Décimo Cuarto Concurso de Composición de Piano Fidelio. Via Internet (2023)

    «Take part in the Competition was truly an exciting experience! For me it was the first time I participated in a composition contest. How it was created and how it develops, where the jury are the same musicians who participate, it is truly innovative! Wonderful to listen to the music of many competitors participating from all over the world! Thank you, it was a great luck to know this contest and to have taken part!»

Matteo Ramon Arevalos Italy

    «Debería haber más iniciativas como la del concurso internacional Fidelio de composición para piano.  Para mí ha sido una experiencia fabulosa el poder escuchar, disfrutar y aprender de las composiciones y de las apreciaciones de músicos de todo el mundo. He participado en varias convocatorias, obteniendo un segundo premio en la VIII edición y un tercer premio en la XI edición, y seguramente vuelva a participar en ediciones futuras.  Mi enhorabuena por la estupenda gestión del concurso y felicidades a todos los ganadores y finalistas».

Luis Ponce de León Madrid (Spain)

     It has been a tremendous pleasure to participate in the Fidelio Piano Composition Contest! Having the opportunity to listen to great works by other composers, as well as to read their opinions on everyone else’s works, is invaluable and provides a clear notion on the trend regarding contemporary piano composition, throughout a variety of styles/genres. I also appreciate the democratic voting system, where each music piece is equally important and respectfully evaluated by the peers in each round. The contest’s organisation and rules are well established and have been carefully set from the start, so as to allow each participating work to have the same chance to become a winner. Thank you for such a wonderful experience!

Pedro Santos Sequeira Lisbon (Portugal)

     Thank you from my heart. It was a truly unique experience to take part in this. What is so unique about voting while being a participant at the same time? To me it is the aspect of taking responsibility which makes the whole process so different. To me, voting means taking a huge responsibility and developing an attitude of deep care and respect towards others. This totally shifts the perspective away from the purely egotistic striving for success and changes it into caring about others. I feel this is what the world needs so much. It creates the sort of atmosphere which humans would need so much on a world-wide basis in all aspects of life, profession and business.

Apart from that, I was deeply moved that there are so many people who are able to express something uniquely personal in their music. Also this gives me hope for the world to see this potential in humans!

I will surely like to take part in the next competition.

Daniel Fritzen Lübeck (Gernany)

     I really enjoyed taking part in this competition, and valued enormously the chance to listen to so many other composers’ pieces, as well as getting to read other people’s comments on my own pieces. Scrolling down the lists to find out whether your pieces had made it through to the next round quickly became a weekly buzz! Overall, a fascinating insight into contemporary piano composition, across a range of styles. The organiser did a great job masterminding these intricate proceedings, and he was very helpful and approachable throughout. Thank you for a fun experience.

Isabelle Ryder Saughall Massie, Merseyside

       «I greatly enjoyed taking part in  the Fidelio Piano Competition. Being able to participate in the competition by listening and rating other people’s musical pieces was definitely a great experience for me. Thank you for this opportunity! «

Irma Aghajanyan Bellevue (Washington) USA

     » It was a great experience for me to  participate in the Concurso Fidelio Competition. I really enjoyed listening to the variety of music submitted by the other composers and also was happy that they got to hear my music. I highly recommend this great opportunity to all composers.»

Andrew List Boston (Massachusetts) USA

     «Ha sido para mi una gran experiencia participar en el «V Concurso de Composición para piano Fidelio», donde he podido disfrutar con cada obra de los participantes. El haber mantenido el anonimato en las obras hasta el final lo hace mucho más atractivo, teniendo aún más protagonismo el hecho de que lo participantes sean los miembros jurados, lo cual hace que haya un resultado de votación justo. Fantástica la organización del concurso! Así que, animaros a participar y enhorabuena a los ganadores!»

Francisco Liberia Granada (España)

     » It was very interesting experience to participate in this competition. The voting system allows one to take part simultaneously as a contestant and a judge, what is most unusual and exciting. I had the possibility to listen to many very different piano works and learned a lot from it.»

Mark Pogolski München (Germany)

     » Overall my experience as a participant in the competition was very positive. I would like to comment in  3 sections.

Admin

The organisation and admin for the competition was very impressive. Results are delivered very timeously.

Voting Process

The voting process was very transparent and interesting. It was great being a cog in the voting processess and not just an outside observer.

The Music

Wow, the variety of style and sound was very pleasing, and the works are of excellent quality.

Highly recommend all composers to enter the competition. «

Arthur John Feder Stellenbosch (Republic of South Africa)

     » Thank you.  This has been a most enjoyable experience.  I was pleasantly surprised that two of my own works made it to the semifinal round, and happy to listen to so many fine works by other composers.  My wife said, «Wow, there really are good composers today!»  The whole process was easy; you had obviously thought through the potential difficulties in such an endeavor.  Thank you for providing a venue for amateur composers like myself to be heard.  Bravo! «

Kelly Anderson Pasadena (California) USA

     » I enjoyed listening to the wide range of musical styles.  It was rewarding to hear the music of composers from other countries. «

Betty Wishart Erwin (North Caroline) USA

     «The idea behind this competition is inspired! Even though my own music did not survive the third round, I loved listening to everyone’s music and casting my votes.  My college students liked the idea that anyone can participate in this event, and perhaps some of them will be future contestants.  Getting a glimpse of the larger musical world is priceless.  Muchisimas gracias por el concurso y felicidades a todos los concursantes!»

