POCATELLO — Musicians West will hold the 25th annual Piano Festival and Competition on the campus of Idaho State University. This event has become one of the most prestigious musical events in the region and will offer $8,500 in prize money and scholarships.

Students from all over the state of Idaho will participate in the competitions. The competitions are open to all piano students in the state, ages 6 to 25. In conjunction with the competition will be a masterclass and recital from the guest adjudicators, Angela Cheng and Alvin Chow, from the faculty of Oberlin College. The festival opens with a Scholarship Benefit Recital by six-time Musicians West competition winner Abriana Church.

All events are free and open to the public.

Schedule of events:

— May 8 at 7:30 p.m. — Scholarship Benefit Concert with Abriana Church, a six-time winner of Musicians West competitions.

— May 9 at 6 p.m. — Young Artist Competition at Jensen Concert Hall, the collegiate division, ages 18-25. Each contestant will perform a 20–30 minute recital to vie for awards totaling $3,750.

— May 10 at 10 a.m. — Angela Cheng and Alvin Chow will conduct a masterclass featuring ISU piano majors at Goranson Hall in the Fine Arts Building.

— May 10 at 7:30 p.m. — Angela Cheng and Alvin Chow will perform a free concert with well-known piano duets and two-piano repertoire at Jensen Concert Hall.

— May 11 at 3 p.m. — Competition Finals for primary-intermediate I levels, students will vie for $1,000 in prize money at Jensen Concert Hall.

— May 11 at 6:30 p.m. — Competition Finals for intermediate II-advanced II levels, students will vie for $3,800 in prize money at Jensen Concert Hall.

The Musicians West Piano Festival and Competition was founded by Mark Neiwirth in 1998 to elevate the teaching standards and student performances of piano students in the state of Idaho.

“It has been amazing to watch the level of playing rise each year,” said Mark Neiwirth, executive director of the festival. “It has been a life-long goal for me to produce this competition, and it is the highlight of the year for most piano students.”

Three adjudicators with reputable credentials will judge all aspects of the competition. In addition to Cheng and Chow, the third judge will be Timothy Brown, renowned composer of educational pieces, from Dallas, Texas. Participants in the competition will receive written critiques of their playing from the adjudicators, and the pre-college winners will get trophies and monetary awards.

Major sponsors of the festival are the F. M., Anne G., and Beverly B. Bistline Foundation in the Idaho Community Foundation, the Willard Charitable Foundation Inc., and Portneuf Health. For more information, go to musicianswest.org.