XV. International Piano Competition Košice 2017 was held between 28 April and 1 May 2017 at the concert hall of Mária Hemerková Elementary School of Arts in the Great Studio of Slovak Radio and Television in Košice.
The competition featured 44 children from 15 countries of Europe and Asia who were judged by 10 members of the international judges panel made up of renowned piano artists and pedagogues in this composition: Alena Vlasáková, Peter Toperczer, Mária Dravecká, Viktorija Hanžlíková Kraf, Melánia Hermanová, Artur Jaroń, Jan Jiraský, Marian Sobula, Mária Dravecká, Éva Csipkay, Vencislava Ilievska.
Slovak Radio and Television has been the main media partner and co-organizer of International Piano Competition Košice during all editions of the competition.
In the first round contestants play compositions from the period of Baroque and Romanticism, in the second round compositions from the period of Classicism and 20th or 21st century within the prescribed number of minutes for each age category. Playing by memory is a condition.
In the 1st category won 10-year-old Ryan Martin Bradshaw who studies at University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna in the class for particularly talented children under 15, in the second place finished Ildikó Rozsonits from Hungary, in the third place finished Ko Hyun Seo from Korea, in the fourth place finished Marcelina Małgorzata Pietruszka from Poland, and in the fifth place it was Maja Walusińska from Poland, who was the youngest competition participant.
The winner of the 2nd category was Anastasiia Kliuchereva from Russia, in the second place finished Radek Bagar from Czech Republic, in the third place finished Pavol Bohdan Zápotočný from Slovakia, the fourth place went to Julita Emilia Niedzielska from Poland, and the fifth place went to Maria Normantaite from Lithuania.
The winner of the 3rd category was Tellian Kiron Atom from Austria, a great talent with outstanding music presentation, the second place went to Jan Čmejla from Czech Republic, the third place went to Ören Idil from Turkey, in the fourth place finished Kristionas Megelinskas from Lithuania, and in the fifth place finished Lena Emilia Michjłów from Poland.
In the 4th category won Lee Geonhee Korea/Austria and the jury labelled him as a genius talent, in the second place finished Pavol Praženica from Czech Republic, the third place went to Ugne Grinkevičiute from Lithuania, the fourth place went to Kamila Wawreńczyk from Poland, and the fifth place went to Filip Martinka from Czech Republic.
Due to extraordinarily high level of the competition the jury decided to award the title Laureate of the Competition to two contestants – Tellian Kiron Atom and Lee Geonhee.
SPECIAL PRIZES was awarded to Pavol Bohdan Zápotočný, Tellian Kiron Atom, Pavol Bohdan Zápotočný, Geonhee Lee, Ryan Martin Bradshaw, Adam Zakrzewski and Maja Walusińska
A great finale of Peter Toperczer International Piano Competition Košice was the Concert of Winners of XV. edition of the competition and the prize award ceremony for both contestants and their pedagogues held in the Palace of Art.
