The 37 participants at this year’s Gina Bachauer International Artists Competition come from all over the world. Seven are from the United States, but Conlan Miller is the sole competitor representing the Beehive State, and he’s thrilled to have been picked to join this select group of pianists. “It’s very exciting, although I don’t know what to expect,” the 24-year-old pianist said in a phone interview with Reichel Recommends.

Conlan Miller (Photo: Courtesy Conlan Miller)

Even though he’s no stranger to competitions — he won the Music Teachers National Association competition in 2013 — the Bachauer is Miller’s first exposure to a competition of international scope. But he’s well prepared for what’s to come.

For one thing, he’s been spending more time than usual studying and practicing the works he’ll be playing. “I’m putting in an eight to 10 hour work day every day,” he said. Much of that time is spent practicing, but he’s also devoting a large part of his day to prepping and immersing himself in the music. “I have to prepare 2 1/2 hours of music. It’s the first time I’ve had to prepare so much, so I’m practicing more and I’m spending more time studying the scores.”

Miller said his repertoire for the competition, which includes pieces by Chopin, Liszt and Rachmaninoff, reflects his love of 19th century music. “It’s heavy on the romantics. I might get criticized for that, but I love playing this music.” However, he’ll also play pieces by Schubert, Ravel and the contemporary American composer Lowell Liebermann, as well as Mozart’s Sonata in C major, K. 330. “There is a little bit of variety in the repertoire I chose,” Miller said. However, for the concerto round, Miller opted for one of the heavyweights, Rachmaninoff’s Third Concerto. “Maybe I play too much Rachmaninoff, but I love it.”

This won’t be the first time Salt Lake City audiences will have seen Miller perform. Back in 2003, when he was 13, Miller was one of the soloists on the Utah Symphony’s Salute to Youth concert, playing, not unexpectedly, Rachmaninoff. (For that concert it was a movement from the Second Concerto.)

Miller, who just earned his bachelor’s degree at Brigham Young University, began playing the piano when he was seven. “My parents started all of us kids at the piano when each of us turned seven.” Miller didn’t immediately fall in love with the instrument and quit after six months. Two years passed before he came back to the piano. “That happened because I was listening to some Kurt Bestor Christmas CDs and I realized that I like music and wanted to be a musician.” So he started playing again. When he was 10, Miller became a student of noted pianist and teacher Irene Peery-Fox, with whom he continued to study at BYU.

In the fall, Miller will be going to Yale for his master’s degree. There he will study with Boris Berman.

As of right now, Miller isn’t sure what he wants to do. “I’d love to perform and do some more competing,” he said. As to the future, “I guess we’ll have to wait and see what I fall into.”

(The Gina Bachauer International Artists Competition begins Thursday. To read an interview with executive director Kary Billings click here.)