Audience, judges, sponsors applaud Rubato competition

Aug. 17—OXFORD — The judges of the inaugural Rubato International Piano Competition found the talent displayed by the 21 competitors so good they decided to add another award category.

That announcement came Saturday night as the medals were being awarded after the final round of competition on the stage of the Oxford Performing Arts Center.

It was a decision verified by the enthusiastic standing ovations of those who attended the public nights of competition, as well as the more than 3,800 who had viewed the event from around the world via the Oxford High School Jacket Media YouTube channel as of Monday evening.

"This has been an amazing evening and an amazing week," said OPAC executive director John Longshore.

The announced awards of Gold, Silver and Audience Favorite (Bronze) were augmented by the addition of an Honorable Mention award.

The Honorable Mention Awards were $300 and a certificate, $500 and Bronze medals for the Audience Favorite Award, $2,500 for Silver Medalists, and $5,000 for Gold Medalists.

The Audience Favorite award was unique for this type of competition. Audience members could scan QR codes in the program which directed them to the OPAC app where they could cast their votes for the award.

"This shows what can happen when you practice 10 hours a day," said Rubato founder and OPAC director of music education Julio Barreto.

Barreto's statement of the pianists' hard work was supported by stories shared by OPAC staffers about discovering at least two of the contestants fast asleep by their pianos in their practice spaces during the week of rehearsals.

Saturday night's finals ended with Barreto both figuratively and literally closing the lid on the Steinway & Sons grand piano on the OPAC stage and this year's competition.

"What is better than making music and fulfilling your own dreams," Barreto said, "is working so others can make music and fulfill their own dreams."

"It is a blessing for me to be the executive director and founder of this competition and work with these wonderful talents from around the world," he said.

While the competition judges found it difficult to choose the winners, the major Rubato sponsors left no doubt their decision to continue their support was an easy one.

Greg Potts, who along with his wife, Cheryl, were the first to offer a sponsorship of the event, called it "a wonderful event for Oxford, East Alabama and the educational arts community to be able to bring in such world-class adjudicators and competitors from so many countries and states to Oxford for anything dealing with the arts."

Potts also lauded the participation of the Steinway & Sons piano company, which was a supporter and sponsor, by lending its brand and product to OPAC for the competition.

"I understand in talking with the adjudicators when they heard the competitors would be working with Steinways, there were more than a few smiles," Potts said.

"This went beyond my expectations," said Webb Concrete and Building Materials owner Phil Webb, another of Rubato's major sponsors and a host of two competitors during their stay.

"When Juilo and the team at OPAC told me about this, something just immediately told me I needed to be a small part," Webb said. "This has gone beyond anything we could have imagined," he said. "We have seen so many people partnering for this inaugural competition and seeing all these kids from around the world here, all smiling and showing their God-given talents. Just imagine what the future holds right here at OPAC. This is something very special."

Webb was the one who brought Alabama Power Eastern Division Vice President Terry Smiley to one of the first meetings presenting the idea to potential sponsors.

Alabama Power was quick to sign on.

After the final competition was completed Saturday night, Smiley put an appropriate coda to the week of music.

"I think this has been absolutely amazing," Smiley said. "I appreciate this fantastic OPAC team for having the vision to bring this world-class event to our community."

"I think it uplifts and inspires all of us to dream and that's what it is all about," he said. "As a company, we were pleased to support this event and look forward to supporting it again next year."

The list of winners for the inaugural Rubato International Piano Competition at the Oxford Performing Arts Center is as follows:

CLASSICAL — Ages 12-18

Honorable Mention: Matthew Liu, 15, Kansas

Bronze / Audience Favorite: Raditya Muljadi, 12, Colorado

Silver: Michelle Nieto, 13, Texas

Gold: Harrison Benford, 17, Maryland

JAZZ — Ages 12-26

Honorable Mention: Beck Vontver, 25, New York

Bronze / Audience Favorite: Simon Martinez, 20, Ecuador

Silver: Bromme "Bix" Cole II, 16, New York

Gold: Warit Techakanont, 19, Thailand

CLASSICAL — Ages 19-26

Honorable Mention: Zhengyi Huang, 22, China

Bronze / Audience Favorite: Anna Li, 22, Australia

Silver: Kun Ding, 24, China

Gold: Shangru Du, 24, China