Forty-seven young pianists will give 40-minute recitals, performing music of their choosing. They are among 147 musicians invited to audition in Utrecht, the Netherlands; St. Petersburg, Russia; Lugano, Switzerland; New York; and Fort Worth, Texas on the basis of written applications. After this round, 30 will be picked to complete in the competition finals in Fort Worth in May and June.

The auditions in Fort Worth, to be held February 19-22 at Texas Christian University's Ed Landreth Auditorium, are also free.

The five judges for the audition are John Giordano, the longtime chairman of the competition's jury and former music director of the Fort Worth Symphony; Marcello Abbado, a pianist and composer and vice-president of the Orchestra Verdi in Milan; Thomas Frost, a producer for Sony Classical; Yoheved Kaplinsky, chair of the piano department at the Juilliard School; and J‹rgen Meyer-Josten, a pianist and former head of Bavarian radio.

Call 212-327-8000 for more information about attending the New York auditions.