Warning. Rant ahead.

I just need to let off steam, and hear some condolences

There is a competition in Paris (the one in which cdpiano27 placed second last year) with finals that would have been at about the same time as the Yamaha competition in England. Entering both seemed like too much work. The Paris competition had 3 rounds and required a longer programme. I thought the Yamaha would be a gentler (re-)introduction to the world of piano competitions, so I decided I would go for that one and have just spent much of the last 3 or 4 months getting my Mozart K576 as near perfect as is possible for me - just for this competition.

For the whole of 2008 up to 2nd January 2009 the website from the last time the Yamaha competition was held ( http://forums.abrsm.org/index.php?s=&s...st&p=776029 )

Said, under How to enter:

"Details of the 2009 competition will be announced towards the end of 2008"

Today (3 Jan) this was altered to:

"There will be no 2009 competition, however we hope to be returning soon. Further details will follow in due course"

I am sorry Yamaha and "The Pianist" magazine, but that is not good enough. You must have known months ago that the 2009 competition wasn't going to happen. Why did you not tell us sooner? You are as bad as the railways in Britain where they announce the non-arrival of the train you were waiting for 2 hours after it failed to depart from its point of origin (the point being that if they let you know as soon as they knew you could travel by car or bus instead).

It is more than annoying. Had I known this earlier I could have entered the Paris competition , but the closing date for entries there was 1st December so that is no longer an option. Also I wasted the opportunity to give different pieces a trial performance because I played the Mozart in two local recitals. And I could have spent the extra time I used on the Mozart sonata preparing the final 5 minutes worth of pieces I need for my next diploma and/or stuff (Ravel, Martinu) that I haven't even started to learn yet but am scheduled to play soon in themed recitals in Holland, or getting started on another Chopin Etude or Bach Prelude and Fugue.

How many other pianists are going to be trebly disappointed

a. That they won't be able to enter this competition,
b. They have missed the deadline for the alternatives, and
c. That they have spent more tiume than necessary on pieces for the competition

End of rant.

Does anyone know of any other competition in 2009 that is open to pianists of my age (53)? Failing that, where can I get a facelift, Botox, Hair dye, and a forged Birth Certificate

Tom, I can't think of anything to say other than I'm so sorry! That is truly awful. To have worked so hard only to be robbed at the last hurdle of the opportunity.

Very sorry to hear this.

Oh no, that's awful . Can't offer you any useful advice, but condolences aplenty. Hopefully all that work will pay off in some other way, Tom.

That's outrageous! As you say, they must have known much earlier.

I think you've ranted with some restraint, under the circumstances.

There's this:

http://www.axadipc.ie/axaPiano/index.php

It doesn't mention an age limit, but it may not be quite what you're after. This is a bit out of my league!

Sorry for your disappointment. What a bummer.

There's this as well, for which you must be over 35. http://www.cliburn.org/ but it's in the US.

Looks good, but I am not ready for something at that level yet. In any case it is closed for entries for 2009. Maybe in 2012. Thanks for trying.

It is character building - and I learned a lot by continuing to work on the Mozart sonata long after reaching a standard that would normally (previously) have satisfied me. And it is a great piece of music, rewarding in itself.

Yes, I know about the van Cliburn competition for Outstanding Amateurs - it is something I will play in one day, just for the experience. The next time it is to be held is May 2011. That may be enough time to become "outstanding"

I see your problem - even the Irish one had an upper age limit when I came to look at it, as did others in Romania and Japan.

How unfair!

I hope you find a satisfying outlet for performance after all that hard work.

With any luck it (age discrimination of any kind) will soon be illegal - at least in the EU, and possibly in the USA. Imagine the outcry if they said Whites only, or Women only, or (as was once common in London Boarding Houses) no Irish!

I hope you have complained. They need to know how much inconvenience and disappointment they cause people. You're being very positive about it, which is good, and of course the practice is not wasted as it will help your continued development as a pianist.

I wonder if it's connected to the credit crunch - an event like that must cost a great deal and, although it's good publicity for them, perhaps they feel the need to cut back on expenditure.

I don't know how the international business of Yamaha is organized, but it's certainly true that the yen:euro and yen:dollar exchange rates went screaming down last year - and then remained more volatile than, say euro:dollar rates. So, while I don't know how the competition was funded, if exchange rates were an issue, the picture may not have been clear until early December.

Hope you hear of some more alluring events for this year!

Thanks everyone for the support. I feel much better now!!

Yamaha music is huge. They operate in every developed country in the world and dominate the market in many instruments. Apart from their own name they own many historic brands, including Kemble and Bosendorfer. Their turnover in the UK alone was over 70 million GBP last year. The cost of a competition like this is small change to them. Very likely they will hurt their bottom line more through the damage to their reputation than any possible saving.

I assume you're no longer considering the Yamaha Silent Grand, then?

Seriously, very disappointing but probably nothing you can do about it.

Probably. Hmmm. On the other hand, why not contact the UK Managing Director of Yamaha directly and ask (nicely) for an explanation? Ditto the Editor of Piano Magazine, who probably organise it with Yamaha's only involvement being the sponsorship. You may not get an answer, but then again you might. You certainly won't get an answer if you don't ask.

I wonder if they're planning on resurrecting it at any time in the future? Hope so.

But they are still putting up their prices by 10% this month!

No. I am far too old to "cut off my nose to spite my face". Unless I find a nice bargain Bosendorfer or similar (and keep the P80 for silent practice) it will be a C1S, GC1S, or A1S. But probably in about six months time, just before the practice rooms close for the summer holidays. However, I am going to try to get a showroom demonstrator at less than 2008 prices.

Anybody want my old Sames upright? (overstrung, under-damper action, real ivory and ebony, plays OK and fundamentally sound but needs tuning and a full service). Fit new hammers, dampers and whippens and it would be good for another 40 years. Send a proper piano removal firm and it is yours for free.

Sorry to hear about your disappointment ... but you haven't worked for nothing ... you've perfected your technique, have polished up a beautiful Mozart sonata and also enjoyed preparing for the competition. And, above all, you have made progress. Nobody can steal any of these from you.
Oh, by the way, try using Italian railways and afterwards tell me if you still have the courage to complain about the British system ...

The Editor of Pianist Magazine is Erica Worth. I've met her a few times at the last two competitions. She's a really nice lady and very approachable.

Got to say that no matter how nice the folks are at Pianist mag, such late notice is at the very least, lacksadaisical, and at the most...bang out of order. The only plus for Tom is that little bit -or rather a lot- of extra practise on those pieces can certainly do no harm.

Hey! I use Italian Railways every day and I love them! Much better than British rail - which I can't afford anyway..... It costs me 65 euros for a season ticket (monthly) for an hour's journey to work. The same as it costs me for 2 days in the UK.

Sorry off-topic!

Yamaha brass instruments are currently in short supply in Europe as there hasn't been a delivery since the end of October. So they are obviously having problems in a number of areas. Still no reason for cancelling at such short notice though.