download press release for 2018 comp winner
After receiving over 90 entries from all over the world, the members of the Garth Newel Piano Quartet are pleased to announce Balázs Kecskés from Hungary as the winner of Garth Newel’s 2018 Composition Competition. The Quartet offers their sincere thanks to all of the talented composers who sent in their fine compositions. Balázs Kecskés’ piano quartet, Accusativus, will be premiered by the Garth Newel Piano Quartet on August 11. In addition to introducing his work, Balázs Kecskés will be present at Garth Newel Music Center as the resident composer for the week leading up to the premiere.
“We were immediately drawn into the world of Balaz’s composition. The work had an emotional depth that moved us all” says the Garth Newel Piano Quartet.
Balázs Kecskés teaches composition at the Béla Bartók Conservatory of Music in Budapest, Hungary, and holds a doctorate from the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music.
“I encountered the competition 2 years ago and immediately became interested in it” says Balázs, “I went on listening to the pieces of the previous winners. I was fascinated by the pieces as well as the performances. I found the genre and the Quartet very attractive, so I decided to write a piece for the competition.”
“Because we were blown away by the amount of talent, creativity, and imagination in this year’s submissions, we wanted to perform and showcase a few of the other works throughout the year,” says Jeannette Fang, pianist of the Garth Newel Piano Quartet. “It’s thrilling to see the immense variety of voices and perspectives of today’s composers, and to see such wonderful additions to the piano quartet repertoire.”
Founded in 1973, Garth Newel Music Center – located in Hot Springs, Virginia – is one of the most active chamber music organizations in the country. Its resident ensemble – the Garth Newel Piano Quartet – performs over 60 concerts annually both at the Center and on tour. Through this competition, the Quartet seeks to broaden the piano quartet repertoire and to support the Center’s ongoing commitment to contemporary music.
