2012 FOURTH BIENNIAL BARTO PRIZE
The Lake Eustis Institute announces the fourth biennial Barto Prize to be awarded March 24, 2012 for a composition for solo piano. The deadline for submissions has passed.
The judging panel will include composers Bright Sheng , Augusta Read Thomas, Aribert Reimann, conductor and pianist Christoph Eschenbach, and pianist Tzimon Barto.
As in previous years, pianist Tzimon Barto, for whom the prize is named, will play the winning composition at a concert in Eustis, Florida on March 24, 2012. There is also a $5,000 monetary prize.
The winning composition of the third Barto Prize by George King (U.K.) was performed by Tzimon Barto during a concert on Saturday, March 25, 2010 at the Bay State Theatre in Eustis, Florida. King’s winning composition, Piano Etudes, was played by Barto in the second half of a brilliant concert that featured Brahms’ Variations on a Theme of Paganini in A minor and Liszt’s Grandes `etudes de Paganini . The pianist’s virtuosity brought the audience to its feet after each piece. The prize winner attended the concert and received a trophy, a check for $5,000 and the commitment that Barto will play the composition during his 2012-2013 concert tour.
Barto, an international pianist, created the Barto Prize in 2006 as a way of giving back to the central Florida community where he has his roots.
George King, a concert pianist as well as a composer, is a resident of Derbyshire, England and began playing the piano at age four. In 2009, King concluded a successful tour of the United States with a Carnegie Hall performance. He has won many awards for both jazz and classical performances. As a composer, he has had his works performed in Europe and the United States. He composes orchestral works, compositions for jazz, big band, and many smaller works.
