International Keyboard Odyssiad and Festival - “A Journey to the Performance of a Lifetime”

Colorado State University Professor Dr. Janet Landreth is set to launch the International Keyboard Odyssiad and Festival U.S.A., presented in conjunction with the new CSU Summer Keyboard Institute (SKI/Colorado). Both IKOF and SKI/Colorado take place during the first week of August on the CSU campus at the University Center for the Arts.

Unique in its vision, format, and global outreach, the International Keyboard Odyssiad and Festival (IKOF) is the only competition of its kind in the world, attracting gifted and talented pianists from around the world and providing winners with travel opportunities, scholarships, and performances at IKOF events in other countries. The inaugural event takes place Aug. 4–11, 2012, with the final round and winners' concert occurring on Saturday, Aug. 11 in the Griffin Concert Hall, University Center for the Arts.

Founded and directed by Dr. Landreth, IKOF is a non-profit corporation headquartered in Fort Collins, Colo., and exported to various countries around the world through licensing and exchange agreements. In 2013, IKOF will take place in Busan, Korea, the second largest city in South Korea, and plans are underway to produce IKOF in Montpellier, France, and Perugia, Italy over the coming years.

To compete in the 2012 International Keyboard Odyssiad, visit the event website at Odyssiad.com. Tickets to the final round and winners’ concert, which are open to the public, will be available at CSUArtsTickets.com starting June 1, 2012.

Taking place simultaneously with IKOF is the new SKI/Colorado, a one-week institute for pianists, teachers, distinguished amateurs, and auditors on Aug. 6 – 11, 2012. Institute participants will attend daily piano recitals, masterclasses, presentations on repertoire, technique, and pedagogy presented by ten international guest artists and CSU faculty. Participants will also be in the audience for the semifinal and final round of IKOF.

Ten guest artists, plus CSU faculty, are participating in the two events including: Yakov Kasman and Valery Kuleshov, Russian silver medalists from the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition; Hsing-Au Hsu, a silver medalist from the William Kapell International Piano Competition; Therese Fahy, a senior piano professor from the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin, Ireland who, in celebration of the 150th birthday of Debussy, will perform all 24 of his Preludes; Dong-Seom Lee from Dong-Eui University in Busan, Korea who will perform and speak about the music of Franz Liszt; and additional guests and CSU faculty including Dr. Lei Weng, Dr. Silvana Santinelli, Dr. Bonnie Jacobi, Dr. Jeremy Dittus, Dr. Theresa Bogard, and Dr. Landreth.

“To have this many gifted pianists on our campus in one week is simply phenomenal”, said Landreth.

The international guest artists will also serve as judges for IKOF. Featuring a completely new format and system for judging piano competitions, the excitement of a live competition judged on the spot in front of an audience promises to be a dynamic experience.

“Many pianists have brilliant technique, but it takes a very special kind of intensely expressive performance to reach an audience and move them to joy or tears,” said Landreth. “This element is beyond technique and goes to the soul of music making, creating the performance of a lifetime.”

In keeping with the international aspect of IKOF, Valerie Saint-Agathe – CSU alum and current student at the University of Montpellier in France – will return to Colorado to complete an internship in Managing Cultural Projects. Working with Dr. Landreth, Saint-Agathe will focus on event management with the intention of producing the event in France.

For more information contact Dr. Janet Landreth at (970) 493-7920, or email Janet.Landreth@colostate.edu.