Sunday 27 November 2016
Birmingham Conservatoire

1st prize: Andrei Iliushkin (RAM)
2nd prize: Victor Lim (RNCM)
3rd prize: Domonkos Csabay (RBC)
Special mention: George Fradley (RWCMD)

Our Senior Intercollegiate Competition was held for the first time out of London, at the Birmingham Conservatoire by courtesy of the Head of Piano John Thwaites and with wonderful support from the Conservatoire’s in-house staff. The Jury consisted of three distinguished pianists, Michael Roll, Philip Edward Fisher and our own Alberto Portugheis.

Prizes were presented by Julian Lloyd Webber, the recently appointed Principal: First Prize went to Andrei Iliushkin (Royal Academy of Music), with playing full of freedom and fantasy, Second to Victor Lim (Royal Northern College of Music) with some exciting playing in the Waldstein, and Third to Domonkos Csabay (Birmingham Conservatoire) who showed perhaps the most convincing sense of structure of all the pianists. George Fradley (Royal Welsh College) was commended: he offered committed and personal playing in Op.109. But all the pianists had many positive qualities: Monika Masnauskaite (Royal Conservatoire of Scotland) sincere and warm-hearted in Op.27, No.1, Frederic Bager (Royal College of Music) intelligent and propulsive in Les Adieux, Yundu Wang (Guildhall School) both serious and warmly communicative in Op.111, Yu Zhou Zhang (Trinity Laban) also with Op.111, intense and committed.

Written by Julian Jacobson