Centenary hosts 71st Wideman Piano Competition December 2-4
SHREVEPORT, LA – Centenary’s Hurley School of Music is proud to once again host the Wideman International Piano Competition, celebrating its 71st year in 2022. The competition will run December 2 through 4 in Hurley’s Anderson Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public on Friday and Saturday. Patrons attending the finale rounds on December 4 are encouraged to make a donation of $10 per person to help support the competition.
The 2022 Wideman Competition features 33 international contestants representing Australia, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Italy, New Zealand, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Uzbekistan. The contestants study at premier music schools in the United States, including the Juilliard School, Colburn Conservatory, Eastman School of Music, Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, Glenn Gould School, Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the University of Michigan, Yale University, San Francisco Conservatory, New England Conservatory, Cleveland Conservatory, Northwestern University, Manhattan School of Music, University of Cincinnati College Conservatory, Texas Christian University, the University of Houston, the University of Texas at Austin, Miami Frost School of Music, and Southern Methodist University.
The Wideman Competition was founded in 1950 by the late Nena Plant Wideman, a prominent Shreveport piano teacher, concert pianist, and member of the Centenary College piano faculty, and by the late John Shenaut, conductor and founder of the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra. Alon Goldstein, winner of the 1996 Wideman competition, is the current artistic director, assisted by Regina Tanujaya.
The first rounds of competition will be held Friday, December 2, from 1:00 to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday, December 3, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Finale performances will be Sunday, December 4, beginning at 1:00 p.m. Doors open 15 minutes prior to the start time for each event.
More information about the Wideman Competition is available at widemanpianocompetition.com.