International Keyboard Odyssiad® & Festival, U.S.A.

Welcome Pianists!

2023
International Keyboard Odyssiad® & Festival, U.S.A. 
July 29 – August 5, 2023

Announcing the 2023 International Keyboard Odyssiad® & Festival, U.S.A., taking place at the foothills of the majestic and colorful Rocky Mountains of Colorado, featuring an international competition and festival for pianists of all nationalities. The competition and festival will take place from July 29 - August 5, 2023 at the University Center for the Arts, Colorado State University, in Fort Collins, Colorado. Fort Collins is located approximately one hour north of Denver and within a one-hour’s drive of the beautiful Rocky Mountain National Park.

The Preliminary Round of the Odyssiad® is held online and judged by professionals around the United States. Pianists must submit their application materials ONLINE by the deadline of June 15, 2023. Preliminary Round judges will select the Odyssiad® competitors that advance to the Semifinal Round in Fort Collins, Colorado during the 2023 International Keyboard Odyssiad® & Festival, U.S.A. (July 29-August 5, 2023).

The ODYSSIAD®, "A Journey to the Performance of a Lifetime," is an international competition for pianists with both Solo and Concerto Divisions. A panel of judges rates each performer separately for Technical Merit and Artistic Merit in an Olympic-styled judging format before a live audience.

The Solo Division offers Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals, cash awards, and special prizes to the winners in three age levels:

Level A (Ages 13 and younger)

•  $500 (Gold), $300 (Silver), $200 (Bronze)

Level B (Ages 14-18) 

• $1,000 (Gold), $500 (Silver), and $250 (Bronze) 

Level C, Young Artist (Ages 19-35)

• $5,000 (Gold), $2,000 (Silver), and $1,000 (Bronze)

The Solo Division also offers The Linda Leirfallom Brewer Award for “Best Performance of Chopin” ($500).

The Concerto Division offers Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals, cash awards, and special prizes to the winners in two age levels:
Complete Concerto (ages up to and including age 35) and Single Movement Concerto (age 18 and under).

Complete Concerto Division:

• $3,000 (Gold), plus a performance with the Boulder Symphony in Boulder Colorado, Devin Patrick Hughes conducting
• $2,000 (Silver)
• $1,000 (Bronze)

Single Movement Concerto Division:

•  $1,000 (Bobbie and Paul Mielke Gold Medal), plus a performance with the Fort Collins Health and Wellness Community Orchestra, Leslie Stewart conducting
• $500 (Silver)
• $200 (Bronze)

Guest Artists for the 2023 Odyssiad® Festival include Antonio Pompa-Baldi (Italy/USA), Van Cliburn Silver Medalist and Distinguished Professor at the Cleveland Institute; Tetiana Shafran (Ukraine), 2019 Gold Medalist, Olga Kern International Piano Competition; Natalia Trull (Russia), Professor Special School of the Moscow State Conservatory; Elisey Mysin (Russia), young Russian piano prodigy; Kemal Gekic (Croatia/USA); Aleksandra “Sasha” Kasman (Russia/USA); Mikhail “Misha” Berestnev (Russia/USA); Yakov Kasman (Russia/USA), Van Cliburn Silver Medalist; Roberto Plano (Italy/USA), Gold Medalist, Cleveland International Piano Competition, Professor of Piano, Indiana University; Konstantin Soukhovetski (Russia/Juilliard); and Natasha Paremski (Russia/USA).

Other special guest artists and judges include Andre-Michel Schub (Van Cliburn Gold Medalist); Tatiana Kasman (Russia/USA); Ben Laude (Tonebase); Bryan Wallick (USA/South Africa), Horowitz Gold Medalist and Assistant Professor, Colorado State University; Paola del Negro Plano (Italy/USA), Rivers Conservatory, Boston; Devin Patrick Hughes (USA), Conductor, Boulder Symphony & Arapahoe Philharmonic; Michael Repper (USA), Music Director, Mid-Atlantic Symphony, Ashland Symphony, Northern Neck Orchestra of Virginia, & New York Youth Symphony (2023 Grammy Nominee); and Vyacheslav Gryaznov (Russia/USA), Concert Pianist, Arranger, & Composer.

The 8-day Odyssiad® Festival includes daily masterclasses, presentations on special topics, matinee concerts, a panel discussion on the subject of “Performing as Soloist with Orchestra”, the LIVE Semifinal and Final Rounds of the Odyssiad® Solo and Concerto Competitions, and five nights of riveting evening concerts by world-renowned pianists.

For complete Solo and Concerto Division Preliminary Round Guidelines, including repertoire requirements, please select "Odyssiad® Competition Application" as the program under "Start an Application" on the left side of this page. If you have any questions, please contact Odyssiad® Competition Directors, Dr. Cindy Lindeen-Martin and Dr. Iris Zhang, through the Acceptd site.
     
Dr. Cindy Lindeen-Martin and Dr. Iris Zhang
Competition Co-Directors
International Keyboard Odyssiad® and Festival, U.S.A.

For technical assistance please check out our Acceptd Applicant Support Help Desk!