The five days of the Competition’s 1st Stage were over.
At 8:30pm, 90 minutes after the last performance of the 1st Stage, the names of the 24 contestants who would advance to the next Stage were announced.

The announcement was made in the lobby of the Concert Hall. As the atmosphere grew tense with the contestants’ anxious anticipation, the Jury members came in. Hiroko Nakamura, Chairperson of the Jury, opened the announcement with a comment, “We had a variety of performances, from mature ones to powerful and fresh ones. Before announcing the results, I would like to express my appreciation to the members of the Jury for their tremendous work.”
The names of the contestants who passed the 1st Stage were read out in the order of the day and time of performance. Every time a name was announced, applause broke out in the lobby. Some looked relieved, some looked disappointed -- the contestants who got different results and different feelings shared the same space, creating a unique atmosphere.
The 24 contestants from 13 countries were qualified for the 2nd Stage. Amid congratulations and cheers, the qualifiers enjoyed a moment of relief before quickly adjusting their mind to the 2nd-Stage to begin soon.

　 The Competition received diverse contestants from 22 countries and 1 region. The 1st Stage was indeed a collection of very high-level performances. These young talents from different parts of the world came to Japan with a dream of achieving success in the Hamamatsu Competition, which has grown into one of the world’s most significant international piano competitions. The 5 days were filled with dramatic moments -- distinctive music, full-hearted performances, satisfied smiles and faces of bitter disappointment.
Even in such a stressful environment of the competition, the contestants seem to be enjoying the city of Hamamatsu. Actually, there are 9 contestants, including Taverna, Moon, Morozova and Kennard, who had participated in the past Competition. They are all glad to be back in Hamamatsu for the first time in 3 years and be welcomed by the familiar faces of the staff members. They also happily told me that they felt as if they had returned home.
On the other hand, many contestants say that they came to Japan for the first time and were deeply moved by this country. Yazi, the first Sudanese participant in the Competition who came to Japan with his parents, told me that he was even a little shocked by the beauty of the city; Janusevicius from Lithuania joyfully told me that he had eaten nothing but sushi for the past 5 days; and Negrutiu from Romania gave me compliments on Japan, which were so lavish that I felt a bit embarrassed (!).
Right after the announcement of qualifiers was over, the contestants who couldn’t unfortunately pass the 1st Stage rushed to the Competition Secretariat to confirm the local families whom they would stay with from the following day. The volunteer staff members were busy and efficient in calling the candidate families and matching them with the contestants.
As we see, some of the contestants will stay in Japan even after they finish playing in the Competition, and you may get a chance to listen to their performances on occasions outside the Competition, such as a home concert. Let’s keep our eye on the lively activities of these young pianists!