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Thirty years ago, the Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition wasn't even a twinkle in Paul Pollei's eye. In fact, the event began in 1977 as filler material for a weeklong piano festival held at Brigham Young University in Provo, where Pollei taught.
"That first year, my goal was to bring the world of piano to the students," he said.
Within a short time, the competition became the main attraction.
Today it is one of the top two piano competitions in the nation, second only to the Van Cliburn in Fort Worth, Texas, according to Yoheved Kaplinsky, chairwoman of piano studies at the Juilliard School of Music in New York City.
"The Bachauer is definitely up there with the major competitions in the world today," she said.
But it has been a rocky road at times.
Just four years after it began as the BYU Summer Piano International Competition, the event was in danger. The budget had grown too large, and BYU tabled it.
"I went into shock for two days, and then I...