One of New Zealand's most prestigious - and most challenging - piano competitions begins in Kerikeri today.
Sixteen young musicians from Poland, Taiwan, China, Malaysia, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand will contest the 2012 Kerikeri International Piano Competition, which opens today with a Liszt and Chopin recital by the contest's Melbourne-based adjudicator, the Ukrainian-born Mikhail Solovei.
The four-day contest at the Turner Centre on Cobham Rd winds up with performances by the final four on Sunday competing for a prize pool of $25,000.
In the first round tomorrow, each contestant has to play a major classical sonata and a 30-minute recital from memory.
Event co-ordinator John Jackets said Mr Solovei would have his work cut out "separating the excellent from the outstanding".