V INTERNATIONAL TCHAIKOVSKY COMPETITION FOR YOUNG MUSICIANS
(Kurashiki, Japan)

International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians is the major independent music competition for young musicians (under 16) in piano, violin, cello divisions. The author of the idea is Mr. Andrey Scherbak, General Director of the Association of Tchaikovsky Competition Stars, which is the exclusive organizer of the Competition.

The unique form of the competition (is held in different countries that offers a unique possibility for participation of musicians from all over the world), its ties with the World -known International Tchaikovsky Competition (the winners of the youth Tchaikovsky Competition are invited to participate in the adult one), large number of contestants and their high performing mastery, complicated competition programs, authoritative Jury Pannel which consists of the Tchaikovsky Competition laureates of different periods, the great interest of the public and mass media - all these make the competition to be considered as the most prestigious International music competition for young musicians. The First Competition was arranged in Moscow from June 14-till July 30,1992, the Second - in Sendai, Japan, from August 25 till September 10,1995; the Third - in St. Petersburg from August 23 till September 7, 1997, and the fourth - in Xiamen, China, in October 2002.



The main aim of the Competition is educational. With the help of their tutors the young musicians learn the complex competition program, that helps to put a professional basis of their mastership. Due to the competition the talented youths get the opportunity to demonstrate their performing mastery to the wide audience (the competition auditions in Moscow, Sendai and St.Petersburg were attended by more than 100 thousand persons), to get acquainted with the interpretation of other contestants, to learn the opinion of the authoritative musicians and critics. The educational character of the competition is proved by the fact that the best teachers get special diplomas, exhibitions, lectures, seminars, master-classes of the leading performers. The Tchaikovsky Memorial House in Klin and its director Galina Belonovitch occupy a special place in the competition arrangement. The unique exhibition of the museum helped to create significant atmosphere of the "presence" of the greate composer. The exhibition, arranged in Sendai-City, arosed great interest -, in particular, 12000 music lovers visited it there.

The future stars are cared for after the competition - the laureates get scholarships, are recorded for CD and video. The competition laureates toured of Russia, Japan, China, USA, England, Italy, Korea, Germany, Croatia, Poland etc., participated in the prestigious Music Festivals, performed in the famous concert halls - Grand Hall of the Moscow Conservatoire, Bolshoi Theatre, Grand Hall of the St. Petersburg Philharmony, Suntory Hall in Tokyo and many others. The laureates-pianists got the right to play Tchaikovsky's piano in the Klin Museum.

The Competition is held by the International Organizing Committee, which consists of the representatives from Russia and of those countries, where the competition is held. The General Director of the Organizing Committee is Mr. Andrey Scherbak. The main aim of the Organizing Committee is the competition arrangement adequate to its high reputation, and also to solve all financial and organizational tasks so that musicians of different World regions can participate in it.

Special attention is paid for the contestants selection. More than 360 persons participated in the preliminary audition for the Moscow Competition, and 131 musician from 17 countries were admitted to the Competition. In the preliminary audition for the Second Compotition in Japan 559 musicians took part, and 173 participant from 28 countries (79 pianists, 57 violinists and 37 cellists) were admitted to the 2nd competition. 135 participants from 19 countries participated in the Third St. Petersburg Competition. In accordance to the Competition Rules only 6 participants in each division were addmitted to the Finals. The Moscow competition winners and Gold Medal laureates were pianist: Alexander Mogilevsky (Russia) and Emily Shie (USA), vioilinist: Jennifer Koh (USA) (Jennifer has become the winner of the Xth International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 1994), cellist Daniel Muller-Schott (Germany); the winners of the Second Sendai Competition were pianist Lang-Lang (China), violinist Piotr Kwasny (Poland), cellist Monica Leskovar (Croatia) the winners of the Third St.Petersburg Competition were pianist Sergey Bassukinsky (Russia), violinist Buy Kong Zui (Vietnam), cellist Bong Ihn Kong (Republic of Korea) The youth Competition laureates have become laureates of the most prestigious competitions for adults, famous touring musicians. High creative level of the Competition is determined by the International Jury Pannel. The Jury Chairmen were outstanding musicians Victor Tretiakov, Maxim Fedotov (violin), Natalia Shakhovskaya (cello), Sergey Slonimsky, Lev Vlasenko, Mikhail Pletnev and Hiroko Nakamura (piano). The Jury Board was joined by the well-known performers, Tchaikovsky Competition laureates, teachers, music critics - Alexey Nasedkin, Nahum Shtarkman, Evgeny Timakin, Arkady Sevidov, Marcello Abbado, In Chen Zong, Arie Vardi, Georg Shandor, Harold Shoenberg, Zhou Guangren, Jan Su Park, Pnina Zalzman, Eduard Grach, Irina Bochkova, Aiman Musahodzhaeva, Grigory Feigin, Min-Chong Park, Ziegward Stenberg, Takehisa Hasegawa, Thomas Beczkiewicz, Maiumi Fujikawa, Kirill Rodin, Alexander Kniazev, Igor Gavrysh, Mary Fujiwara, Yvan Chiffoleau, Walter Nothas, Leslie Parnas, Joshida Takatoshi, Hyong-Won Chang, Antonina Kazarina, Vladimir Ovcharek, Vladimir Mischuk, Patric Chemla, Mayor Valeriu, Siegward Stenberg, Arnis Zandmanis, Anatoly Nikitin, Sergey Raldugin, Choung-Sim Baick, Dorel Fodoreanu, Eleonora Testelets, etc.

