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Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation records

 Collection
Identifier: MSS 7917

Scope and Contents

Collection contains the administrative records for the Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation which includes audio recordings of performances and applicants, ephemera and publicity records regarding the International Piano competition, correspondence from various people and organizations regarding the foundation, and other materials relating to the Foundation and competition, 1958-2007.

Dates

  • 1958-2007

Creator

Administrative history

The Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation (1976-) is a foundation established in memory of the Greek concert pianist Gina Bachauer. The foundation runs the Bachauer International Piano Competition, which is held in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition began as the Brigham Young University Summer Piano Festival and International Competition hosted by Brigham Young University as part of the Summer Piano Festival for a five-year period (1976-1980). It continues to the present. The name of Gina Bachauer was given to the competition in honor of the great Greek pianist who was a celebrated favorite of Utah audiences and appeared with Maurice Abravanel and the Utah Symphony in concert during eight subscription concerts. In 1980, the Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition relocated to Salt Lake City under the patronage of the Utah Symphony. The competition was held on a biennial schedule, every other year, during the month of June. During this period, the Gold Medalist received a Steinway Grand Piano and a New York recital debut.

In 1983, the Foundation was admitted as a member of the World Federation of International Music Competitions based in Geneva, Switzerland. In 1987, the Foundation instituted international auditions in seventeen cities worldwide for the purpose of identifying qualified applicants. That same year the first Junior International Competition for pianists ages eight to eighteen was inaugurated, which was modeled after the original competition. In 1990, two junior international piano competitions were held during different weeks, addressing the talents of two different age levels. The years continued with alternating competitions, those of the junior levels and the original competition featuring candidates ranging from nineteen to thirty-two years in age. In 1995, the four-year cycle of various international competitions was set into the Foundation's schedule. They included the two Junior Competitions, the original Artists Competitions of ages nineteen to thirty-two, and the newly created Amateur Piano Competition for non-professional musicians ages thirty-three to one hundred. The four-year schedule was fully operational in 1999. 2003 marked the first Amateur Artists Piano Competition. In 2004, the Foundation sponsored the Gina Bachauer International Piano Teams and Junior Piano Competitions. Groups of five pianists performing at five pianos were held and music was written especially for this combination. In 2005, the Young Artists Piano Competition began for competitors ages fourteen to eighteen. Candidates from every continent and more than forty countries have participated as contestants in these international competitions.

In total since 1976, the Foundation has sponsored fourteen Artists International Competitions (ages nineteen to thirty-two), eight Young Artists International Competitions (ages fourteen to eighteen) (previous years ages eight to eleven), three Junior International Piano Competitions (ages eleven to thirteen), one Amateur International Piano Competition (ages thirty-three to one hundred), two International Piano Ensemble Competitions (all ages), and twenty-two International Piano Festivals.

In 2002, the Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation inaugurated several new procedures for the direction and management of the competitions. It was decided that all candidates for the Artists Competition would be accepted by a "live" audition at a selected worldwide site of choice. For the recital programs of the competition, a new procedure allows each competitor to perform three rounds without elimination, thereby giving each candidate an opportunity to be heard by the international jury members in a total of almost one hundred minutes of solo literature prior to any judgment being rendered. Also, each candidate became totally responsible for selection of their own repertory, as no required or specific works were suggested or required as part of the competition recitals.

Conditions Governing Access

Open to public research.

Conditions Governing Use

It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances. Permission to publish material from the Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation records must be obtained from the Supervisor of Reference Services and/or the L. Tom Perry Special Collections Board of Curators.

Extent

138 boxes (69 linear ft.)

36 cartons (36 linear ft.)

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement

Arranged into four series: 1. Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation administrative records, 1976-2006. 2. Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation audio recordings, 1994-2006. 3. Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation ephemera and publicity records, 1958-2007. and 4. Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation correspondence, 1982-2000.

Custodial History

Donated by the Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation in 2007.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Donated; Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation; 2007.

Appraisal

International piano competition records (Section IV.a.i.2 Music Special Collections Development Policy September 2010).

Processing Information

Processed; Elizabeth West; July 2011.

Title
Register of the Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation records
Status
Completed
Author
Elizabeth West
Date
2011 July 12
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English in Latin script.

Repository Details

Part of the L. Tom Perry Special Collections Repository

Contact:
1130 HBLL
Brigham Young University
Provo Utah 84602 United States