Jean Reid has been a supporter of the Scottish International Piano Competition for some years now, and has provided the following information regarding her experience of hosting competitors:

“Hosting a competitor in the SIPC is very rewarding. You welcome a talented stranger into your home, weigh up the need for sustenance and support against a preference for privacy, and provide an appreciative audience in the early stages. You become part of a temporary village, exchanging opinions with other hosts and relishing backstage gossip about the favourites and the judges.

If your protégé is not one of the lucky ones who go on to the semifinals, you’ll want to be on hand to provide an encouraging send-off, but by then you’re likely to be hooked on the personalities of the survivors and will want to see it through to the final. You’ll get an insight into the dedication needed to become a professional performer, as well as a different culture if your guest comes from afar: you may even be lucky enough to form a lasting friendship and be invited on a return visit to exotic parts. And along the way you’re going to hear some great music-making!”