2009 Competition

Sasha Grynyuk, a Ukrainian of 27, was the winner of the I International BNDES Piano Competition.
The second place went to Tina Chong (Canada/China) and the third to Simon Ghraichy (Lebanon/Mexico).

Sasha Gryniuk, Tina Chong e Simon Ghraichy

The finals of the first International BNDES Piano Competition of Rio de Janeiro, on October 17, 2009, were disputed by Sasha Grynyuk , then 27 years old (Ukraine), Tina Chong , 24, (Canada/China) and Simon Ghraichy, 23, (Lebanon/Mexico).

Grynuyk won the first prize; in second place came Tina Chong and, in third, Ghraichy. The prize for the Best Interpretation of Brazilian Music – the competition that year paid tribute to Claudio Santoro – went to the 23 year old pianist from Sao Paulo, Ronaldo Rolim. In the finals the candidates played with the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra under its lead conductor Roberto Minczuk; Tina and Simon played Chopin’s Concerto no. 2 in F minor and Sasha Beethoven’s Concerto no. 4 in G major, op. 58.

All the rounds (first rounds, October13 to 14 ; semi-finals, October15 to 16) and the finals on October 17 were held at the Sala Cecília Meireles, one of he best venues for chamber music and recitals in Brazil. This first edition of the Competition, sponsored by the National Development Bank (BNDES), paid tribute to one of Brazil’s greatest pianists, Jacques Klein.

The competition was open to candidates of all nationalities aged between 17 and 30. The Selection Committee admitted 17 competitors, the maximum number: twelve from overseas and five Brazilians, aged between 22 and 30: the overseas candidates came from the Ukraine, Belarus, France, Italy, the United States, Lebanon, Japan, Israel and Canada.

The Judges

The panel of judges was headed by the veteran British teacher and motivator of talented young pianists Noretta Conci-Leech. The panel was composed of the journalists and critics Alain Lompech (Le Monde) and Jeremy Nicholas (Gramophone), the pianists  Maurizio Baglini, Luis Ascot  and Gilberto Tinetti, in addition to the former students of Jacques Klein, Luiz Fernando Benedini and Lilian Barretto, the competition coordinators.

Prizes

First Prize:
– R$ 40,000 (forty thousand reais)
– The Sala Cecília Meireles Prize – a recital in the 2011 season
– The OSB Prize – a concerto with the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra in the 2011 season
– A recital in Italy in 2010 and a concert in the Salle Cortot

Second Place:
– R$ 30,000 (thirty thousand reais)

Third Place:
– R$ 20.000 (Twenty thousand reais)

Special Prize for the Best Interpreter of Brazilian Music
– R$ 5,000 (five thousand reais)