Shelley Rink Sacramento (California) USA

     » I really enjoyed participating in the competition.
It was fun and interesting and a very different kind of composition
competition. «

Paul Safar Eugene (Oregon) USA

     » This has been one of the more unique competitions I have participated in in recent memory. The concept of individuals acting as both  participants and judges is fascinating. Anonymity, coupled with an ear considerate of styles which may differ from one’s own, allows for true equity and, more importantly, a rare exposure to the current state of piano literature throughout the world. A delightful experience overall. «

Bryce Ethan Cannell Davis (California) USA

     » This competition is different. Actually, the concept of competitions in composition based on the anonymity of its author is good. This one has something more. This one is not conducted by a chosen jury. This one is affected only by its participants. This can lead to the point what may we take as a succesful piano piece amongst the composers’ sphere. By around 300 participants we can do some statistics from the results already. I really like the idea, you may say it is not helpful, you may say it is not relevant but you cannot say a word you did not choose it since you are part of it. Plus you can do all of it from your comfy sofa. «

Lukáš Janata Praha (Czech Republic)

     «This competition allows to discover other composers’ works and therefore provides an insight within the trends of modern contemporary music.»

Sébastien Gleis Howald (Luxembourg)

     » This is the first time i’ve been in a Piano Fidelio and it was awesome! The moderators had co-operated well and it was an amazing experience! I’d like to say «hats-off» to the admins! This is one competition where you get to learn from your mistakes! Thank you Piano Fidelio for the wonderful experience 🙂 «

Pranav Dhulipala Andhra Pradesh (India)

     I was very pleased with the comparison with other composers, I think this is very important to grow musically, probably I will participate again in the competition, it was really fun and exciting, thank you!

Daniela Munda San Benedetto del Tronto (Italy)

     «An interesting competition and fun to take part in, It’s interesting to see the marks and how people judge pieces».

Edmund Jolliffe London (England)

     The Fidelio Piano Competition was a very fun and interactive competition which allowed me (us) to hear some of our contemporaries on a very low-key, non-pressured level. It was also a great way to challenge my on-the-spot composition skills for creating a short and listening accessible piano piece. I had a great experience and plan on participating in the future.

Thomas Mann Austin (Texas) USA

     «El Concurso de Composición para piano Fidelio ofrece una experiencia novedosa y enriquecedora tanto a aquellos compositores noveles que debutan en el mundo de los concursos, como a aquellos que ya han participado en otras ocasiones en este tipo de competiciones. Esto se debe al formato que ofrece, en el que los participantes ejercen como jurado, ya que en la mayoría de concursos suele haber un jurado preseleccionado, que incluso puede llegar a ser manipulable. De este modo, los concursantes participan con la tranquilidad de que el veredicto será justo, y además pueden escuchar obras de otros compositores actuales, con la posibilidad, al final del concurso, de conocerlos y estrechar relaciones con otros músicos, lo cual es muy importante para cualquier compositor».

Osel Trenado Cullera (Valencia) (España)

     «Agradecerte la labor que haces al promocionar la composición ya que éste asunto no suele verse en concursos. Con ello se fomenta la creatividad y motivación de aficionados y profesionales de la música. Para mi lo que importa es el proceso de creación, porque disfruto escribiendo y tocando melodias que salen de mi imaginación sin importar el resultado final.  Espero con ansia el próximo concurso. Un saludo desde Las Palmas de Gran Canaria a tí y a cada uno de los particiantes.»

David García Padrón Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (España)

   I enjoyed taking part and drew inspiration from listening to many of the other compositions. I was very happy to have got so far in the competition, which was my first and it has encouraged me to try next time.

Caroline Wallis-Newport Yeovil (Somerset) (England)

     «Is was a really exciting and very well arranged experience: all composers live the competition «from inside» giving their votes.
It gave me a good opportunity to promote my pieces and overall to listen and to study the works and the styles of other composers.»

Fabrizio Rossi Roma (Italia)

     «This was a well organized and straightforward competition. I greatly enjoyed listening to the other composer’s works and felt that the entrance fee was a fair price.»

William Halimou Pleasantville (New York) USA

     This was the first time I had ever entered any competition and I have to say it was quite exciting. A piano composition is a reflection of the composer and should be treated as a personal masterpiece regardless of competency level. I believe that all musical creations, regardless of style, should be shared globally. Despite the results, being part of the Fidelio Piano Competition has been a great experience. Not only did it help expose my music but it gave me a chance to help others gain international recognition.

Angela Richards Scarborough (Ontario) Canada