What kind of artistic sparks will be ignited when Zhuhai meets Mozart, and the City of Romance encountering the City of Music? On the afternoon of August 31st, the pre-competition press conference of Zhuhai International Mozart Competition for Young Musicians was held in Zhuhai International Convention and Exhibition Center. It was announced that the competition would take place from September 13th to 26th. The preparatory work is well underway. During the competition, the organizing committee will host a series of special events, including “Mozart’s Music into the Classroom”, masterclasses, a Mozart Exhibition, a forum on culture and music, etc., indeed a feast of classical music for local residents. Present at this press conference were Guangyan Long (Vice Mayor of Zhuhai) and responsible persons from the Department of Publicity of the Zhuhai Municipal Committee, the Bureau of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Zhuhai, the Huafa Group, etc., who briefed the reporters on the status of the preparatory work.

A Top-notch Stage Made by a Strong Panel of Jury

The biennial Zhuhai International Mozart Competition for Young Musicians is co-hosted by the Municipal Government of Zhuhai and the University Mozarteum  Salzburg, and organized by the Huafa Group (Zhuhai). As the only international competition in China that operates with a first-class European music academy, the Competition closely knits the brand effect of “Mozart” with cultural events for youngsters, and aims to substantially improve their music education by establishing a communication platform for Western and Chinese cultures, where young people learn and understand Western classical music. It will become a top-notch stage where talented young musicians from all over the world set out to become masters of classical music.

Klaus Kaufmann (Professor of Piano of the University Mozarteum  Salzburg) and Paul Roczek (Professor of Violin of the University Mozarteum  Salzburg), will be chairman of piano and violin, respectively.

The panel of jury consists of 18 renowned instrumentalists, educators and music agents from ten countries, who play active roles in the international music circle. Among them are rectors, deans, and professors of world-famous music institutes including Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien, Conservatoire Supérieur de Paris, and the Royal College of Music in London, as well as chairmen and jury of prestigious international music competitions (e.g. Beethoven Competition Bonn and Concorso internazionale di violino "Niccolò Paganini"). This superb panel will strive to forge one of the most authoritative and professional music competitions for young musicians nowadays.

A Feast of Serial Events with Many Highlights

The competition will be held from September 13th to 26th. Violinists and pianists will be stratified into A, B and C groups by age. The violin competition will begin on September 14th and end on 22nd; while the piano competition will span 10 days from September 16th to 25th. A gala award ceremony and a prize winners’ concert will be held on the night of September 26th. Out of more than 500 applicants from 23 countries and regions, 137 young musicians were picked for the Competition, where their music interpretations will bring to Zhuhai a breeze of classical romance.

Apart from the exciting competition, the organizing committee will host a series of events in September on the theme of “Mozart”, offering a feast of classical music to local residents.

From September 7th onward, the organizing committee will unveil an event named “Mozart’s Music into the Classroom” in Zhuhai. On the event day, Yao Lu, the supervisor of the Competition, will give lessons to music teachers of elementary and middle schools using standard courseware of the committee, and perform thereafter. Later, those music teachers will teach their students, while the Zhuhai Education Bureau will host a writing competition. The aim is to introduce Mozart’s music into music lessons of elementary and middle schools in Zhuhai, thus promoting classical music on the campus, advancing the culture of the city, and fostering musicianship of youngsters in Zhuhai.

From September 23rd to 25th, the committee will host a series of maestro classes and lectures in the Concert Hall of Zhuhai Huafa & CPAA Grand Theatre, where nine violin judges will take the audience on an in-depth journey to savor classical music.

The Mozart Exhibition will be the highlight of the events. From September 20th to 26th, 16 museum rarities from the Salzburg Mozarteum Foundation, most never-before-seen in China, will be exhibited in Zhuhai Huafa & CPAA Grand Theatre, offering people a closer look at the achievements and charm of Mozart’s music, and enabling them to gain a deeper understanding of the golden age of classical music.
On the other hand, the committee will host a forum on culture and music, featuring in-depth conversations and discussions by musicologists from around the world on topics like the achievement and influence of Mozart, the development of classical music, the impact of music on cities, etc.

Preparation for the Competition Well Underway

As the Competition will be launched soon, operations and logistics are now at their final stage.
In terms of operations, the Competition has joined the Alink Argerich Foundation, one of the two most authoritative non-profit organizations of the International Alliance of Music Competitions. Up until now, the selection of players, the scheduling and the validation of competition pieces have been completed. The brochures for judges, contestants, piano accompanists, orchestra, etc., which detail on the rules, scheduling and so on, have been finalized; and so has an official guide book with introductions of the jury and contestants, as well as information on the competition pieces.

As for logistics, in cooperation with the first-class Huafa Place, the organizing committee has produced the hotel reception plan according to international standards. With a rich experience in service for large-scale events, Zhuhai International Convention and Exhibition Center will be responsible for the catering services for the Competition. In order to ensure safety, the committee has confirmed and has been optimizing the plans for traffic coordination, security and emergencies. 24-hour medical service will be available.

Last but not least, the committee has finished the selection of volunteers, who will be systematically trained for their respective roles in the Competition.