Hodges Contest Draws to a Close

The 11th annual Joanna Hodges Piano Conference and Competition draws to a close this week at the Bob Hope Cultural Center in Palm Desert.

Concerto competition finals (junior, intermediate and senior divisions) take place at 8 tonight and will be followed Friday by both the New York and London competitions finals, which run concurrently from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

According to competition officials, the New York competition winner will go on to perform at Carnegie Hall, while the London competition winner will travel to Britain to play at the Royal Academy. In the concerto portion of the competition, three winners will be selected from each division.

The 11 winners will share $30,000 in cash prizes. Pianists Alexander Slobodyanik, Martin Jones and Jon Robertson, who will select the New York and London winners, will be joined by conductors Eric Kujawsky and Patrick Flynn and pianist Sonia Muniz in judging the concerto finals.