Event information

Founded by Dr. Mayu Nomura in partnership with Teklus, LLC, the Reno Tahoe Piano Competition was developed with the intention of providing young pianists the opportunity to have an inspirational, positive, and fun experience in an encouraging and supportive environment that engages the diverse musical community in Reno, Nevada and beyond. While the COVID-19 pandemic has inhibited concert hall and competition traditions, performing for live audiences remains crucial for pianists to develop artistry, self-efficacy, and stage presence. The mission of the Reno Tahoe Piano Competition is to provide an environment that engages the musical community and nurtures artistic sensitivity; participants will be evaluated on their musicality and stage presence in a live performance setting. Emphasizing excellence and creativity, the competition encourages contestants to program and perform their repertoire—whether it be pop, jazz, rock, classical, or another genre—with passion, pride, style, sensitivity, and finesse. The Reno Tahoe Piano Competition is an event that will uplift and motivate young pianists on their artistic journey, honoring their dedication to the study of music and providing invaluable performance experience with feedback from professional pianists currently engaged in active performance and teaching careers. We hope you will join us! 

Important Dates

Registration Due: February 5, 2022
(The registration may close early once the event schedule is filled.)

Competition: February 19, 2022

Event Location

Steinway Piano Gallery of Reno
500 East Moana Lane, Reno, NV 89502

RTPC reserves the right to change the event format or cancel the entire event due to the health concerns and/or orders by governing agencies.  If cancelled, your registration fee will be refunded.

Age Categories

Division A: Ages 14 – 18
Division B: Ages 10 – 13
Division C: Ages 9 and under
(as of February 19, 2022)

Prizes

Division A – 1st place: $300/ 2nd place: $150 / 3rd place: $75

Division B – 1st place: $300/ 2nd place: $150 / 3rd place: $75

Division C – 1st place: $300/ 2nd place: $150 / 3rd place: $75

Teklus Grand Prize – $500 (selected based solely on the sponsor’s discretion)

Time Limit

Division A – 12 minutes
Division B – 8 minutes
Division C – 5 minutes

Registration Fee

$40 each participant (online payment only)

Repertoire Requirement

Participants are required to play two pre-selected pieces:

1) Standard classical repertoire (Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Contemporary)

2) Non-standard classical repertoire (Jazz, Arrangement of popular songs, Hymns, Film music, Original compositions) OR contrasting standard classical repertoire

General Rules

  • Winners of the Reno-Tahoe Piano Competition are selected based on exceptional musicianship, technical mastery, communication ability as a performer, originality, spontaneity, individuality, and versatility. The judges are given the flexibility to select winners based on these criteria.
  • There will be two assigned judges from two areas: piano and composition.
  • At the conclusion of the competition, winners of each division will be announced to the public. Their names and photos will be posted on the website.
  • The order of appearance of pianists will be determined and scheduled arbitrarily and will be notified about one week prior to the competition.
  • Each contestant will be judged by a wide variety of parameters such as musicianship, technical mastery, communication ability as a performer, originality, spontaneity, individuality, and versatility.
  • The decision of the judges is final and not subject to questions, revisions, or appeals.
  • All works are to be performed from memory.
  • All contestants must bring in their own legal copies of the repertoire, including original compositions.  Failure to do so will not prevent the contestant from competing but will result in disqualification from placing. 
  • RTPC reserves the right to audio record, video, and photograph as well as display the winners on the website and social media as such.
  • Although RTPC strives to provide the participants with the most memorable experience possible, there could be an unforeseeable cause beyond its control that prevents RTPC from carrying out the event.  RTPC shall have the right to postpone, cancel, reschedule, or terminate the event without liability and shall be relieved of its obligations to the participants.  Only if the event is canceled or terminated before the conclusion of the schedule, RTPC will refund the registration fee.  Otherwise, all registrations are final and nonrefundable.

Health

  • The safety of our staff and participants is our overriding priority.  RTPC organizes and carries out the event abiding by the requirements for gatherings in Washoe County during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • In order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus and reduce the potential risk of exposure at the event, all in-person participants are required to complete and submit a COVID-19 health screening form prior to entering the event venue.  Please do not enter the venue until the screening has been reviewed and the entry has been approved.
  • The audience is limited to 5 persons in the recital hall where in-person participation is performed.  The only audience from the same household of the participant is allowed to enter the recital hall during his/her performance.  While no public audience is allowed, RTPC plans to set up a YouTube streaming channel to broadcast the entire event for public viewing.