The 2009 Festival of Music and the 7th Washington International Piano Artists Competition (July 23-26) July 22, 2009

The Washington International Piano Arts Council hosts an annual Festival of Music and an International Piano Competition for piano artists above the age of 31. These musicians will perform at sites such as George Washington University, Embassy of Finland and the Embassy of France and other various locations. There will be up to 30 international pianists from countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Korea, Japan, Lithuania, Mexico, Vietnam and the mainland USA (from California to New York and Florida). All will be traveling in to compete for honors, distinction and cash awards.

For details about event times and locations, please see the following website: http://www.canadianembassy.org/recordings/Schedule.html

Among this year's participants are three Canadians - Dr. Daniel Kandelman, Kathleen Penny, and Joan Zarry (bios below):

Dr. Daniel Kandelman:

Dr. Kandelman is full professor, Chairman of the Division of preventive and community dentistry and Director of the International Center for prevention of dental diseases toward populations with specific needs, at the Faculty of Dental Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montréal Canada. He obtained his doctoral degree DrCD (1968) in Marseille France, a Doctoral degree DMD (1973) in fixed prosthodontics in Geneva Swizterland, and a Master degree of Public Health MPH (1975) at Harvard University ,US. In addition of his academic involvements, he is actively collaborating with Health Canada, the Canadian Dental Association, the Department of Health of the city of Montreal, and the World health Association in Geneva.

Dr. Kandelman has studied music in France with Mrs. Larrieu, Professor at the conservatory of Marseille, from 6 to 14 years. In Canada he took private lessons with Mrs. Douglas Dalhgren, (McGill Conservatory), Pierre Jasmin, Director of the Department of music at the Université du Québec à Montréal and more recently with Jean Pascal Hamelin, Professor of piano and Conductor.

Daniel Kandelman has participated in ten international outstanding amateur's piano competitions in Europe and in the US; he has been semi-finalist in Paris, Boston and more recently in Vienna (April 2009). He has organized and participated in more than 30 piano recitals; few of them have been organized in Montreal for humanitarian Canadian Societies (ONG) such as Cansave the Children, The Canadian association on epilepsy, Dentistes sans frontieres, ATD Quart Monde (2004)

He has also performed Bach and Mozart concertos few years ago with l'Orchestre des Jeunes de Montréal conducted by Maestro Louis Lavigueur at the auditorium Claude Champagne,Faculty of music Université de Montréal( benefit concert for Dentistes sans frontiers) and in October 26, 2007 at La Chapelle historique du Bon Pasteur, Montréal with students of the Faculty of music of Montreal conducted by Maestro Jean Pascal Hamelin (benefit concert for the Faculty of dental medicine, Université de Montréal). He has also played in duo recitals with flûte (Bach sonates) and with violon (Beethoven spring sonata and Mozart sonata).Favorite repertoire include Bach, Mozart, Chopin, American Scott Joplin ragtimes.

Kathleen Penny:

Kathleen Penny is a partner with the Canadian law firm of Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP with a full-time practice in corporate income tax law, and a mother of two boys. She is recognized as a leading tax practitioner in Chambers Global: The World's Leading Lawyers for Business 2009. In the 2009 edition of The Best Lawyers in Canada, she was voted by peers as one of the leading tax lawyers in Canada. Kathleen learned piano as a child, sang in choirs and played violin in her school orchestra. After a lengthy gap in her musical education to pursue university degrees in Chemical Physics and in Law, have two children and become a successful business lawyer, she resumed serious piano study in 1998. She is currently studying piano with Patricia Parr.

Kathleen earned her diploma in Piano Performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music in 2005. She gave her first full-length solo recital in 2006 at the Heliconian Hall in Toronto, and a second full recital in 2008 at the Unitarian Church in Toronto. She was a semi-finalist at the 2005, 2007 and 2009 Boston amateur piano competitions, a finalist at the 2006 and 2008 Washington (WIPAC) piano competitions, and a finalist in the senior piano division at recent Kiwanis Music Festivals in Toronto, and named Outstanding Pianist of the Davenport Music Festival in Toronto in 2009. Kathleen participated as a piano soloist and in a piano 4-hands recital at the "Pianestival" in Nice, France this summer.

Joan Zarry:

For 35 years, Joan Zarry has been involved in a property development and design business in Toronto. She began studies in piano at an early age, and was the recipient of many awards and scholarships in music and drama. At age 16, she received an ARCT (Associate of Royal Conservatory of Music) certificate from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, where she became a member of the music faculty. She also joined the faculty of Northwestern University, Evanstown, Illinois, prior to her involvement in property development and design during her mid 30’s, a business she was involved with for 35 years.

Five years ago, she underwent a personal transformation that led her back to her roots, her first love, the piano! In May, 2009, she was a finalist in the Boston Competition for Outstanding Amateur Pianists, and is now making rapid strides in pursuit of artistic excellence. She also has a slot on YouTube.

Click here to view an article mentioning last year's competition: http://www.washdiplomat.com/DPouch/2008/August/080708lifestyle.html#Anchor1

Official Website: http://www.canadianembassy.org/recordings/Schedule.html