Vienna's "Pianos&Soul" Competition Announces 2024 Finalists

Hosted by the AMADEUS Festival Vienna and focusing on the genre of salon music, the grand prize winner will receive €5,000 and performance opportunities

The AMADEUS Festival Vienna is presenting its first International Salon Music Piano Competition “Pianos&Soul,” aimed at highlighting the genre of salon music. The final round will be held on June 28, 2024, and will be streamed here on The Violin Channel.

The three finalists are pianists Edward Leung, Oksana Oposhnian, and Soyeon Chang.

The grand prize winner will receive €5,000, and be appointed as a Bösendorfer-AMADEUS Young Artist, which involves opportunities valued at around €8,000.

Second prize includes €3,000, and a CD recording at the Bösendorfer Selection Room Wiener Neustadt, worth around €3,000; third place will receive €1,000, and will perform at either the Bösendorfer Hall or the Bösendorfer Salon.

Valued at €500, the public audience prize comprises a Bösendorfer Piano Factory tour, plus a Vienna tour in the footsteps of renowned musical figures.

Following the “Violins&Soul” edition in early 2023, the Festival’s piano edition was open to pianists aged between 15 and 35 as of December 31, 2024.

For the initial screening round, candidates submitted video recordings of themselves performing a selection of listed solo piano works from memory.

Dr. Wilson Goh, Patron of the competition, and Mrs. Karen Goh, Director of AMADEUS Festival Vienna, shared that they "have been noticing the gradual diminishing of presenting Salon Music in concerts."

"We've been asking ourselves: why is this music, which used to and continues to touch all of us, losing its presence in the very places where it used to move societies? It provides rich nutrients for the soul, yet it's gradually losing importance in our musical lives."

American pianist Edward Leung has been honored as one of the "16 Incredibly Impressive Students at Princeton University" by Business Insider. He has performed solo recitals and appeared with orchestras across North America, Europe, and Asia.

Ukrainian pianist Oksana Oposhnian currently lives and studies at the University of Music Saar in the city of Saarbrücken, Germany. Oksana is a laureate of international competitions, such as the 1st Prize at the Riga International Competition for Young Pianists in 2012 & the Jury Prize and Audience Prize at the HfM Saar Fu-tür Competition in 2023.

Soyeon Chang has received her Bachelor’s degree & Master's degree from the Seoul National University. She has performed with the Italian FVG orchestra and the Gunpo Prime Philharmonic Orchestra.