Southeastern Piano Festival a grand event
When Marina Lomazov came to USC three years ago, she was drawn by the School of Music's growing reputation and the comfort of Columbia and its many offerings.
There was only one problem, however, and for a gifted pianist like Lomazov, it was a big one: Columbia was lacking a signature piano event, a point that was even more glaring when combined with a dearth of summer cultural events and the scarcity of activities at the music school when most students are on break.
“I think this festival is really unique. I've been to several other festivals and camps, and there's no fluff here.”
It took Lomazov only two months to find a solution: creating the Southeastern Piano Festival. “There were a number of piano festivals to help talented kids, but nothing in Columbia or a 100-mile radius,” says Lomazov, the festival's director and an assistant professor. “There are different levels of festivals or campus, but this is definitely a festival. It's not just for students to get training, but also for recitals and master classes by guest artists, so it's for the community as well.
“There were music teachers in area lamenting that there was nothing like this in the summer. We had great facilities here in center of the city that were not being used. The School of Music is a real focal point for the community and is looked up to as the standard in arts leadership.”
Interest has grown in the third-year festival and competition is stiff for the limited number of positions, 15 to 20 each year. Although applications are primarily from the Southeast, Lomazov has had requests from Utah, Illinois, New York, and Ohio—and as far away as England. Merit-based scholarships are available, and Lomazov hopes she eventually can secure funding to underwrite every student's participation.
USC's festival experience is unique because the winner of the end-of-festival recital competition earns an opportunity to play with the South Carolina Philharmonic at the Koger Center. That's a major draw, Lomazov says. In 2005, faculty member John Fitz Rogers was commissioned to write an original piece, Crosstalk, that the students played at the competition.
Additional perks are extended practice time, one-on-one sessions with USC faculty and guest artists from the likes of The Juilliard School, and daily recitals. “For pianists to develop, they need more than one influence, Lomazov says. So they come here and get a completely different perspective. Part of the festival is to experience what it's like to study in college with college professors, with a different set of demands, a different set of standards.”
The festival was the perfect transition from high school to college for first-time participant Luke Fang of Central, S.C., a USC freshman this fall. “I'm learning a lot, meeting some excellent pianists my age, and learning from my future teacher (Lomazov), so I think it's pretty good.”
Lucy Dinkins, a senior at Heathwood Hall Episcopal School in Columbia, has participated in all three festivals. “I think this festival is really unique. I've been to several other festivals and camps, and there's no fluff here. They have such good guest artists and the organization is done so well, it makes for an experience that you remember, whether you come back or not.
“I think it's really a good thing, and it's really gaining a reputation quickly. Lots of people from all around country know about it and know what a good festival it is.”