Competition results

The winner of the competition is Weronika Weiss, a 16-year-old violinist from Warsaw.

Congratulations!

We’d like to thank all young and talented musicians for taking part in our competition!

Results of the 1st stage of the competition

Here is the list of candidates, chosen by the Competition Selection Board to join us for the hearings in Warsaw:

• Aleksander Kowalak
• Antoni Dąbrowski
• Ewa Jodłowska
• Julia Kuran 
• Maria Korzycka
• Weronika Weiss
• Wojciech Niedziółka 

Congratulations! More details coming soon!

“Red Stradivarius” Music Competition 

Together with the Music Hub, the Luzerne Music Center (NY, US) and The Red Stradivarius Social Committee, we extend a warm invitation to all talented violinists, trombonists and bassoonists aged 14-18 to take part in our competition.

The main prize is participation in 4-week summer school of music at the Luzerne Music Centre in the US*

* The course will be held during the period 17 July 2018 – 12 August 2018. The prize includes LMC tuition fees, food and board, transport from Poland, individual piano and instrument of choice lessons. More information available at: www.luzernemusic.org

The rules and agenda

STAGE I

Fill in the application form and sent audio recordings of your performance on selected instrument, in conformity with the following requirements. The competition is intended for young musicians who play violin, trombone or bassoon.

Violin
Any 3-octave scale (with 4 legato notes) and two solo compositions of choice of contrasting character, played from memory (one lyrical and one technical)

Trombone
Two 2-octave scales of choice and two solo compositions of choice of contracting character (one lyrical and one technical)

Bassoon
Two 3-octave scales of choice, any part from concertos of W. A. Mozart, C. M. von Weber or A. Vivaldi and any étude (of contrasting character with respect to the selected concerto part)

STAGE II

Selected candidates will be invited to individual auditions in Warsaw – repertoire as in stage I.

READ THE COMPETITION RULES (PL)

Agenda

Application filing deadline expires on 14 May 2018, 10 a.m. (stage I)

15 May 2018 – announcement of the list of participants qualified to stage II and participants’ notification by email or by phone about the Selection Board’s decision

19 – 27 May 2018 – individual auditions in Warsaw – repertoire as in stage I (audition dates will be set individually)

31 May 2018 – announcement of competition results and notifying  competition winner about the Selection Board’s decision

Competition Selection Board

The Selection Board consists of world class musicians, vocalists, specialists and academics.

Elizabeth Pitcairn

Celebrated American violin virtuoso Elizabeth Pitcairn has earned a stunning reputation as one of America’s most beloved soloists. Ms. Pitcairn made her New York debut at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall in 2000 with the New York String Orchestra and appeared as soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra at the Academy of Music. She has performed at Carnegie Hall and Walt Disney Concert Hall and in many countries around the world including China, Hong Kong, Hungary, Romania, Switzerland, Italy, France, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Bulgaria, Russia, Slovenia, Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland and the Netherlands.

The signature artist performs in partnership with one of the world’s most legendary instruments, the “Red Mendelssohn” Stradivarius of 1720, said to have inspired the Academy award-winning film “The Red Violin.” Ms. Pitcairn appears on the 10th anniversary edition of “The Red Violin”–Meridian Collection in a special feature documentary interview.

Ms. Pitcairn is passionate about youth and education. She is the President and Artistic Director of the Luzerne Music Center (New York), a summer camp and chamber music festival for gifted young musicians. A former member of the distinguished faculty at the Colburn School and the University of Southern California.

Prof. Louise Thomas

Pianist Louise Thomas has concertized extensively throughout Europe, NorthAmerica and Asia at such concert venues as the Tchaikovsky Conservatoire in Moscow, the Franz Liszt Academy Museumin Budapest, the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing, Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and Weill Hall in New York City.

A dynamic collaborative pianist, Louise Thomas has made CD recordings in Germany (as part of the chamber music festival, “SchwetzingerFestspielen”); at the Banff Center for the Arts in Canada with the Irish Contemporary Music group, NuaNós, and has appeared on numerous live radio broadcasts for IrishRadio, BBC Radio NorthernIreland, Moscow radio, K-USC and K-MZT in Los Angeles. Shehasalsoplayedlive and recorded for RTE (Irish National Television) and the nationally distributed Ovation Arts Channel in Los Angeles. Her recordings are available at  iTunes.com and on the Centaur label. A recording of her performance of the Ravel G Major was released on K-USC’s“Musical Moments” CD.

Pursuing her passion for innovative programming and contemporary music, she produced and performed a program in 2007 featuring “California ComposersToday” at Weill Recital Hall in CarnegieHall. She concertizes regularly with violinist, Elizabeth Pitcairn.

