Summer Programs
Oberlin International Adult Amateur Piano Competition & Festival
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Photo credit: Kevin Reeves
OBERLIN INTERNATIONAL ADULT AMATEUR PIANO COMPETITION & FESTIVAL
Thursday, July 24 - Thursday, July 31, 2025
Competition – Masterclasses – Performances
APPLICATIONS - Due April 1
This program is open to all top-level amateur pianists, ages 30 and up to come together from all walks of life to begin the week at Severance Hall to enjoy the Cooper Piano Competition Concerto Finals with the Cleveland orchestra, then dive right into the Competition and Festival to perform, compete and learn with other pianists like yourself!
Applicants must be amateur pianists of any profession, who do not perform or teach piano music for their primary income or financial benefit, and must not have performed in any professional piano competition in the past ten years.
Applicants must be at least 30 years old by the time of the Competition.
Prizes*
First Prize: $3,000, and performance opportunity at Oberlin, TBD
Second Prize: $1,000
Third Prize: $500
*The jury reserves the right to withhold an award; in the event of a tie, the prize money of the prize won and that of the next prize(s) in the ranking will be added up and distributed equally.
This Festival offers the choice to perform in the Competition. Performing in the Competition is not obligatory, and the Competition is not separate from, but part of the Festival.
Those taking part in the competition are also invited to perform in a master class and a recital in addition to the competition. Non-competing festival participants will have the opportunity to perform in the festival concert, a master class and a recital.
Faculty listed below are also the jury for the competition.
APPLICATION DEADLINE
April 1, 2025 - 11:59pm EST
ACCEPTANCE STATUS NOTIFICATION: April 15, 2025
Applicants must be amateur pianists of any profession, who do not perform or teach piano music for their primary income or financial benefit, and must not have performed in any professional piano competition in the past ten years. Applicants must be at least 30 years old by the time of the Competition.
Please note that VIDEO RECORDING LINK(S) are required in this application - your choice of repertoire.
One recording for Festival applicants, two recordings for Competition applicants.
Your choice of repertoire.
Application fee: $100
Robert Shannon, Director
Robert Shannon has presented solo recitals, ensemble concerts, and master classes throughout the United States, Europe, South America, and Asia. His repertoire ranges from Bach to Adams. He has been especially noted for his penetrating interpretations of recent American music.
He has commissioned and premiered works by John Harbison, Charles Wuorinen, Carla Bley, and Steven Dembski, among others. Shannon’s recordings of sonatas by Charles Ives on Bridge Records have received rave reviews worldwide. His recordings of Ives’ complete works for violin and piano, and works by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer George Crumb are also available on Bridge Records.
Shannon has performed at the Grand Teton Music Festival, the Festival Tibor Varga in Switzerland, the Sacramento Festival of American Music, and as guest artist with the Chicago Contemporary Chamber Players. In recent seasons, he has appeared in London, Paris, Glasgow, Rome, Stuttgart, New York, San Francisco, Colombia (South America), and Taiwan.
He is professor of piano at Oberlin Conservatory of Music, director of the Division of Keyboard Studies, and director and founder of the Cooper International Competition for Piano. He joined the Oberlin faculty in 1976.
Ernest Barretta
Recognized, at a young age, as a pianist “in command of his instrument and the music at every intricate turn ... his technical expertise, stage presence and sensitivity to the music are truly inspiring in so youthful a pianist” (McKeesport Daily News), American pianist Ernest Barretta continues to enjoy success as both soloist and chamber musician. He has performed extensively throughout the United States and abroad, as soloist with the St. Petersburg Symphony in St. Petersburg, Russia, the National Gallery Orchestra of Washington, D.C. and the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra. Sought after for both his performances of, and thoughts about, music, he has appeared in interviews and live performances at XM Radio studios, on WBJC in Baltimore and WFLN in Philadelphia. He has recorded contemporary, chamber and solo repertoire on multiple labels, and his solo recording of works by Bach, Beethoven, and Musorgsky on the MRC label has earned critical acclaim. As a collaborative artist, Barretta has performed and recorded with many internationally recognized musicians, and is a member of the Allegheny Ensemble and the Musa Amici trio. He twice appeared as soloist at the Seoul Summer Music Festival and Academy in South Korea, where he also served as a member of the piano faculty; he has also performed and given masterclasses at numerous music festivals in China and Tawain. In addition, he has served as a juror at international piano competitions in New York, China, and Taiwan.
Dr. Barretta additionally devotes a great deal of his time to teaching; the rewarding task of working with emerging talent is an important part of his life as a musician. He is currently on the piano faculty of the Juilliard School of Music, pre-college division, having served previously on the piano faculties of The Peabody Conservatory and Towson University. He also enjoys working as conductor and composer, and is Music Director of the several ensembles that make up the music program at St. Joseph, Fullerton, in Baltimore, MD.
