Pianist Vadym Kholodenko knows how the finalists in the David Dubois Piano Festival and Competition feel.

Kholodenko will be the guest judge for the finals of the competition on Feb. 15, capping a weekend visit
to Bowling Green State University.
This will be his first experience on the other side of the judges’ stand. In a recent telephone
interview, he said he is both excited and "scared" by the prospect. "It’s a very heavy
duty."
He knows the tension of being judged – and overcoming that acute strain on the nervous system.
In 2013 he competed in the Van Cliburn International Competition and emerged as the gold medalist.
In the centerpiece of his BGSU visit Kholodenko will show how he won arguably the most prestigious
competition in music with a Festival Series Concert Feb. 14 at 8 p.m. in Kobacker Hall in the Moore
Musical Arts Center. On Feb. 13 he will present a master class at 2:30 p.m. in Bryan Recital Hall.
Playing in a competition "is different just because of the enormous pressure, because of the high
stakes."
"This is an experience you need," he said.
Competitions also provide a career boost, and none more so than the Cliburn.
While most of the glory accrues to the winner of most events, just competing in the Cliburn is enough to
land a pianist engagements, Kholodenko said.
For him as the winner it has meant a full schedule of engagements both as a solo recitalist and as an
orchestral soloist.
He said he enjoys both in their way, though he regrets he’s less available to play chamber music. "I
really miss that part."
Playing a set program for half a year gives him more opportunities to delve into the pieces. "I
really enjoy this feeling that somehow I found something new in the music," he said. "It
happens unconsciously. It’s one of the most enjoyable moments of playing on stage."
At BGSU he will play: Chaconne in G Major by George Frideric Handel; Rondo in D Major and Rondo in A
Minor by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; Sonate No. 10 in G Major, no. 2 by Ludwig van Beethoven;
"Children’s Corner" and "Images, Book 2," by Claude Debussy and "Islamey:
Oriental Fantasy" by Mily Balakirev.
"Before I go on stage," Kholodenko said, "I have a very clear image of what I want to
do."
Then when he steps into the spotlight the mood can change. "It’s always a different atmosphere,
always a different piano."
"I try to accommodate my feeling on stage to the image," he said.
"I can feel when the audience enjoys the music," he said.
A love of music came early to the native of Kiev, Ukraine. His mother, not a musician herself, initiated
his musical studies at age 6. Though the family had an upright piano in their home, he had not evinced
any interest in it.
But after his first few lessons, Kholodenko said, "I just fell in love with it. … My parents never
forced me to practice."
Among the recordings at his childhood home was Van Cliburn playing Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1,
one of his favorites.
Kholodenk said he is sad he never got a chance to meet the great American virtuoso, who had died a few
months before the 2013 competition he’d founded.
He attended a music school where the focus was on the arts, a preparation for attending conservatory.
Kholodenko said he enjoys working with young people, like those competing in the Dubois Competition.
The David D. Dubois Piano Competition will bring 22 talented pianists from across the country to campus
to compete for a top prize of $3,000 with second and third prizes of $2,000 and $1,000, respectively.
All semifinalists had to be accepted based on a recorded audition. The semifinal round will be held
Saturday with the finals starting Sunday morning at 9 in Kobacker.  
Kholodenko will come into his duties on the Sunday jury with an open mind, not having heard the
competitors in the earlier round.
"When something genuine happens on stage you will understand," he said. "It’s always about
sound. It’s always about how a musician brings a message to the audience."
The jury is like any audience. "We just like to hear music."