BYU piano majors Hilary Heideman Mauler and Tiffany Winkel Delgado recently won first place in the United States International Duo Piano Competition (USIDPC) in Colorado Springs.
The duo are also finalists in the National Federation of Music Clubs Ellis Duo Piano Competition and will be competing in the final round of the competition in Mississippi in April 2013. There they will perform a two-hour program, including two full concertos.
When Mauler and Delgado enrolled for a required piano ensemble class in the spring of 2012, they had no idea it would lead to such success.
For the class, they learned Lutoslawski’s Paganini Variations. The chemistry in their playing impressed their professor, Dr. Irene Peery-Fox.
“We loved and felt a connection as a duo team,” said Delgado. “Dr. Fox encouraged us to audition for duo piano competitions.”
The team spent the summer and fall learning the required repertoire for both competitions. In the fall, they received further coaching from Dr. Peery-Fox and performed a recital of their program on December 5, 2012.
Between winning one competition and preparing for another, Mauler and Delgado will share their talents in at least one more venue. At the Brigham Young University commencement ceremonies this spring, the duo will perform one of the pieces they have prepared for the Ellis Duo Piano Competition.