News From Kayserburg Piano.
Pearl River Introduces The Kayserburg Étoile Collection
Pearl River Piano Group has long known that piano building is an art form unto itself but turning a piano into a work of art takes the highest level of veneer craftsmanship. Named for the French word for ‘star’ (pronounced eiˈtwal), the Kayserburg Étoile Collection brings forward the ultimate expression of turning rare wood’s natural luster, color, and patterns that change from every angle into heavenly beauty. See the entire Étoile Collection »
Announcing The 2021 Kayserburg International Youth Piano Competition Grand Prize Winners
The 2021 Kayserburg International Youth Piano Competition concluded on November 15 with great fanfare! This year involved eight overseas regional representatives for the Grand Finals Overseas Group, with over 2,000 participants from Singapore, Hong Kong China, Manila Philippines, Chicago/Tacoma/Irvine USA, Sydney/Melbourne/Brisbane Australia, Quito Ecuador, Jakarta Indonesia, and Ho Chi Minh City/Hanoi Vietnam competing for entries to the Grand Finals Overseas Group.
For the Open Category, the Grand Prize Winners are:
First Prize:
Yi Zheng Cai (age 28), Brisbane, Australia
Second Prize:
Yim Cho Ting (age 17), Hong Kong, China
Third Prize:
Wilson Matthew Jogi Lincoln (age 18), Jakarta, Indonesia.
For the Student Category, the Grand Prize Winners are:
First Prize:
Jayden Yeung (age 16), Irvine, USA
Second Prize:
Shuen Tsz Ying (age 14), Hong Kong, China
Third Prize:
Estelle Goh (age 14), Singapore.
The following are highlights of activity from each of the participating regions.
Singapore: There were over 600 contestants from Singapore who participated in the various rounds organized by Cristofori Music Pte. Ltd, one of the largest Pearl River Piano Group authorized dealers in the world. Cristofori has been an authorized Pearl River dealer for over 40 years and has grown to become the largest music school in Southeast Asia, with over 15,000 students.
The panel of judges for the Singapore regional finals were Miki Arimura from Japan, Gan Xun from China, Gwen U from Singapore, Vivian Reiko Chan from Singapore, and Law Leh Sang from Malaysia. The panel of judges worked under strict pandemic semi-locked down guidelines, by combining remote live stream as well as actual live auditions for the 108 semi-finalists. Estelle Goh (age 14), and Michael Abimanyu Kaeng (age 17) were selected to represent Singapore for the Grand Finals Overseas Group.
Hong Kong, China: Greenery Music Limited was the authorized organizer for China Hong Kong regional finals. The preliminary rounds were successfully conducted at One Stage Academy of Music & Arts, a subsidiary of Greenery Music. All 30 semi-finalists competed fiercely to qualify for the grand finals on September 12, with Yim Cho Ting (age 17), and Shuen Tsz Ying (age 14) qualified to enter the Grand Finals Overseas Group for China Hong Kong. Congratulations to all at Greenery Music for a job well done!
Manila, Philippines: Organized by Sounds Kradle Inc., and despite various challenges under the pandemic restrictions, contestants were able to perform live on the Kayserburg GH275 full-size concert grand, at a designated studio by appointment. The musical community in Manila reacted with strong support for the regional auditions, after rounds of selection the judges commented favorably for Catherine W. Li (age 14), and Pauline A. Aguila (age 23), who qualified for entries to the Grand Finals Overseas Group. Congratulations to Sounds Kradle and their community for a job well done!
Australia: In Australia, there were entries from Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane. Despite Sydney being under strict lock-down mandates, contestants were provided with appointed professional piano studios throughout the city thanks to The Piano Fantasy, official host to the Sydney regional auditions. The sponsorship of a Kayserburg concert grand piano, model KA212 was highly appreciated by candidates who entered the local auditions.
In Melbourne, there were over 200 participants who qualified for their local auditions, thanks to Australian Music World for their official sponsorship, with support from their local piano teacher’s association. The Melbourne teachers association, parents, and students who were involved at their local auditions were impressed by the official piano; a Kayserburg KA275Z, a full size 9’ concert grand piano sponsored by Australian Music World.