Artistic Directors of the Competition were - L. Vlassenko, V. Tretiakov, V.Chernushenko (Rector of St. Petersburg Conservatory). Executive Directors of the Competition were O. Skorodumov, M. Ishijima, V. Logutenko. Famous special music schools joined the Organizing Committee, among them - Central Special Music School of the Moscow Conservatoire (Director S. Usanov, Artistic Director V. Belchenko), Special Music School of Novosibirsk Conservatoire (Director A. Marchenko), Republican lycee of the Belorussia Music Academy (Director V. Kuzmenko), Special Music School of St.Petersburg Conservatoire (Director V. Fedoseeva), Special Music School of the Voronezh Art Institute (Director A. Kriukov), and also music schools of Piatigorsk, Lipetsk, Sochi, Volgodonsk, Krasnodar, Orenburg, Klin, Saratov, etc. The Honorary Organizing Committee is joined by T. Khrennikov (composer), M. Ovchinnikov (Rector of the Moscow Conservatoire), N. Mikhalkov (President of the Russian Culture Foundation), T. Shumova (Vice-President of the Russian Culture Foundation), S. Yakovlev (Mayor of St. Petersburg), S. Guzhaev (Chairman of the Culture Committee of the Moscow Region), H. Geuzinge (General manager of the Philips in Moscow), H. Fujii (Mayor of Sendai), Young Soo Park (President of the ATCS Seoul Branch - Korea), S.Usanov (Director of the Central Special Music School).

Among those who backed up the Competition were Russia Ministry of Culture, Moscow State Conservatoire, St.Petersburg Consrevatoire, Culture Committee of St. Petersburg, Tchaikovsky Memorial House in Klin, Gosconcert, Tchaikovsky Society, Tchaikovsky Foundation, Russian Culture Foundation, Airflot company, Foreign Ministry of Japan, Japan Musicians Federation, Japan Radio and TV broadcasting company (NHK), Asahi Shimbun, Mainichi News Papers, Yomiu Skinbun, Kahoku Shimpo Publishing Inc., Ongaku no Tomo Sha Corp., Moscow State Philharmony.

The Competition auditions were held in the central concert halls of Moscow (Grand and Maly Halls of the Moscow Conservatoire) and Sendai-City (Youth Centre, International Centre, Izumity-XXI), in the Big Hall of the St. Petersburg Capella, Big Hall of the St. Petersburg Philharmony. TV and Radio Company Big Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra, Russian National Orchestra, Moscow State Philharmony Symphony Orchestra, Philharmony orchestra of Sendai-City, St.Petersburg Capella State Symphony Orchestra took part in the finals. The Competition was highlighted by mass media ("Ostankino" TV Company, ORT, radio "Mayak", NHK, "Culture" TV channel, "Petersburg"-5 TV Channel, ITAR-TASS, newspapers "Trud", "Argumenty i Fakty", "St. Petersburg Vedomosti", "Vecherni Peterburg", "Moskovsky Muzykalny Vestnik").

The Guests of Honour were His Highness Prince Takamado (Japan), Minister of Culture of Russia Mr. Evgeny Sidorov, Rector of the Moscow Conservatoire Prof. Mikhail Ovchinnikov, representatives of various firms.