May 2011 Pianist made it into final round By LINDA EAST BRADY Standard-Examiner staff lbrady@standard.net Pianist Madalyn Bingham Taylor went to Texas and played with the best of the best — the piano instructor from Marriott- Slaterville made it into the final 25 last week in the Van Cliburn Sixth International Piano Competition for Outstanding Amateurs. The competition, which happens every four years, is intended for players age 35 or Taylor older. Competition started May 23 at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, where 77 participants each played a 10-minute selection in the first round. Taylor, 61, played a Chopin mazurka for her first piece. She moved on to the second round, with 24 other hopefuls, where she performed a 20-minute piece, "Standchen" by Franz Liszt. The top six players competed in the final round Sunday. Although Taylor was out of the running by then, Jane Gibson King, of Provo, won the Press Jury Award. King and Taylor share the same teacher, Eugene Watanabe, of Salt Lake City. Watanabe was unable to attend, but did watch his students online. "Madalyn played beautifully," said Watanabe. "Ever since I have had the chance to play with her, I have known she is a purely remarkable talent. She is very humble and rarely gives herself any credit, and yet she has incredible natural ability. "And she cares so much for her students. She teaches and plays music for exactly the right reasons — to share her love of . music." Watanabe noted that it really is accurate to compare the Van Cliburn competition to the Olympics — every four years, the best come from all corners of the globe to compete against the finest in their field. "You can never predict what the end results will be, but Madalyn was truly remarkable," said Watanabe. "In fact, she is so good at what she does, I hesitate to call her my student. "Really, she is more one of my colleagues." May 28, 2011 Marriott-Slaterville woman soothes heart with piano, makes Cliburn semifinals By ANGELA K. BROWN The Associated Press FORT WORTH, Texas — After Madalyn Bingham Taylor's youngest son was killed in a freak accident at her family's Utah tire store 12 years ago, Taylor could barely bring herself to play her beloved piano — and she would only run her fingers across the keyboard while sitting in the dark. But she decided not to abandon music because she wanted to show her family that "no matter how bad things get, you just have to keep trying. You have to keep the light in your life." Now Taylor is among 25 semifinalists in the Van Cliburn Sixth International Piano Competition for Amateurs, a prestigious contest held every four years for those 35 or older who don't earn their living teaching or playing the piano, although many are classically trained. About 70 pianists from 10 countries began the competition in Fort Worth this week, and awards will be presented Sunday night after the six finalists perform. Taylor, 61, performed Friday night. She has taught piano lessons par time while raising six children and helping run the tire business. The upbeat woman and her husband recently celebrated their 42nd wedding anniversary. The couple struggled after their youngest child's death, but Taylor wanted to do something positive. So she started taking weekly piano lessons to hone her talents, driving an hour each way from her home in Marriott- Slaterville. She won second place in two contests several years ago. The first-time Cliburn competitor laughs when recalling that she didn't even tell her piano students or most relatives about the contest until just before she flew to Texas, because she feels so uncomfortable in the spotlight. "I'm grateful that I have this (music) for myself, and I'm not trying to launch a career, but I also wanted to set an example to my children that you should keep pressing yourself to a higher level, no matter how old you get," she said. "There are not too many things that keep you feeling alive than when you walk on that stage.... But if I had my way, I'd walk on stage with the curtains closed." The Cliburn amateur contest is an offshoot of the renowned Van Cliburn International Piano Competition that also is held every four years in Fort Worth, most recently in 2009. Cliburn is not a judge at either competition but presents awards. The acclaimed pianist shot to fame after winning the first Tchaikovsky International Competition in Moscow in 1958. 221