World Championship Old-Time Piano
May 26-30, 2016 |
The World Championship of Old-Time Piano Playing began on the back
platform of an old railroad caboose in Monticello, IL in 1975, the brainstorm
of The Monticello Railroad Museum’s founder and contest emcee Ted Lemen. Capitalizing on the box office success of the movie "The Sting," this small gathering of music-lovers quickly blossomed necessitating a move to larger facilities. After 41 years, most recently in Peoria, IL, this contest and festival has moved to a new home in Oxford, MS at The University of Mississippi, affectionately known as Ole Miss.
Held annually to coincide with Memorial Day weekend, this event has become truly international in scope, boasting the largest, most comprehensive competitive events for pianists steeped in the musical genres of ragtime, traditional jazz and blues. Students up to age 18 can compete for cash prizes and trophies in the Junior Division while the Regular Division contestants vie for trophies and larger prizes in excess of $5,000. Performers compete in period costume, are interviewed before each round, and show their incredible musical skills in an attempt to advance to the Finals. Complete rules and guidelines are posted on the event web site.
Smaller contests precede the main competition. These include a New Rag Contest, Duet Contest and a "Cutting" Contest, a throwback to the days of Fats Waller and Eubie Blake where contestants try to "cut" the competition and the audience chooses the winner. Workshops by acclaimed guest artists and the world's greatest sing-along are held around the competitions with a guest artist concert concluding the weekend's activities. Off-site excursions, catered events at local restaurants and the "Ring of Ragtime" at venues on the historic Oxford Square add a refreshing dimension to the festivities.
If you love ragtime, jazz, blues, honky-tonk, boogie or novelty songs from the days of Tin Pan Alley, then you'll have the time of your life in Oxford on Memorial Day weekend. To capture the flavor of this event, visit "The Entertainers" trailer on line at http://theentertainersmovie.com. For a fun-filled five days of fabulous music,
go to http://oldtimepianocontest.org and register for this year's World Championship. Find us on Facebook for regular updates and
follow us on Twitter @WCOldTimePiano.
All-event passes are available for purchase on line at the event web site. Passes include admission to all competitive events plus the sing-long and workshops. Tickets for catered events, the bus tour & luncheon, the opening Tune-ups party at Proud Larry's, and the guest artist concert are also available for separate advance purchase on the web site. Order forms may be requested by
contacting the artistic director Ian Hominick at oldtimepianocontest@olemiss.edu.
Guest artists include three-time champions Brian Holland and Adam Swanson as well as concerts from Sue Keller and "Blind Boy" Jerron Paxton. We'll see you in Oxford May 26-30, 2016. This much fun ought to be against the law!
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Website:
oldtimepianocontest.org |
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| Location Information |
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University of Mississippi Dept. of Music |
Nuts Auditorium, University Ave.
Oxford, MS 38655 |
| Website:
oldtimepianocontest.org |
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| Contact Information |
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Ian Hominick |
| Email:
oldtimepianocontest@olemiss.edu |
| Phone:
662-915-1282 or 662-915-2036 |
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