Young pianists within a 100-mile radius are set to descend on Purdue University Fort Wayne.

For the 13th straight year, PFW’s School of Music is hosting the Gene Marcus Piano Competition, awarding players with cash prizes and scholarships.

First-round auditions were held Jan. 20-21 with the finals slated for Sunday, Feb. 4, at PFW Music Center. Following the finals, there will be a winners recital, with the top three finishers from four age divisions taking the stage.

“Anybody who would like to check it out can join us,” said Dr. Hamilton Tescarollo, founding director of Gene Marcus Piano Competition and Gene Marcus Piano Camp and Festival.

Leaving a legacy

The competition is named after longtime PFW professor Wilda “Gene” Marcus, who taught at what was then known as Indiana-Purdue University Fort Wayne from 1968-1986. Marcus devoted her life to piano, teaching hundreds of students, presiding over the Northeast Indiana Musical Society, and working extensively with Fort Wayne Civic Theatre. She was also named Teacher of the Year in 1994 by the Indiana Music Teachers Association.

When she passed away in 2005, Marcus left an endowment, which funds the competition, as well as the summer camp set for June 9-14 this year.

On top of the PFW endowment, Marcus also has a scholarship named in her honor at her alma mater, Indiana University in Bloomington.

“She was a very generous person,” Tescarollo said.

Tescarollo came to PFW in 2007, where he serves as professor of music and director of keyboard studies.

“When I interviewed for the position, I was told, ‘Well, we have this endowment. When we start accumulating enough interest to begin holding a piano camp and competition, then it would be up to you to develop that and get it started.’ That was very exciting to me,” Tescarollo said. “I thought, ‘Wow, what a great thing that I’m coming in and there’s already a fund established to be able to develop these activities.’ ”

Five years after he started, the competition was able to proceed.

Competition parameters

The competition is open to any pianist up to 18 years old not enrolled in college. It is split into four age divisions: Elementary (9 and under); Intermediate (10-12); Junior (13-15); and Senior (16-18). 

Cash prizes and trophies are given to the top three finishers in each division, with finalists in grades 7-12 also eligible for a partial scholarship to the Gene Marcus Piano Camp. 

The senior division winner may also be offered a scholarship to pursue a music degree at PFW. 

The competition begins with the opening round, this year held Jan. 20-21. Some were on hand to perform for judges, but Tescarollo said of the 54 applicants, most were video submissions.

“We try to be flexible, especially with weather during the winter,” he said. “It can be tricky. We had one student who had planned to do the first round in person, then they said, ‘Well, the weather is going to be really bad. Can we switch to recording?’ So, I said, ‘Yes, of course you can do that.’

“Part of the reason we do this first round because, not only as something to identify winners, but for it to be an educational experience,” he added, noting judges offer notes to entrants.

Competitors must be in attendance for the finals, although there is no set number that make the finals. Instead, the number selected is based on the amount of time judges will have the day of the finals, making time for competitors to arrive, as well as giving a break before the 6:30 p.m. recital begins.

Passing the crown

When it comes to performing, each judge has their own requirements.

Although he is not a judge for the competition, Tescarollo offered up some of the things that the judges might be looking for in a performance.

“What I look for as a judge, and I know other judges may differ, but basically there has to be accomplishment in terms of technical accomplishment, in terms of preparation, and obviously there has to be a musical message behind what this student is doing,” he said. 

“In other words, it would not be enough to simply play the notes on the page. Just as an actor can not simply read the text with no emotion. The notes on the page have to be brought to life and have a message.”

One performer that checked has all those boxes is Canterbury senior Chloe Park.

She won last year’s senior division, as well as the junior division in 2021 and intermediate division in 2017. She also finished second and third in the elementary division in 2016 and 2015, respectively.

“The communication, the technical proficiency, the sound, the phrasing — all of that was at quite a high level,” Tescarollo said of Park, who was a student of his.

Because past divisional winners can not compete twice, who comes away with the senior division title is up in the air this year. 

That will be decided following a long day at PFW on Sunday, Feb. 4.

“It is a long day, but it is an exciting day,” Tescarollo said. “So, it’s worth it. It’s definitely worth it.”