Liberace Piano Competition

2008 Liberace Piano Competition Rules and Regulations

Divisions of Competition

Classical - Junior Division - 12 years and under. Contestant's date of birth must be on or after October 1, 1996.

Classical - Senior Division - Contestants must be born before October 1, 1996 and after October 1, 1990.

Classical - Open Division - Contestants must be enrolled in an accredited higher education music program. Contestants may be enrolled bachelors, graduate, doctoral or certificate programs.

Showmanship - Division - Open to amateur and professional performers of all ages. Contestants must perform two selections: one (I) classical selection and one (1) additional selectionl arrangement that reflects Liberace's spirit of showmanship and entertainment ability. Classical selection should be from standard piano repertoire. Suggested composers among Liberace's favorites include Chopin, Rachmaninoff, or Liszt.

Competitors may compete in the competition multiple years. Previous winners are eligible to compete in the Classical Divisions. Prize winners in the Showmanship Division are not.

Contestant Showcase

Successful contestants from the preliminary round have been invited to perform in a competitor showcase on August 10 at the Liberace Museum in Las Vegas. Transportation and accommodations are the responsibility of the contestants.

Contestants have been invited to perform up to a 7 minute program on either a concert grand piano or Liberace's famous rhinestone covered piano. This event will NOT be judged but should be considered somewhat of a dress rehearsal for the semi-finals. Contestants are not required to play their competition selection in the Showcase.

Semi-Final Competition

The semi-final round of competition will be on Saturday, September 13 and Sunday, September 14. Semi-final competition will be by appointment time and will be in front of an adjudicator panel and an audience. Contestants will be required to have three (3) copies of their musical selection to present to the Adjudicator Panel.

Rehearsal time will be by appointment only on Friday, September 12 from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Rehearsal appointments will be limited to 10 minutes. Contestants will be contacted by the Liberace Foundation to set rehearsal appointments.

Adjudicator Considerations

Competition judging will be based on a point system and discretionary adjudicator ranking.

1) Technical Skill

2) Artistic Impression – This includes appropriateness of musical selection to age and current musical development.

3) Audience Appeal

Showmanship Division competitors will be further judged on their ability to communicate the joyful spirit of Liberace’s showmanship as well as overall audience appeal. Costumes are encouraged. Showmanship competitors may perform with accompaniment tracks but format (CD or MP3) will be dictated by the Liberace Competition based on technology available which is to be determined. Sound check appointments will be set accordingly. Dressing room space may be limited to public restrooms adjacent to performance space. Please plan accordingly.

Adjudicator decisions are final.

The Final Competition

Sunday, September 21, 2008
The top three competitors in each division will be invited to compete in The Final Competition on Sunday, September 21, 2008 at Community Auditorium, 3720 E. Tropicana Avenue. Transportation and accommodations are the responsibility of the competitors.

Prizes

Classical Junior Division – First Prize $500 Scholarship
Classical Senior Division – First Prize $500 Scholarship
Classical Open Division – First Prize $1,000 Scholarship
Showmanship Division – First Prize $1,000

In each division a certificate will be presented to the 2nd and 3rd place finalists.

In the Junior and Senior Divisions Scholarship money will be directed to approved music teachers who are registered with the Liberace Foundation for the benefit of the student winner. Piano teachers may register with The Liberace Foundation by contacting Shirley Swift at 702.798.5595 ext. 16 or e-mail at SSwift@LIBERACE.org.

In the Open Division, scholarship will be directed to the accredited school or program where the student is enrolled for use by the student. In the Showmanship Division a check will be presented to the winner. Tax liabilities are the responsibility of the winner.

The Liberace Foundation will invite winners to perform at the Liberace Museum and will be working to create other performance opportunities for winners.

Any further information regarding the Liberace Piano Competition,
contact: Shirley Swift at 702.798.5595 ext 16 or via e-mail at SSwift@Liberace.org

Background

Liberace transported audiences to a dazzling world of color, jovial music, glittering costumes and humor in a career that began at age four, brought him to Las Vegas in 1944 and took him around the world until his "final curtain" in 1987. In 1976 Liberace created The Liberace Foundation for the Performing and Creative Arts with a sincere interest in promoting new talent and supporting all of the arts.

Liberace's legacy of showmanship and philanthropy lives on in The Liberace Museum, considered to be Mr. Showmanship's greatest encore performance. Liberace opened his Museum in 1979 to share his collections with the world and to support his love of being an active patron of the arts, and most importantly to support his mission of helping talented students pursue careers in the performing and creative arts through scholarship assistance. To date, The Liberace Foundation has awarded in excess of $5 million in scholarships to more than 2,500 students at over 100 colleges and universities throughout the U.S.

Liberace's showmanship is legendary, but few people realize that he was classically trained for 17 years. One of the ways that we keep the Liberace legacy alive is through the Liberace Piano Competition. The Liberace Piano Competition has evolved over the past 15 years from a tradition of what was originally known as the Liberace Play-a-like Contest. Foundation board member and former Liberace publicist Jamie James and his team at The James Agency created that concept to inspire enthusiasm for the wonderful performance legacy given to us by Mr. Showmanship himself.

In 2006 The Liberace Foundation expanded the contest to perpetuate not only Liberace's legacy of showmanship, but also to celebrate and recognize his training and expertise in the classical genre. Contestants now compete in one of four divisions based on age, experience and interest in classical or showmanship style of performance. In 2007, with the help of volunteers from our Liberace League, competitors performed for more than 1,000 guests during the course of the full competition. Competitors included local residents of the Las Vegas area but also natives of Russia, England, Australia and Mexico.

The Liberace Piano Competition conducted in three rounds - Preliminary via adjudicator review of audio and video recordings, Semi-Finals, and Finals. Additionally, competitors are given the opportunity to perform at the Liberace Museum in a Competitor Showcase. Scholarships and cash prizes are awarded and winners will be invited to perform at the Liberace Museum in solo recitals and will be promoted for other performance opportunities. Judges have included notable music professionals from around the country with training and expertise in classical music as well as Broadway and popular music.

The 2008 Adjudicator Panel will be selected and chaired by Philip Fortenberry. One of Broadway's most sought after pianists; Fortenberry, one of Broadway's most sought after pianists, holds a Master's Degree in classical performance, is an accomplished composer and an international concert and recording artist. He holds a Master of Music degree in classical piano performance from New Jersey City University and was an adjunct faculty member in the Steinhardt School of Education at New York University. Fortenberry judged The Liberace Competition in 2007 and has enthusiastically agreed to serve in a volunteer capacity as Competition Artistic Director and Chair of the Adjudicator Panel.