This is a Paid Post.
Next year will see the Israeli city of Tel Aviv host the third edition of the renowned “Classic Strings” Violin and Cello Competition, taking place from the 9th to the 23rd of May 2022. This upcoming incarnation of the competition is a new addition to the cultural calendar of Tel Aviv, having previously been held in Riga in 2018 and Vienna in 2019. The event is organized by the European Foundation for Support of Culture (EUFSC), led by its President, Konstantin Ishkhanov.
The competition invites talented young performers from around the world to Israel for a celebration of technical skill, musicality and friendly competition, with the participants competing across three rounds for a first prize of €50,000. The third and final round will feature the State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Russia “Evgeny Svetlanov,” which will perform alongside the finalists, with the violin competition taking place from the 10th to the 23rd of May and the cello competition from the 9th to the 19th of May. Each respective event within Classic Strings” is divided into three rounds, and features works by some of the greatest composers of the past such as Beethoven, Ravel, Schubert and Brahms, as well as presenting works by the event’s composer-in-residence, Alexey Shor.
‘Classic Strings’ invites two distinguished panels of jury members to judge the violin and cello competitions, the members for which represent some of the most respected and accomplished soloists and professors in the world today. Included in the jury for the violin competition will be its chairman, Marc-Olivier Dupin (France); Pierre Amoyal (France); Pavel Berman (Italy); Zakhar Bron (Germany/Switzerland); Ana Chumachenco (Argentina/Germany); Michael Guttman (Belgium); Michael Haefliger (Switzerland); Boris Kuschnir (Austria); Dora Schwarzberg (Israel); Maria Sozolobova (Switzerland); and Eduard Wulfson (Switzerland). The cello competition will be judged by Sir Clive Gillinson (chairman of the jury, U.K.); Boris Andiranov (Russia); Enrico Dindo (Italy); David Geringas (Lithuania/Germany); Julian Lloyd Webber (U.K.); Ralph Kirshbaum (U.S.); Alexander Knyazev (Russia); Meehae Ryo (South Korea); Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi (Japan); and Hillel Zori (Israel).
The competition welcomes world-renowned cellist and conductor Dmitry Yablonsky as artistic director for the event. The Grammy-nominated Yablonsky is an alumnus of the world-famous Juilliard School in New York, and has performed extensively around the world as well as being highly in-demand as a conductor. Since his conducting debut at the age of 26, he has worked with orchestras from across the globe including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, State Symphony Orchestra “Novaya Rossiya,” Israel Symphony Orchestra, Catania Opera Orchestra, Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, Belgian National Orchestra, Orchestre National d’Ile de France and the Taiwan National Orchestra, amongst many others. Yablonsky has recorded for Naxos and is the artistic director of the Gabala Festival in Azerbaijan.
“Israel has a proven artistic legacy, with musicians traveling here from all over the world to communicate beautiful music to their audiences, whether through immigrating or being a visiting artist” said Yablonsky.
“Classic Strings” features a grand prize fund of €210,000, with two additional special prizes awarded in each competition. The division of prizes for each event is as follows: 1st prize, €50,000; 2nd prize, €30,000 and 3rd prize €15,000. There are special prizes for the best performance of a composition by composer-in-residence (€5,000) and for the five finalists who will each receive €1,000. In addition, the winners of both competitions will later embark on a worldwide tour of 10 countries, featuring 10 different orchestras across the tour. The concert halls to be featured on the tour include the Tonhalle (Zürich), Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Smetana Hall (Prague), Grossersaal of the Berliner Philharmoniker (Berlin), Goldener Saal of the Musikverein (Vienna) and the Mozarteum (Salzburg). The deadline for applications is the 10th of March 2022, and all applicants must be under the age of 35 at the date of the opening ceremony, taking place on the 9th of May 2022.
“I look forward to joining all these incredible young performers in Tel Aviv for this wonderful and exciting competition. It is of fundamental importance to continue our work promoting culture and celebrating the beauty of classical music across the globe, and I am delighted to see so many young artists dedicate themselves to classical music and participate in our projects with great enthusiasm. I am very proud of this initiative, and am sure it will prove itself to be a most worthwhile and successful venture” said Konstantin Ishkhanov, president of the EUFSC.
For more information and details about the competition, please visit the official website, www.classicstrings.eu.