano Competition and its executive director

Meredith G. White is the arts and culture reporter for the Shreveport Times. You can find her on Facebook as Meredith G. White, on Instagram and Twitter as @meredithgwhite, and email her at mgwhite@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: 70th annual Wideman Piano Competition to be held this weekend