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The Eckhardt-Gramatté Competition crowned Vancouver pianist Linda Ruan the 48th winner in its history at Brandon University this past weekend.
Founded in 1976, the annual competition – which rotates between pianists, string players and vocalists – is a unique celebration of Canadian contemporary classical music with the recital programs of the finalists required to contain over 50 percent of its works from Canadian composers from after 1950.
Ruan, who is currently pursuing a diploma in piano performance at the University of British Columbia, captured the top prize of $6000 and a national tour in the fall. Her win was part of a dominant podium performance for UBC, with Ruan's studio mate Hamilton Lau capturing second prize.
“We’ve been playing for each other in preparation for the competition,” Ruan said about the experience playing alongside her friend. “We were just like, ‘OK, we swept the first top two prizes!’ We were just so happy for each other.”
The process of putting together a Canadian-rich contemporary music program wasn’t an entirely new experience for Ruan, but she describes the preparation for the Eckhardt-Gramatté Competition – her first contemporary music competition – as the most intense exploration of the repertoire she’s ever done. Guided by her professor Corey Hamm, she was able to share pieces by composers like Alice Ping Yee Ho, Vincent Ho, Keiko Devaux and Ann Southam.
The diversity of composers on Ruan’s program highlights a core tenet of her artistry: using music to overcome cultural boundaries. “These are issues that I think about a lot,” she says, noting the Eurocentric roots of the piano repertory. “I feel that many of the composers that I [played], [it] ended up where I felt drawn toward their music.”
Another element of the Eckhardt-Gramatté Competition finals is that each of the performers must play the same work that was commissioned by the competition. This year, Vancouver composer Rita Ueda was tapped to write the featured piece called where poppies still bloom and fall. While Ruan says the piece was a great challenge for her as it included elements like spoken text, she was grateful for the chance to be pushed out of her comfort zone.
“It was actually a transformative experience for me because I just didn’t know I was capable of doing that,” she smiles. “I personally really felt profoundly affected by the performance on Saturday that I was able to share with the audience.”
“This repertoire has really forced me and challenged me to... the limit of what I can do as an artist,” Ruan says. “It completely shattered that preconceived notion that I thought I had as an artist.”