Dr. Thomas joined Chapman University in 2001 as Director of Keyboard Collaborative Arts. In June 2014, she was named the Associate Dean for the College of Performing Arts at Chapman and in 2016, full professor of piano.

prof. dr hab. Włodzimierz Promiński

A graduate of F. Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw (currently The Fryderyk Chopin University of Music) He participated in numerous master classes, among others led by Oleg Krysa, Zachar Bron, Robert Masters, Vladimir Avramov. In 1984 he founded CAMERATA QUARTET and has been its leading violinist since then. As a chamber musician he was the finalist in several international music competitions, among others in Tokyo (1989), Munich (1990) and Paris (1990, first prize winner). His performances with a band in famous musical centres in Europe, Asia, the US and Japan, participation in international festivals and CD recordings were well received by the critics in such publications as  Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Le Monde de la Musique, Le Soir, or The Strad. In 1991 he was awarded for his activity with Nagroda Artystyczna Młodych im. Stanisława Wyspiańskiego (St. Wyspiański’s Artistic Prize for Young Creators). His CD recordings, made with the Camerata Quartet for phonographic companies in Belgium, Germany and Poland, have brought numerous prizes, among others the title of the Record of the Year in 1995 by a Polish monthly Studio (a recording of Schubert’s quartets for DUX company) and Diapason d’Or (1994) for Gillaume Lekeu’s chamber music recorded in Ricercar. Together with the band he received six nominations for “Fryderyk” award and in 1999 he won that prize. In 2004 he received Zasłużony działacz kultury (Order of Merit in the Service of Culture) distinction from the Minister of Culture. Since December 2008 he has been employed on a position of Associate Professor at the Faculty of Instruments and Pedagogy at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Białystok.

dr hab. Artur Kasperek

Born in Lublin, where he graduated from Karol Lipiński Music High School in a bassoon class of Grażyna Woć-Kowalik. He studied at the Fryderyk Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw in the class led by professor Bogumił Gadawski, and he perfected his instrumental skills with professor  Klaus Thunemann. He is a finalist of solo and chamber music competitions, among others 3rd prize at a chamber music competition in Potsdam in 1998. A co-founder and the leading bassoonist in a bassoon quartet Varsovia and many-years member of Varsovia Nova quintet, with whom he performed dozens of concerts at festivals all over Europe. For many years he has been cooperating with leading Polish orchestras. Among others, he had been a soloist in Polish Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra (1990–1994), in 1999 he was the leading bassoonist in Krystian Zimerman Polish Festival Orchestra, with whom he made a recording, honoured with numerous prestigious prizes, of both Piano Concertos by Fryderyk Chopin for Deustche Gramofon. Currently he leads the wind instruments section of the orchestra of the Grand Theatre – National Opera (he has been cooperating with the orchestra since 1992) and a soloist in Sinfonietta Cracovia orchestra and Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra (since 1994).

prof. Igor Cecocho

Trumpeter, born in 1958 in Minsk. Graduate of the Belarus Academy of Music, where he studied trumpet with  professor  N. Volkov. He won the 2nd and Special Prize at the International Brass Instrument Performer Competition in Daugavpils in 1983.  From 1979 to 1990 he had been a soloist and manager of the trumpet section of the Symphony Orchestra of the National Television and Radio Company of Belarus and of the Minsk Bolshoi Theatre Symphony Orchestra. During the years 1986-1990 he had been a trumpet class lecturer at Belarus Academy of Music. has been running the trumpet class at the Academy of Music in Wrocław, and since 2006 at the Academy of Music in Łódź During the years 1992 – 2006 he had been a soloist in Wrocław Philharmonic. He leads an intense soloist career both nationally and worldwide playing both historic and contemporary trumpets. Among his many students are laureates of national and international competitions. As a lecturer he has participated in numerous international trumpet master classes both in Poland and abroad. He was also a jury member in Polish and international competitions. During seminars and symposiums, he has given a series of lectures on teaching and playing music. He is an author of several academic publications. In 2009 he was awarded with a medal Zasłużony dla Kultury Polskiej (Merit in the Service of Polish Culture).

Olga Szyłejko

Olga Szyłejko is a co-founder of a Warsaw based school of music – Music Hub, a vocalist, vocal coach, composer and songwriter. In 2007 she commenced her studies at Boston’s Berklee College of Music in the speciality of Contemporary Writing and Production. After she had gotten a diploma with honours, she moved to New York, where she signed a contract with A-Muse record company and released her début album titled Don’t Cry. She continued giving concerts and creating music after returning to Poland and in 2014 she released another album titled Dream EP. Another great passion of Olga’s is music education. She has many years of experience in working with children, youth and adults, in conducting individual and group classes (Barwy Muzyki (The Colors of Music) in Warsaw and Simply Theatre Academy in Geneva).

Aleksandra Wittchen

Aleksandra completed her A-Levels at Clifton College in Bristol, where she was awarded a scholarship place. She earned her undergraduate degree in Music at the University of Cambridge (Trinity College), where she sang with The Choir of Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge. Aleksandra frequently appeared as a stand-out soloist during the choir’s international tours and CD recordings. In addition to her work at Akademeia, Aleksandra is currently pursuing a degree in Vocal and Acting Studies at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw, under the tuition of prof. Jolanta Janucik. In her musicological studies, Aleksandra is particularly interested in character development in Classicist and Romantic opera, and the composers of the Young Poland movement.

Fill in the application form

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Competition partners and co-organizers

Akademeia Foundation

The Foundation’s tasks include initiating and participating in all forms of modern, national and international exchange and cooperation in the field of education.

Music Hub

Warsaw based school of music, where musical skills of children, youths and adults are developed by playing in a band. Their educational offer includes singing and instrument lessons.

The Red Stradivarius Social Committee

The Social Committee is composed of graduates of several prestigious Wrocław schools, dedicated to creating opportunities to talented Polish students to receive top level education.

Luzerne Music Center

The concept of summer school is to enable musically talented children from all over the world to improve their skills under the guidance of outstanding musicians, among others from the famous Philadelphia Orchestra and the New York Ballet.