Seeking the Complete Artist: Honens Competition on International Piano

The Honens International Piano Competition recently concluded in Calgary, awarding its Gold medal prize to 29-year old Élisabeth Pion. Founded in 1992 by Canadian philanthropist Ester Honens, the Honens Competition awards its laureates with significant cash prizes up to CAD$100,000 in addition to a three-year career development program for the Gold Laureate. 

“The Honens Competition has grown into Canada’s leading pianist agon, known for its combination of holistic vision with serious artistic financial commitment,” writes Thomas May for International Piano. The competition prides itself on seeking ‘the complete artist’ - defined as one “who combines technical mastery with artistic innovation and inspires through deep cultural and social awareness.” This comprehensive view of artistry is apparent in the events surrounding the competition, which Artistic Director Jon Kimura Parker describes as a way “to create a festival atmosphere and to make people in Calgary feel more engaged in Honens.”

The final round of Honens tested its three remaining competitors in a concerto performance with the Calgary Philharmonic. Pion closed the competition with a performance of Prokofiev’s Third Concerto, which May writes was “brilliantly lit” and “rhythmically alive,” with “a striking sense of spontaneity.”

Read the full feature in International Piano here.

Photo Credit: Tim Nguyen