Join the Augustana University School of Music as it celebrates the legacy of J. Earl Lee through the annual Lee Piano Festival, featuring award-winning pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet.
- Feb. 27- Mar. 1 | Hamre Recital Hall, Fryxell Humanities Center
Join the Augustana University School of Music as it celebrates the legacy of J. Earl Lee through the annual Lee Piano Festival, featuring award-winning pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet.
- Feb. 27- Mar. 1 | Hamre Recital Hall, Fryxell Humanities Center
The J. Earl Lee Pre-College Piano Competition strives to provide students ages 13-18 with performing opportunities, and raise the standard of excellence of young pianists. This is an international competition with no geographic restrictions. Information regarding repertoire requirements, award amounts and how to apply will be found below.
This 2025 competition is scheduled for Feb. 28 - Mar. 1, with a welcome event on Thursday evening, Feb. 27. This is an in-person competition.
Repertoire Requirements
Round 1 | Feb. 28, 2025 | Solo repertoire, and must include all of the following:
Round 2 | March 1, 2025 | Three finalists will be selected to perform their program from Round 1 for an adjudicated public performance.
Competition & Application Guidelines
Competition Awards
Apply
Submit this form no later than Dec. 15, 2024.
Email questions to music@augie.edu.
Award-winning pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet enjoys a prolific recording and international concert career. He regularly works with the Cleveland Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, BBC Symphony and London Philharmonic orchestras, Budapest Festival Orchestra, NHK, Seoul Philharmonic, Taiwan Philharmonic and collaborates with many renowned conductors, including Vladimir Jurowski, Gianandrea Noseda, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Neeme Järvi, Daniele Gatti, François-Xavier Roth, Ivan Fischer, Vasily Petrenko, Domingo Hindoyan, Pablo Heras Casado, Michele Spotti, Marko Letonja, Ludovic Morlot, Edward Gardner, Nicholas Collon, Louis Langrée, Kazuko Yamada, Pierre Bleuse, Pietari Inkinen, Sir Andrew Davis, Lawrence Foster, Leonard Slatkin, amongst others.
Bavouzet has worked closely with Sir Georg Solti, Pierre Boulez, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Zoltan Kocsis, György Kurtág, Maurice Ohana, Bruno Mantovani and Jörg Widmann and is a champion of lesser-known French music, notably that of Gabriel Pierné and Albéric Magnard. He is the international chair in piano at the Royal Northern College of Music and an advisory board member of the Pianofest in The Hamptons. In 2012, he was ICMA Artist of the Year and in 2008, he was awarded Beijing’s first-ever Elite Prize for his Beethoven complete sonata series.
The Augustana University Lee Piano Festival is funded through the generous gifts of Karl O. Lee and his mother, Agnes Lee. The late J. Earl Lee and his deceased wife, Clara Lee were, esteemed Augustana professors emeriti of music and speech, respectively. J. Earl was a professor of music from 1931-91, serving as chair of the music department for 20 years. Clara was a professor of speech from 1952-91. J. Earl helped found the Sioux Falls Community Concert Association in 1935. In 1958, Clara was chosen Debate Coach of the Year by a national speech honorary society. Augustana University is grateful for this support and lasting recognition given to the legacy of J. Earl and Clara Lee.
Hamre Recital Hall is home to the first 2022 Yamaha DCFX concert grand piano in North America, as well as the Yamaha CX7, the "most recorded piano in history."
Learn More
The Augustana University School of Music (SoM) is excited to announce its biannual J. Earl Lee Collaborative Piano Competition on Feb. 17-18, at Hamre Recital Hall in the Fryxell Humanities Center.
Augustana University is excited to announce that its School of Music (SoM) will host its annual J. Earl Lee Piano Festival on Friday, Oct. 7, and Saturday, Oct. 8, at Hamre Recital Hall in the Fryxell Humanities Center. The festival features Pianist and Composer Conrad Tao — a leader in the new generation of classical music.