Twelve young pianists from Colorado and Wisconsin competed in the 2014 Festival for Creative Pianists on April 4-5 in the Moss Performing Arts Center Recital Hall at Colorado Mesa University. Three renowned judges adjudicated for the festival: Dr. John Salmon (Professor, University of North Carolina- Greensboro), Dr. Monte Atkinson (Professor, Colorado Mesa University), and a new adjudicator, Dr. Luke Gillespie (Professor, Indiana University). Dr. Gillespie was joined by bassist Jeremy Allen (also on the faculty of Indiana University) and freelance drummer Jason Tiemann in a special CMU Guest Artist Series performance in the festival's Friday evening concert. Also joining Dr. Gillespie for some spontaneous two-piano improvisatory fun was our perennial judge, John Salmon, who mischievously announced before playing, "I'm gonna see if I can mess up Luke!" The program included a dazzling array of solo, trio and two-piano jazz selections and improvisations on themes by Chopin.

The premiere Celebration of Students' Best Recital was a resounding success, with every student performing the piece selected by the judges as their best selection.

The festival also featured two educational forums for students and teachers: 1) Guest clinician Aura Strohschein, co-author of Creative Pedagogy for Piano Teachers, presented an engaging and informative interactive session on creative teaching; and 2) Luke Gillespie expounded on how Autumn Leaves can serve as a model for both classical and jazz improvisation.

FIRST PRIZE WINNERS

Gareth & Jareth Rader (Prize split; $50 each) - BEST PERFORMANCE OF A PRE-BAROQUE, BAROQUE WORK OR CLASSICAL PERIOD WORK

Jordan Haren & Gareth Rader (Prize split; $50 each) - THE JONATHAN MANN AWARD FOR BEST PERFORMANCE OF A ROMANTIC PERIOD WORK

Joshua Frei ($100) - THE ESTHER BOELTER AWARD FOR BEST PERFORMANCE OF AN IMPRESSIONISTIC OR CONTEMPORARY WORK (IN ANY STYLE)

Jackie Levitt ($100) - THE EVELYN BILLBERG AWARD FOR BEST PERFORMANCE OF A COMPOSITION IN ANY STYLE BY A FEMALE COMPOSER

Caleb Kostreva & Jonah Kreie (Prize split; $50 each) - BEST PERFORMANCE OF A LYRICAL AND PREDOMINANTLY SLOW WORK

Gareth Rader ($100) - THE GRAND JUNCTION MUSIC TEACHERS AWARD FOR THE BEST PIANIST STUDYING WITH A GJMTA TEACHER

Andrew Vargas ($100) - THE J. B. HART ARTIST PIANIST AWARD

Patrick DaCosta/Caleb Kostreva & Gareth/Jareth Rader (Prize split; $50 each) - THE MARY LEAH CHAVIES PIANO ENSEMBLE AWARD FOR BEST PERFORMANCE OF A WORK FOR 4 OR MORE HANDS ON 1, 2 OR 3 PIANOS

Greta Thoresen ($100) - THE SUSAN TORGRUDE AWARD FOR MOST VERSATILE PIANIST

Victoria Fedler ($100) - THE DR. CARL & MICHELE FEGHALI AWARD FOR BEST DEMONSTRATION OF EMBELLISHING AND/OR IMPROVISING IN A CLASSICAL WORK OR A CONCERTO MOVEMENT FEATURING THE PERFORMER'S OWN ORIGINAL CADENZA(S) AND/OR LEAD-IN(S)

Maria Ali ($100) - THE ALBANY RECORDS BEST DEMONSTRATION OF SPONTANEITY AND/OR IMPROVISATION IN A JAZZ, POP, GOSPEL OR RAG STYLE WORK

Victoria Fedler ($100) - THE JENNY AND BIJAN HOULE AWARD FOR BEST PERFORMANCE OF A COWBOY JAZZ SELECTION

Greta Thoresen ($200) - THE PEGGY KRAUSE AWARD FOR BEST PERFORMANCE OF AN ORIGINAL COMPOSITION BY THE CONTESTANT

Maria Ali & Greta Thoresen (Prize split; $50 each) - BEST DEMONSTRATION OF GENUINELY SPONTANEOUS IMPROVISATION IN ANY STYLE (SOLO OR PIANO ENSEMBLE)

Andrew Vargas ($100) - BEST PERFORMANCE OF A TASTEFUL TRANSCRIPTION OR ARRANGEMENT (IN ANY STYLE, ORIGINAL OR NOT) FOR PIANO SOLO OR FOR 4 OR MORE HANDS ON 1, 2, OR 3 PIANOS

Karen Greenhalgh & Drea Wagner (given to two teachers) - THE CREATIVE TEACHING INCENTIVE AWARD

HONORABLE MENTIONS

None this year.

Mark your calendars for 2015

The 2015 Festival for Creative Pianists will be held on May 21, 22 and 23, 2015 Location: Wash Park Center for Music and Arts, 400 S Williams St., Denver, CO.