Ilmari Hannikainen Piano Chamber Music Competition – Finals 4.–5.3.

Wed 4.3. Paviljonki at 18
Thu  5.3. Paviljonki at 18

Jaan Ots, conductor
Finalists of the international category

Born in Jyväskylä, Ilmari Hannikainen and his siblings formed Finland’s first professional chamber ensemble. Inspired by this legacy, the piano competition held in his name since the 1970s was revamped into a two-tier ensemble competition. The national youth series begins on February 24 at the Hannikainen Hall of the Finnish Music Campus, where the preliminary rounds of the international series will also take place from 26.2.-1.3.

The international series, which has reached ever higher levels with each edition, features ensembles in the following formations: piano trio (violin, cello, piano), violin-piano duo, and piano duo performed either four-hand or on two pianos. Composers on the concert program include Beethoven, Casella, Czerny, Hummel, Martinů, Mendelssohn, Mozart, and Poulenc.

The jury will determine which ensembles advance from Hannikainen Hall to perform alongside the Jyväskylä Sinfonia in the finals. Members of the international jury include Paavali Jumppanen (chair, Finland), Mindaugas Bačkus (Lithuania), Johan Fröst (Sweden), Marianna Shirinyan (Denmark), and Cecilia Zilliacus (Sweden-Finland).

The competition is officially recognized by the prestigious WFIMC network of international music competitions. Its main partners in Central Finland include the Finnish Music Campus and its institutions, the City of Jyväskylä, and Jyväskylä Sinfonia.

For up-to-date competition information: kesmes.fi