Inspiring a new generation of pianists: Piano contest honors Maine music teacher’s legacy

Special to Seacoastonline
·3 min read
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SANFORD, Maine — From one pianist to another, the 2024 Hanna Powell Memorial Piano Competition celebrates student musicians and allows aspiring pianists to shine.

The third annual competition is on Sunday, March 3, at the Sanford Performing Arts Center. The competition is open to pianists aged 15-30 who live or study in Maine, New Hampshire, or Vermont.

Finalists will compete for the following cash prizes: First place is $2,000, second place is $1,500, and third place is $1,000. The $1,000 High School Honor Prize will also be awarded to the top high school student and may be awarded in addition to first-, second- and third-place prizes.

Music teacher Hanna Powell died in 2017 after a long battle with breast cancer. The Hanna Powell Memorial Piano Festival takes place each year in her honor.
Music teacher Hanna Powell died in 2017 after a long battle with breast cancer. The Hanna Powell Memorial Piano Festival takes place each year in her honor.

Following a qualifying audition round, finalists will perform up to 15 minutes of music at the final round of competition on Sunday, March 3. The public is invited to enjoy the free concert. A panel of three independent concert pianists will serve as judges for the competition.

Prior finalists are welcome to compete again, except the prior grand prize, first-place winners.

During judge deliberations on March 3, Hanna’s 15-year-old nephew Väinö Viljanen from Finland will entertain the crowd in Sanford. Viljanen started to play piano at age 7 with his grandfather Pekka Viljanen. After a year of practice, he was accepted into Turku Conservatory. Väinö has been awarded in the Pianoaura Competition in Turku in 2019 and 2023. He has also participated in the Canadian Youth Piano Festival in 2021 and the Leevi Madetoja Competition in 2022. Väinö finished his basic studies at Turku Conservatory in 2022, and he has participated in many master classes, including classes with Matti Raekallio and Henri Sigfridsson.

Hanna Powell was a talented pianist, organist, and music teacher born in Finland to a musical family. Her father, a pianist and organist, held a university position as a music educator. One of her brothers is a violinist and plays in the Turku Symphony orchestra.

Hanna taught at St. Thomas School in Sanford as a part-time music teacher from 2012-2016. She loved teaching children of all ages. She also taught private piano lessons to many students and helped at Redeemer Lutheran Church with the service playing and children’s music ministry.

Hanna was diagnosed with advanced breast cancer in May 2006. Despite battling this illness for 11 years, Hanna remained positive and lived her life to the fullest. Hanna died on Easter Sunday, April 16, 2017. Hanna’s husband Andy and her sons Patrick (SHS Class of 2021) and Jonathan (SHS Class of 2023) are honored to continue Hanna’s legacy by supporting young musicians and their love of music.

How to enter the competition

To apply, pianists must submit an unedited video recording of themselves performing up to 15 minutes of music, featuring at least two works in contrasting styles. Up to 12 finalists will be selected from the video round.

The application deadline is Sunday, Feb. 4 at 11:59 p.m. Finalists will be notified of their acceptance by Wednesday, Feb. 7. Finalists are asked to upload their audition video to a video-sharing service such as YouTube or Vimeo and include this link in the application.

For more information, visit https://sanfordpac.org/pianocompetition2024/

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Hanna Powell Memorial Piano Competition honors Maine teacher's legacy