Prize-winning Pianists

Published: 27/05/2016

The Keyboard department have had a particularly successful year with six major competition prizes for RCS students in international piano competitions.

Most recently,Petrica Ciobanu won First Prize at the 2016 Sheepdrove Piano Competition, as part of the Newbury Spring Festival. The Sheepdrove Competition is one of the UK’s most prestigious piano competitions; it only accepts two nominees from each of the eight main UK conservatories to compete, attracting national and international pianists of the highest calibre.

This is the second year running that an RCS pianist has been awarded first prize at the competition, with Robertas Lozinskis winning last year. As a result of his prize last year, Robertas was invited to open this year’s Newbury Festival last week, performing Rachmaninoff’s 2nd Piano Concerto with the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Pavel Kogan.

This now makes six major competition prizes for RCS pianists, with the competitions wins as follows:

Robertas Lozinskis: 1st Prize Ciurlionis International Piano Competition, Vilnius.

Petrica Ciobanu: 1st Prize Unisa International Piano Competition, Pretoria. 1st Prize at Sheepdrove Piano Competition, England. 2nd Prize Interlaken Piano Classiks, Switzerland.

George Todica: 2nd Prize Piano Campus International Piano Competition, Paris.

Alexa Stier: 3rd Prize (no first prize awarded) Merci, Maestro International Piano Competition, Brussels.

Pictured: Robertas, Alexa, Petrica and George