Asheville Piano Competition
The Asheville Piano Competition occurs every spring at Mars Hill University. Participation is open to students through 12th grade of high school who study with a teaching member of the Asheville Area Piano Forum. Both students and teachers must reside within a 75-mile radius of Asheville, NC. The Competition’s purpose is to offer young pianists the opportunity to perform in a professional and encouraging atmosphere and to receive written evaluations from outstanding professionals in piano pedagogy.
Competition’s Purpose
To offer young pianists the opportunity to be evaluated by outstanding professionals in piano pedagogy. All contestants will receive written evaluations and certificates of participation.
Eligibility
Open to pre-college students, 19 and under, whose teachers are members of the Asheville Area Piano Forum. Both teachers and competing students must reside within a 75-mile radius of Asheville, NC.
Entry Levels
Teachers may enter up to 4 students in each placement level.
There are five levels of placement:
Primary
Elementary
Intermediate
Early Advanced
Advanced
A placement level is determined by the difficulty of the piece as determined by the competition committee.
Repertoire
One solo piece is performed, chosen from any period in the classical repertoire. Contest selections will be reviewed by repertoire specialists from the competition committee for correct placement level. If a change of level is required, teachers will be notified by the competition chairperson. A list of repertoire examples by level is here.
Application Procedures & Calendar for 2025
3/22 - 4/3 Review of Competition Selections and Application Period. All repertoire for the competition must be reviewed by the competition committee for correct level placement. Following the committee’s approval, students should submit applications along with the required fee. Note - Be sure students do not register in a level that is lower than a previous year’s level. Teachers and students should review all competition rules before submitting the application. Rules are here.
4/5 Date by which any students who must participate in a virtual video round are notified. If no such notice is received by email, no video is necessary. (If there are more than 10 students applying in any one level of difficulty a video round will probably be necessary for that level.)
4/5 - 4/12 Period set aside for video submissions should they be necessary for any level. (Information about the submission procedures will be sent to those students and teachers who are affected.)
4/21 Notifications are emailed to any students who participated in a video round and to their teachers with results from any virtual judging. The 10 students with the highest scores in the virtual round will advance to the in-person competition.
4/25 Date by which notification of scheduled competition times for competitors is emailed to teachers and students.
5/3 Asheville Piano Competition day at Mars Hill University. Reception for all competitors, families, teachers and guests is 2:30-3:30 PM at Fellowship Hall. The Winners Recital and Awards Ceremony begins approximately at 3:30 PM in Broyhill Chapel.
Reception, Awards, and Winners Recital
Following the end of adjudications: Please join us in the Fellowship Hall adjoining the Broyhill Chapel for a reception between 2:30 – 3:30 while we await contest results.
The Winners Recital will begin at about 3:30 PM in Broyhill Chapel. All are welcome to attend. 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place winners will perform in the recital and will receive their awards.
Awards
*The First Place Winner in the Advanced Level of the competition receives the following awards:
Eric Anderson Weigel Memorial Prize of $300.
Invitation to perform in one of the AAPF Benefit Concerts in the following season.
The Donald Shafer Jettas Memorial Award of $1,000, given to encourage the winner to pursue further music study.
If there is more than one 1st Place Advanced Winner in any year, the $1,000 will be shared by the number of students tied for that place.
Application and Entry Fee
Note: Teachers and Applicants are responsible for knowledge of the Rules found here.
Entry Fee per student: $30.00
Application: here
Asheville Piano Competition Judges
May 3rd Judges:
Kevin Ayesh
Elizabeth Child
Elizabeth Churchya
Steven Graff
Leonidas Lagrimas
Thomas Swenson
Virtual Judges:
TBA
