A BRIEF HISTORY
The Vianna da Motta Music Foundation was established as a parent-like entity to The Vianna da Motta International Music Competition for pianists, and also to promote the art of the master pianist, Vianna da Motta. The foundation works to achieve this mission through the Competition, the record label, and the archives. The competition, established by Sequeira Costa in 1956 is held triennially. Former prize winners include Victoria Postnikova, Nelson Freire, Vladimir Krainev and Artur Pizarro. The record label will release CDs related to Vianna da Motta the composer, pianist and pedagogue, performances given by prizewinners of the Competition, and any relevant music personality with strong ties to Vianna da Motta. The archives will serve to collect writings, correspondence and compostitions of Vianna da Motta to be available for research and publication and to document the history of the Competition.

THE XII VIANNA DA MOTTA INTERNATIONAL MUSIC COMPETITION COMPLETED IN MACAU, FAR EAST
The XII Vianna da Motta International Music Competition took place from June 15 through July 5 of this year, 1997. The competition was held for the first time in Macau, Far East following a long existence in Portugal. It was a tremendous success and yielded 6 finalists of excellent caliber, adjudicated by a stellar jury of some of the finest pianists and teachers throughout the world. The following is a list of the prizewinners of The XII Vianna da Motta International Music Competition and members of the jury:

INFORMATION ABOUT THE XIII VIANNA DA MOTTA INTERNATIONAL MUSIC COMPETITION IN 1999
Plans are now well under way for The XIII Vianna da Motta International Music Competition which will be again held in Macau, Far East in April 1999. The foundation has already received many requests from interested applicants and we anticipate having the application materials ready to be mailed out by the end of this year. There will again be $50,000 (U.S. dollars) in prizes, plus other awards. Updated information will be continually provided in future newsletters.

INFORMATION AND UPCOMING NEWS ABOUT TAO CHANG
Mr. Tao Chang of Hong Kong was the recipient of The 1st Grand Prize of The XII Vianna da Motta International Music Competition. This prize included a monetary award of $20,000 and a Gold Medal. Tao Chang is currently a student of Prof. Sequeira Costa at The University of Kansas and he has also studied at The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. He is also a past 1st Prize Winner at The 3rd J.N Hummel International Piano Competition which took place in Bratislava in 1996. As the winner of the 1st Prize, Tao Chang will be giving performances throughout the world in the 1998-99 concert season. Some of the venues and locations where Mr. Chang will be performing recitals include Wigmore Hall, London; Salle Gaveau, Paris; Klavier-Festival Ruhr, Germany and a perfomance at Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall, New York City, which will take place in early October of 1998. Performances with orchestra include The Portugese Symphony Orchestra, The Manila Symphony Orchestra and The Gulbenkian Orchestra in Lisboa. This is only a partial list of performances and other engagements are currently being negotiated. Tao Chang will also be recording a CD on the VMF label. Please watch for further developments of this and other news regarding Tao Chang in future newsletters.

THE FIRST RELEASE OF VMF RECORDS, (THE RECORD LABEL OF THE VIANNA DA MOTTA MUSIC FOUNDATION): EARLY YEARS by SEQUEIRA COSTA
The VMF label is proud to announce its first release, Early Years by Sequeira Costa. This collection is a 3-CD set which consists of early, private recordings of Sequeira Costa, previously only known to his family and close friends. These performances, captured on 78 rpm discs during the 1940’s and early 1950’s in Lisbon and London, show a young pianist under the guidance of great masters, namely Vianna da Motta and Mark Hambourg. The repertoire ranges from Bach to Kabalevsky, showing great flexibility of style and an impressive command of the keyboard. Early Years has been digitally remastered to achieve the best possible sound from the poor quality of material available, although the interpretations by far outweigh any sonic shortcomings. Forthcoming issues of this newsletter will provide information on distributors through whom this CD will be available, but anyone interested in obtaining a copy now may purchase one directly through the foundation. Please send a check or money order made out in U.S .dollars for $20 for orders inside the U.S. and Canada, and $23 for orders outside the U.S. and Canada to The Vianna da Motta International Music Foundation at the address listed at the front of the newsletter. Prices include shipping and handling charges. All proceeds from VMF label sales benefit the Foundation.

COMING UP IN THE NEXT ISSUE (WINTER 1998) :

• News and activities about previous prizewinners of past Vianna da Motta International Music Competitions

• Information regarding forthcoming recordings on the VMF label including a CD in progress of Sequeira Costa performing the entire cycle of the Beethoven Piano Sonatas.

• A brief history of the master, Vianna da Motta and a discussion of the Foundation’s archives

Until next time, Best Wishes from The Vianna da Motta International Music Foundation