After several weeks of intense selection in Salzburg, Austria, the hometown of Mozart, candidates are announced who have passed the pre-selection to participate in the 1st Zhuhai International Mozart Competition for Young Musicians. 137 future stars from 23 countries and regions, out of 535 in all, will display their talent from 13 to 26 September in Zhuhai, the City of Romance, to compete for 24 prizes that will define their winners as the brightest ones.
The names of qualifying candidates are published on the official website of the Zhuhai Competition (www.zhmozart.org).
DVD Prescreen
Co-hosted by Zhuhai Municipal Government and Universiteat Mozarteum Salzburg, Austria, the Zhuhai International Mozart Competition for Young Musicians is undertaken by Zhuhai Huafa Group, with support from Chinese Musicians Association, China International Culture Association and Embassy of Austria in China, and has the honor of having Zubin Mehta as its honorary president. For the very first competition, there are two instrument categories, the piano and the violin. Each category is divided into three age groups, Group A for competitors being 14 or younger, Group B for those aged 15 to 17, Group C for those aged 18 to 23. In each group, four candidates who scored highest are winners.
Application ended on April 20. In all, 535 applicants from all over the world, including 344 pianists and 191 violinists, tried their hands. Among them, near 200 are non-Chinese citizens, which testifies to the competition's strong international influence and high profile.
After the application ended, Prof. Klaus Kaufmann, head of jury of the piano category and director of the piano department at the Mozarteum University, and Prof. Paul Roczek, head of jury of the violin category and violin professor at the Mozarteum University, immediately formed a pre-selection committee respectively for each category. The committees then selected candidates solely on the merit displayed in their DVD recording.
77 Pianists and 60 Violinists Stand Out
"It's a very challenging task that we have faced," remarked Prof. Kaufmann. The pre-selection committee for piano that included himself, Prof. Heinz Medjimorec and Prof. Andreas Weber listened to over 340 DVDs with full attention for three full days, each day from 9 in the morning till 11 in the night. Prof. Kaufmann observed that the most competitive is Group A with 180 applicants, the largest group of all, and he has spotted more talents here than in other groups. In the end, 77 candidates qualified for the pre-selection.
The pre-selection committee for violin consists of Profs. Paul Roczek, Prof.Harald Herzl, Mrs.Eleanor Hope and prof.Lavard Skou-Larsen. Prof. Roczek says that applicants are from more than 30 countries and regions. Committee members listened to more than 200 DVDs and selected 60 candidates with high technical and expressive prowess.
The 137 applicants who successfully pass the pre-selection are from 23 countries and regions including China, Austria, the United States, Australia and South Korea, among others. Many of them are now students at top music schools including the Curtis Institute, the Juilliard School, the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover and the University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna, which showcases the level and significance of this competition.
Prof. Kaufmann and Prof. Roczek are both very confident in this classical music competition that has attracted worldwide attention. They look forward to meeting the young candidates here in the beautiful city and expect to witness their outstanding performance at the Concert Hall of Zhuhai Huafa & CPAA Grand Theatre. "I believe that the 1st Zhuhai International Mozart Competition for Young Musicians will be a great success, and that it will demonstrate the same high standard and high level as many other top competitions such as the Weimar Competition and the Menuhin Competition." Paul Roczek says.
