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Kat Wong

World's best young pianists face off in Sydney showdown

Promising young pianists will tickle the ivories at the Sydney International Piano Competition. (Nikki Short/AAP PHOTOS)

Becoming one of the world's best pianists demands prowess, precision and above all: vulnerability.

Promising young pianists from all corners of the world will tickle the ivories at the 13th Sydney International Piano Competition starting on Wednesday.

The contest can be considered one of the most prestigious piano competitions in the world, offering a $236,500 prize pool and performance opportunities in New York, Dubai and London.

For three weeks, 32 virtuosos will prepare more than four hours of repertoire for competition rounds they may not even reach, with the hopes of kickstarting a career in solo performance.

The marathon-like format will test each competitor's power, stamina and technique but winners will need more than just raw skill, competition juror Tanya Bannister says.

"The goal is to be vulnerable on stage," she told AAP.

"People are impressed by how fast the fingers move and memory. 

"But what they don't realise is that you have to get one step beyond there and be emotionally open and vulnerable to get to the heart of what we're trying to do with the music."

A former Julliard student, Alexander Yau is one of four Australians competing for the $50,000 top prize.

The 28-year-old practices for three to four hours a day until the music almost courses through his veins.

"We practice until the music is in our system. So we're not playing the music, the music is part of us," he said.

Intrigue often surrounds prestigious performance competitions thanks to movies like Whiplash or Your Lie in April which dive into the drama, fraught lives and rivalries behind each performance.

While there is some competition between pianists, Yau says most performers are friends and do not hold grudges because they aren't directly pitted against each other.

"This is not a tennis match. We all just go on stage and perform and it is up to the jury to decide what result they give," he said.

"We are all musicians so we wish for everyone to play their very best."

Leading figures in the Australian piano world previously criticised the competition for its insularity, with some winners having been taught by members of the judging panel, and the dominance of former artistic director Warren Thomas.

Virtuoso Simon Tedeschi was among those critics decades ago, and while he isn't as familiar with the competition as he once was, he believes its new artistic director has turned things around.

"It has vastly improved under the helm of Piers Lane, particularly with the emphasis on chamber music, which is still a neglected facet of musicianship for many young pianists," Tedeschi told AAP.

The 12 that make it to the semi-finals at Verbrugghen Hall will perform two chamber music pieces with either a violinist or a cellist. From there, six finalists will bring the Opera House to life when they each play two concertos with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

A winner will be crowned on July 22.

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