Thanks to Dean Shapiro and The New Orleans Advocate for this wonderful write-up on the 2016 New Orleans International Piano Competition and Keyboard Festival!

http://www.theadvocate.com/new_orleans/entertainment_life/music/article_1bf3b546-4c93-11e6-9358-77df3fb5f9f2.html

Join WWNO 89.9 host Diane Mack as she chats with 2014 NOIPC Gold Medalist and one of this summer's Guest Artists Marianna Prejvalskaya on INSIDE THE ARTS! http://wwno.org/post/inside-arts-nola-projects-rooftop-drama-prjevalskaya-masno-competition-kushners-illusion  Marianna performs this Sunday, July 24, 4:00 p.m. at Loyola Univeristy's Roussel Hall. For tickets, click here.

Looking forward to welcoming these 12 Semifinalists to New Orleans in less than a week to compete in the 26th New Orleans International Piano Competition! You may read more about them including their bios and repertoire for the competition rounds by clicking on the photo below.

Tickets for the New Orleans International Piano Competition and Keyboard Festival are on sale now! They can be purchased online by clicking HERE or by calling MASNO at 504.899.4826.

They may also be purchased at the MASNO/Loyola Box Office starting one hour prior to each event.

All tickets purchased in advance will be available at Will-Call at the MASNO/Loyola Box Office starting one hour prior to each event.

Click downloadable version of the letter below.

Dear Friend of the Musical Arts Society of New Orleans,

It was an exciting 2015-2016 season for MASNO with an increasing number of wonderful performances and events! Thank you for your support as well as your attendance to many of these musical offerings. From an outstanding 2015 New Orleans Keyboard Festival and Piano Institute to an exciting NOCTURNE XIII, from fabulous Salon Concert Events to our 2014 New Orleans International Piano Competition Gold Medalist Marianna Prjevalskaya performing sold out performances with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO), from a lovely collaboration with New Orleans Friends of Music presenting world-renowned pianist Angela Hewit to our 2012 NOIPC Gold Medalist Viktor Valkov performing a brilliant recital of rave reviews at London’s Wigmore Hall - it was definitely a most successful year for us – a year we could not have had without you! We trust you enjoyed this past season as much as we did, and hope that you will definitely join us for an exciting 2016-2017 as well!

In just a couple of months, MASNO will present the 26^th New Orleans International Piano Competition (NOIPC), July 24-31, at Loyola University. Twelve of the world’s finest young pianists are invited to New Orleans for a week of magnificent piano playing as Semifinalists competing for performance and cash prizes totaling over $35,000. The NOIPC runs parallel to the New Orleans Piano Institute and Keyboard Festival featuring master classes and recitals open to the public. In addition, Guest Artists Marianna Prjevalskaya of Spain and Danny Driver of the United Kingdom will perform solo recitals. With a record number of NOIPC applicants representing 28 countries this year, we are thrilled to announce the 12 Semifinalists joining us in July: Moye Chen, China; Scott Cuellar, USA; Christopher Goodpasture, USA; Matthew Graybil, USA; Yewon Jeong, South Korea; Wenjie Lu, China; Yejin Noh, South Korea; Kyle Orth, USA; Alexander Soares, United Kingdom; Xiaohui Yang, China; Hyun Ji You, South Korea; Re Zhang, China. For a more detailed schedule of the week’s events, please visit www.masno.org. Tickets will be available starting June 10, 2016.

Looking ahead to the rest of MASNO’s 2016-2017 Season, highlights include Salon Concert Events featuring guitarist Pavel Steidl of the Czech Republic, 2014 NOIPC Gold Medalist Marianna Prjevalskaya’s performances with the Acadiana Symphony Orchestra and the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra, NOCTURNE XIII featuring acclaimed Israeli pianist Inon Barnatan, a special salon concert in partnership with the LPO featuring the fabulous and beloved American pianist Anne Marie McDermott, Concerto Showcase IX featuring the top 3 medalists of the 2016 NOIPC with the LPO, and MORE! Please notice the downloadable brochure that includes more details of our upcoming season highlights. Also stay tuned for additional events through the year!

MASNO has also newly instituted an Annual Membership contribution at the Andante $35+ Level. Members will receive an acknowledgement of the membership, a one-year subscription to MASNO’s E-Newsletter, advance notice and ticket pre-sale privileges for exclusive MASNO events, and recognition in the program book of the NOIPC and Keyboard Festival.  Please review the downloadable brochure (click here to download) to learn more about membership, sponsorship, and other ways you can become involved and support the Musical Arts Society of New Orleans.

We at MASNO are so privileged to be able to present these kinds of musical opportunities in New Orleans as well as play significant roles in the development of young talent and future musical careers through our programming. However, we could not do so without the generous support of our Friends. So we thank you for being a part of our MASNO family, and hope to see you very soon!

