The self-set stakes are high for the organizers of the Honens International Piano Competition. They’re not content to merely host a competition with players from several countries — if they’re not making their mark internationally, they’re failing.
According to Stephen McHolm, who joined Honens in 1998 as artistic administrator, Honens’ mission is to be the most important piano competition in the world and put Calgary at centre stage for classical music.
“There are about 30 piano competitions around the world — we’re one of the top and we must attract the best to Calgary,” he says.
“The winners from the competition are always coming back to Calgary to give back to the community; it’s great to have these pianists from around the world, inspiring kids in Calgary and music lovers of all ages.”
The Honens competition, founded in 1991 by the late Esther Honens, who committed $5 million to the project, takes place every three years and will be held next from Oct. 22 to Nov. 6, 2009.
Up-and-coming pianists from across the globe come to the city to compete for the top three Laureate positions that award them cash prizes (totaling more than $100,000) and artistic and career development programs designed to launch and sustain their careers.
Families from around the city volunteer their time, money and space to billet competitors who come from everywhere from China and France to Saskatoon.
Calgary has had one homegrown winner, Katherine Chi, who took First Laureate in 2000. Since winning Honens, Chi has gone on to perform throughout Europe and North America, and is currently in the midst of performance dates with the Debussy Quartet and appearances with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and Victoria Symphony Orchestra.
She’s performed with the National Arts Centre Orchestra and has had concerts in Beijing, Atlanta, L.A. and Boston.
McHolm, who became executive director of the foundation in 2004, says Honens’ judges usually have a few hundred auditions and applications to sort through before they whittle the number down to 90 top-notch pianists who will perform and compete in Calgary.
McHolm spends much of his time traversing the globe promoting Honens and Calgary as the place to showcase new musical talent.
“It’s not worth doing this half baked; if you’re going to be an international organization, go big and go for it,” says McHolm.
Honens continues to broaden its inter-national reach year by year and is currently invited to tour through China with the current Third Laureate, Chinese pianist Hong Xu.
“It would be an amazing experience — there are so many young people who study piano in that country,” says McHolm.
The competition is also becoming more “international” by adding auditions in Munich and Shanghai to the circuit while publicists in Munich, London and New York work toward promoting the Honens as one of the world’s premier piano competitions
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