The title of Young Steinway Artist is only given to a select number of talented young pianists between the ages of 16 and 35 worldwide. It gives the artist the opportunity of being affiliated with the prestigious American Steinway family with unlimited access to the worldwide resources of Steinway pianos and its network of dealers.

When asked about her life as a pianist, Ms Urbaniak expressed that, “music is the reason I wake-up in the morning, it’s what keeps me going… it’s my life … it allows me to express my innermost emotions and passions in a way that words can’t”.

While still focused on studying for her HSC this year, nothing will get in the way of Ms Urbaniak’s love for music and her piano, and in this regard she is fully supported by her school:

“It may come as a shock for some people to know how many hours I play the piano a day. During the holidays I can play for up to 10 hours per day. But the hours are not the most important aspect of music for me. Finding what is pure, and beautiful, and true in the world and sharing that with everyone through music is the most important and precious part.”

In receiving this nomination, Ms Urbaniak has been recognised as having talent with the same potential as artists like Vladimir Horowitz, widely considered one of the greatest pianists of the twentieth century, internationally acclaimed artist Harry Connick Jnr and George Gershwin, all of whom were Steinway Artists in their time.

Ms Urbaniak lives by her belief wholeheartedly that, “the HSC does not determine who you are” by putting all her passion into her playing. Post HSC she will be pursuing her lifelong dream to play in the

2015 International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition in Poland

I ju¿ po chwili jest reporta¿ w Daily Telegraph! Czytajcie!

A story in Polish - Olivia playing for Polish HSC students at the Polish Consulate & some nice photos there

Olivia Urbaniak - Photo Family Archives