Canadian Angela Park is among the semifinalists for the Honens International Piano Competition, which selects the world's most promising young pianists.

Park, 28, a native of London, Ont., who now lives in Montreal, was one of 12 musicians chosen to move on to the semifinals in the competition in Calgary.

Angela Park plays both piano and violin. She is the only Canadian among 12 semifinalists in the Honens International Piano Competition.
(CBC)

She is a frequent performer on both violin and piano on CBC Radio's classical music series.

The other semifinalists include four young Russians, two Americans and two Koreans. They are:

• Stanislav Khristenko, 22, Russia.
• Gregory DeTurck, 24, United States.
• Hinrich Alpers, 25, Germany.
• Minsoo Sohn, 30, South Korea.
• Spencer Myer, 28, U.S. 
• Hong Xu, 23, China.
• Soyeon Lee, 27, South Korea.
• Sergei Saratovsky, 24, Russia.
• Evgueni Starodoubtsev, 24, Russia.
• Serhiy Salov, 27, Ukraine.
• Maria Mazo, 24, Germany/Russia.

Semifinal competition starts Friday and runs through Sunday at the Rozsa Centre at the University of Calgary.

The participants must perform a 65-minute solo recital that includes 10 minutes of piano accompaniment for Canadian tenor Colin Balzer.

Park, who is a talented violinist and chamber musician as well as a pianist, will perform on Oct. 28.

She began learning piano at the age of three and is now studying for her doctorate in music in Montreal.

Among her numerous awards is the 2006 CBC Galaxie Rising Star Award and the 2001 Grace Welsh Prize in piano.

The Honens international competition is held every three years to seek out young pianists who demonstrate versatility, individuality and a keen musical awareness.

The winner will be named Nov. 3.