Deadline extended for International Accompanist Award

Birmingham Conservatoire and Yamaha UK have extended the call for applications for the 2009 Yamaha Birmingham Accompanist of the Year Award (YBAYA), a prestigious international competition celebrating the talents of collaborative pianists. The new entry deadline will be Monday 3rd August 2009. Held every two years, the YBAYA competition consistently attracts exceptionally talented musicians from all over the world, who compete for a cash prize of £1500 and the chance to give a recital. This year YBAYA welcomes back its inaugural adjudicator, Roger Vignoles, one of the world’s leading accompanists, to judge the tenth competition. Roger Vignoles is internationally recognised as one of the world’s most distinguished piano accompanists and musicians of today. He regularly partners the finest singers in major venues around the world and is regarded as a leading authority on the song repertoire, both as an art and execution. The most recent partnerships include Thomas Allen, Christine Brewer, Susan Graham, Angelika Kirchschlager, Bernarda Fink, Kate Royal, Anne Schwanewilms, Joan Rodgers, Mark Padmore, John Mark Ainsley, Christopher Maltman, Robert Holl, Florian Boesch, Jonathan Lemalu, Measha Bruggergosman, Miah Persson, Robert Holl, Katerina Karneus, Elizabeth Watts, Andrew Kennedy, Ailish Tynan and Renata Pokupic. He is also an outstanding teacher who gives masterclasses around the world. He is currently the director of Sommer Lied Weinberg in Upper Austria and the annual Ciclo de Lied Galega at Santiago de Compostela in Spain. His extensive discography includes many highly-acclaimed recordings, from German Lieder and French Melodies to Spanish Canciones and Cabaret Songs.

Roger Vignoles (pictured) said: "Having been involved right at the beginning of the YBAYA, I am delighted to be returning as adjudicator on this occasion. During the intervening years YBAYA has established itself as one of the most important platforms for aspiring accompanists and I look forward to a stimulating and enjoyable experience."
Fourteen entries from five countries have already been accepted for the Preliminary Round of the 2009 competition, however the competition deadline is being extended to allow more talented pianists a chance to participate. Advanced students and young professional accompanists born after 22nd November 1979 are invited to apply before 3rd August.
The Preliminary Round will take place on 17th & 18th September 2009, followed by the Final Round on 22nd November, when the winner will be chosen. Both rounds are open to the public.

Entry forms and further competition details are available on http://www.conservatoire.bcu.ac.uk