NEL BIG WINNER IN PIANO CONTEST
Anton Nel, a South African pianist, took four of the top six prizes in the Joanna Hodges Piano Conference and Competition, which closed its three-week session over the weekend.
Nel, a doctoral candidate in music at the University of Cincinnati, earned the opportunity to appear with the Royal Academy of London Orchestra and perform a recital in Carnegie Hall in New York.
Judges of the competition at the College of the Desert chose the 24-year-old Johannesburg native and Thomas Labe, 26, of Darian, Conn., from 135 finalists as the winners of the recital appearance at Carnegie Hall.
“The judges couldn’t decide who played best, so they granted the recital to both,” said Susan Tirre, speaking for the competition.
About 600 young pianists from more than 25 states and 17 countries competed.
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