YPN 2011 Jury

Non-voting chairman of the Jury.
For further information please see About us: Artistic Director.

Bernd Goetzke is one of Germany’s most sought-after teachers and musicians. He is a professor of piano at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hannover and the Head of its Concert Soloist Programme, as well as the director of the Institute for Highly Gifted children which he initiated and established 11 years ago.

Bernd Goetzke studied piano with professor Karl-Heinz Kämmerling until obtaining his Concert Soloist’s Diploma in 1975. For many years he had a close association with Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli. His concert repertoire includes Bach, Beethoven, Schumann, and Debussy, as well as works of the twentieth century.

Prof. Goetzke teaches a class of young pianists from all over the world, many of whom are already multiple prize-winners, and regularly holds master classes. He is an avid chamber musician and has published several articles. Bernd Goetzke has served as a jury member in many leading international competitions, including Moscow, Munich, Bolzano, Orléans, Oslo, London, St. Petersburg, Kharkov, Kiev, Salt Lake City, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Warsaw and Tel Aviv, and will be on the jury of the Dublin International Piano competition in 2012.

Georgy Gromov was born in Moscow and graduated from prof. Elisso Virsaladze’s class at the Moscow Conservatoire in 2006. In April 2011 Georgy won the 1st prize in the Seoul International Piano competition, taking place every three years. His earlier achievements include first prizes at the Grieg International Piano Competition (Norway), R. Schumann and the Maria Golia international piano competitions (Italy) and second prizes at the Mauro Paolo Monopoli and Luciano Gante international piano competitions.

Georgy Gromov has performed, solo and in association with various orchestras, both as a soloist and a prize-winning conductor, in major concert halls in Europe and Asia and at international music festivals, including Musiquechoeurdanse in France, the Prometheus Festival and the Universe of Sound in Russia, Lediecigiornate di Brescia and Armonie sotto La Rocca in Italy, the Oslo Grieg Festival, and Klassikfest Ruhr in Germany.

Georgy has taught at the Moscow State Gnessins’ College. He is regularly invited to give master classes in Russia and Europe and to serve as a jury member. In December 2010 Georgy was one of the jurors at the R. Schumann International Piano Competition in Italy. Amongst his future plans is the performance of Beethoven's 32 Piano Sonatas in eight recitals in Berlin in 2012.

Erik Tawaststjerna

Erik T. Tawaststjerna studied at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and received degrees from the Vienna Music Academy as a pupil of Dieter Weber; The Juilliard School, New York, as a pupil of Sascha Gorodnitzki; and a doctorate from New York University under the guidance of Eugene List.

He has given recitals throughout the world, including the first Finnish performance of Leonard Bernstein’s “Age of Anxiety” in 1981 and a performance in for Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko at the Imperial Palace, Tokyo. Mr. Tawaststjerna has recorded the complete piano music of Jean Sibelius on the BIS label, following in the footsteps of his father, E. W. Tawaststjerna, a leading Finnish musicologist and a personal friend and biographer of Jean Sibelius.

Since 1982, Erik Tawaststjerna has taught at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, where he was appointed full professor of piano and Head of Piano Studies in 1986. He is co-director of the biennial Espoo International Piano Festival near Helsinki and has served as juror on many prestigious international piano competitions. In 2006 Erik Tawaststjerna was named the Professor of the Year by the Finnish Professors’ League.

John Treherne

John Treherne MBE is one of the leading music educators in the country, a recognised adjudicator and a board member of several music organisations. The depth and scope of his contribution to music education were acknowledged, awarding him the title of the Member of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen's 80th birthday honours list.

John Treherne is the head of the Gateshead Music Services, repeatedly awarded for its outstanding work, where he directs a large team of music teachers and leads the Gateshead Youth Orchestra.

John holds a postgraduate research degree, performing and teaching qualifications. For many years John has worked as an examiner for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. As a performing artist, he is passionate about the period keyboard instruments, resulting in research on early 18th century music. Since 1968 John has been a member of the ensemble 'Concert Royal', touring throughout the UK and in Europe, North and South America. The ensemble has recorded numerous LPs, cassettes and compact discs. John is also active as a composer.