Sofya Gulyak Wins Piano Prize
Russian Pianist Takes William Kapell International Piano Competition
On July 21, 2007, international champion performer Sofya Gulyak won first prize in the 2007 William Kapell International Piano Competition at the University of Maryland.
After 11 days of performances in the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, the 2007 William Kapell International Piano Competition at the University of Maryland finally has a winner. Out of over 200 applicants, 25 were chosen to compete. Of that 25, Russian Sofya Gulyak took home the grand prize with her performance of Rachmaninov’s Concerto No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 30.
Sofya Gulyak: Kapell First Prize Winner
Proving that the audience shared the judges’ taste, the 27-year-old Gulyak won the Audience Award as well as Kapell's First Prize. Sofya Gulyak is no stranger to piano competitions. She has also won the Artlivre International Piano Competition and the International Liszt Competition. Her most recent win was the 2007 Schumann International Piano Competition in Italy. Her teachers include Boris Petrushansky in Italy and Alfya Burnasheva and Nailya Khakimova of the Kazan Conservatory (in Gulyak's birth-town Kazan, Russia).
Sara Daneshpour: Kapell Second Prize Winner
The American Sara Daneshpour secured second place with her performance of Tchaikovsky’s Concerto No. 1, Op. 23. The 20-year-old Daneshpour has studied with Leon Fleisher at The Curtis Institute of Music for 5 years. She has appeared at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and the Smithsonian American History Museum, as well as all over Europe.
The 2007 William Kapell International Piano Competition
The event, part festival and part competition, included performances by minimalist composer Philip Glass, jazz pianist and composer Ahmad Jamal, the cello-piano duo David Finkel and Wu Han, and pianists Garrick Ohlsson and Anne-Marie McDermott.
The competition introduced 2 new features this year:
1) The $1,000 audience-selected Audience Award; and
2) A requirement to perform 2 American pieces during the competition.
The first feature encouraged audience participation and the second feature promoted the appreciation of America’s finest composers. (Still, despite the emphasis on American music and composers, all 3 of the finalists chose to perform works by Russian composers in the final round.)
The top 3 winners are awarded prizes of $25, 000, $15,000, and $10,000 respectively.
The Jury: International Panel Included Kapell Winner Rodriguez
An international team headed by former Kapell competition winner Santiago Rodriguez judged the performances. Other members included a mix of pianists, an archive curator, and a writer:
- Nina Kavtaradze of Denmark (pianist)
- Peter Roesel of Germany (pianist)
- James Tocco of the U.S. (pianist)
- Ilana Vered of Israel (pianist)
- Donald Manil of the U.S. (curator of the International Piano Archives at U. Maryland)
- Bryce Morrison of England (writer and broadcast personality)
For more information on the competition, please read the Playbill story and the Clarence Smith Performing Arts Center press release. Readers can also investigate “behind-the-scenes” stories and videos.
