The organizers of the “George Enescu” International Competition announce the results of the preselection of the instrumental sections, for the 19th edition: from 555 musicians who applied until May 17, 2024, the specialized jury selected 149 young performers from 26 countries, who they will perform in Bucharest in September.
The last symphony concert takes place on September 27, 2024
“We are delighted with the high level of talent and dedication demonstrated by all the musicians registered at this year's “George Enescu” International Competition. The pre-selection was a difficult one, due to the large number of exceptional musicians who applied. The 149 violinists, pianists and cellists selected by the expert juries represent the elites of their generation and we look forward to seeing them perform in Bucharest. These young artists bring new energy to the competition, contributing to the spirit and tradition that the Enescu Competition has been promoting since 1958″Cristian Măcelaru, the artistic director of the “George Enescu” International Competition, sent.
“It is with emotion that we announce the results of the pre-selection for the “George Enescu” International Competition, the 19th edition, which recorded a historical record regarding the number of entries in the instrumental sections. From the 555 musicians who applied, 149 violinists, pianists and cellists were selected to perform in Bucharest. This process would not have been possible without the special efforts of the pre-selection jury, which had a difficult task, given the high level of musicians who showed interest in participating in the Competition. I also want to thank the organizing team for their dedication and tireless work, which ensured that this stage ran flawlessly. We look forward to welcoming these talented young people in September and celebrating musical excellence together”said Cristina Uruc, ARTEXIM manager, organizer of the George Enescu International Competition.
When do the first stages of the “George Enescu” International Competition begin
For the first stage of the Cello Competition, 49 competitors were selected from the 213 registered, they were aged between 15 and 31 years. The selected cellists come from South Korea, China, USA, Romania, Taiwan, Russia, Germany, France, Canada, Luxembourg, Austria, Italy, Spain, Japan, Sweden, Slovenia and Hong Kong. The public will be able to follow their evolution starting September 1, 2024, at the National University of Music in Bucharest.
The violin competition will start on September 7 at the National University of Music in Bucharest. The 50 selected competitors, from the total of 192 registered participants, are aged between 14 and 31 years. They come from South Korea, China, USA, Taiwan, Russia, Germany, France, South Africa, Poland, Ukraine, Canada, Austria, Italy, Belgium, Japan, Sweden, Slovenia and Switzerland.
On September 13, the specialized jury will meet in Bucharest for the first stage of the piano competition. From the 148 registered pianists, 50 competitors were selected who passed the online pre-selection. The young pianists between the ages of 15 and 35 come from South Korea, China, the USA, Romania, Russia, Germany, Holland, Great Britain, Albania, Poland, Japan, Georgia, Slovenia and Hong Kong.
The full lists, in alphabetical order, of the contestants who have been selected to enter the first stage of the instrumental sections are available on the official website of the Enescu Competition and can be found here. Registrations for the masterclass in conducting performance – passive participation – and for the masterclass in instrumental performance (piano, violin or cello) and in-depth study of music – active and passive participation will close on June 30, 2024.
The Gala Concert, performed by the National Radio Orchestra
The 19th edition of the “George Enescu” International Competition will open at the Romanian Athenaeum on August 31, 2024 with the Gala Concert performed by the National Radio Orchestra. Luxembourgish cellist Benjamin Kruithof, Romanian violinist Maria Marica and Israeli pianist Alexandra Segal will take the stage as soloists, who will perform the triple concerto for violin, cello, piano and orchestra by Paul Constantinescu. The evening's program will open with a world premiere: Symphony No. 1 “Consolations” for orchestra, composed by the Korean Shin Kim, winner of the symphonic music prize of the Enescu Competition, 2022.
The public will be able to follow the evolution of the 149 musicians between September 1 and 22, 2024, in Bucharest, according to the calendar available on the official website of the Enescu Competition.
The finals of the competitions will represent moments of maximum interest for music lovers, the conductor Jonathan Bloxham climbing to the lectern of the National Radio Orchestra for the finals of the cello section competition, on September 10, Alan Buribayev will conduct the “George Enescu” Philharmonic Orchestra for the finals of the violin section on September 16, and Christian Reif will conduct the “George Enescu” Philharmonic Orchestra in the final of the piano competition, on September 22, 2024.
The last symphonic concert will take place on September 27, 2024, at the Romanian Athenaeum. Conductor Cristian Măcelaru, the artistic director of the “George Enescu” International Competition and Festival, will take the lectern of the Romanian Youth Orchestra, together with three of the six young conductors participating in the masterclass of conducting, instrumental interpretation and deepening the study of music, for to present a royal of Romanian-French music in which the public will listen to works by George Enescu, Dan Dediu, Hector Berlioz, Claude Debussy, Igor Stravinski or Louise Farrenc.
Tickets and subscriptions for the concerts and recitals organized as part of the “George Enescu” International Competition can be purchased from the ticketing platform www.eventim.ro, but also in physical form, from Cărturești Bookstores, Humanitas Bookstores, Carrefour or Good2Go stores.
The “George Enescu” International Competition is held under the High Patronage of the President of Romania and is a cultural project financed by the Government of Romania through the Ministry of Culture.
