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Atzinger scores on summer piano circuit

By John Andert '10
August 20, 2007

St. Olaf faculty member Christopher Atzinger recently took home the bronze medal from the New Orleans International Piano Competition that was held at the end of July. This year marks the 19th year for the annual contest, which is held in conjunction with the 26th Annual Summer Keyboard Festival -- both hosted by the Musical Arts Society of New Orleans. Along with the medal, Atzinger received a cash prize of $3,000 and will perform with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra.

AtzingerChris07
Atzinger
Earlier this summer Atzinger, an assistant professor of piano at St. Olaf, also took second place at the World Piano Competition in Cincinnati. The award came with a $5,000 cash prize.

The New Orleans competition -- considered to be one of the premier piano contests in North America -- drew 12 finalists from a pool of 122 pianists. Atzinger advanced to the finals based on performances of pieces by Brahms, Barber and Liebermann, and then earned the bronze medal after a solo recital featuring works by Beethoven, Brahms and Shostakovich.

Atzinger states that he played well during the competition. "My first round material was especially memorable," he says.

Atzinger says that he prepares for such competitions with a multi-angle approach that allows him to work on specific details and broad concepts. "I also give 'run-through' performances for small groups as test runs to make sure things like memorization and tempo are as they should be." According to a review in the New Orleans Times-Picayune, Atzinger "rose above the cool intellectualism of his early-round performances to deliver probing, emotional accounts of autumnal classics ... ."

Atzinger keeps an active career as performer and teacher. "It's a challenge, but I doubt it's any more difficult than the challenges that face many other professions." He says that keeping a medium- to long-range schedule and communicating with students and colleagues are both vital aspects when balancing his type of lifestyle. Atzinger will begin his third year of teaching at St. Olaf this fall.

Contact David Gonnerman at 507-786-3315 or gonnermd@stolaf.edu.