Piano Festival
The WSU Piano Festival held each March celebrates the art of piano playing and provides an educational experience and development of young pianistic talent. Open to budding and pre-professional pianists grades 1-12, contestants perform in front of our renowned, award-winning guest faculty, interact with fellow students and current collegiate pianists of Weber State and have the chance to win prizes as well as mentorship opportunities with professional artist-faculty. You will need to pay for registration when signing up online.
Registration has closed for this year's festival. Please check back later for 2024 event registration.
2023 Festival Winners
Mini-Artist Division
- 1st: Alice Coombs
- 2nd: Bennet Eyring
- 3rd: Addy Keith
- Honorable(s): Jacob Kesler & Candace Horton
Bach & Sonatina Division
- 1st: Anna Smith
- 2nd: Edward Pan
- 3rd: Victoria Chiang
- Honorable: Sharon Gunn
Grades 1-3, Regular Division
- 1st: Alice Coombs
- 2nd: Douglas Ogden
Grades 4-6, Regular Division
- 1st: Ethan Zhao
- 2nd: McKay Smith
- 3rd: Miriam Wolford
Grades 7-9, Regular Division
- 1st: Edward Pan
- 2nd: Liahona Hirokawa
- 3rd: Anna Smith
- Honorable(s): Christopher Cai & Hailey Rasmussen
Grades 10-12, Regular Division
- 1st: Kira Lund
- 2nd: Emily Runov
- 3rd: Aubrey DeMordaunt
Duet Division
- 1st: Angel Wang & Joyce Wang
- 2nd: Lily Neuenschwander & Jaci Jacobsmeyer
Online Grades 1-6 Division
- 1st: Bryson Zhiyu Su
- 2nd: Masa Dormer
- 3rd: Olive Jones
- Honorable(s): Isaac LaMeres & Matteo Ardizzone
Online Grades 7-12 Division
- 1st: Nayeon Koo
- 2nd: Sung Jae Sagong
- 3rd: Min Young Kim
- Honorable(s): Seung A Kim
Performance Divisions
Regular Divisions
Grades 1-3, 4-6, 7-9, 10-12
Students performing in one of these divisions must perform two contrasting classical pieces from memory (no popular music). Unaccompanied concerto movements are permitted.
First prize for grades 1-3: $50
First prize for grades 4-6: $50
First prize for grades 7-9: $75
First prize for grades 10-12: $75
Time allotments:
- Grades 1-3: 3 minutes
- Grades 4-6: 5 minutes
- Grades 7-9: 8 minutes
- Grades 10-12: 10 minutes
Mini-Artist Division
Grades 1-6
Applicants must perform one complete piece from memory that is 3 minutes or less (no excerpts). This division provides students with the opportunity to master one piece. Judge’s decisions will emphasize the quality of the performance, rather than the difficulty of the work.
First prize: $30
Time allotment: 3 minutes
Bach and Sonatina Division
Grades 1-12
Students must perform either one memorized work by J.S. Bach or one movement of a Classical Sonatina by memory.
First prize: $30
Time allotment: 5 minutes
Duet Divisions
Grades 1-6 and grades 7-12
Applicants entering the duet division must play two contrasting pieces for one piano four hands. Duets requiring two pianos are not permitted. Memorization is not required.
First prize: $40 for each performer
Time allotments:
- Grades 1-6: 8 minutes
- Grades 7-12: 10 minutes
Music by Hispanic/Latinx Composers Division
Grades 1-12
Students must perform one memorized work written by composers of Hispanic or Latinx origin, such as Enrique Granados, Federico Mompou, Antonio Soler, Joaquín Turina and Manuel de Falla.
First prize: $50
Time allotment: 10 minutes
Online Division
Grades 1-12
This takes place entirely online. Applicants must perform one or two pieces by heart and submit either a video file (.mp4 or .mov) or provide access links to public platforms such as YouTube or Vimeo.
First prize for grades 1-6: $50
First prize for grades 7-12: $75
Time allotment: 10 minutes
School of Performing Arts
801-626-6437
Val A. Browning Center
Weber State University
3950 W. Campus Dr.
Ogden, UT, 84408-1905