This year, the SIPF is proud to invite a stunning array of guest artists and master teachers to join the 2011 jury.

Helena Azevedo (Brazil/USA) - Brazilian pianist, Helena Azevedo, became involved in music at a very young age. At six, she was accepted into the youth program at the Carlos Gomes Conservatory in Belem where she studied music theory, history and took piano lessons, which became the foundation of her musical education. Throughout her childhood she studied piano with... (more)

Dr. Mark Clinton (USA) - Since entering the Preparatory Division of the Peabody Conservatory at age eight under the tutelage of Julian Martin, Mark Clinton has worked extensively with some of the world's foremost pianists, among them Leon Fleisher, John Perry, Carlo Zecchi, and Tatiana Nikolayeva. This critically acclaimed pianist has garnered... (more)

Dr. Jody Graves (USA) - Jody Graves maintains an exciting and diverse performing career and is recognized nationally as a distinguished teacher of piano. Her recital engagements as a soloist and collaborative pianist take her across the United States and abroad. She has performed concerts in Austria, Norway, France, Scotland, Germany, Japan, and most recently... (more)

Dr. Peter Mack (Ireland/USA) - Peter Mack was born in Ireland, where he had his early training with Frank Heneghan at the Dublin College of Music. Subsequent study was at Trinity College, Dublin, and with Bela Siki at the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music and at the University of Washington where he earned his doctorate in piano performance. Mack... (more)

Dr. William Chapman Nyaho (Ghana/USA) - William Chapman Nyaho, a Ghanaian American and resident of Seattle, studied at St. Peter's College, Oxford University (UK), where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree at the Honour School of Music. He continued his piano studies at the Conservatoire de Musique de Geneve, Switzerland, the Eastman... (more)

Dr. Alexander Tutunov (Belarus/USA) - Alexander Tutunov is widely recognized as one of the most outstanding virtuosos of the former Soviet Union. First Prize winner of the Belarusian National Piano Competition and winner of the Russian National Piano Competition, Tutunov's playing was described by Soviet Culture, Moscow, as "exhilarating and inspired, and which... (more)

Note that jurors are selected from the following list for each category of the 2011 competition on a case by case basis in order to avoid any conflict of interest.

Northwest legend, Peter Mack, presents, "Music from the Twenties and Thirties." By enlightened and entertained by Mack's idiosyncratic style as he takes the audience on a journey of music by composers of war-torn Europe. This exciting event takes place Sunday, May 8 at 3 pm in the auditorium of the Frye Art Museum.

Irish pianist, Dr. Peter Mack, has been thrilling audiences in Washington state since he settled here in 1985. He has also performed throughout the United States and Europe, as well as in Australia and the former Soviet Union. He is the winner of the New Orleans, Young Keyboard Artists and Pacific International Piano Competitions. His prize in the Sherman-Clay competition included a Steinway grand piano. Peter Mack is well known for his extensive repertoire, having performed twenty-five concertos with orchestras. A choral scholar at Trinity College Dublin, and a fellow of Trinity College London, he has a doctorate in piano performance from the University of Washington. Dr. Mack is equally in demand as a performer, clinician, convention artist, and teacher. Pupils of Peter Mack are frequent winners of local, national, and international competitions. He is Professor of Piano Performance at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle. Dr. Mack is a Steinway artist.

"Mack is one of those lucky ones, born with a completely balanced set of talents. He has perfect piano hands, his technique is all but infallible, he has boundless temperament, style and taste, and above all, he communicates directly.... In all capacities he is indefatigable...."

--Los Angeles Times

Frye Art Museum is located at 704 Terry Avenue in Seattle. Free on-site parking is available. Tickets are available at the door for $20 general, $15 for students and seniors.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Thank you for your interest . If you have any questions regarding the festival or its activities, please do not hesitate to write. Please forward this message to anyone you feel would be interested.