Old time piano contest comes to Oxford for its 42nd annual contest and festival on Memorial Day weekend. (Courtesy: events.nbcnewyork.com)
When finals are over and summer is here, don’t be too quick to head out of town. Picture this: an upright piano being played by a pro in ’30s costume in a dark club. This isn’t a scene from “The Great Gatsby,“ but something you can find right here in Oxford this May.
Oxford and the University of Mississippi will play host to the 2016 World Championship Old-Time Piano Playing Contest from May 26 to May 30.
The main event of the weekend is the traditional competition, where regular and junior division players–as young as nine or 10 years old–will dress in period costume and perform old-time piano pieces, written before 1940, for a panel of judges. Throughout the festival, a variety of other activities will take place around Oxford, including a New Rag contest, where contestants write and perform their own pieces, and a Duet Contest. Hominick is particularly excited about a new event this year, the Cutting Contest.
Ian Hominick, a professor in the music department, has been appointed as the director of the event, which is entering its 42nd year.
“The Cutting Contest is kind of like a dual. It will be like the 1930s bar scene, and the audience will chose the winner,” Hominick said. “The winner will be based on public appeal and get to show off their virtuosity and improvisational skills.”
Players with a variety of backgrounds come from around the world to participate in the contest, which Hominick said he believes plays a major role in attracting the following the festival has garnered.
“It’s fun and competitive; they’re really good players who might play for a living, or not,” he said. “There’s a fellow who’s the White House pianist, a guy studying for his Ph.D. in music, an apple farmer from Idaho and an IT specialist.”
Homesick said he hopes, in addition to the variety of events, participants and acclaimed guest performers, Oxford’s arts and culture scene will reinvigorate the competition. For the last 41 years, the event has been held throughout Illinois, where it was founded by Ted Lehman. The first contest was housed on a caboose at the Illinois Railway Museum for a small crowd who brought their own chairs. Over the years, the event has grown and moved throughout the state until it was passed to Hominick and brought to Mississippi.
“I was placed in charge because I’m more tech-savvy, in hopes that we can attract a younger audience,” Hominick said.
Brian Swanson, a four-time champion of the adult division and a three-time winner of the junior contest, said the move to Oxford was crucial for the continued success.
“The improvement in the quality of the main venue and two 9-foot Steinway grand pianos will hopefully add much credibility to the contest that it may have been lacking,” Swanson said. “Also, the main square downtown is just ideal for the kind of performing I love best–out in public in fun places with food and drinks, where real people can hear real ragtime.”
Daniel Souvigny is only 15 years old but is already competing with the adults. He’s won the junior championship the maximum three times, and echoes the benefit of the competition’s move to Oxford.
“The contest has always been a big part of my life, and I always look forward to attending another fantastic year,” Souvigny said. “I have hope that this new location will bring some more life and new attendees to this festival and its great music.”
Tickets are available to the public for purchase, and Hominick welcomes those interested in volunteering or participating to contact him. More information and a full schedule of the festival’s events can be found on the contest’s Facebook page and at oldtimepianocontest.org.
