WeStar Workshops for Int’l Music Competitions

The International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians is the largest independent professional contest among young talents. The Competition is held in three sections: Piano, Violin and Cello.

Since the Competition is held in different countries, it gives young musicians from all around the world a unique opportunity to participate in this prestigious contest. Its natural ties with the International Tchaikovsky Competition (winners of the Youth Competition are regular participants and winners of the adult one), great amount, technical and artistic level of all contestants, most difficult competition repertoire, authoritative jury boards, great interest among public and wide media coverage – all these facts allow to call the International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians the most prestigious international youth contest in the world.

- The Competition is held since 1992.

- 1,200+ participants from 37 countries.

- Was held in 6 countries.

- 80,000+ live audience.

- 1,500,000+ online audience.

The Chopin Competition is the most important musical event in Poland and one of the most important musical events in the world. Apart from its huge role in popularising Chopin's music, it discovers the greatest pianistic talents, providing young musicians with the most effective start in their international career. It is a source of multicultural polarisation, which the world observes in various interpretations of the music of the brilliant composer.

The first Fryderyk Chopin International Piano Competition in Warsaw took place in 1927 and was founded on the initiative of Professor Jerzy Żurawlew, a Polish pianist and educator. The Competition was organised by the Warsaw Music Society, with the President of the Republic of Poland, Ignacy Mościcki, as the patron. The Competition was held at the Warsaw Philharmonic. It was attended by 26 pianists from eight countries. The winner was the phenomenal Soviet Lev Oborin, the future permanent artistic partner of the legendary violinist David Oistrakh. Second prize was awarded to one of the most outstanding Polish pianists Stanisław Szpinalski. Among the distinguished ones was Dmitri Shostakovich, who was the first pianist to have all Chopin's works with orchestra in his repertoire. 

Founded in 1939 by Henri Gagnebin who was at the time Director of the Geneva, the Geneva Competition is one of the world’s leading international music competitions. It aims at discovering, promoting and supporting young talented artists, giving them the necessary tools to launch an international career.

The Geneva Competition was created in 1939 under the name of "Concours International d'Exécution Musicale" (CIEM). In 1957, it was one of the founding members of the World Federation of International Music Competitions, whose headquarters are located in Geneva.

Since its creation in 1939, 26 disciplines have been presented: instrumental, vocal, ensemble music or conducting. Today, the Geneva Competition alternates between eight main disciplines: piano, flute, clarinet, cello, viola, string quartet, voice and percussion. Every second year, the Geneva Competition hosts a composition competition. This discipline pursues the tradition of the Queen Marie José Prize and aims at encouraging and promoting contemporary creation and supporting a high-quality performance. The next Composition Competition will be held in 2022.

It is most likely that we shall never know how Franz Liszt played the piano. According to his contemporaries no one could follow in his footsteps. What is certain is that his personality, unique technique and compositional skills continue to be influential. It is not surprising that the Academy of Music launched the first Franz Liszt International Piano Competition in 1933, led by Ernő Dohnányi, with similar talents to those of Liszt’s. The winner of the first competition was Annie Fischer, one of Dohnányi’s students. 

The tradition, together with the genius of Liszt is binding, therefore the Franz Liszt International Piano Competition is one of the most prestigious Hungarian and international events. Hosted by the Liszt Academy of Music and with some of the most famous piano players of the world on the jury, the competition will provide an unforgettable experience for musicians and audience alike. The winner in 2021 may very well follow in the footsteps of Annie Fischer and Franz Liszt.

The “Giovan Battista Viotti” International Music Competition is one of the oldest musical contests dedicated to young artists. Established in 1950, this year it celebrates its 70th anniversary; it is the contest that boasts the largest number of editions in the world, having been celebrated every year, without any interruption.

The competition takes place every year and alternates Piano and Voice. Over the years it has selected over 10 thousand artists from more than 100 countries; it hosted more than 500 internationally renowned members of the jury; it launched the careers of those who have become the greatest artists of the world music scene.

The organizer of the competition is the Società del Quartetto di Vercelli, founded by Joseph Robbone, who had the idea of ​​creating an annual event for those musicians who wished to pursue a high quality musical career. Today the Università del Piemonte Orientale has joined the Società del Quartetto in the organization together with the other two historical partners: the Comune di Vercelli and the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Vercelli.

The International Robert Schumann Competition is one of the most renowned music competitions in the world and takes place in two categories: piano and singing. Pianists, female and  male singers respectively are ranked separately and a first, second and third prize are awarded. Since 1989 the best song accompanist receives an additional prize. Since 1996 the competition takes place every four years.

