Spectrum News: CCM Professor Awadagin Pratt launches new piano competition
Supported by a grant from the Sphinx Organization, the Nina Simone Piano Competition occurs in 2023
Spectrum News 1 recently featured UC College-Conservatory of Music Professor of Piano and Artist-in-Residence Awadagin Pratt in a profile spotlight about his career and new Nina Simone Piano Competition, which is scheduled to take place in 2023.
Awadagin Pratt. Photo/Provided
Pratt one of three recipients of $100,000 in grant funding from the Sphinx Organization, a social justice organization dedicated to transforming lives through the power of diversity in the arts, with a strong focus on classical music. The funding will support the Nina Simone Piano Competition, which will be housed within Pratt’s Art of the Piano festival, an affiliate CCM program.
This competition is open to young Black American pianists between the ages of 10 and 35 and will be divided into junior, senior, and young artist categories. The winners of each division will receive monetary winnings, performance opportunities and admittance into Art of the Piano.
Not only does Pratt hope to encourage young Black performers with the new competition, but he also plans to use some of the grant money to commission new works for piano. Applications for the inaugural event will open in December 2022. Read about Pratt and the Nina Simone Piano Competition in the Cincinnati Business Courier.
About the Sphinx Organization
Focused on increasing representation of Black and Latinx artists in classical music and recognizing excellence, Sphinx programs serve beginner students to seasoned classical music professionals, as well as cultural entrepreneurs and administrators.
Sphinx began in 1997 as a singular initiative: the Sphinx Competition for young Black and Latinx string players. The goal of founder, violinist Aaron P. Dworkin, was to identify, empower, and support talented young artists and prepare them for professional careers in classical music.
Based in Detroit, Michigan, but with nationwide reach, Sphinx envisions a day where the classical music field looks like our communities: where every young person has the opportunity to express themselves and learn classical music; where audiences reflect the people we see on our streets; and where leadership—on stage and off—includes all deserving voices. Learn more at sphinxmusic.org.
About CCM Piano Studies
Piano study at CCM emphasizes the development of pianistic, musical, performing and teaching skills.
All degree programs are designed to integrate the great traditions of the past with the development of skills necessary for the demands of the music profession in the 21st century. The various degree programs are rigorous in their challenges, while retaining flexibility in order to address each student's relative strengths and weaknesses on an individual basis. Piano students at CCM can avail themselves of the enormous variety of programs offered by the college and the university to supplement the core music curriculum.
The philosophy of the CCM Piano Department is one of strong reliance on the mentoring process, by which the students' private teachers guide them both pianistically and musically, and advise them in all aspects of their overall education and development. Our goal is to prepare our students to excel in the demands of college life as well as to prepare them for the rigors of today's professional world.
Feature image at the top: Awadagin Pratt. Photo/Provided.
Alexandra Doyle
CCM Graduate Assistant , Marketing + Communications
Alexandra Doyle is a doctoral candidate studying clarinet performance at CCM. Alexandra’s master’s degree is also from CCM, and she holds bachelor’s degrees in clarinet performance and journalism from the University of Houston.
Related Stories
UC Law professors recognized for scholarly excellence
December 19, 2024
University of Cincinnati College of Law professors Stephanie McMahon and Andrew Mamo were recently recognized for their scholarly contributions.
ADAAPT: Growing Student Ideas
December 19, 2024
Steven Doehler, an industrial design professor at the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP), says he prioritizes the entrepreneurial aspect of a student's design product – which led him to create HomeGrown Studio.
Should voters have more say in Ohio's Legislature?
December 19, 2024
UC Professor David Niven talks to WVXU about gerrymandering in Ohio.