CLEVELAND, OHIO – The Cleveland International Piano Competition, recognized as one of the world’s premier competitions for concert pianists, will present PIANO /OHIO 2004, its competition for young students. PIANO/OHIO, to be held in March, April, and May 2004, is open to any to any piano student in grades 9 through 12 who is a resident of Ohio.

“Competitions are an important way for young musicians to build confidence and experience,” said Karen Knowlton, executive director of the Cleveland International Piano Competition. “PIANO/OHIO gives young students the opportunity to perform in front of professional jury and get the feel of a major competition and the lifestyle of a concert pianist. We hope to give them a little inspiration and support in the early stages of their musical development.”

Six qualifying rounds will be held at locations throughout Northeast Ohio in March and April 2004. A three-member jury at each site will consist of two representatives from the host institution and one professional pianist sent by the Competition.

Qualifying rounds will be held at the following locations:

Lorain County Community College	Saturday, March 20	1:00 p.m.
University of Akron	Sunday, March 21	9:30 a.m.
Cuyahoga Community College (Western Campus)	Saturday, March 27	10:00 a.m.
Fine Arts Association in Willoughby	Sunday, March 28	1:00 p.m.
Cleveland State University	Friday, April 2	6:30 p.m.
Kent State University	Saturday, April 3	9:30 a.m.

Each location will send one candidate to the semi-finals. In addition, six more candidates (the “wild cards”) will be selected to advance to the semi-finals even though these contestants did not win a first prize in the qualifying rounds.

The twelve semi-finalists will perform at The Cleveland Museum of Art on May 1, 2004, beginning at 10:00 a.m. At the conclusion of the semi-finals, six finalists will be chosen to advance to the final round. The final round will be held at The Cleveland Museum of Art on Sunday, May 2, beginning at 1:00 p.m. This event will be broadcast live on WCLV, FM 104.9 in Cleveland. A panel of esteemed pianists and music professionals will judge the semi-final and final rounds.

Students performing in the final rounds will receive generous prizes, including:

• First prize: $500
• Second prize: $400
• Third prize: $300
• Finalist prizes: $100 each

All participants will receive the following:

• A voucher for tickets to the 2005 Cleveland International Piano Competition.

• Tickets to the Viva Piano Recital Series, featuring laureates of the 2003 Cleveland International Piano Competition.

• A master class coached by Italian native Roberto Plano, first prize winner of the 2001 Competition.

• A compact disc of performances by the four laureates of the 2003 Cleveland International Piano Competition.

Semi-finalists and finalists also will be invited to perform at the Competition’s 2-day Radiothon fundraiser, which is broadcast live in its entirety by WCLV.

The deadline for submission of applications is February 1, 2004. A $15 application fee is required, along with parent/guardian approval and the signature of the student’s current piano teacher. Applications for PIANO/OHIO are being distributed to piano teachers throughout Ohio. Students and teachers wishing to participate may also call the Competition office at 216.707.5397 to request an application.