The Competition was initiated 100 years after Schumann’s death in 1956. On this occasion a large music festival was held in Zwickau, the city of the composer’s birth, and his reconstructed birthplace was officially opened as Schumann Museum and Archive. Simultaneously young pianists and singers competed with each other for the best Schumann interpretation in Berlin. Later on the award winners appeared at laureate concerts in Zwickau.

The list of award winners include names enjoying international reputation such as the pianists Peter Rösel, Nelly Akopian, Dina Joffe, Dezső Ránki, Balázs Szokolay, Yves Henry, Eric Le Sage and Florian Noack or singers such as Siegfried Lorenz, Mitsuko Shirai, Mary Ann Hart, Britta Schwarz and Mauro Peter. Meanwhile a number of these winners join the competition’s jury, thus guaranteeing the artistic continuity of the Robert Schumann Competition.

The Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival was established in 2015 as another means for the Cliburn to use its standing and expertise to encourage tomorrow’s great artists, to provide a valuable forum for them to express themselves, and to give them an entrance to the next step of their journeys. Key ingredients were top international jurors, the media and webcast, Final Round performances with orchestra, and the festival atmosphere, which included performance experience and artistic workshops—all put into place to make the program significantly useful for students with aspirations of being professional musicians.

The Second Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival was held in Dallas, Texas, May 31–June 8, 2019 and drew 230 applications from 32 countries. Over 20 journalists, including several from Europe, covered the event in person, writing over 120 stories about the Competition and the 23 pianists who participated. Live and on demand webcast views have topped 500,000 for over 3.8 million minutes watched by viewers in 120 countries. The next Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition will be in June 2023 in Dallas Texas for pianists age 13 to 17.

The National Association of Teachers of Singing celebrates the art of singing through a series of competitions and programs that are designed to showcase the talented singers and performers who are soon to be rising stars in the profession. Events are held annually or biennially, some in conjunction with the NATS National Conference and others in conjunction with the NATS Summer or Winter Workshops. 

The NATS Artist Awards (NATSAA) competition is designed to assist singers prepared to launch a professional career and, to that end, substantial monetary and performance prizes are offered. The NATSAA semifinal and final rounds are held in New York City, in proximity to a wide audience of artist managers and industry professionals. The competition takes place every other year. Preliminary competitions are held regionally and national semifinals/finals take place in conjunction with the NATS National Workshop in New York. The 2022 NATSAA semifinal and final rounds will take place January 7, 2022 in New York City.

The National Musical Theatre Competition (NMTC) was launched in 2011 as the first national competition for the emerging professional musical theatre soloist. Now in its sixth iteration, NMTC has provided industry connections to past competitors and winners that have led to their success on Broadway and other venues. The biennial competition takes place in conjunction with the NATS Winter Workshop in New York City, expressly hosted in proximity to the music industry’s top professionals. The 2022 NMTC semifinal and final rounds will be held January 8, 2022 in New York City, as part of the 2022 NATS Winter Workshop.

The ARD International Music Competition is the largest international classical music competition in Germany, open for the following categories: Piano Duo, Voice, Horn and Violin. It is organized by the Bayerischer Rundfunk and held once a year in Munich. Since its inception in 1952, it has become one of the most prestigious classical music competitions. It takes place usually in September. It became one of the founding members of the World Federation of International Music Competitions in 1957. A prize at this international competition acted as a springboard for a later career. Notable past winners include: Jessye Norman, Sharon Isbin, Francisco Araiza, Natalia Gutman, Christoph Eschenbach, Anna Malikova, Nobuko Imai, Mitsuko Uchida, Thomas Quasthoff, Yuri Bashmet, Christian Tetzlaff, Sharon Kam, Heinz Holliger, Isabelle Moretti, Reinhold Friedrich, Peter Sadlo and Maurice André.

Between 1947 and 1950, the Radio Frankfurt held a "Young Soloists Competition". The earliest competition discovered two female vocalists who would soon take their place among the international talented: Christa Ludwig and Erika Köth. Instrumentalists included flutist Karlheinz Zöller and pianist Robert-Alexander Bohnke. The newly founded ARD continued the concept of bringing together talented young musicians from the entire globe.

Anywhere from 350 to 450 young musicians apply each year to compete. Some 200 candidates coming from 35 to 40 countries make it past the preliminary round. A large percentage (up to 86%) of competitors come from countries other than Germany.