Canadian-born arts administrator John Kieser has been named as the new President & CEO of Honens, the organization responsible for the Honens International Piano Competition and Festival. His appointment will take effect on July 1, 2023.
The Honens International Piano Competition takes places every three years. Most recently, 21-year-old Ukrainian pianist Illia Ovcharenko was named the Honens Laureate for 2022. Ovcharenko recent performance schedule has included highly acclaimed appearances at New York’s fabled Carnegie Hall.
Honens Board Chair Siân Matthews said in a release, “John Kieser brings to the table extensive experience in working with young artists and a proven track record of supporting diversity in the arts through his work at the New World Symphony. We are delighted to have him join the Honens team.”
John Kieser
Kieser is currently the Director of Partnerships for IDAGIO GmbH (since 2021), and Executive Producer of Media for the New World Symphony.
- He served previously as Executive Vice President and Provost for New World Symphony, where he was responsible for Musician Advancement, Audience Experience, Research and Design, Community and Audience Engagement, and Digital Media.
- He worked with the San Francisco Symphony for 31 years, including serving as General Manager for seven years. There, he initiated multimedia projects, presided over Grammy© award winning recordings, and won two Emmy Awards.
“I am honoured to be joining the Honens family,” John Kieser said in a statement. “Together we will advance the mission, vision, and values of this prestigious organization while serving communities in Calgary, nationally, and internationally on a journey to the next level.”
Honens Competition & Festival
Honens was launched with a $5 million endowment by the late Esther Honens, who wanted a major international piano competition for her home town of Calgary, Alberta.
Dedicated to the art of playing the piano, Honens offers musicians the largest prize in Canada at $100,000 at the triennial competition. Along with the cash prize, laureates are supported as they embark on a high profile performing career, including an artist development program, representation around the world, and recitals at major concert houses internationally.
Previous laureates have included Nicolas Namoradze, Luca Buratto, and Pavel Kolesnikov, among others.
Along with the competition, the Honens Festival takes place each fall, and will return from September 7 to 10 in Calgary with a series of performances.
John Kieser will be moving from Germany to Calgary on July 1, 2023 to take up his new role.
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