Sydney International Piano Competition juror Orli Shaham has established an international reputation as one of today’s most gifted pianists, admired for her interpretations of both standard and modern repertoire. She has performed with nearly all of the major symphony orchestras in North America, as well as orchestras in Europe, Asia and Australia. Her 2015-2016 season includes solo recitals in New York City, Washington, DC and Omaha, which feature selections from her 2015 recording, Brahms Inspired. The two-CD set includes new works by Brett Dean, Avner Dorman, and Bruce Adolphe alongside works of Brahms and his compositional forefathers. Shaham is the Artistic Director for Pacific Symphony’s chamber music series in Costa Mesa, California, a position she has held since 2007, and for the interactive children’s concert series, Baby Got Bach, which she founded in 2010. Shaham has maintained an active parallel career as a respected broadcaster, music writer and lecturer. She has taught music literature at Columbia University, and contributed articles to Piano Today, Symphony and Playbill magazines and NPR’s Deceptive Cadence blog. She was also artist in residence on NPR’s Performance Today.

1. As a juror, what do you look for in a pianist taking part in a competition? 
I...