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The winner of the 2015 edition of the OSM Manulife competition was the young Scott MacIsaac. Born in 1992 in Alberta, MacIsaac is a promising pianist whose musicality and technique have been praised both nationally and internationally. He started playing piano at 6 years old and has studied with fellow Albertan Marilyn Engle since 2007. MacIsaac got his Certificate in performance from Yale University in 2014, where he studied with Boris Berman and Peter Frankl. He is currently completing his Bachelor in London at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with Ronan O’Hora.
MacIsaac is no stranger to the competition circuit. While still studying at Yale, he won the first prize of the Prokofiev competition and maintained his position for two years as the winner of the Grand Prize at the Canadian Music Competition (CMC) National Final (2008–9). In 2009, he won the third prize in the Toronto Symphony Orchestra National Piano Competition. The same year, MacIsaac was the winner of the Calgary Concerto Competition, which he had already won in 2007. A year later, he was given the first prize of the Shean Piano Competition and in 2015, he won the prestigious Grand Prize of the OSM Manulife competition. Regarding his European career, Scott MacIsaac won Second Prize in the Brant International Piano Competition and the Third Prize in the Christopher Duke Piano Competition, both in 2015.
Scott MacIsaac has, despite his young age, already begun his soloist career with leading Canadian orchestras, including the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra. He has also performed in various important venues, such as the Northern Arts Culture Centre, the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, the Orford Arts Centre, as well as the Princess Alexandra Hall in London and in Lagny, France.
For the Semi-Final of the OSM Manulife Competition, MacIsaac played three very different works by composers from distant musical eras. He began with Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 3 in C Major, Op. 2, followed by the mandatory piece Volée, Carillons d’Oiseaux by Michel Gonneville, composed in 2010 for Louise Bessette. He finished with Fantasy in F-sharp minor, Op. 28 “Scottish Sonata” by Mendelssohn. For the final round, he performed the majestic Piano Concerto No. 2 by Rachmaninoff.
By pursuing a classical performance career, Scott MacIsaac aims to show the world that classical music is powerful enough to influence society.
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