Just as plants must have sunlight to flourish ambitious pianists need opportunities to perform. Such occasions can be informal, formal or highly pressured as in an exam or a competitive context. Many competitions are controversial for a variety of reasons and there’s certainly an associated brutality known only too well by professional musicians. For it doesn’t matter a jot how brilliantly an instrumentalist performed a week ago, yesterday or today because the jury’s judgements are based solely on how well an entrant plays in-the-moment. Some argue competitions promote conformity, conservative interpretation and discourage risk. However, winning a prestigious competition, such as Queensland’s Lev Vlassenko, is still an important signifier in an emerging soloist’s career.

Finalists Anthony Chen, Ruby Luck, Leanne Jin and Oliver She. Photo © Lev Vlassenko Piano Competition

Four worthy pianists, Oliver She, Leanne Jin, Ruby Luck and Anthony Chen made it to the finals in which each performed a blockbuster concerto with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra. These performances were directed by the authoritative and on occasions, necessarily forgiving and adaptive baton of Melbourne-based conductor Richard Davis.

Oliver She presented Prokofiev’s flamboyant and notoriously tricky Third Concerto Op. 26...