The Liberace Foundation for the Performing & Creative Arts announced today the winners of its 2008 Liberace Piano Competition. The four winners, recipients of a piano-shaped trophy and cash or music scholarship assistance, beautifully tickled the ivories during a five minute performance on a Steinway Piano for nearly 400 family, guests and supporters at the Community Lutheran Church auditorium, just a few minutes drive from the Liberace Museum. Proceeds from ticket sales will benefit two charities: the Liberace Foundation and Family Promise. The winners are:


Showmanship-Professional


Christopher Joel Carter, age 26, of Albertville, Ala., performed "Un-Sospiro" by Franz Liszt and the "Alabama Jubilee." He's been playing the piano for 21 years and received a combination of training by ear and formal training from the University of Alabama. He's also a composer and some of his music as premiered at venues including Carnegie Hall.


Classical Adult


Ashlee Young, 21, of Billings, Mont., performed "Tarantella" by Franz Liszt. She has played the piano for 17 years and plans to pursue a career as a concert pianist. She is currently studying piano at a university in Montana and has received numerous awards and performs at symphony orchestras and most recently at the Kennedy Center. Photo attached wearing long blue-sequined gown.


Classical Senior (age 13 and over)


Carmen Lai of Las Vegas, a 17-year old high school student, has played the piano under the guidance of Jie Bu and founded a Piano Club at her school, which gives concerts annually to raise scholarship monies. She performed: "Feux d'artifice" by C Debussy. Photo attached wearing beige-colored gown.


Classical Junior division (age 12 and under)


Abigail Varghese, age 8, of Henderson, Nev., performed "Diamonds on the Water" by Rossi and "Etude Toccata" by Barden. She has played the piano since age 3 and has won several other music awards. Since the age of six, Abigail proclaimed, "playing the piano is better than chocolate. "


Prizes awarded were Showmanship $1,000 cash prize; Classical Open $1,000 scholarship to accredited school or program where student is enrolled; and Classical Junior and Senior winners received $500 scholarship monies for furthering piano instruction lessons through the winner's current music teacher. Competition winners will also be invited to perform at the Liberace Museum and in other local and regional venues as guest artists.


The 2008 Competition Artistic Director and Chair of the Adjudicators Panel was Philip Fortenberry, associate music director for the Las Vegas production of "Jersey Boys." The judges were Min Kim, David Richardson, Joey Singer, Moonlight Tran and Hal Weller. Winners were judged on a point system and discretionary adjudicator ranking. Technical skill, artistic impression (appropriateness of musical selection to age and current musical development) and audience appeal are the areas that will be judged. Showmanship division competitors were encouraged to dress in costume and perform two selections, one classical and one arrangement that reflect Liberace's joyful spirit of showmanship and entertainment ability.


The event's talented emcees for the finals were Bruce Ewing, a cast member from "PHANTOM: the Las Vegas Spectacular," and Las Vegan Dana Martin, a former Miss Texas in the Miss America scholarship program.


Sponsors were Jason Firth and the firm of Brownstein, Hyatt, Farber and Schreck, Jack Rappaport of R & R Commercial Real Estate Services, UnitedHeathcare, Cirque Du Soleil, The Biafore Group at Merrill Lynch, Southern Nevada Music, Imagination Costumes, Munari Auctions/Houdini's Magic Shop, BLVDS Magazine and Excellence Promos.


The Liberace Piano Competition has evolved since it was created in 1993 as the Liberace Play-A-Like Competition presented by the Liberace Foundation and Museum. The competition in 2006 was expanded to focus on Liberace's significant classical performance training and expertise as well as his extraordinary gift of showmanship. Liberace studied classical music for 17 years at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music and received a scholarship for his studies.


For more information, visit the website at www.Liberace.org.


ABOUT THE LIBERACE FOUNDATION & MUSEUM:


Liberace transported audiences to a dazzling world of color, jovial music, glittering costumes and humor. His legend lives on in the Liberace Museum, considered to be Mr. Showmanship's greatest encore performance. Liberace opened his Museum on April 15, 1979 to share his collections with the world, to support his love of being an active patron of the arts, and most importantly to support his mission of helping talented students pursue careers in the performing and creative arts through scholarship assistance. To date, the Liberace Foundation has awarded in excess of $5.2 million in scholarships to more than 2,500 students at over 120 colleges and universities throughout the U.S.


The Museum features Liberace's collections of rare pianos, classic cars, famous sequined and bejeweled costumes, glittering stage jewelry, antiques, private papers and memorabilia. Beginning Sept. 23, the Liberace Museum will present previews of its new cabaret-style entertainment show: "Liberace and Me" featuring pianist Philip Fortenberry, a live musical showcase every Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday at 1 p.m. in the Liberace Cabaret Showroom. Tickets are priced at $17.50 per person and can be purchased by calling 702-798-5595, ext. 14, or buy online at www.Liberace.org. The Liberace Museum, located at 1775 E. Tropicana Ave. in Las Vegas, serves as a significant funding source for the Liberace Foundation. April 15, 2009 will mark the 30th anniversary celebration of the Liberace Museum. For more information and to become a member of the non-profit Liberace Foundation, call 702-798-5595, ext. 16 or visit the website at www.Liberace.org.


Liberace Museaum Information