Brisbane official host and sponsor YW Music PTY LTD collaborated with Griffith University and The University of Queensland to jointly recruit top-level young artists, resulting in an impressive 100 entries for their local auditions. Pearl River Piano Group greatly appreciated YW Music for their sponsorship of the Kayserburg GH275Z (9’ concert grand) as the official piano for Brisbane regional auditions, with many students and teachers reporting favorably upon their first experience performing on the GH275Z.
It has been a great success for Australia this year on its second term as the regional host for Kayserburg International Youth Piano Competition; the number of entries more than quadrupled as compared to year one in 2019!
In total there were over 400 entries from Australia who shared the valuable experience at their local auditions. Congratulations to both Roy Zhang (age 13) from Sydney, and Yi Zheng Cai (age 28) from Brisbane, for qualifying for the Grand Finals Overseas Group.
Quito, Ecuador: A huge thanks to our official host for Ecuador, Almacenes Juan Eljuri Cia. Ltda., for sponsorship of the Kayserburg grand model GH188A as the official piano for their regional auditions. Almacenes Juan Eljuri Cia. Ltda. opened their showroom to contestants from all walks of life during the pandemic period and came through with great results! Congratulations to Guaitara Macias Jair Anibal (age 16), and Lucas Santiago Bravo Lituma (age 30) for representing Ecuador for the Grand Finals Overseas Group.
Jakarta, Indonesia: As a first-year sponsor, PT. Citra Intirama from Jakarta did a great job in promoting piano education and the art of live performance throughout Indonesia; their coverage of the Kayserburg International Youth Piano Competition for Indonesia included Jakarta, Surabaya, Bandung, and Medan. Emerging as the two representatives for Indonesia for entries to the Grand Finals Overseas Group were Wilson Matthew Jogi Lincoln (age 18), and Alexander Ravel Kristono (age 16). Congratulations to PT Citra Intirama!
Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, Vietnam: For their second term as the official sponsor, Ted Saigon from Ho Chi Min City started full preparation for the competition in advance of the date; “Kayserburg Piano Got Talent” was launched in December 2020 to begin the official auditions for Vietnam, which was successfully concluded ten months later in October 2021. No promotional efforts were spared as Ted Saigon created a widespread campaign over 10 months period on social media and websites, including Facebook and YouTube, to gain support from the Ho Chi Min City and Hanoi communities.
The exciting programming culminated in full participation from major Vietnamese conservatories and music schools, entries to the Grand Finals Overseas Group were Nguyen Hoang Anh(age 18), Nguyen Mai Chau Giang (age 14), and Tyann Nathan Ly (age 19). The Kayserburg GH275Z full-size concert grand was the official piano at the Vietnamese regional finals. Thank you, Ted Saigon, for an excellent job well done!
In conclusion, with just a few years, the numbers of participants for Overseas Group Auditions increased more than double the expectations, this year broke new records with over 2000 young artists involved. The tremendous support from teachers, students, and regional dealers all over the world paved the way for higher development to deserving young talents, and under the global sponsorship of Pearl River Piano Group, continues to expand the influence of piano education globally. Our sincere thanks to all our partners for making 2021 another great success!
The World's First 3D Printed Piano: Celestial Harmony Spacewalk.
Music China, the most comprehensive music industry event in Asia, was the scene for a dramatic first, the introduction of Pearl River Piano Group’s 3D printed grand piano. At the four-day exhibition in Shanghai, which attracts over 11,000 visitors from 81 countries, the Kayserburg futuristic spacecraft concept grand, named ‘Celestial Harmony Spacewalk’, stole the spotlight amid the 2,252 exhibitors from 31 countries.
According to Leng Tshua, Global Sales and Marketing Director of Pearl River Piano Group, the futuristic design of the piano represents an organic outcome of highly advanced CNC processes in combination with 3D printing technology. “We are continually pushing forward with technological developments and innovations for the next generation of keyboard instruments,” Leng said. “What better way to demonstrate this goal than to create a piano with an appearance of space exploration in harmonic convergence?”
The 8-foot grand was crafted from sonically ideal carbon fiber polyester material that a massive 3D printer formed into the exotic Celestial Harmony Spacewalk shape. The piano then received a finish of overlapping and changing colors which Pearl River representatives say are designed to ‘bring a sense of a spacewalk while watching the celestial beings in an unknown universe, accompanied by soothing rhythmic notes.’