Early studies of both piano and organ in the Pittsburgh, PA area led to top prizes in several local competitions, including those of the Pittsburgh Concert Society and the Pittsburgh Musician’s Club. He earned his BM in Piano Performance from the Oberlin Conservatory, studying with Sanford Margolis, MM from the University of the Arts and DMA from the Peabody Conservatory – studying with Yoheved Kaplinsky at both schools. He received several honors and distinctions along the way, such as the Rudolph Serkin Prize (Oberlin), the Strine Award (U of Arts) and the Zierler Award (Peabody). Currently, Dr. Barretta resides in the Baltimore area with his wife, Cynthia, and their daughter.
Carl Cranmer
Carl Cranmer made his debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra at the age of nine. Since then he has given solo recitals in Europe, Asia, and North America, and he has performed in concert with the Royal Philharmonic of England, the Gulbenkian Orquesta of Portugal, and the Juilliard Orchestra, among others. In addition to his study in the United States, he also studied at the Sommerakademie at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria where he was under the tutelage of Karlheinz Kammerling, Jacob Lateiner, and Hans Graf.
Cranmer has performed in important national and international venues including Avery Fisher Hall, Carnegie-Weill Hall, Alice Tully Hall, and Merkin Hall in New York; in the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.; and in the Academy of Music and the Kimmel Center’s Perelman Theater in Philadelphia. His performances have been televised in Madrid, Tokyo, Missouri, and Philadelphia, and his performances have been aired on NPR and radio stations in New York, Chicago, Montréal, Boston, and Atlanta. In addition to performances in Austria, France, England and Japan, he has had the opportunity to give two solo concert tours of Spain. In 2002, he was invited to perform a solo recital sponsored by the American and Spanish Embassies in Panama City, Panama.
Cranmer also performs a wide variety of chamber music. He has performed in recital with Naumburg Competition winner Axel Strauss in Boston, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Seattle. In 2004, their performance in Steinway Hall in New York City was broadcast by NHK on public television stations in Taiwan, Korea and Japan. Cranmer has also collaborated with the Grammy-winning Takács Quartet, baritone Randall Scarlata, tenor Robert White, and violinist Akiko Suwanai. He has performed in the summers at Tanglewood, Pianofest in the Hamptons, and the Bowdoin Summer Music Festival.
Cranmer can be heard in recordings of Samuel Barber’s Concerto for Piano with the Russian Philharmonia led by maestro Ovidiu Marinescu; "Soirée," a collection of solo works by Poulenc, Chopin, Fauré, Granados, Liszt, and Barber; and in collaboration with violinist Sylvia Ahramjian in music of Saint-Saëns, Beethoven, and others, titled "Crossroads."
Cranmer is on the faculty of West Chester University and is a member of the Music Teachers National Association. He gives numerous master classes in the Philadelphia area and maintains a private piano studio.
Ethan Dong
Pianist and Educator Ethan Yi Dong was discovered and brought to America by legendary conductor Herbert Zipper during his 1989 tour in China. Dong's exceptional talent was recognized early on when he emerged as the first-place winner in the Pearl River Cup National Piano Competition professional category while studying at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. Throughout his illustrious career, he has collaborated with esteemed members of the Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony, and Los Angeles Philharmonic while also serving as a soloist with distinguished orchestras such as the Pacific Symphony under the baton of Carl St. Clair, the Beijing Philharmonic Orchestra, Pacific Palisades Symphony, Brentwood Symphony, and the Crossroads Chamber Orchestra.
Dong's achievements include a triumphant debut solo recital at Carnegie Weill Recital Hall, where he performed after securing first prizes in both the Heida Hermanns International Piano Competition and the East-West International Piano Competition. His performances have taken him to esteemed venues, including Jordan Hall in Boston, Harvard University, the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, Hollywood Ford Amphitheatre, and even the Forbidden City for an exceptional performance for the President of China during the Asia Olympics. Dong has been featured on prominent radio and TV stations such as New York's WQXR, KUSC, China International Radio Broadcast Station, CBS, and LA Channel 18.
His music education began under the guidance of his mother, Professor Li Fei-Lan, at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. Additionally, Dong's father, a cellist from the Opera Philharmonic, played a significant role in shaping his musical development. Dong entered the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing in the fifth grade, studying with esteemed professors Ying Shi-Zhen and Pan Yi-Ming and receiving guidance from Tatiana Kravechenko, Li Qi-Fang, and Ling Yuan. Further studies in the United States saw him training with Mary Ann Cummins at the Crossroads School, Russell Sherman at New England Conservatory, and Claude Frank at Yale University. His mentors throughout his journey include Zhou Guang-ren, André Watts, and William Grant Naboré.
