Ho, no! Festival chief quits in 40 words
NewsMessage from the Honens festival and piano competition president John Kieser:
My dear friends and colleagues – some news. I have great respect for the work that Honens does; however, it has become apparent to me that Honens needs a different type of leadership, so I have stepped down as the President & CEO.
Kieser has been in the job for 16 months. He was previously with the streaming service Idagio.
Bravo to Kieser. Honens’ strange policy of selecting quarter-finalists based purely on CV and this faux-emphasis on the “complete artist” have been ripe for unfairness, corruption, and results that are not consistent with the ethos of the Competition
That’s inaccurate. Honens selects quarterfinalists based on more than a CV.
“Applicants are evaluated on their proposed Competition programming, experience relative to age, and confidential reference letters.”
https://www.honens.com/2025-competition/competition-rounds/
it sounds like it went swell