The Rachmaninoff International Youth Piano Competition opens in Veliky NovgorodThe Rachmaninoff International Youth Piano Competition will be held from in March 21-26, 2023 – the year of the 150th anniversary of the birth of Sergei Rachmaninoff – in Veliky Novgorod, the composer’s native region.
The official opening of the Competition will take place on March 22 at the Novgorod Regional Philharmonic named after A. Arensky and on the eve of the Competition, on March 21, there will be an exciting concert featuring the gold medal winner of the Rachmaninoff International Competition of Pianists, Composers and Conductors Ivan Bessonov.
In total, 120 applications from 8 countries of the world were submitted to the competition: Russia, Belarus, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, China, Colombia, Norway and Uzbekistan.
15 pianists have been invited to participate in the first round of the Rachmaninoff International Youth Piano Competition: Bakirov Lev (Russia), Diaz Padilla Daniel (Colombia), Iskorostensky Artur (Russia), Knyazev Alexander (Russia), Li Tianyu (China), Li Junjie (China), Mazurov Georgy (Russia), Nguen Duc Kien (Vietnam), Ming Rui (China), Fedor Orlov (Russia), Gleb Semyonov (Russia), Wu Xuanxiang (China), \ Wu Yifan (China), Ji Qinyaoyao (China) and Shadrina Iris (Belarus).
“I am very pleased that our competition has aroused interest not only in Russia, but also in other countries. And I am happy that in the jubilee Year of Rachmaninoff the hometown of this great Russian pianist, composer and conductor will become the center of attraction for the piano art lovers,” said Denis Matsuev, artistic director and chairman of the jury.
The skill of the contestants will be assessed by a reputable jury, which includes prominent cultural figures – famous musicians from Russia, Kazakhstan, Great Britain, Germany, Belgium and Vietnam – Vladimir Ovchinnikov, Frederic Kempf, Victor Yeresko, Zhania Aubakirova, Ta Quang Dong, Maxim Mogilevsky, Vladimir Tropp and Valery Pyasetsky. Artistic director and chairman of the jury – Denis Matsuev.
During the days of the competition in Veliky Novgorod the Russian National Museum of Music will present a unique exhibition “Rachmaninoff’s Universe”. The exhibition was created on the basis of the richest artistic archive of Sergei Rachmaninoff, donated by the composer’s relatives and close friends to the museum’s funds over the years. For half a century these documents have served as a source of research work aimed at studying the creative heritage of Rachmaninoff. The exhibits include rare and little-known documents, the genealogical tree of the Rachmaninoff family, student works of the composer, the author’s manuscripts of both world-famous and less known pieces.
A special project – the All-Russian drawing competition “The World of Rachmaninoff” was also held as part of the Rachmaninoff International Youth Piano Competition involving the Russian National Museum of Music. Young artists from all over Russia took part in the competition. 224 works from 40 regions of the country were sent to the competition. The experts of the Russian National Museum of Music chose 40 finalists, 5 of which became the winners of the Competition.
You can get acquainted with the works of the finalists and winners of the art competition during the days of the Rachmaninoff International Youth Piano Competition in Veliky Novgorod. The exhibition “The World of Rachmaninoff” will be held at the Children’s Music School No. 1 named after S. Rachmaninoff. The exhibition will be posted online on the official website at the end of the International Youth Piano Competition.
Online broadcasts of all the stages of the contest will be supported by the largest Russian social network Vkontakte. The events of the musical competition will be available live on the official website of the Competition, as well as in its official VKontakte community in March 21-26.
The competition is supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, organized and held by ROSCONCERT with the support of the Government of the Novgorod Region.