The city of Ourense will once again become Galicia’s largest outdoor concert venue with the 2nd Piano Meeting Festival, thanks to 70 Mandarinas Comunicación and the pianist Javier Otero, and the collaboration between Turismo de Galicia, the Government of Galicia Secretariat-General for Culture and Viaqua, the main sponsors of the event.

The first year was a complete success, with over 250 professional, new and spontaneous pianists participating on the day of the festival and a final concert that brought together over 2,500 people. This year, once again, Piano Meeting is holding a piano competition, which will open the festival and take place in Ourense at the end of September.

Those wishing to participate in the competition must meet the following requirements:

• Register with the page www.pianomeeting.com, which contains the full terms and conditions, and send a 10-minute video comunicacion@pianomeeting.com by 23 July at the latest.
• Not be older than 35, one of the changes from last year, when the age limit was 30.
• A CV of no more than 300 words should be sent along with the registration form, including the applicant's full name, national ID number and phone number.

Out of all the contestants, the jury will select the best 10, who will then have the chance to play at the festival with all expenses paid. In addition, the first and second places will win cash prizes of 1000 and 500 euros, respectively. The jury will also select a further 20 contestants, who will be placed in the hands of the public, over the social media.

The members of the jury are Miguel Vizoso, teacher the Santiago de Compostela Professional Music Conservatory; Abe Rábade, jazz pianist and teacher at the Oporto School of Music and Performing Arts; Nuria Díaz Mera, teacher at the A Coruña Professional Conservatory of Music; and Javier Otero Neira, pianist and the festival’s artistic director.

The 10 pianists selected by the jury, including the first and second prizewinners, will be announced on 31 July, along with the 20 pianists chosen to take part in the competition via the social media.

The 2018 Piano Meeting will be held at the end of September in Ourense, with performances from the 20 contestants selected in the competition phase. The performances will take place outdoors at emblematic sites in the city and will also include workshops for new pianists and concerts by renowned guest pianists, with members of the public also having the chance to give impromptu performances. Four outdoor spaces and four grand pianos will be available from mid-morning to 8 pm.

The climax of the festival will be the final concert with two pianos and numerous surprises that will be revealed as the date gets closer.

The dates for this 2nd Piano Meeting Festival are either the 22 or 29 September, depending on the weather.