 James Farrow, President & Cara McCool Woolf, Executive Director

MASNO is pleased to announce the 12 semifinalists who have been invited to New Orleans for the 26th New Orleans International Piano Competition, July 24-31, 2016!

Moye Chen, China

Scott Cuellar, USA

Christopher Goodpasture, USA

Matthew Graybil, USA

Yewon Jeong, South Korea

Wenjie Lu, China

Yejin Noh, South Korea

Kyle Orth, USA

Alexander Soares, United Kingdom

Xiaohui Yang, China

Hyun Ji You, South Korea

Re Zhang, Ching

Enjoy a fun chat between WWNO's Fred Kasten and American pianist and winner of the 2006 New Orleans International Piano Competition Dustin Gledhill about his life, music, and upcoming NOLA performance with Brazilian guitarist Lucas Pullin at MASNO's salon concert event TASTE OF BRAZIL! FEW TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE! Click here to listen to the podcast. Click here for more info and to purchase tickets.     A primary force in establishing New Orleans as a vital center of classical music, MASNO provides opportunities to hear some of the world's best established and emerging artists while developing enthusiastic audiences, nurturing the development of talent, and championing music education through our innovative programming and signature events. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT WWW.MASNO.ORG OR CALL 504.899.4826

Upcoming Events   Sunday, January 3, 2016, 7:30 pm Wigmore Hall, London Viktor Valkov, 2012 Gold Medalist of the New Orleans International Piano Competition, performs a solo piano concert in London's Wigmore Hall. Click here for more information or call 504.899.4826 if you're interested in attending! Friday, January 8, 2016, 7:30 pm Orpheum Theatre, New Orleans New Orleans International Piano Competition 2014 Gold Medalist, Marianna Prjevalskaya, returns to perform the second piano concerto of Dimitri Shostakovich with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra.  Click here for more information. Sunday, January 10, 2016, 2:30 pm Patrick F. Taylor Library, New Orleans Marianna Prjevalskaya joins members ot he Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra for a special chamber music performance - Russian Greats - featuring works of Rachmaninov, Prokofiev, and Stravinsky.  For more information, click here. Tuesday, March 15, 2016 7:00 pm 2702 Saint Charles Avenue, New Orleans MASNO partners with New Orleans Friends of Music to present world-renowned Canadian pianist Angela Hewitt in a Salon Concert Event. Tickets and more information will be available soon.

Can Stanislav Khristenko 'fill void with shimmering filigree' in New Orleans?

Chris Waddington, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune By Chris Waddington, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune 
Email the author | Follow on Twitter 
on July 03, 2015 at 6:40 AM, updated July 03, 2015 at 9:38 AM

Stanislav KHRISTENKO

Stanislav Khristenko won a bronze medal in the 2010 New Orleans International Piano Competition - and he's returning to the site of his triumph. On July 24, 2015 the young Russian will perform at Loyola University's Roussel Hall, a headliner at the New Orleans Piano Institute & Keyboard Festival Presented by the Musical Arts Society of New Orleans. (MASNO)

Stanislav Khristenko won a bronze medal in the 2010 New Orleans International Piano Competition – and he's returning to the site of his triumph. On July 24, the young Russian will perform at Loyola University's Roussel Hall as a headliner at the New Orleans Piano Institute & Keyboard Festival Presented by the Musical Arts Society of New Orleans.

(Peter Mack, a well-regarded Irish pianist, will perform July 25).

While Khristenko fell short of the gold in New Orleans, he went on to win two of the world's biggest competitions. In 2013 he won first prize at the Cleveland International Piano Competition and the Maria Canals International Music Competition.

Here's what the Cleveland Plain Dealer wrote about Khristenko when he played the Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 to win $50,000 and a gold medal in 2013: "Time, in his reading, almost stood still, and he filled the void with shimmering filigree and phrases of exquisite tenderness, in which every note mattered. Yet Khristenko wasn't stuck in slow motion. His virtuoso performance of the final Rondo was fully invigorating. From start to finish, the pianist had listeners on the edge of their seats."

Khristenko's career has taken off since that Cleveland win. He has appeared as a soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra of Belgium, the Cleveland Orchestra, Phoenix Symphony, Hong Kong Chamber Orchestra, and the Berliner Musikfreunde Orchestra, among others. His performance highlights include solo recitals in Weill and Zankel Halls at Carnegie Hall, Schubertsaal in Vienna, and the Phillips Collection in Washington.

For his Loyola recital, Khristenko will focus exclusively on American music, including works by Philip Glass, George Gershwin, Samuel Barber and the glorious 19th century New Orleans composer Louis Moreau Gottschalk.

Khristenko will perform on Friday, July 24, 7:30 p.m.

Peter Mack will perform on Saturday, July 25, 7:30 p.m.

Both recitals will take place in Roussel Hall. Tickets for each of the solo recitals will be $20 ($15 for students and seniors). A package ticket for both solo recitals will be available for $35/$25. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact the MASNO Office at 504.899.4826 or www.masno.org