Thirty dueling contestants will play their hearts out July 31-Aug. 6 for the first International Fortepiano Competition held in America, hosted by the Westfield Center for Historical Keyboard Studies at Cornell.

All competitions are free and open to the public, and audiences are encouraged to attend.

The Westfield Center anticipates that some 300 people will attend the final round, prize ceremony and reception. In addition to prizes totaling $13,500, the first-place winner will have engagements in several important concert series and festivals on both sides of the Atlantic.

A fortepiano academy with Bart van Oort and David Breitman, Aug. 7-13, will follow the competition.

Ithaca has been central to the revival of the fortepiano and its music since the late 1960s, most especially due to the pioneering work of Malcolm Bilson, professor emeritus of music, and it is fitting that the first competition devoted to these earlier instruments take place here, says Annette Richards, professor of music, who has been executive director of the center since 2007.

Fortepiano competition schedule:

• Opening event: Sunday, July 31, 8 p.m., B20 Lincoln Hall

• First-round performances: Wednesday, Aug. 1-3; 10 a.m.-1 p.m., 4-7 p.m.; Sage Chapel

• Second round: Thursday, Aug. 4; 9:30 a.m.-1:15 p.m., 4-7:45 p.m.; Sage Chapel

• Final round, prize ceremony and celebration: Saturday, Aug. 6; 2-5 p.m., 7-9 p.m., 9:30 p.m.; announcement of prizes and reception, Schwartz Center, Kiplinger Proscenium Theatre

The word "fortepiano" was coined in the late 1950s to distinguish Mozart's and Beethoven's pianos from modern pianos, all of which are based today on a single late 19th century design. Many serious musicians believe that today's instrument, so vastly different from any pianos those earlier composers would have known, is not the best vehicle for realizing their music.

The week will kick off on July 31 at 8 p.m. in Lincoln Hall with a short concert by Andrew Willis, D.M.A. '94, playing Bach on a copy of a 1731 Ferini fortepiano, and a brief film that will discuss the role of the fortepiano in today's musical world.

The summers competition and academy will attract jurors and instructors from around the world.

The Westfield Center, this country's preeminent organization for the advancement of classical keyboard music, recently was established at Cornell. The center and competition are sponsored by funds from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.