Classical pianists and judges Janina Fialkowska, Stewart Goodyear and David Jalbert determine Yu as Canada’s Piano Hero with the opportunity to playwith the Toronto Symphony Orchestra
Earlier this month, CBCMusic.ca and ICIMusique.ca put the call out to all Canadian amateur classical pianists to enter the ultimate contest, PIANO HERO. After almost 250 submissions, a collective 86,818 votes and over 703,000 video views, PIANO HERO judges Janina Fialkowska, Stewart Goodyear and David Jalbert determined Calgary, Alberta’s Thomas Yu the winner. Click HERE to see Yu’s performance of Widmung by Robert Schumann, transcribed by Franz Liszt.
“What an absolute thrill to receive this crazy news! I had an army of friends, family and social network that stood behind me each day to vote,” says Yu. “In return, I give all credit back to my supporters, and hope to live up to this incredible honour. Thank you, CBC/Radio-Canada, for putting amateur musicians in the spotlight!”
A periodontist by trade, Yu is a devoted ambassador of amateur musicians with no formal training from a music school; instead, he took private lessons with Bonnie Nicholson and Marc Durand while pursuing dentistry at the Universities of Saskatchewan and Toronto. Yu has won amateur piano competitions in Paris, Vienna, New York and Manchester. Recently, he won the Calgary Honens ProAm competition and was named one of Avenue Magazine’s Top 40 Under 40.
“Magnificent performance of Schumann’s Widmung as transcribed by Liszt - warm, touching, passionate, and perfectly controlled. Bravo,” says PIANO HERO judge David Jalbert.
Yu will receive a Steinway Designed Boston UP 118S piano, courtesy of Steinway Piano Galleries of Canada, and a trip for two to Toronto for four nights in February. The trip will include an opportunity to perform at the Toronto Symphony Orchestra RBC’s Piano Extravaganza, a private lesson with Grammy Award-winning pianist Emanuel Ax, a professionally produced music video and more.
Yu will also be profiled on ICI Musique and on CBC Radio 2’s In Concert with Paolo Pietropaolo at a future date.
For more information and details on the contest visit CBCMusic.ca/pianohero.
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