Satoh beat off competition from six other finalists to win First Prize
The first ever International Schimmel Piano Competition has been won by Japanese pianist Raimu Satoh. As part of her winning package, Satoh wins a CD production including release plus digital distribution, OR a production of a music video.
All three of the top prizes were won by women, with German pianist Nicole Rudi placing 2nd and winning herself €2,000, and Daria Parkhomenko of Russia taking home both the 3rd Prize and the Audience Prize, giving her a total of €1,500.
24 young pianists from 10 nations qualified for the final rounds of the 1st International Schimmel Piano Competition, before being narrowed down to 7 finalists by the Jury (Prof. Wolfgang Zill (Jury Chairman), Prof. Markus Becker, Prof. Yuka Imamine, Prof. Tim Ovens and Prof. Milana Chernyavska).
The competition, which took place in Braunschweig, Germany, was due to take place last year but was delayed due to the global pandemic. The rules of the competition allow the pianists to freely choose their repertoire as long as there is a running theme through their choices. This marks a shift from the standard rule among many piano competitions in which the pianist normally must choose from a list of pieces.
Schimmel plans to continue to hold the competition on a regular basis thanks to the success of its first edition.
