Professionalization of piano performance in Khmelnytsky city (at example of activity of music college named after V. Zaremby).
Background. The article reveals the historical aspect of the formation of professional piano performance in the city of Khmelnytsky, one of the regional centers of the Podillya region, which also includes the territory of the Vinnytsia region, and some districts of the Ternopil region. The author of the article investigates the events in which processes of professionalization of piano performance have received a new qualitative development. In addition, due to the study of various events of professional piano performance, attention is paid to the fact that the foundation and activities of the collective of the musical college named after V. Zaremby has become one of the main, and in some cases, the only factor that in one way or another supports the activities of the entire professional music industry in the city. It means a significant activation of the concert activity, regular arrival to the city of well-known performers, including pianists. Attention is drawn to the fact that it was the teaching staff of the musical collage where the idea of creating a large and chamber symphony orchestras was born. It is also emphasized that the members of the musical college were the basis of these orchestras in the first period of its activities. This made it possible for the local audience to get acquainted with the majority of concerts for piano and orchestra which were performed by the most famous Ukrainian pianists and many interesting foreign pianists. Objectives. The purpose of the article is to give a description of the regional specificity of the development of professional piano performance in Khmelnytsky in the context of the activity of the music school. Methods of research are based on a set of scientific approaches necessary for the disclosure of its theme. The complex approach, combining the principle of musical-theoretical, musical-historical and performing analysis, is taken as the basis of the methodology. Results. The article states that the teachers of the musical college were the initiators of the first competitions and festivals in the city. The conduction of the international piano competition “Classik-Podillya” became an outstanding event for Khmelnytsky piano fans. The members of the jury were representatives of music academies of Ukraine and Poland. Participants of the competition were mostly representatives of Ukraine and Poland, as well as students from other countries, such as China, Mongolia, Iran, Serbia, who studied in Ukraine and Poland. Thus, the “Classic-Podillya” contest had the informal status of the Ukrainian-Polish competition. The article describes the holding of an all-Ukrainian festival of classical and contemporary academic music “Classic-Modern”, which became another artistic project, which filled the lack of classical music in the city. The authors of the idea of holding the festival, as well as the piano competition, were the teacher of the piano department Y. Portnyj and the teacher of the vocal department L. Gavrylenko. At the festival there was also a lot of piano music. It is important that at the festival, in addition to the representatives from the major cultural centers of Ukraine, such as Kiev, Lviv, and Kharkiv, it was the opportunity for the teachers and even students of the music college to present their concert programs to the public. The author draws attention to the fact that the contest and the festival was widely covered in the local press and television. A series of TV shows was created in the artistic program “Palitramystectw” of the Khmelnytsky region Television and Broadcasting Company “Podillya-Center”. The author and leading program was art critic Y. Bogdan, who has been working in music collegel for more than twenty years. The television provided preliminary advertisement of the competition and the festival, broadcasted the best performances, interviews with the jury members, the organizers of the contest. The problem of advertising of the contest, discussions on many important issues of professional musical performance was allocated in a separate and very important block. This significantly contributed to the rise of the prestige of classical music in the city and in the whole region. The Teachers of the Khmelnitsky Music College named after. V. Zaremby founded several music societies. For example, «The Polish Musical Society» promotes Polish vocal and instrumental music, and also focuses on the little-known works of Ukrainian composers of Polish origin. «The Society of Bach music» has a long history of its activities. During the period of its existence the society has done a great job. These were concerts, conferences, seminars, meetings with prominent musicians, theorists and cultural figures from Ukraine and other states. Among concerts of piano music conducted by the musical college, which have a resonance in the city of Khmelnitsky, it is necessary to allocate an annual cycle of concerts and creative meetings called “December Evenings”. This project was started like Richter’s. The goal of this project is not only to research and popularize S. Richter’s creativity but also to teachers and students to carry out their own programs for the audience of the city. Conclusions. Thus, the regional specificity of the activity of music college is that besides training the professional staff for primary music schools and entrants for music academies, the college carries out many other important functions that have regional specifics. Conducts concerts, competition, festival and scientific activity. In addition, the staff of college was at the root of the establishment of a number of performing teams of the city and now the staff of college supports their professional level by teachers and graduates of college.