Pianist Hannah Shin recently auditioned for the Alaska International Piano-e-Competition digitally using the Yamaha Disklavier at the piano company’s Premium Piano Centre in Melbourne. Limelight spoke to Shin about the audition process and what the technology means for pianists competing internationally.

Hannah ShinHannah Shin playing at the Yamaha Premium Piano Centre. Photo: supplied

What attracted you to the Alaska International Piano-e-Competition?

Participating in the Alaska International Piano-e-Competition would be a great opportunity for me to build up and polish more repertoire, as well as giving me the opportunity to showcase my performances on stage. I think that being able to perform with other musicians from around the world and to get to know others who share the same passion for music as myself is a truly enriching opportunity.

How is the audition process different to other competitions?

The Disklavier Video Recording component of the audition process is unique to this competition because instead of a live audition, the performance is recorded on the Disklavier and played back on another Disklavier with the recorded video at the same time. But since you can only make the recording on the Disklavier piano once, it works in the same way...