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Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota will present the 2014 Competition for Piano on Saturday, March 29, in the Neel Performing Arts Center at State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota. The semi-finals competition will begin at 10 a.m., while the finals will start at 7:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public, a news release points out. The Neel Center is located at 5840 26th St. West in Bradenton. For more information, call 306-1202 or visit artistseriesconcerts.org. Now in its 12th year, the competition is one of the most prestigious in Florida, the release points out. It rotates year-to-year among voice, piano and string instruments "and is open to talented young musicians who are residents of Florida," the release says. Under the guidance of Joy McIntyre, a music educator and performer, the program since 2007 has "developed in size and quality," the release adds. The Virginia B. Toulmin Award of $6,000 goes to the first prize winner at the Performance Level (ages 20 to 25) and the Lee & Jerry Ross Scholarship Award of $3,000 is the first prize at the Scholarship Level (ages 14 to 19). According to McIntyre, past winners often go on to major music schools and pursue suc- cessful musical careers. She says in the release that in selecting the 12 semi-finalists, judges look for "accuracy, artistry and technique." T h i s y e a r, 1 2 y o u n g p i a n i s t s , f i v e a t the Scholarship Level and seven at the Performance Level, will compete in the semi-final round. Three from each level will continue to the final round, the release points out. The finalists then will be presented in an evening public performance "and judged by a panel of distinguished musicians and educa- tors," the release notes. This year's finalist judges will be Julian Martin, a faculty member of The Juilliard School; Robert Sherman, an award-winning radio broadcaster, author, music critic and music educator; and Derek Han, acclaimed as one of the leading American pianists of his gener- ation, the release points out. "In the past decade, we've raised more than $150,000 for 54 gifted young musicians," says John Fischer, executive director of Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota, in the release. "Our focus is the future." ARTIST SERIES CONCERTS TO PRESENT 2014 COMPETITION FOR PIANO The Neel Performing Arts Center is located on the campus of the State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota. Image courtesy of the college Sarasota News Leader March 28, 2014 Page 111