More than one thousand young piano players competed in four categories of the Smetana International Piano Competition in Greater China this year. The jury of the competition, which included Mr. Miroslav Brejcha, Director of Conservatory of Pilsen, and Mr. Jan Jiraský, Head of Piano Department of the Janacek Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Brno, and other piano specialists, had a very difficult task to choose the best performing talents among the competitors.

The winners of the piano competition were handed their prizes by the Deputy Ambassador of the Czech Republic in China Mr. Zbyněk Noha. In his speech he mentioned a good example of Czech-Chinese cooperation in the field of music – the recital of a Chinese pianist Chen Sa at Prague Spring Festival in May 2015. He also pointed out when speaking to the young Chinese piano players that “if they play with their heart they will be closer to even greater success”. The best among the winners will have a chance to compete in the final stage of the Smetana International Piano Competition in Pilsen, Czech Republic in 2016.

The piano competition is named after a famous Czech composer Bedrich Smetana who lived in 19^th century and was himself a gifted pianist. Internationally he is best known for his opera The Bartered Bride; for the symphonic cycle Má vlast (“My Homeland”), which portrays the history, legends and landscape of the composer's native land; and for his First String Quartet, From My Life.

The link to the official site of the Smetana International Piano Competition: www.piano-competition.com