Heida Hermanns International Music Competition
The Heida at MoCA\CT
About Heida Hermanns International Piano Competition
Final Round Details:
Saturday, November 14 from 4-8pm
MoCA\CT, 19 Newtown Turnpike, Westport, CT 06880
Tickets
Program Information:
Finalists are expected to perform a 45-minute program demonstrating their technical skills and artistry across the five main musical eras. It is recommended that finalists speak about why they chose their repertoire and/or speak on the history or context of the works. Three finalists will be chosen for the Final Round. Transportation expenses will be covered and lodging is arranged with a host family.
A hallmark of the Heida Hermanns International Music Competition is its dedication to living music. Each year, finalists have the rare opportunity to premiere a newly commissioned work, bringing a brand-new composition to life before a live audience. This tradition challenges performers to engage deeply with contemporary repertoire and underscores the competition’s commitment to supporting composers as well as performers. Past composers include Lowell Liebermann’s Nocturne No. 12 and Timo Andres’s Competition, each offering a distinctive new voice on the Heida stage. The 2026 Heida includes a new commission from composer Samuel Adams.
The Annual Heida Hermanns Piano Competition
The Legacy of Heida Hermanns
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Heida Hermanns, founder of the Connecticut Alliance for Music, Inc. (CAM), was a pianist, teacher, and philanthropist. Born in Wiesbaden, Germany, in 1906, she received her first piano lessons from her mother. At the age of 15, she enrolled at the Berlin Hochschule für Musik. Her teachers included Egon Petri, Artur Schnabel, Carl Friedberg, and Isabella Vengerova. She made her debut with the Berlin Philharmonic at age 18 and toured Europe as a recitalist and concerto soloist throughout the 1920s and early 1930s. Hermanns established the Heida Hermanns Young Performers Competition (now the Heida Hermanns International Music Competition) in 1972.