Given the hours the competitors have spend preparing for the competition and the high standard of performance, the description is appropriate.

The SHIPC competitors have studied from an early age and practised for too many hours to count to reach the level that Southern Highlands audience will see over the coming week.

SHIPC committee members have also worked tirelessly over the past two years to bring the second SHIPC to the stage.

The involvement of internationally recognised jurors Grant Foster, Mira Yevtich, Monique Ailhaud, Jeremy Eskenazi and Ksenia Bashmet is an indication of the high standing this event has achieved in its short history.

As a result of this recognition, the SHIPC can offer the winner opportunities to perform at the prestigious Yuri Bashmet Festival in Italy, as well as St Petersburg, Russia, France and New York.

The competition is the only international piano competition in Australia to be held outside a major city.

For Southern Highlands audiences, the SHIPC is a rare opportunity to hear some of the world’s finest young players perform close to home.

The SHIPC committee deserves congratulations on their initiative in bringing this event to the Southern Highlands and it is hoped that the event will be well supported by audiences.