Dear Ladies and Gentlemen!

With great pleasure I welcome all young piano players from so many nations, coming here, in the pleasant city of Enschede, to participate in the Third International Piano Competition for Young Musicians 2004. The first and the second competitions were decidedly very successful events and we still keep the beautiful musical sounds in our memories, thanks to the high artistic performance level. This undoubtedly shows great promise for the third competition. For the participants, it applies that taking part in the competition will, most likely, be important for their careers as musicians. Whether or not prizes are won, it definitely adds to the experience as a performer and it brings those who will, unfortunately, not win this time, closer to the prizes a next time. The realization of this event has been made possible by the cooperation of many people and institutions: the

Jury, the sponsors, the guest families and the members of the organizing committee.

I wish to express special thanks to them for their enthusiasm, and for their willingness to contribute to the successful progress of the competition. This unique event contributes to reputation of Enschede as a Musical City.

I wish everybody good luck.

Jan Mans

Mayor of Enschede