While pursuing his graduate studies at the Yale School of Music, Dong began teaching secondary piano lessons for Yale College. He later relocated to Orange County, California, where he continues to inspire and educate students. Many of his students have achieved remarkable success, performing at renowned venues like Carnegie Hall and receiving top prizes in prestigious competitions, including the Gina Bachauer International Junior Piano Competition, Bosendorfer & Schimmel International Piano Competition, Virginia Waring International Piano Competition, Los Angeles International Liszt Competition, and MTAC State Piano Competition, among others. Dong has been invited to conduct master classes at esteemed institutions such as Boston University, the Colburn School, Cal State Fullerton, and the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. Since 2015, he has served on the Oberlin Conservatory's summer piano festival faculty.
Dong's students have gained admission to esteemed conservatories and universities with full scholarships, including The Juilliard School, New England Conservatory of Music, Eastman School of Music, Peabody Institute of Music, Oberlin Conservatory & College, Columbia University, Yale University, Stanford University, Cornell University, Duke University, UC Berkeley, and UCLA. Notably, the White House Commission has named one of his students the U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts. Recently, two of his students have been named Young Steinway Artists.
In addition to his musical endeavors, Dong has significantly contributed to various institutions and organizations. He founded Opus119 in 2004 and currently holds the position of Affiliated Scholar at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. He serves on the Lake Como International Piano Academy board, which supports professional students who have achieved top prizes and acclaim in international competitions worldwide. Dong's efforts resulted in establishing the Oberlin-Como Piano Academy Fellowship program at Oberlin Conservatory in 2015, and in 2022, he collaborated with the United Nations (UNITRA) to form a joint UN/Oberlin partnership. He has previously held roles such as President of the Music Teachers' Association of California (MTAC) Orange County North Branch and Director of the Elizabeth Mandell Music Institute (EMMI), the music division of Crossroads School for Arts and Science. Presently, he serves as the President of the Opus Music Foundation, where he applies his artistry and management skills to further the growth and development of young artists.
Mr. Dong is also a Microsoft Certified Internet Professional and System Engineer in his spare time. He dedicates his expertise to overseeing the development and deployment of music-related software, furthering his commitment to advancing next-generation music education.
Haewon Song
Pianist Haewon Song is a member of the acclaimed Oberlin Trio. An internationally recognized artist and pedagogue, Song has performed and taught at top venues throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. Her frequent appearances include concerto performances with the KBS Orchestra in Seoul, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the
Cleveland Chamber Symphony, and Oberlin Conservatory ensembles.
Song has appeared at numerous international festivals, among them Mexico’s Cervantino Festival, the All-American Music Festival in Stuttgart, Grand Teton Music Festival, Aria Festival, Canada’s Institute of Musical Arts, Festival de Nice in France, the Oberlin Summer Piano Festival, and the Tonghai Music Festival in Taiwan. In 2005, Song toured Korea as a member of the Oberlin Piano Quartet, which included celebrated performances in Daejun and at the Kumho Concert Hall in Seoul.
A native of South Korea, Song attended the Toho School in Tokyo, Peabody Preparatory School, and the Juilliard School, where her major teachers were Julian Martin, Martin Canin, and Shuku Iwasaki. She has taught at Tunghai University in Taiwan and Kyung Won University in Seoul, and has been a member of the Oberlin piano department since 1991. Throughout her tenure at Oberlin, her students have won major prizes in both national and international competitions, including MTNA Nationals, Wideman, Kingsville, Oberlin International Piano, Walgreen, World, and Corpus Christi, and they regularly appear with significant orchestras across the United States and Asia.
ONLINE PAYMENT SYSTEM
APPLICATION FEE: $100
$1,900 - Program fee, single room & meals (July 24 dinner - July 31 breakfast).
$1,800 - Program fee, double room (two beds in the room) & meals.
Program Dormitory: Kahn Hall
Commuters
$1,250 - Program fee only (for commuters)
$1,500 - Program fee and two meals/day
PAYMENT DUE MAY 1
CHECKS MAY BE WRITTEN TO: OBERLIN COLLEGE
AND SENT TO:
ADULT AMATEUR PIANO COMPETITION & FESTIVAL
CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC
77 WEST COLLEGE STREET
OBERLIN OHIO 44074
PRIVATE LESSONS
Private lessons are available at a rate of $130 per 50-minute lesson to be paid directly to the faculty. Available lesson slots will be posted on the faculty studio door.
Those competing can not take private lessons with the faculty until they are no longer in the competition.
Please feel free to email: Anna Hoffmann: ahoffman@oberlin.edu