The Kayserburg International Youth Piano Competition 2021 Singapore & South East Asia Regional Awards Ceremony was held on 2nd October 2021 at Bechstein Music World in Singapore.
The atmosphere was one of celebration and excitement as the Regional Winners were acknowledged and awarded for their achievement in this year’s competition.
Besides the usual exhilaration of earning a top prize, many of the winners & their families expressed joy in being able to perform again after a long period of cancelled events, competitions postponed and concerts curtailed due to the ongoing global pandemic. Perhaps the ceremony fanfare was more scaled back, but the feelings of accomplishment certainly remained.
We sat down with the Singapore based winners to get their thoughts on the competition:
How was your experience of the Kayserburg International Youth Piano Competition 2021, and how did you feel having made it through the Regionals?
“I guess you could describe it as quite a roller coaster”, relates Open Category Bronze winner Tan Jing Yang. “There have been other competitions I have joined before this, but because of COVID, I couldn’t. (Performing for) the finals was especially exhilarating, and (I was) a bit nervous because it was the first time performing after such a while. So yeah, I would say it was a very good experience, and a very fun experience… I have gained so much from this; I have even polished up my pieces to such a standard that I couldn’t even imagine myself doing before.”
Gold Prize Winner in the Intermediate Category Estelle Goh shares, “It’s been a very fulfilling process for me because throughout this pandemic, performance opportunities for musicians have been very limited. This competition gave me an opportunity to practice pieces that I haven’t touched in a few months and being able to refine them to win in this competition has been very rewarding for me”
“I think it was a very fruitful experience for me. Through this (experience) I learned to be more flexible”, says Zhu Ziyan, Bronze winner of the Intermediate Category.”Through this competition, I also found more areas for (my) improvement, and also learned to hone my skills through learning from other participants’ performances.
Junior Category Bronze winner Chen Xingzhi recounts, “At first I was very nervous, but as soon as I got on stage & started playing the piano, I forgot about everything else. I just told myself to try my best not to make a mistake, and play as normal”.
Why do you think other young pianists should join the Kayserburg International Youth Piano Competition?
TJY: “I believe this competition is good for budding pianists who want to find a ground for them to check their ability against their counterparts”. “Also in this competition the performers are a really high standard, so I am honoured to win a Bronze prize… and being a pianist, we are supposed to share our music to this (KIYPC) is a good platform to share your music.”
EG: “Performing is an important part of your music journey as a musician, and performing in competitions – it teaches you a lot. The prizes don’t matter, it’s more about the learning process for you to gain more experience in performing, because music is all about sharing with others”
ZZ: “Other pianists will be able to learn a lot of things from this competition, such as coping with the nervousness, and learning that in a performance a lot of things may not go as planned, and they have to adapt to the situation.”
CXZ: “I would tell other young pianists that they too can win some prizes if they practice hard. I’m most looking forward to joining the competition again, and this time, try to aim for a higher prize.”
If the Regional Finals prove anything, it is that we are still able to celebrate each others’ achievements together regardless of distance, physical borders, and despite a global pandemic separating us. Overseas participants sent their video messages encouraging each other to continue to play music, and inspire others in their musical journey. Open Category Silver Prize Winner Chun-Syuan Wei (Taiwan) certainly sums it up: “Keep fighting, stay safe, and hopefully we can be together again soon.”
With the support of the community, both in Singapore and overseas, we are able to overcome so many difficulties. RS Event Center would like to thank all the Schools, Teachers, Parents and all the Participants for continuously supporting the Kayserburg International Youth Piano Competition, and for helping to make the Singapore & South East Asia Regional a resounding success!