The 50th Old Time Piano Playing Contest and Festival took place on Memorial Day weekend at the University of Mississippi in Oxford. Ole Miss has been its home since 2016; prior to that it was in Peoria and before that at other locations in Illinois. Also marking a 50th anniversary was its founder and emcee Ted Lemen. He perhaps is unique among festival hosts for his tenure. A number of video tributes to him were show
n during the competitions, among them from Jeff Barnhart, Sue Keller, and Ethan Uslan as well as previous contestants.
All events are held in the Music Building, which houses the David Nutt Auditorium. That eliminates the need to go outside and endure the Mississippi heat and humidity, except to eat or attend the evening events that are downtown, about half a mile away.
The word “Festival” in the name should not be overlooked. It’s not just a competition; there are other features that add to its appeal. This was my second visit to this event, the first being in 2019. A total of 25 contestants competed in the junior, regular, and senior divisions, respectively. These competitions occurred on Saturday and Sunday.
The first step was a lottery to determine playing order. Some of the same contestants from that year and othe
